Police background and integrity checks
what every Australian force looks at

A police background check isn't one step. It's a set of checks that runs from the moment you apply until the day before you start at the academy. Forces call it different things: integrity vetting in Queensland, probity checks in the NT, comprehensive checks in Victoria and security vetting at the AFP. But they're all asking the same question: can we trust this person with police powers?

Most of what follows comes from each force's own recruitment pages, read on 9 October 2026. Forces don't publish their full vetting criteria, and decisions are made case by case, so treat this as a guide to what's looked at, not a list of automatic pass or fail rules.

The timing matters. Tasmania checks your background right after your expression of interest, before you've done any tests. The AFP's vetting comes near the end and takes longest. Queensland vets you twice: once in selection and again just before appointment.

Because the checks run alongside everything else, a problem can surface late, after you've passed the exam, fitness test and interview. That's another reason to be completely open from the start.

Forces are explicit that failing to disclose is worse than the matter itself. The NT asks for full disclosure of criminal, traffic, juvenile, domestic violence order and bankruptcy history, and says non-disclosure is likely to mean permanent exclusion. Tasmania says all offences, including juvenile ones, must be disclosed. Victoria's application asks about prior offences and any dealings with police.

A disclosed old matter is a conversation. An undisclosed one is an integrity failure.

The other forces say the same in different words. NSW warns that failure to disclose important information may result in your application being rejected. Victoria says failure to declare may mean automatic cancellation of your application, and that false or misleading information can bring an exclusion period. Queensland says it's best to over-declare than under-declare, and that failing to declare, even unintentionally, may be treated as an integrity matter.

The NT goes furthest: it assumes a failure to disclose was deliberate unless you can prove otherwise. The AFP applies a 5-year exclusion for knowingly failing to disclose or giving false or misleading information, and says declaring something won't by itself rule you out.

No Australian force says that every offence rules you out. WA states plainly that a criminal record is not automatically disqualifying. Tasmania publishes Prior History Offence Guidelines, and the NT may refer declared matters to an Integrity Committee. What forces weigh is the nature of the matter, how long ago it happened, your age at the time and what you've done since.

Notice what 'finding of guilt' covers. Victoria and Tasmania both count convictions, cautions, diversions, good behaviour bonds and without-conviction findings. So a matter where no conviction was recorded is still part of your history for police recruitment, and Queensland says so explicitly.

Exclusion periods are the norm, not life bans. Outside imprisonment and the most serious offences, the forces that publish guidelines set waiting periods, typically 5 years for summary matters and longer for indictable ones. If you're inside a waiting period, apply when it ends rather than hoping it's overlooked.

For a deeper look at specific offences and how each force treats them, read our guide to joining the police with a criminal record.

Every state and the Commonwealth have a spent convictions scheme that lets you treat certain old convictions as if they didn't happen, for most jobs. Police recruitment is a standard exception. Under the Commonwealth scheme, the non-disclosure rules don't apply to a law enforcement agency, including the AFP and state and territory police, when it assesses prospective employees.

The state laws we checked say the same for police. So when a police application asks about your history, you disclose spent convictions and juvenile matters too, unless the force's own form clearly says otherwise. None of the forms we read did.

Every force needs you to hold a driver licence, and every force checks your traffic history. A few set hard limits.

Traffic history matters more than many applicants expect, because police drive for a living and because it shows how you respond to rules. A speeding fine years ago won't sink you; a pattern of offences, a recent suspension or drink driving may mean waiting out an exclusion period.

Get your full traffic record from every state where you've held a licence before you apply, and check your current demerit points. If you're close to a limit, wait until points expire.

Victoria and Tasmania both state zero tolerance for illicit drug use, and Victoria runs random drug testing during recruitment. The AFP runs mandatory drug testing during selection and regular testing throughout your career, and its health standards treat substance abuse as an automatic psychological fail.

Past use is treated differently from current use. Victoria says disclosing drug use doesn't always mean your application will fail, and its exclusion periods range from 1 to 5 years from the last use you nominate. Queensland may consider undetected past use case by case, and completing a drug diversion program means up to 5 years. Tasmania sets up to 3 years for a possession or use finding or a drug caution.

The AFP asks you to declare all illicit drug use, including what, when and how, and says previous use won't immediately end your application, but it's zero tolerance once you apply. Selling or supplying drugs is treated far more seriously everywhere: 5 to 10 years at the AFP, and up to 5 years or indefinite exclusion in Tasmania.

