Community liaison officer

Overview

Our Community Liaison teams make the Australian community stronger. We actively engagement with diverse communities to build trust and enhance our ability to protect the community.

Community Liaison teams are based in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. They help Australians by:

• helping vulnerable and at-risk groups
• tackling social problems such as crime, unemployment and antisocial or extremist behaviour
• addressing misunderstandings
• helping people have conversations about issues of concern
• providing advice and education to help communities respond to issues
• discussing situations as they emerge
• acting as a link between the community and law enforcement.

What you’ll do

Community Liaison teams support our strategic and operational objectives. They:

• identify vulnerabilities in the community
• help people access support
• add to cross-agency collaboration
• raise awareness and promote the positive brand of the AFP.

Examples of our work includes:

• engaging with spiritual and community leaders at forums
• liaising with community groups and attending community events
• presenting at schools on various online child safety programs like ThinkUKnow
• running the AFP Airport Visitor Program
• running youth leadership programs like the 'Connection to Country' Program
• advising the public on the AFP’s law enforcement role
• travelling to regional and remote communities
• advising our officers working in culturally and linguistically diverse communities
• representing the AFP at events, celebrations and commemorations.

As a community liaison officer, you'll have access to a wide range of benefits and conditions.

To learn more about career progression, salary bands and entitlements, read our Enterprise Agreement.

Eligibility

We have both sworn (police officer) and unsworn community liaison officer positions available.

Community liaison officer (unsworn role)

To become an unsworn community liaison officer, you must:

• be aged 18 years or over
• be an Australian citizen
• be able to obtain and maintain a high-level security clearance
• have effective oral and written communication skills
• have good organisational skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities
• have a strong work ethic and commitment to building strong relationships with key stakeholders.

Before being offered a job with us you'll also need to:

• complete our Employment Suitability Questionnaire
• provide your traffic history for the last 10 years
• undergo mandatory drug testing and provide your fingerprints.

We advertise current vacancies on our Jobs portal. Each position outlines the application process.

Community liaison officer (sworn role)

To become a sworn community liaison officer, you must have at least 2 years of experience in the AFP as a police officer.

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

How to apply

Joining the AFP as a new recruit

To start your career as a police officer with the AFP, you must:

• be aged 18 years or over
• be an Australian citizen
• hold a valid Australian driver's licence (P plates are accepted, if you have a learners licence don't apply until you have your provisional licence)
• meet our character standards
• hold at least one of the following qualifications:
  • Year 10 Certificate and 2 years of work experience
  • Year 10 Certificate and a nationally recognised vocational education qualification at Certificate III level or higher
  • Year 12 Certificate
  • vocational education (TAFE) qualification or university qualification at Diploma level or higher.

You must also provide evidence that you:

• have had 2 primary doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of the Janssen Vaccine at the time of application (evidence can be provided in the form of an immunisation history statement or COVID-19 Digital Certificate)
• hold current first aid and CPR certifications
• can swim 100 m freestyle.

Find out how to join the AFP as a police officer recruit.

Joining the AFP from another Australian police force

If you have at least 3 years of operational policing experience, and have not been out of a policing role for more than 5 years, you may be eligible to join the AFP as a police officer through our Lateral Program.

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

You must also:

• be an Australian citizen
• be up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations
• be able to get and maintain a Negative Vetting 1 security clearance
• hold current first aid and CPR certifications
• show evidence that you can swim 100 m freestyle.

Once you have the required amount of experience, you'll be able to apply for community liaison officer positions when they’re advertised on our Jobs portal.

You'll have to pass additional checks and assessments as part of your application.