Where a police officer can go next
12 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a police officer already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.
Police officers use investigation methods to prevent crime, to pursue and apprehend criminals, and protect the public from violent and criminal activities. They perform surveillance and patrol activities to prevent crimes and apprehend offenders. They provide support to victimised parties and the public at large, and fulfil administrative duties.
Also known as highway patrol officer, public roads surveillance officer, mounted police officer, law enforcement officer, constable, state trooper, state police officer, patrol officer, police constable, policewoman, policeman, railroad police officer.
Service and sales workers 55 skills on file 12 career moves 3 above 60% overlap Closest: police trainer, 68%
- 70% and above · short step
- 50 to 70% · real move
- Below 50% · substantial retraining
Table 1 · Within reach
- police trainer 68% covered · difficulty 34.4
- police inspector 63% covered · difficulty 36.7
- police detective 63% covered · difficulty 38.5
- prison officer 58% covered · difficulty 41.3
- juvenile correctional officer 54% covered · difficulty 43.2
- civil enforcement officer 51% covered · difficulty 51.2
- immigration officer 47% covered · difficulty 47.4
- infantry soldier 43% covered · difficulty 53.7
- court bailiff 42% covered · difficulty 54.8
Table 2 · A bigger jump
Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.
Table 3 · What the job itself asks for
A police officer needs 15 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.
- instruct public communication, collaboration and creativity
- first response health and welfare
- apply first response assisting and caring
- handle case evidence communication, collaboration and creativity
- comply with the principles of self-defence assisting and caring
- detain offenders assisting and caring
- legal use-of-force business, administration and law
- patrol areas assisting and caring
- ensure law application assisting and caring
- law enforcement services
Table 4 · Jobs that lead here
The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a police officer does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.
Look up another occupation
Police officer is filed under Service and sales workers, ISCO major group 5. The full index lists all ten groups.
How these figures were compiled
Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a police officer’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.