Our Lateral Program

Eligibility

The Lateral Program welcomes Australian state or territory officers with at least 3 years of operational policing experience who haven't been out of a policing role for more than 5 years.

You'll be expected to hold a Diploma of Public Safety (Policing) or equivalent and have strong experience in criminal investigation. 

You must also:

• be an Australian citizen
• meet our character standards
• have and maintain a Negative Vetting 1 security clearance
• hold current first aid and CPR certifications
• be able to swim 100 m freestyle.

Apart from mandatory qualifications and certificates, you'll be:

• driven by an intelligent, problem-solving approach to tackling serious crime
• willing to constantly adapt and learn to overcome problems
• self-motivated and willing to deploy to any area of the AFP
• physically fit and healthy.

We will look favourably on your application if you have demonstrated experience in a specialised field, such as:

• child protection
• counter-terrorism
• people smuggling
• serious and organised crime
• cybercrime.

Apply

Apply online through our Jobs portal.

As part of your application, you'll need to:

• upload your resume
• upload your proof of Australian citizenship
• upload your driver's licence
• upload your COVID-19 vaccination certificate
• upload your traffic history
• provide relevant education certificates and qualifications.

Assessments and checks

Throughout your application, you'll be required to undertake assessments and checks as per the below:

• Complete the Employment Suitability Questionnaire and Integrity Check. You will be required to upload a valid Traffic History Report (no more than 3 months old prior to the date of submitting this phase of your application) for the last 10 years, from all states and countries where they have held a licence.
• Complete security vetting to obtain a Negative Vetting 1 Security clearance. If you already hold a clearance with a previous Government agency, you will be requested to complete a recognition pack.
• Undertake medical and psychological assessments – refer below for more information on the medical and psychological assessments.
• Conduct a panel interview with experienced AFP officers.

The recruitment process can sometimes take more than a year. It depends on your preferred role type, deployment preference and time to complete assessments.

For further information on our medical and psychological assessments, please continue reading below.

Meeting physical standards

• You will have an appointment with our contracted health service providers. A medical professional will confirm that you meet these standards:
• monocular visual acuity of 6/9 or better in each eye (glasses or contact lenses can be worn)
• binocular visual acuity of 6/6 or better (glasses or contact lenses can be worn)
• unaided (no glasses or contact lenses) binocular visual acuity of 6/36 or better
• near vision N8, aided or unaided
• hearing level averaging 25dB or less between 0.5kHz and 3kHz in both the left and right ear without a hearing aid
• hearing level of 40dB or less at 4.0kHz in either ear without a hearing aid.

Evaluating medical conditions

• Our contracted health service providers will assess any medical condition that you have. They will confirm whether you can complete the job safely and effectively. They may need you to provide reports from specialists, which you will need to supply at your own expense.
• You are unlikely to meet the medical standards if you have:

• an unreconstructed shoulder following dislocation (an MRI or MRA scan is likely to be required)
• unreconstructed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears
• epilepsy, unless you meet the requirements for an unrestricted commercial driver's licence
• bleeding disorders, clotting disorders and/or current treatment with anticoagulants.

Conditions we evaluate

• These are some of the medical conditions that we consider on a case-by-case basis. The final decision about any medical condition will be made by the AFP Chief Medical Officer.

Vision

• Colour deficiency
• History of retinal detachment, glaucoma, radical keratotomy, full thickness corneal transplant or acute keratotomy

MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS

• Shoulder subluxation (an MRI may be required)
• Clinically evident osteoarthritis of the knee (X-ray changes and effusion)
• Shin splints or compartment syndrome
• Clinical signs of a lumbar nerve root (straight leg raise limitation less than 40 degrees)
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Chondromalacia, patella dislocation or tracking disorder, cruciate ligament repair or meniscectomy
• Prior joint surgery or joint replacement surgery
• Back pain and/or injury
• Lumbar spine fusion
• Poor muscular development, abnormal gait and limitation of movement of a joint

RESPIRATORY

• Asthma (supporting reports will be required)
• Chronic obstructive airways disease, chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis
• Cystic fibrosis
• Recurrent pneumothorax

NEUROLOGICAL

• Migraines and cluster headaches
• Organic disease of the nervous system

ENDOCRINE

• Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• Thyroid disorders

CARDIOVASCULAR

• Systolic blood pressure over 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure over 90 mmHg
• Organic disease of the heart or arteries
• A history of deep vein thrombosis

GASTROENTEROLOGICAL

• Liver disease
• Hernia
• Irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis

OTHER

• Organic disease of the bladder or kidney
• Current chronic fatigue
• Leukaemia, polycythaemia or myelofibrosis
• Bleeding disorders, clotting disorders or current treatment with anticoagulants
• HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C
• Some chronic skin conditions
• Narcolepsy or sleep apnoea
• BMI greater than 33 or lower than 18.5
• Tinnitus
• Cancer
• Any condition that results in a 'conditional' driver's licence under Assessing fitness to drive for commercial and private vehicle drivers – Medical standards for licensing and clinical management guidelines (2022 edition).

Meeting psychological standards

• You will need to demonstrate your psychological and emotional resilience through psychological testing and a face-to-face interview with a registered psychologist. As long as your personal circumstances do not change, the results of this assessment are valid for 12 months.
• You will be assessed on your strengths in these areas:
  • teamwork
  • emotional self-control
  • conflict resolution
  • decision-making under stress
  • ability to understand other people's behaviour.
• You will also be asked about any current or past psychological or psychiatric conditions. The absence of current or past conditions does not guarantee that you will pass this gateway.
• If you're neurodivergent or are a person with learning disability you may need to go through additional assessments.

Existing conditions

• If you have a prior diagnosis or history of a psychological or psychiatric condition, you'll be asked to provide relevant information. This includes if you have been treated for these conditions with therapy or medication.
• You will not pass this gateway if you:
  • have a condition such as bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders or other diagnosis that has led to psychiatric hospitalisation or has required treatment
  • are currently taking any form of prescription psychotropic medication (prescription medication that can affect your mind, emotions or behaviour) such as sertraline (commonly sold as Zoloft), citalopram (Cipramian, Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), duloxetine (Cymbalta), mirtazapine, venlafaxine (Effexor), and diazepam (Valium).
  • If you decide to stop taking psychotropic medications, you must do this in consultation with a registered medical practitioner. The medical practitioner must also supervise your withdrawal. They will have to give us written evidence that you have successfully withdrawn from medication and have been symptom-free for at least 12 months.
  • Successful withdrawal from psychotropic medication doesn't guarantee that you will clear this gateway.

Training

Compulsory Federal Police Lateral Program (FPLP) training is delivered at the AFP College in Canberra.

You'll earn a base salary during training. We'll provide all meals and accommodation, at our college or nearby.

Training lasts for up to 10 weeks. It's a combination of:

• classroom learning
• practical topics, such as use-of-force and driver training
• practical scenarios for learning and assessment
• individual and group activities.

We hold an FPLP course each year, depending on operational requirements.