Detective
Detectives investigate serious crimes, piece together what happened from evidence and interviews, and prepare the case that goes to court.
- Median salary*
- $111,800
3.6%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 4,800
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +11.1%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- 3 out of 10
- Average hours
- 44/wk
+4h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
- Detectives are police officers who have moved into criminal investigation.
- Where uniformed officers answer calls and patrol, a detective carries a caseload and follows each matter through to a brief of evidence and often a court appearance.
- You would usually work plain clothes from a station or a specialist squad in a state or territory police force, and some detectives work for the Australian Federal Police.
How much do detectives earn?
The median full-time salary for a detective is $111,800 per annum, before tax, up $23,000 since 2018.
Your rank and years of service set the base rate, and each state and territory force pays under its own enterprise agreement, so the same rank can pay differently depending on where you work. The detective designation itself usually attracts an allowance, and shift penalties, overtime and on-call loadings can add a good deal on top. When you discuss an offer, ask how overtime is worked out and whether on-call hours are paid or built into the salary.
What does a detective do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Investigating serious offences such as homicide, fraud, sexual assault and organised crime
- Gathering and analysing evidence, including phone records, CCTV footage and forensic results
- Interviewing witnesses, victims and suspects, usually under recording and caution
- Preparing briefs of evidence and giving evidence in court
- Coordinating with forensic specialists, analysts, prosecutors and other units on the same case
What skills do detectives need?
Employers look for casework and client support, backed by i2 Analyst's Notebook fluency and strong problem solving.
Specialist skills
- Casework and client support
Software and tools
- i2 Analyst's Notebook
- QPRIME
- Microsoft Office
- Case management systems
- Forensic analysis software
General skills
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
- Written communication
- Stakeholder management
- Time and deadline management
Is the job growing?
About 4,800 people work as detectives in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 11.1% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a detective?
Here's the path most detectives take, step by step.
- 1Join a police force
Apply to your state or territory force, or to the Australian Federal Police. You will need Year 12 or equivalent, a fitness test, a medical, a psychological assessment and police checks, and each force takes on a limited number of recruits a year.
- 2Get through recruit training
Training runs for roughly six to twelve months at an academy and covers law, evidence, use of force, driving and communication. It is paid, and you finish as a sworn constable.
- 3Work general duties
Expect about two to three years in uniform answering jobs, taking statements and learning procedure. This period also builds the record that a later application for investigation work rests on.
- 4Apply for detective training
Once you have time on general duties behind you, apply to your force's Criminal Investigation Branch or detective training program. The course covers investigation, interview technique, case management and court procedure, and you are assessed before you gain the detective designation.
- 5Build a specialty
Move into a squad such as child protection, fraud, homicide or organised crime. Some forces offer or recognise a diploma or advanced diploma of police investigation, which can help with promotion.
Ready to apply as a detective?
Whether you're working toward becoming a detective or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a detective move to?
Moving into Intelligence Analyst typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $1,200 a year more on average.
- Intelligence AnalystSuggested move$113,000+$1,200
- Policy OfficerSuggested move$113,000+$1,200
- Police ProsecutorSuggested move$101,400−$10,400
Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
Intelligence Analyst Detective's analytical and investigative experience suits intelligence analysis, though a relevant degree is needed. | +$1,200 | 20% | requalify |
Policy Officer Detective's understanding of crime and justice informs policy work, but a degree is required for policy roles. | +$1,200 | 20% | requalify |
Police Prosecutor Detective's investigative and evidence-gathering skills transfer to prosecuting police cases, with additional legal training required. | −$10,400 | 41% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a detective?
The typical detective is 41 years old; 72% are men, 93% work full-time, and full-timers average 44 hours a week.
- 41
- Median age
- 28%
- Female share
- 93%
- Full-time
- +4h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a detective?
Your week runs on a caseload, so you decide what to chase between court dates, interviews and squad briefings, and a quiet morning can turn into a crime scene callout by lunchtime. Serious matters take months, and the families involved are waiting on you the whole time, which is where the strain shows. People who enjoy pulling a story out of scattered detail and can keep a file alive for a long stretch tend to settle in well here; if you need to leave the work behind when you clock off, the heavier cases are hard to carry.
What people like
- You see a case through to the end. Unlike uniformed work, where you hand a job on, a detective keeps the file. Following it from the first report to a charge, a plea or a trial gives a sense of completion that few other roles offer.
- The squad shares what it knows. Investigations lean on other people. Analysts, forensic officers, prosecutors and the officers around you each add pieces, and swapping information across a squad room is one of the pleasures of the work.
