What are the Benefits of a Career in the Police?

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We hear about the downsides of working as a police officer all too often. Sure, this job can be a dangerous one when you’re dealing with criminals directly and it can often involve working long and unsociable hours. However, that’s just one side to the story. There are plenty of benefits when it comes to working in the police and many people who decide to do this job do it because of the high reward that comes with knowing you’ve been able to help others in a way that nobody else can. In addition, the job can also be very fast-paced, exciting, and even fun. Police officers are not only paid generously but they also have a range of great employee benefits to enjoy. If you’re considering becoming a police officer, here are some of the best things about the job to consider.

Help Others

The reward that comes with knowing that you’ve been able to make a difference to the lives of others can be a massive one. Whether you’ve helped somebody steer clear of committing a crime, been there for somebody in a distressing situation such as a road traffic accident, or been a supportive ear for the victim of a crime, working as a police officer gives you the chance to help other people on a daily basis. When people think of a career in the police it might often conjure up images of chasing down suspects and arresting criminals. However, this career also involves a lot of helping other people, keeping them safe, and being a trustworthy place for them to come to. Learn more about this side of policing with a police studies degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Save Lives

When you’re working in the police, helping others will go above and beyond what you could do as a member of the public. Saving lives is something that police officers can often do on a daily basis, and it’s just a part of the job. Sometimes, your heroism as a police officer in saving somebody’s life might make the news, but the truth is that police officers save lives that we never hear about. Even indirectly, you have a chance to make a positive change and prevent unnecessary deaths. For example, taking drunk drivers off the road could potentially save lives, or your presence in a neighborhood could eventually save lives by causing criminals to think twice before they harm somebody.

Fast-Paced Training

When working in the police, training is important throughout every stage of the career. Once you have a relevant qualification for police work, you will then need to go through initial training to learn techniques for protecting yourself and others. While the training required to qualify as a police officer can be intensive and a lot of hard work, it’s also a lot of fun. You may also undertake additional training in areas such as pursuit driving, first aid and CPR, firearms handling, and other specialty areas depending on the police department that you are working for and the job that you want to do.

Ongoing Learning

In addition to the fast-paced and intense initial training, you’ll need as a cop, working in this career means that you will always have a chance to learn something new. If you want to pursue higher roles in this career and work your way up the career ladder in law enforcement, learning new skills is going to be absolutely essential to your success overall. For example, if you enjoy looking for and solving clues, you might want to consider additional training to work as a detective, or if you prefer the idea of working in management, there are many senior roles within the police that you could aim for.

Friendship and Relationships

When it comes to friendship, protecting each other, and camaraderie in the workplace, there’s nowhere quite like the police. Police officers are acutely aware of the danger that they are in simply by doing their job on a daily basis, and protecting one another will often come first. Whatever happens, while you are working in this job, you can be sure that you have a team of people who are there to help and support you whenever it is needed. If you’re in physical danger, officers can drop everything to come and make sure that you are okay, and there will always be somebody who understands to talk to if you are having a bad day.

Responsibility

If you like the idea of working in a career where you matter and have a lot of responsibility, a career as a police officer might be an ideal choice for you. While everybody needs to work, there’s a lot to be said about the reward that comes with working in a career where you are responsible for more than most and the work that you do can truly make a difference in the lives of others. Working as a police officer comes with an incredible amount of responsibility that can often be very rewarding on its own. As a police officer, taking these responsibilities seriously can help you make a massive difference to the people that you work with, and knowing that you’ve been able to do some good in your line of work is a feeling that is second-to-none.

Excitement

While there’s a lot of paperwork and admin involved in working in the police and it’s not exactly like how it’s shown on TV, there is definitely an exciting and adrenaline-fuelled side to this line of work. High-speed chases and precarious moments on the job can be dangerous but they can also get your adrenalin pumping and be some of the most exciting and thrilling times on the job. As a police officer, you’ll need to stay calm and collected in these situations, to take over and mitigate the risks to both yourself and others. Being able to successfully resolve a potentially dangerous situation without anybody getting hurt can be both exciting and rewarding.

If you want a career that’s filled with unpredictability and gives you the chance to help others every day, working as a police officer might be a good choice for you.