Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 11—Crime and justice 491
C8.18 POLICE OFFICERS, Number and Rate per 100,000 Population, Australia—1900 and 1999
Jurisdiction no. Rate per 100,000 population
1900(a)
New South Wales 2 107 154.8
Victoria 1 480 123.7
Queensland 880 178.2
Western Australia 519 288.4
South Australia 363 100.2
Tasmania 250 144.6
Northern Territory .. ..
Australian Capital Territory .. ..
Australia 5 599 148.4
1999(b)
New South Wales 13 471 210.1
Victoria 9 777 207.5
Queensland 7 519 214.1
Western Australia 4 850 260.6
South Australia 3 592 240.6
Tasmania 1 076 228.8
Northern Territory 876 454.2
Australian Capital Territory 663 213.8
Australia(c) 43 048 227.0
(a) From Source Book of Australian Criminal and Social Statistics 1804–1988. (b) Rates calculated using (ABS) Population by
Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, June 1999 (3201.0). (c) Includes AFP.
Source: Source Book of Australian Criminal and Social Statistics 1804–1988; Population by Age and Sex, Australian States
and Territories, June 1999 (3201.0).
At the end of the century one of the important
features in police recruitment was education. A
significant proportion of new recruits are
university graduates. At the beginning of the
century the major qualification to become a
police officer was whether one was physically big
enough. At the end of the century the issue was
whether one was smart enough. A lot of police
work involves sitting in front of a screen because
police are information dependent—their value
lies in how they obtain, process, encode, decode
and use information. A lot of this comes from the
application of sophisticated technology. The
whole structure of our information technology
requires an analytical mind, and the ability to
learn fast. Crime solving and dealing with
evidence such as DNA typing, biochemical assay,
automated database fingerprint matching,
accident reconstruction, arson analysis, weapons
innovation, not to mention non-coercive
persuasive techniques, such as mediation,
hostage negotiation and rape counselling, all
requires skills that need to be upgraded regularly.
In addition to these highly sophisticated skills,
many police work with complex human relations
issues. Unlike many professionals, police do not
work in surroundings they control. Many work
where the rest of us would not want to go: dark
back alleys, domestic situations that have got out
of hand, and venues that are physically and
socially uninviting. They work in the seamy
side of life, with sleaze, lust, perversion,
greed, rage and malice—not the sort of thing
professionals would choose as their working
context.
Young men and women, mostly under 35
years of age, continually deal with life
situations that require either a very strong
education in the social and behavioural
sciences, or long years of life experience. The
increased numbers of private security and
law enforcement officers is a demonstration
of the complexity of policing and the
willingness of certain parts of the community
to pay an additional premium for a level of
protection they deem appropriate for their
interests. Private law enforcement covers not
only the armed guards who escort payroll or
those who monitor entertainment venues,
but also the many who deal with issues of
computer security, hackers, cyber crime and
a range of sophisticated investigators.
In 1993 Australia’s Police Commissioners laid
out a vision for the end of the century: