Entry requirements for police custody officers

Victoria Police conduct extensive background checks on all applicants during the selection process.

We have no tolerance for illicit or illegal drug use. This includes in both work and personal life.

Code of conduct and prior behaviour

All Victoria Police employees must follow a code of conduct.

You need to align with the standards outlined in the code of conduct. The application process involves a thorough assessment to identify any:

• prior misconduct
• corruption
• or any form of improper conduct.

The expectation is that you understand and avoid misconduct. You must immediately report misconduct should you become aware of it in others.

This helps keep Victoria Police an ethical organisation.

Prior offences and Voluntary Disclosure Form

We will assess your previous offence history.

Failure to declare information about previous offences may mean we cancel your application.

Check the prior history guidelines

If you have any of the following, we recommend that you submit a Voluntary Disclosure Form before you submit an application:

• prior convictions
• cautions
• diversions
• good behaviour bonds, or
• excessive driving offences.

This will help you find out whether your prior offence history could disqualify you from being considered for the role.

You must disclose all offences in your application. This includes those that you committed as a juvenile.

Learn how to submit a Voluntary Disclosure Form on our Prior History Guidelines page.

You are eligible to apply if you are 18 years of age and over.

There are no education requirements to apply for Victoria Police.

There are no specific prerequisite subject requirements. You also do not need an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR).

Employees’ clothing, grooming and personal accessories:

• must project an image of Victoria Police as a professional and disciplined organisation
• must not detract from an image of a professional and disciplined organisation.

Tattoos and jewellery

If you have tattoos or body art on the head, face, neck or hands, you should contact pcoemployment@police.vic.gov.au.

For more information, visit Code of conduct, uniform and appearance for police custody officers.

To meet the physical requirements of the job, you need to maintain a healthy level of cardio fitness and physical strength.

As part of the recruitment process, you will take a fitness test.

We recommend regular exercise to maintain your fitness.

Prepare for the fitness test

The POLICE FIT app is a free training tool to help you prepare for the fitness test and improve your chance of passing.

Visit the POLICE FIT app page to find out more.

You must meet certain medical requirements to be a police custody officer.

As part of your application, a medical booklet will be provided to you. You will need to complete:

• a self-assessment
• an examination by a GP
• a review of your hearing by an audiologist or audiometrist
• a review of your vision by an ophthalmologist or optometrist.

You may also need to provide specialist reports depending on your medical history.

If you have any concerns about your eligibility due to a medical condition, check how PCO medical assessments work.

To be eligible to work in the Victorian Public Service you need to be:

• an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or
• permanent resident, or
• hold an eligible work permit.

To apply, you must have an Australian driver licence.

Your driver licence can be either manual or automatic.

A probationary licence is acceptable.

If you are moving from interstate, you must get a Victorian driver licence. This is unless you will continue to reside in NSW while working in Victoria.

You will need to provide proof of a First Aid Certificate. You must provide this when you receive your provisional offer.

The First Aid Certificate must still be valid for at least 12 months when you provide it.

First Aid Certificate types include:

• HLTAID009
• HLTAID010
• HLTAID011.

During the selection process you must declare if you have any inappropriate associations.

An inappropriate association is an association with a person or organisation:

• suspected of unlawful activity
• known to be involved in unlawful activity
• with a history of unlawful activity.

It is important that we are aware of any association or potential conflict of interest which may compromise you or reflect adversely on Victoria Police. These could be family, friends, members of recreational clubs or other people.

These associations may affect the community’s perceptions of your ability to use authority with integrity.

They may also put you at risk by asking you to forgo your duty, or compromise your integrity as a Victoria Police employee.

In some cases, we may put a management plan in place. In other cases, you should end the association.

Failure to disclose any information in the selection process may result in:

• cancellation of your application, or
• termination of your employment.