Crime Facts Info

No. 44: Composition of Australia's police services

ISSN 1445-7288
4 March 2003

The Australian Institute of Criminology releases annually the Composition of Australia's Police Services report which details the number of police service employees in Australia - both sworn and public service personnel - by rank and gender. In June 2002, there were 46,369 sworn police officers in Australia. This equates to a rate of 240.4 police officers per 100,000 population, an increase from 231.7 (3.6%) in 2001. The highest rate of police officers was in the Northern Territory with 468.8 per 100,000 population, a decrease from 498.5 (6.3%) in 2001. Increases in the rate of police officers per 100,000 population from 2001 to 2002 were evident in Victoria (up 2.4%), the Australian Capital Territory (2.3%), Tasmania (1.5%), and Queensland and South Australia (1.3% each).

Rate of sworn police officers per 100,000 population 2001-2002

Source

• The Composition of Australia's Police Services as at June 2002, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.

Full report available on AIC web site: http://www.aic.gov.au/stats/cjs/police/pol2002.html