Police officer to prison officer
A police officer already meets 58% of what the prison officer role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.3/ 100
1 How much of what a prison officer is expected to do is already part of a police officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the prison officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A prison officer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a police officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with the principles of self-defence
- ensure compliance with types of weapons
- identify security threats
- illegal substances
- law enforcement
- legal use-of-force
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A prison officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a police officer background worth leading with.
- already held conduct frisk assisting and caring
- already held illegal substances services
- already held comply with the principles of self-defence assisting and caring
- already held restrain individuals assisting and caring
- already held legal use-of-force business, administration and law
- already held patrol areas assisting and caring
All 15 carried skills, including the 8 the prison officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn see to the detainees' well-being required
- still to learn escort defendants required
- optional, not held conduct security screenings optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- still to learn undertake inspections required
- optional, not held maintain logbooks optional
- still to learn correctional procedures required
- optional, not held manage security clearance optional
- optional, not held contribute to the formulation of correctional procedures optional
- optional, not held oversee rehabilitation process optional
- optional, not held propose leisure activities optional
- optional, not held maintain operational communications optional
- optional, not held surveillance methods optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a prison officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 see to the detainees' well-being practise this
- 02 correctional procedures study this
- 03 escort defendants practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held comply with the principles of self-defence skill
- already held ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- already held identify security threats skill
- already held illegal substances knowledge
- already held law enforcement knowledge
- already held legal use-of-force knowledge
- already held patrol areas skill
- already held restrain individuals skill
- already held apply knowledge of human behaviour skill
- already held conduct frisk skill
- already held ensure law application skill
- already held practice vigilance skill
- already held respond to enquiries skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held write situation reports skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held criminology optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held conduct security screenings optional
- optional, not held maintain logbooks optional
- optional, not held manage security clearance optional
- optional, not held contribute to the formulation of correctional procedures optional
- optional, not held criminology optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain operational communications optional
- optional, not held oversee rehabilitation process optional
- optional, not held propose leisure activities optional
- optional, not held surveillance methods optional
40 held skills the prison officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse legal evidence skill
- not needed by the target role analyse road traffic patterns skill
- not needed by the target role anticipate foreseeable problems on the road skill
- not needed by the target role apply first response skill
- not needed by the target role assess railway operations skill
- not needed by the target role check diving equipment skill
- not needed by the target role check official documents skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct drug abuse tests skill
- not needed by the target role control crowd skill
- not needed by the target role detain offenders skill
- not needed by the target role diving operation requirements knowledge
- not needed by the target role educate public on road safety skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role examine crime scenes skill
- not needed by the target role execute working instructions skill
- not needed by the target role first response knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle case evidence skill
- not needed by the target role hear witness accounts skill
- not needed by the target role instruct public skill
- not needed by the target role investigate forgery cases skill
- not needed by the target role investigate road accidents skill
- not needed by the target role investigation research methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role issue fines skill
- not needed by the target role maintain diving equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain order at scenes of accidents skill
- not needed by the target role manage major incidents skill
- not needed by the target role manage theft prevention skill
- not needed by the target role perform drug investigations skill
- not needed by the target role perform underwater investigations skill
- not needed by the target role physical characteristics of railways knowledge
- not needed by the target role present evidence skill
- not needed by the target role provide care for horses skill
- not needed by the target role railway law knowledge
- not needed by the target role regulate traffic skill
- not needed by the target role ride horses skill
- not needed by the target role road traffic laws knowledge
- not needed by the target role safe horseback riding principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role train animals for professional purposes skill
- not needed by the target role use personal protection equipment skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn correctional procedures required
- optional, not held criminology optional
- optional, not held surveillance methods optional
Other moves recorded from police officer
- police trainer 68% covered · moderate
- police inspector 63% covered · moderate
- police detective 63% covered · moderate
- juvenile correctional officer 54% covered · moderate
- civil enforcement officer 51% covered · moderate
- immigration officer 47% covered · moderate
- infantry soldier 43% covered · moderate
- court bailiff 42% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can a police officer become a prison officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A police officer already covers 58% of what a prison officer is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 8 of which the prison officer role treats as required.
What skills does a police officer need to become a prison officer?
4 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is see to the detainees' well-being.
How hard is the move from police officer to prison officer?
Its learning distance is 41.3 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.