Why Becoming a Police Officer is Nothing Like the Movies – And Why It’s Actually Better

Just how accurate are the Police Academy movies?

This article is presented in partnership with WA Police – Let’s Join Forces.

For some reason, there’s been seven movies, two TV shows and a theme park attraction in the Police Academy franchise, and there’s another movie in the works.

Throughout the 80s and 90s, audiences flocked to cinemas to laugh at the antics of the bumbling police recruits – but how accurate was it? Well, not super accurate.

Films and TV about police officers are too numerous to count, and while we love seeing our fav cops on the big screen, we were keen to see what it’s actually like inside the walls of a police academy.

We sat down with 23-year-old WA Police Force recruits Tia Flynn and Sam Drew to chat about becoming a police officer and how it differs from what you see on the big screen.

They reckon the triumph and hard work involved goes even further that what you might see in Police Academy.

“What I see on TV, it’s not really like that,” Tia said.  “There’s just so much more to policing.”

Tia and Sam both talked about how media focusing on police training tends to forget some of the key aspects of policing.

“The one side they don’t show is the paperwork,” Sam said. “There’s a lot of theory behind everything we do, while training and out in the real world.”

While movies love to focus on the visually exciting things like weapons training, Tia said that’s only one part of the massive education you get as a police recruit.

She said police recruits in WA start with their legal training, learning relevant legislation, acts and what police powers look like in the West.

There’s then weapons training, physical tests, detective training, driving courses and prosecutions, all of which work together to make a recruit the best police officer they can be.

“It’s different from the advertisement you see on the big screen,” Sam added.

But while there is a massive difference between movies and real life, Sam and Tia weren’t disappointed by their police academy experience – just the opposite.

“They make it feel like a real team approach and a family, and it really does feel that way from the first day,” Sam said. “It feels like you’re part of something great, which is really cool.”

So while there might be less zany characters and ridiculous situations, Sam and Tia both reckon joining up has been a great decision, and they would recommend it to others in a heartbeat.

When asked what advice they’d give to prospective recruits – they both said the same thing:

“If you want to challenge yourself, 100% go for it. It’s an awesome experience.”

If you want to learn more about joining forces with the WA Police Force, you can apply to be a police officer here.