Every police officer in Denmark and in the Faroe Islands has attended the National Police College, which is situated in Copenhagen. There is also a Police College in Greenland with the same admission requirements and training programmes as Denmark.

If you want to become a police officer in Denmark, you have to meet a number of admission requirements. You may apply if you

• are at least 21 years of age
• are a Danish national or have applied for Danish nationality/citizenship (employment as a police officer requires Danish nationality/citizenship)
• are in good health with normal hearing, eyesight and are not colour-blind
• have a driving license for a car
• have an upper secondary school education (stx, hhx, htx, eux or hf) OR
• have a basic vocational education along with three additional supplementary subjects at a higher preparatory examination level – Danish/A-level, English/B-level and social studies/C-level OR
• have qualifications which may be comparable with the above mentioned ones

Furthermore, importance will be attached to whether you

• are reasonably tall, are physically/mentally robust and fit for the job as a police officer
• have normal eyesight or eyesight that can be corrected by means of soft contact lenses
• have no criminal record
• live under orderly personal and financial conditions
• have good school qualifications, have knowledge of IT
• have knowledge of foreign languages

If you fulfill the requirements there is an admission test consisting of several elements:

• a written part where your skills in Danish (grammar/expression in writing) and English will be tested.
• a physical test where agility, physical strength, staying power, coordination and running will be tested.
• a team assignment where your co-operative skills will be tested
• a final interview in which your overall performance, along with your application and your personality will be assessed and compared with our general profile of a qualified police officer who is able to complete the training.

Training

The training takes approximately three years.

At the National Police College, police officers learn about police theory, the Road Traffic Act , criminal law, physical training, various legislation, first aid, radio communication, service abroad, identification of drugs, securing evidence, crime prevention, cultural sociology, management, human rights, psychology and educational theory –to mention just a few.

After three years’training as a police probationer, you will join the permanent staff as a police constable.

Career opportunities

You will find many opportunities for pursuing individual interests and various career paths. If you would like promotion, you may get a managerial job and apply for various management courses provided by the National Police College.

The National Police College offers in-house tranining in various police-related subjects. In general the police service is increasingly making use of civilian educational programmes, where police managers and other employees may attend courses in project management, IT and HR.

Danish police officers participate in peace-keeping missions at flashpoints around the world. Danish police liaison officers are also stationed in different parts of the world.

Learn more

Should you wish to learn more about admission requirements, the training and job as a police officer, you are welcome to visit the Danish website www.blivpolitibetjent.dk.