A career as a police officer offers excellent work benefits, including a great salary, superannuation package and flexible work arrangements.
There also can be bonus financial benefits and extra tax breaks for anyone choosing a country policing placement.
Salary and pay entitlements
You will be paid to train and learn as a recruit from day one in the Victoria Police Academy.
After you are sworn in at the end of week 12, as a Probationary Constable, you will earn $75,604 plus allowances.
This will continue as you train for a further 19 weeks, both at the Academy and on the job at a police station.
Starting salary after graduation
Once you are sworn in as a constable you will be paid $75,604 plus allowances per annum.
In addition, there are shift penalties and overtime payments available.
Salary progression
Salary progression is as per the Victoria Police Force Enterprise Agreement and dependent on your role and duties, as well as your performance.
Tax and superannuation
Your income as a police officer is a taxable income. You will be taxed like any other employee in Australia.
Victoria Police staff are members of the Emergency Services Super Fund. For further information, visit the Emergency Services Super Fund website.
Contributions to Emergency Services Super Fund can be salary packaged.
Allowances and leave
Additional allowances will apply. Additional shift penalties and overtime payments may apply dependent on your role and duty.
As a full-time sworn member of Victoria Police, you will be entitled to nine weeks of leave each year:
- five weeks recreation leave per year
- an additional two weeks in lieu of public holidays
- a further 10 days accrued time off in lieu of the 38-hour week.
Police officers are also entitled to 15 days of personal/carer leave per year.
Other leave entitlements
There are also a range of other leave entitlements, including:
- parental leave
- study leave
- purchased leave
- long-service leave of three months on full-pay, or six months on half-pay after 10 years of service.
It is possible to access your accrued long service leave on a pro rata basis after seven years of service.
Flexible working arrangements
Victoria Police provides employees with reasonable flexibility in working arrangements.
This is dependent on operational and service delivery priorities and personal circumstances.
Part-time work
The Fair Work Act 2009 indicates that an employee, other than a casual, must complete 12 months continuous service with the employer immediately before making a request for flexible working arrangements (e.g. part-time hours).
Police officers can submit a request for flexible working arrangements after two years and 13 weeks from starting their Academy training.
Flexible work arrangement requests are always subject to the operational requirements where the requesting officer is based.
Hours and shifts
Police officers are required to work a variety of shifts associated with particular duties and locations. This can include:
- weekends
- night shifts
- public holidays.
Ordinary hours
The ordinary hours of work for full-time members are 80 hours per fortnight.
This can be arranged within various shifts to suit service delivery needs.
The arrangement for ordinary hours of work is described in the Victoria Police Force Enterprise Agreement 2011.
After hours work
The nature of policing means you will be required to work outside 9am – 5pm.
These are called:
- intrusive hours (0100 hours to 0700hours)
- unsociable hours (1800 to 0100 Monday to Friday and 0700 to 0100 hours Saturday and Sunday).
You will attract shift allowances for each of these hours worked.
Bonus financial benefits and allowances for country policing
Choosing to start your policing career working in a country location often entitles you to extra tax breaks and monetary benefits, including relocation costs.
Extra tax benefits and allowances
The following can be salary sacrificed, resulting in a reduction in an employee’s taxable gross:
- up to 50% of the total rent in an Australian Taxation Office (ATO) approved remote country area
- up to 50% of utilities for ATO approved remote area housing
- interest on a loan for the ATO approved remote area property.
Victoria Police remote allowance and one-person station allowance
An employee appointed to or required to work at certain stations may be entitled to the following allowances:
- relocation allowance
- yearly remote allowance
- reimbursement of telephone expenses
- cost of comprehensive insurance cover whilst relocating.
Remote allowance applicable locations
You may be able to claim remote allowance and one-person station allowance for the following country locations:
- Apsley
- Bendoc
- Beulah
- Birchip
- Buchan
- Cann River
- Corryong
- Culgoa
- Dimboola
- Edenhope
- Goroke
- Harrow
- Hopetoun
- Jeparit
- Kaniva
- Mallacoota
- Manangatang
- Murrayville
- Nhill
- Omeo
- Orbost
- Ouyen
- Piangil
- Rainbow
- Robinvale
- Sea Lake
- Speed
- Swifts Creek
- Underbool
- Walwa
- Warracknabeal
- Woods Point
- Woomelang.
Further training
Training is ongoing for the first two years as a Probationary Constable.
Study leave is available post the probationary stage.
Further in-house courses and training are available, as well as training for specialist roles and areas.
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