Police officers have access to information and situations that criminals would pay for, so forces look for financial vulnerability. WA runs a bankruptcy check at Stage 3 (and reimburses its cost). Tasmania says undischarged bankrupts are ineligible and discharged bankrupts can apply after 3 years. The NT asks you to disclose bankruptcy history. The AFP's security vetting reviews your financial history.

The published rules are consistent on bankruptcy. Victoria, Queensland, WA and Tasmania all say you can't apply while you're an undischarged bankrupt. Victoria adds a 5-year exclusion if you were a director of an insolvent company, and Queensland asks discharged bankrupts for a current credit report.

Outside bankruptcy, forces rarely publish rules on debt. What vetting looks for is vulnerability: debts you're hiding, gambling problems or financial stress that could make you open to pressure. AGSVA security clearances can include a financial questionnaire and a financial probity check.

Victoria Police lists associations as part of its comprehensive checks, alongside social media and values. The AFP's vetting includes a partner check. Forces want to know whether anyone close to you could pressure you, or whether your connections would compromise your work.

Victoria and Tasmania both say associates you must declare could be family, friends or members of recreational clubs, and that failing to disclose them may stop your application, or, in Victoria's words, result in termination of employment later. Queensland rates undesirable associations as up to unsuitable.

The AFP's list of declarable associations is the broadest: known criminals, anyone (including family) suspected of criminal activity, including 'social' drug use, and journalists or media representatives. The published rules ask you to declare these connections rather than banning them outright; what they warn about is failing to disclose.

Victoria includes social media in its comprehensive checks, and Tasmania's background checks cover social media alongside criminal and traffic history. Other forces don't name it on their pages, but you should assume your public online presence will be looked at.

Queensland's guidelines say a social media presence, now or at any time, that doesn't align with QPS values can make you up to unsuitable. Tasmania says it monitors social media sites to make sure applicants meet community expectations. AGSVA clearances include a digital footprint check.

Review your public profiles and old posts. Remove content that's racist, sexist, violent, drug-related or abusive, and photos that show illegal activity. Don't delete your whole history in a panic: an empty profile isn't a problem, but deleting accounts after you've applied, or contradicting what's still visible elsewhere, can look like concealment.

Every AFP police and Protective Service Officer recruit goes through AFP personnel security vetting. The AFP says it reviews at least 10 years of your history, checks your partner and takes fingerprints, and that an existing Australian Government (AGSVA) clearance may speed things up. It also requires you to complete an Employment Suitability Questionnaire and provide your full traffic history.

The AFP's Employment Suitability Questionnaire is the most detailed published integrity screen in Australian policing, with its own exclusion periods: 5 years for knowingly failing to disclose or for failing to get a security clearance. The AFP says outcomes of the questionnaire and security assessment are final, with no appeal.

The recruit pages don't name the clearance level new police and PSO recruits need; the AFP's specialist-roles page says those roles need to hold or undergo a Negative Vetting 1 clearance. Security assessments look at your employment, travel, residential, financial and personal history, and fingerprints and palm prints are checked in the national fingerprint system.

Read more in our guide to joining the AFP and the AFP Protective Service Officer guide.

1. 1

   Get your own record

   Before applying

   Order a National Police Certificate and, if you've lived overseas, police certificates from those countries. Check your traffic history with your state's road authority.

2. 2

   Build a 10-year history

   Before applying

   Addresses, jobs, gaps, overseas trips and study, with dates. The AFP needs at least 10 years; other forces ask for less, but accuracy everywhere matters.

3. 3

   List everything to disclose

   Before applying

   Every charge, caution, fine, juvenile matter, DVO and police contact, even if it was dismissed or is spent. Note the date, outcome and what you've done since.

4. 4

   Tidy your finances

   Months before

   Pay down or arrange plans for defaults. Know your credit position so nothing surprises you.

5. 5

   Review your social media

   Months before

   Remove content that's offensive or inconsistent with policing; keep your history honest, not wiped.

6. 6

   Brief your referees

   When you apply

   Tell them you've applied and that a force may call. Make sure their details are current.

7. 7

   Answer consistently

   Throughout

   Your application, psych tests, interview and vetting answers must tell the same story.

The background check is one part of a long process. See the police recruitment timeline for where it sits, the eligibility guide for the hard rules, and the psychological assessment guide for the stage that often runs alongside it.