- Every file is a different problem. One month you might be tracing a fraud through bank accounts, the next sitting with a family after a death. The variety keeps the work from settling into routine.
- Plain clothes and your own plan for the day. Once you hold the designation, you largely set your own priorities around court appearances. That autonomy suits people who work well without someone checking each step.
What people find hard
- Court dates take over the week. Adjournments, waiting outside a courtroom and evidence that runs late can wipe out a day you had planned for other work. It is a fixed commitment you cannot move.
- On-call weeks cut into home life. Major incidents happen at night and on weekends, and a callout can keep you at a scene for hours. Roster and on-call arrangements differ between squads, so ask about them before you apply to one.
- Some material stays with you. Child exploitation, homicide and serious assault cases expose you to things most people never see. Forces run peer support and counselling, but the images and interviews do not simply disappear.
- The paperwork is relentless. Briefs of evidence, running sheets, disclosure obligations and court files fill a large amount of every week. Cases are lost in court on documentation as often as on the evidence itself.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ detectives?
Public Administration and Safety employs the largest share of detectives.
Top employing industries
- 1Public Administration and Safety
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 48.9% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 29.7% | |
| Year 12 or below | 8.1% | |
| Postgraduate | 6.4% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 3.6% |
Will AI replace detectives?
Low exposure. Unlikely. AI will change some of the work around this job, not the job itself.
Detective work happens mostly in rooms with people, and that side of it resists automation. Case management systems such as QPRIME, phone and financial data platforms and analyst tools like i2 Analyst's Notebook sort and connect information far faster than you could by hand, but they do not tell you which lead matters. If you are new to the job, learn those tools properly, because a detective who can build a timeline out of phone records spends less time on paperwork.
How a typical week splits
- Writing up briefs of evidence and case notes20% of the week
Drafting tools speed up statements and running sheets, and you check every line against the file before it goes to the prosecutor.
- Working through phone records, CCTV and financial data25% of the week
Analytics can flag calls between two numbers or pick a face out of footage, and your job is placing those findings in the timeline of the offence.
- Interviewing witnesses, victims and suspects30% of the week
Reading a room, following an inconsistency and knowing when to press come from experience, and a transcript will not tell you whether a witness is holding something back.
- Giving evidence and working with prosecutors25% of the week
Cross-examination tests how well you know the file, and that knowledge comes from having run the investigation yourself.
How we work this out
We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.
Common questions about becoming a detective
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do detectives earn?
Detectives earn a median of $111,800 per year before tax, though that figure covers several ranks and both city and regional postings. Your rank and how long you have served account for most of the difference, and shift penalties and on-call loadings sit outside the base rate.
How do you become a detective?
You join a police force as a recruit, finish training and work in uniform for a few years before you can apply for investigation work. Forces run their own detective course and assess you on investigative ability, interview technique and case management before granting the designation. There is no direct entry, so your record on general duties carries weight.
What is the difference between a detective and a police officer?
A uniformed officer answers jobs, patrols and deals with the first response; a detective takes over the investigation and owns the case until it reaches court. Detectives work plain clothes, often from a squad or CIB office, and hold a formal designation other officers do not.
Are detectives in demand in Australia?
Detectives are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 11.1% over the decade to 2035. Positions are tied to police force budgets rather than the wider job market, and vacancies are usually filled from within by officers already in uniform.
Will AI replace detectives?
Software now links phone records, bank transactions and CCTV footage faster than any officer could by hand, and that is where the hours have come out of the job. The interview, the decisions made at a scene and the testimony in the witness box still rest on you. Learn the case and analysis systems your force uses, because a detective who can build a timeline from phone records gets more time for the investigation itself.
What can detectives move into?
Some move into police prosecution, where the brief-building and evidence skills carry straight across, with legal study added along the way. Others go into intelligence analysis or policy work, both of which draw on the same investigative thinking and usually need a relevant degree.
Related roles
- Police Prosecutor
- Intelligence Analyst
- Policy Officer
- Police Officer
- Housing Officer
- Social Security Assessor
Not sure this is you? Take the career quiz and get a ranked shortlist of roles that fit how you like to work.
Career advice
- Stress leave is really sick leave, and how to use itStress leave in Australia is taken as paid sick leave. What to tell your employer, what evidence they can ask for, and what to do if it runs out.
- How to change careers, and which moves are realisticData on 1,573 career moves across 350 Australian occupations shows 63.3% need no more than a short course, though skill overlap alone won't tell you which ones. Six worked examples, and how to check your own move.
- Skills to put on your resume (with skills finder)A resume skills section built for the job you're applying for. Search your occupation to see the specialist skills, tools and general skills it calls for, with worked examples and what to write if you have no work history yet.