OT: any NSW police here. ? about your job

[hsvLS1255]

since i suspect there is a redundancy lurking around the corner (silly IT industry) have been thinking about the police force.

2 quetions.....
1) do you have topay your own way through the academy, i have heard this is so....
2) on top of their base wage, do you get any shift allowances for working weekends/ graveyard shifts ?

cheers

[VooDoo]

All the police i know want to get out, complain about the pay, hours and the general lack of respect they get for doing there jobs. Not to mention the risks, the political correctness and the feeling they should do more but cant due to the "system" and politics in the force and the Govt.

But hey, its a job. Dont let me put you off its its something you really want to do. :D

[COSMOS]

are you in Sydney
pm me or buy me a beer and i will tell you what life is really like in the NSWP.

[Phido]

I am not a cop so don't take this as expert advice, Im just a silly citizen.

Cops live on rolling shifts (long shifts too), so if you think you can be a cop working 9-5 only forget about it now. You have to be prepaired to work odd hours a fair bit of the time, so if you have a family or girlfriend this can make things difficult, changing shifts can be a pain in the ass however you can nominate times where you are unable to work I think.

The you have to deal with situations, like domestic disputes (espically around christmas and easter), then of course your going to get very few people patting you on the back saying what a wonderful job your doing. Suprising most of the public these days seem to have low reguard for the police.

I had spent a little time thinking about becomming a police officer, I decided against it, when it comes down to it, there are better occupations out there. However some people are very attracted to the Police force for a varity of reasons (or aflictions? ;) ) and end up enjoying many of the less glamourous parts of the job.. Depends on the person.

Take a hard look at it, get some opinions.

[SV8VY]

I am not a cop so don't take this as expert advice, Im just a silly citizen.

Cops live on rolling shifts (long shifts too), so if you think you can be a cop working 9-5 only forget about it now. You have to be prepaired to work odd hours a fair bit of the time, so if you have a family or girlfriend this can make things difficult, changing shifts can be a pain in the ass however you can nominate times where you are unable to work I think.

The you have to deal with situations, like domestic disputes (espically around christmas and easter), then of course your going to get very few people patting you on the back saying what a wonderful job your doing. Suprising most of the public these days seem to have low reguard for the police.

I had spent a little time thinking about becomming a police officer, I decided against it, when it comes down to it, there are better occupations out there. However some people are very attracted to the Police force for a varity of reasons (or aflictions? ;) ) and end up enjoying many of the less glamourous parts of the job.. Depends on the person.

Take a hard look at it, get some opinions.You are quite right.
The shifts are long and hrs unusual.
You may also be sent to other stations to give them a hand which could be a few hundred kms from where you live.
Anything you do will be scrutinised .....but on the other hand it is a secure job with good prospects to go higher and you know you will receive your pay on time.
Try and get in highway patrol at least you can fang the cars :lol:

[elisiX]

Im not in the NSW Police, but I have applied and been accepted. Im not sure why I havent actually gone to Goulburn as yet. I guess im still deciding if its really what I want to do. Anyway, this is what I know from about 4 friends who work in the NSW Police.

While you dont get 'paid' to study for the 9 months it now takes to become a Police Officer in NSW, they do offer study grants which are allocated to about 80% of all people to are enrolled into the DPP (Diploma of Police Practice). These grants are $12k and $18k, tax free for the 9 months. You need to show that without one of these grants you could not study the course. ie, rental obligations, etc. $18k / 9months = $500 p/w.

When completing the course, you will start as a Probationary Constable on $44k + Super + OT. Which equates to almost $650+ p/w after tax, not inc. OT. Add to this the fact that you work 4 days for every 10. Thats alot of time off to work a second job if you can. (although this is frowned upon). One thing to remember however, the 2 days and 2 nights you work are 12 hour shifts from 6am-6pm or vice versa.

Personally I think it can be a great career. I havent met one person that is a NSWPO who has said they didnt absolutly love thier job.

[XA coupe]

I was VICPOL and yes, the job can be very rewarding but a few things to consider.
1. You will get people ringing the onbudsman for you doing your job
2. Defending yourself will more than likely land YOU in trouble
3. Your superiors will be there because of who they drink with or give blow jobs to
4. Some people will hate you for keeping them safe
5. Your life will be turned upside down .. it's a lifestyle more than a job
6. You will develop a seige mentality as you will see what crap is said in the media when you saw the whole thing with your own eyes.
7. You will watch your bosses, some of whom actually had street experience, drop you like a runny turd when something goes wrong rather than stick up for you because you made a decision in a split second based on all the information at that time...not 6 weeks later from an office
8. You will have Mum and Dad lie to your face about something you just saw them do ... then expect a warning when you start writing

There are more ... and you will also find out about TJF too .. but with all those negatives, I am very glad I spent my time there and think everyone should be forced to do it. ( a little extreme but it would shut a lot of people up )

[clixanup]

and you will also find out about TJF too

Sorry, but what is TJF?

