Applicants with prior policing experience from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and meet the residency requirements (citizen or permanent resident), are invited to apply to receive prior recognition for their service.
If you have prior policing experience in Australia, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom, you are eligible to apply for the Recognition of Prior Service.
Recognition of Prior Policing Service
Recognition of Prior Policing Service is only considered for those who have served as an operational police officer in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom (this does not include Non Commissioned Officers from New Zealand or Special Constables from the United Kingdom).
At this point in time there is no capacity for lateral transfer between police services within Australia.
As each application is assessed individually, there is no guarantee that prior service will be recognised or that a position with Victoria Police will be offered at the end of the process, even if all components of the application process are successfully completed.
If your prior policing experience is from a jurisdiction outside the above countries, you will not be awarded any recognition due to significant differences in law, policies and procedures and your application will be processed as a normal recruit applicant.
Exams and testing
Applicants with recognised Prior Policing Experience (PPE) may be required to undergo the following testing:
- entrance exam
- background checks
- health checks (including medical examination)
- psychological testing
- panel interview
- skills gap analysis (Individual Training and Assessment Plan).
Exam exemptions
Applicants with Prior Policing Experience in the past five years may be exempt from the exam, at the discretion of the Recruiting Services Branch.
Those currently employed in Australian, New Zealand or United Kingdom policing jurisdictions may also be exempt.
The Victoria Police Regulations 2014 stipulate that you must be an Australian Citizen or hold Australian permanent residency to join Victoria Police.
New Zealand Citizens must have a Special Category Visa and live in in Australia to submit an application.
When applying you will need to provide proof of citizenship, permanent residency or special category visa status.
Skills gap analysis
You may be subjected to an individual Skills Gap Analysis to assess your current knowledge of Victorian law, Victoria Police policy and operational procedures. This assessment is conducted by a panel of three qualified assessors at the Victoria Police Academy, Glen Waverley which includes an interview and practical assessments to determine what training is required.
The results of this analysis will be used to determine if you are suitable for abridged training, form the basis of your Individual Training and Assessment Plan and provide an approximate training duration.
Next steps
The first step in the recruitment process is to complete the online application form.
When submitting your application form it is important to include information regarding any prior policing experience even if it is not able to be recognised.
For further information in relation to the employment process, please contact the Police Alternative Employment Unit.
Email: hrd-prior-policing-mgr@police.vic.gov.au
Phone: +61 3 8335 6100.
Already started your application?
Continue your police officer application by logging in to our careers portal.
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