Throughout history police forces have changed radically, with the first forms of policing appearing in the Anglo-Saxon period in England; where the king would provide protection to civilians upon payment of a tax (Mawby, 1999). Centuries later, the principles of protecting people are generally the same. However, in recent times crimes and perpetrators are becoming more sophisticated; the need for higher capabilities to control and manage these complicated situations is becoming increasingly widespread. It can be seen that the requirements to join the police force have also increased dramatically over the decades. This paper aims to critically evaluate the effectiveness of higher education requirements by outlining the advantages and disadvantages and how they can be further improved. For greater understanding, a brief history of the constant debate will be analyzed. In the early 20th century, in Berkeley, California, Police Chief August Vollmer expressed his encouragement for police to acquire a formal college education (Carte, 1973). Unfortunately it was only in the late 1960s that a significant debate arose among police leaders about the effectiveness and benefits of formal qualifications and how these play a role in police professionalism (Roberg and Bonn 2004). The first major debate in Australia took place in 1990; when the National Police Professionalism Implementation Advisory Committee (NPPIAC) recommended that to achieve national professionalism in police services, a university qualification should be included in the education requirements (Trofymowych, 2008). Although the topic has been debated for almost a century, only minimal requirements have been applied. In Queensland the current educational requirements f...... mid-document ...... and early 1990s; it is recommended that this be the requirement instead of the current 18 months of tertiary education. The belief that the current 18 months are sufficient is very lacking. The main point that has been noted is to increase an individual's "professionalism", however it is difficult to believe that a person will be professional if they only achieve half of their university degree and then leave. There is a need to establish a national minimum requirement for the safety of Australia; it is believed that advancement in skills, methods and training can only be achieved through higher levels of education. It is unclear whether policing will ever achieve “professional” status; however, it is believed that, with correct structure and implementation, higher education will play a decisive role. Although it is also believed that there is still a long way to go.