[Smergen]

Sorry, but what is TJF?

Perhaps "The Job's F****d" :D

[XA coupe]

correct !!!!!!!!!

[HRT 8]

Jeff, I think your thought and memories may be a little jaded. It may not be but there is still a list of re-appointees as long as your arm trying to get back in. I was only speaking with a few this week and they didnt realise what benefits (super, services etc) the job carrries with it until they left.

[Drizt]

Jeff, I think your thought and memories may be a little jaded. It may not be but there is still a list of re-appointees as long as your arm trying to get back in. I was only speaking with a few this week and they didnt realise what benefits (super, services etc) the job carrries with it until they left.

if u are in the force for 30+ years u get a HUGE payout....
and you get a % of your wage for some years after you leave the force....


this is all second hand *im no cop* :confused:

[XA coupe]

I went through the same thoughts after I left... I really wanted back in as it was being a part of something bigger than yourself and all that stuff. It was and is, still hard to watch a divvy van or station car go by and not wonder what it would be like to be back in their ... but as they say , nostalgia is the ability to forget things that sucked !
I have finally made some headway on the 'real world' and I realise what a dead end the force was .. to me anyway. You can bust your hump doing DTS ( detective training school ) and become a 'D' or start blowing the boss and hope to get promotions based on the Old Boys School. Other than that, you end up doing School Resource Officer and such to get off the van and it's associated frustrations.

The benefits you get with the Force IMO anyway, don't make up for the crap you have to put up with. I have'n't had to wrestle smelly druggies, approach a car with my hand on a gun, chase a car and lose them only to find out 6 months later that they were armed and if we had caught them they were ready to shoot, talk someone down who could pull me apart easily but I couldn't let him know that, look in a corro locker with nothing except fear, get spoken to by the Boss as I hadn't come in on my own time to do paperwork, being called a liar by a failer barrister..err.. I mean Magistrate, gone through the pockets of someone who jumped off the westgate , seen the faces of people sued by crooks for doing their jobs.

I have and always will stick up for the police as I know what an unappreciated role in society it is ... but I have put my time in ... My job has it's stresses, on some ways a lot more than the force..but if I screw up .. no one dies..

[HRT]

I'am going to join the NSW Police as well! This will be in two years time. I'am currently doing a university degree. The degree goes for 5 years, but i plan to defer at the end of my third year or after the first semester of the fourth year. This results in me not having to attend Goulbourn to do the full DPP as i have a partial tertiary qualification.

Thinking about it, some negative thoughts still go through my mind. If i join the force, i'am essentially doing the dirty work of society. I get satisfaction out of helping people, but i'am not sure if i can take a good beating by someone who is twice as heavy and twice as tall as me. Sometimes when i'am out shopping and see a mean looking individual, i have this instant thought that this may be the person i will have to confront later on in my career. Society tends to degrade the roles of police, and the media has dwelled upon corrupt detectives and turned it into a stereotype. Furthermore, whenever police are trying to do their jobs, they get criticised for incompetence and excessive use of force. This is despite the reality that 99% of officers are risking their lives for the ones criticising them. Also after reading Tim Priest's "To Protect and To Serve", it seems that the NSW Police Force is on the brink of collapse. It seems that in order to get a promotion, you had to be good friends with the likes of Peter Ryan or Clive Small.

[XA coupe]

I wouldn't get too worried about the physical thing.Whilst I am not a small person anyway, you will find most of the so called tough guys in life either need a weapon or will only attack when you are not ready or watching.

I think you should give it a go anyway and find out for yourself. For all the downsides, sometimes the feeling of a job well done cancells all that out.

[COSMOS]

being ex-NSW police i tend to agree with both XA coupe and HRT8 comments. I have moved on in life and yes there is life after the cops. It is the sort of job that gives you the skills which, if properly applied, can be used in ANY other job/career you choose.

that being said there are an awful lot of coppers from my time who still ring, complain that TJF and tell me they will come work for me for $150k a year starting salary. When i laugh they get all defensive about how they will never leave the job because its too secure for them.

I am happy i took the risk and left. I think about my personal position now, with my missus 4mths pregnant. She's stopped work and our house is paid off - not a small mortgage in Sydney either. There is no need for her to go back because the job i have now, directly related to my time in the cops and since, provides an income which lets us make this choice.

