A police officer, also known as a policeman/policewoman, is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, “police officer” is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the rank “officer” is legally reserved for military personnel.
Below are salaries earned by a Police Officer Earn In South Africa
A person working as a Police Officer in South Africa typically earns around 18,600 ZAR per month. Salaries range from 8,550 ZAR (lowest) to 29,600 ZAR (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Police officers’ salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Police Officer Salary Distribution in South Africa
The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range
Salary Range
Police Officer salaries in South Africa range from 8,550 ZAR per month (minimum salary) to 29,600 ZAR per month (maximum salary).
Median Salary
The median salary is 20,100 ZAR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Police officers (s) are earning less than 20,100 ZAR while the other half are earning more than 20,100 ZAR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Percentiles
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Police officers (s) are earning less than 12,900 ZAR while 75% of them are earning more than 12,900 ZAR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Police officers (s) are earning less than 26,800 ZAR while 25% are earning more than 26,800 ZAR.
Police Officer Salary Comparison by Years of Experience
How do experience and age affect your pay?
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Police Officer salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Police Officer with less than two years of experience makes approximately 9,710 ZAR per month.
While someone with an experience level of between two and five years is expected to earn 13,000 ZAR per month, 34% more than someone with less than two years of experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 19,200 ZAR per month, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Police Officer(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 23,400 ZAR per month, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 25,500 ZAR per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 27,600 ZAR per month, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Police Officer average salary change my experience in South Africa
| 0 – 2 Years | 9,710 ZAR | |
| 2 – 5 Years | +34% | 13,000 ZAR |
| 5 – 10 Years | +48% | 19,200 ZAR |
| 10 – 15 Years | +22% | 23,400 ZAR |
| 15 – 20 Years | +9% | 25,500 ZAR |
| 20+ Years | +8% | 27,600 ZAR |
Police Officer Salary Comparison By Education
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Police Officer salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is High School, the average salary of a Police Officer is 11,100 ZAR per month.
While someone with a Certificate or Diploma gets a salary of 17,400 ZAR per month, 57% more than someone having a High School degree.
A Bachelor’s Degree gets its holder an average salary of 29,100 ZAR per month, 68% more than someone with a Certificate or Diploma.
Police Officer average salary difference by education level in South Africa
| High School | 11,100 ZAR | |
| Certificate or Diploma | +57% | 17,400 ZAR |
| Bachelor’s Degree | +68% | 29,100 ZAR |
Police Officer Salary Comparison By Gender
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Police Officer employees in South Africa earn 12% more than their female counterparts on average.
| Male | 19,600 ZAR | |
| Female | -11% | 17,600 ZAR |
Police Officer Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage in South Africa
How much are annual salary increments in South Africa for Police officers (s)?
How often do employees get salary raises?
Police Officer
Police officers (s) in South Africa are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 8% every 20 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 18 months.
Police Officer Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa
How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?
A Police Officer is considered to be a low bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
68% of surveyed staff reported that they haven’t received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 32% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 0% to 4% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus
32%
No Bonus
68%
Police Officer Average Hourly Wage in South Africa
The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in South Africa is 110 ZAR. This means that the average Police Officer in South Africa earns approximately 110 ZAR for every worked hour.
How much does a police officer earn in South Africa?
South African Police Services Jobs by Salary
| JOB TITLE | RANGE | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Job Title: Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | Range: R97k – R346k | Average: R229,968 |
| Police Sergeant | Range: R205k – R249k | Average: R229,920 |
| Police Captain | Range: R200k – R469k | Average: R327,113 |
| Constable | Range: R121k – R211k | Average: R174,377 |
Can I be police without matric in South Africa?
If you are looking to apply to become a police officer then you should know that you do not have to obtain a diploma or degree but you must have passed matric with the compulsory languages and mathematics or mathematical literacy. You must be fluent in English and at least one other official language.
How do I become a K9 officer in South Africa?
Steps to Becoming a K9 Officer
Acquire the necessary education and/or job experience to become a police officer.
Apply for an open police officer or law enforcement position.
Undergo a background investigation and be fingerprinted.
Take and pass a polygraph test.
Take and pass a series of physical fitness tests.
At what age do police dogs retire in South Africa?
What age does the dog retire? Depending on its health status it is normally around 10 years of age. Where does the dog go after he/she finishes a police career? It lives at home with its handler to live out its life as a family pet.