If i had stayed in the job i wouldnt be iin this position - but being in the job certainly put me on the path to getting here. I think of this everytime i walk into a boardroom full of senior execs and give a presentation, every time i sit in a room full of project managers who couldnt organise a root in a brothel with a fist full of fifties and everytime i pick up the phone and someone wants me to solve their serious issues.

if you never take the risk you never find out whats out there... but i will give you the advice an old sergeant gave me when i went to the police station to collect the application forms. He said "son-the job is f*^ked. you are never more alone than when you are in the cops and there is nothing more EX than an ex-cop BUT the only way for you to learn this is to join and find out for yourself."

This was in what i still consider the good old days when you could smack a sh*tbag for being a smart mouth and you could pretty much do the job with little worry about monday morning full backs.

He was of course right however i do not, ever, regret joining. Just remember - you dont wanna be doing urgent runs and the like when you are in your mid 30's so make sure you factor this into your career plans.

[glen III]

[/QUOTE] Also after reading Tim Priest's "To Protect and To Serve", it seems that the NSW Police Force is on the brink of collapse. It seems that in order to get a promotion, you had to be good friends with the likes of Peter Ryan or Clive Small.[/QUOTE]

There is a reason he is called "disgruntled former detective Tim Priest" because he is exactly that, disgruntled. A good counterpoint to this book,( and let me just say that you're never going to get a good look at the inner workings from someone's biography) is to read Peter Ryan's biography. Read both and find the common ground where they disagree on some of the major accusations levelled at each other. Clive Small didn't have a friend in the cops either, they were just pawns in his game.

Basically, the state of the cops is just someone's opinion, if they are experiencing a good run where magistrates don't dismiss their briefs and their sergeants back their moves on the street and they haven't gotten into any fatal pursuits and haven't been hurt on duty, the force is in great shape and the best job in the world. If you speak to someone (usually older) that has recently spent time out HOD or on stress, has seen too many fatals, has crashed their vehicle, got their guts stomped in a real knock-down, drag-out brawl or has been ridiculed by magistrates, TJF is all they'll tell you and it's the worst job in the world.

On the physical side, the requirements aren't that stringent. But remember, these are minimum standards. It is in your best interests to be strong and fit, every bit of strength and "fight" in you is a bonus when you start to get your ass kicked by a convention of healthy young males.

As previously mentioned, don't join the cops if you want to be loved by all and sundry. Join the firies instead. Everyone thinks you're a c**t, even though you're just trying to help. But nearly everyone develops a thick skin or gets out. Look on the police association website, at Police news, and see how many people are getting out each month. It is quite a few.

If you want to do it, do it. You are free to resign at any time if it doesn't feel right, or you don't like it, or just can't motivate yourself to turn up for your shift. But have a go, at least you can say you tried it out and "had a go". Good luck with your decision.

[filaretos]

Its up to you if you really want to do it you will feel it inside you. There are positives and negatives that others have addressed already. I am not a cop but work closely with them . I am an Ambo and see the stuff they put up with so have some insight.

If you want to investigate things and not deal with as much petty crime join the Federal Police... if you want to drive fast and be on the road all day join the highway Patrol

My only advice is this and it goes for Cops and the Ambos...its nothing like TV shows such as All Saints, Police Rescue, Blue Heelers, Stingers or Water Rats

[XA coupe]

Cosmos is right about one thing.. my experience has given me the self confidence to do things I couldn't do before. You also become a student of human nature and can usually smell rats pretty quickly. The other thing is the personal awareness. It's still very hard to walk somewhere without scanning around.. there is no guarantees but I don't want to be a victim because I didn't see something coming

[COSMOS]

Cosmos is right about one thing.. my experience has given me the self confidence to do things I couldn't do before. You also become a student of human nature and can usually smell rats pretty quickly. The other thing is the personal awareness. It's still very hard to walk somewhere without scanning around.. there is no guarantees but I don't want to be a victim because I didn't see something coming

and we NEVER EVER EVER sit with our backs to a door.... anywhere. you will forever drive like you own the road and you will forever enter a room like you own everyone in it... sounds arrogant but those in the know know what i mean.

[s8n]

My father is now a retired police officer, he says it was hell on earth. He worked in many different facets of the force, but spent of his time as a detective in the child mistreatment area.

His brother and my uncle is also a super intendant, who is still with the force, I know he works some really long hours.

Having seen what the police force did to my dad, I would never ever do it nor let my children do it but I respect and appreicate the brave people that choose to do it.

[BA Turbo]

I get satisfaction out of helping people

You're joining the wrong job then, but hang onto that line, it'll sound great when you are in your pre-entrance interviews! This smiley shows what the people we help think of us: :bash:

Everybody has aspects of the job that they hate. Others may not mind that paricular role/job/task as much.

I love it here in Victoria, but I am a born cynic (similar to XACoupe?). The job is nothing like I thought it would be. You will be frustrated with the inefficiency of everything you do, but its still a great job. Give it a crack and see, you're not stuck there like the defence forces, so best of luck with it.