Victoria Police offers a challenging and rewarding career serving the Victorian community.
As an employee of Victoria Police, you will be entrusted with considerable authority and responsibility.
Standards of behaviour
As an employee of Victoria Police, you will be subject to legislation and policy requirements that prescribe expected standards of behaviour. It is important that you understand how this will impact on your personal and professional life prior to committing to the application process.
The Victoria Police Act 2013 imposes a duty on all employees to be of good behaviour at all other times.
Your conduct, both on and off duty, reflects on yourself and on Victoria Police.
Actions committed during your personal time may affect your ongoing employment and see you face internal discipline or criminal proceedings.
Our organisational values underpin Victoria Police’s policies, procedures and practices and provide guidance on how employees are to interact with the community and each other.
Code of conduct
You should familiarise yourself with the Victoria Police Code of Conduct - Professional and Ethical Standards, and other integrity related polices to ensure you understand the required standard of behaviour.
The Code of Conduct will give potential employees an understanding of how to identify situations and associations which may lead to inappropriate perceptions or conflicts of interest.
The Code of Conduct will give potential employees an understanding of how to identify situations and associations which may lead to inappropriate perceptions or conflicts of interest.
Testing for drugs and alcohol
During the application process and your period of employment with Victoria Police, you will be tested for drugs and alcohol.
You must be completely sober while on or required to be available for duty. You also must be free of illegal drugs at all times, both on and off duty.
If you are taking any prescribed medications, you must ensure that these are disclosed in your application's medical report.
Uniform and appearance
All employees must adhere to the Victoria Police Uniform and Appearance Policy.
Your appearance must reflect a professional and disciplined law enforcement agency. This includes clothing, grooming and personal accessories.
Exemptions to the uniform and appearance policy can be sought on genuine medical, cultural or religious grounds.
An application for an exemption can be made at the induction stage of the application process.
Tattoos and tattoo placements
Victoria Police has recently updated their policy regarding Uniform and Appearance Standards, which includes direction around tattoos/body art and piercings.
Employees are required to project an image that is consistent with a professional and disciplined law enforcement agency.
No visible offensive, or inappropriate tattoos are permitted.
Offensive or inappropriate tattoos
These are tattoos that include words, images or objects that are, or could be perceived to:
- be obscene, violent, defamatory, sexually explicit, discriminatory, harassing, insulting, threatening or racially intolerant
- constitute sexual harassment, or that are discriminatory or vilifying under equal opportunity legislation
- be incompatible with Victoria Police's role, and could affect our reputation, or diminish public confidence.
Face, neck and head tattoos
Tattoos on the face, head and front of the neck are not permitted.
Neck tattoos on the rear of the neck may be permitted, but must not extend forward of the neck, beyond an imaginary line drawn vertically from behind the back of the ear down to the shoulder.
Existing employees are not permitted to get additional body art on the face, head and/or front of the neck. While on duty, employees must cover or remove all body art or modifications that are offensive or inappropriate.
Hand tattoos
Hand tattoos may be permitted.
Leg and arm tattoos
Tattoos on the legs and arms may be permitted.
Tattoo questions
Current or future applicants with tattoos/body art on the head, face, neck or hands should email RECRUITINGSERVICES-MGR@police.vic.gov.au.
Jewellery
Police officers can wear the following items of jewellery:
- wristwatches
- minimal rings of conservative style
- emergency medical alert bracelets or pendants.
Other jewellery, ornaments, adornments or accessories are not permitted. This includes:
- earrings
- spacers
- any facial or body piercings
- plugs
- tunnels
- bars
- chains
- dental grills
- or similar.
Facial hair
There are some requirements around beards and moustaches.
Beards
You may have a beard if it is:
- grown while you are on leave, or absent from duty
- grown for at least three weeks before you resume duty
- full face, including a moustache
- trimmed to follow the underside of the jawline, with a clean-shaven neck
- kept neat, clean and close-trimmed
- not over 20mm in length
- not extreme in style or colour.
Goatees and patches of hair below the lower lip are not permitted.
Moustaches
You may have a moustache if it is:
- clean, tidy and neatly trimmed
- does not extend beyond a vertical line from the outer edge of the eye or below the bottom edge of the top lip.
Secondary employment
Victoria Police employees must gain approval from the Chief Commissioner to hold a secondary job.
Approval will not be granted where the employment conflicts with your role as a Victoria Police employee, for example the:
- liquor industry
- gaming industry
- racing industry
- transport industry
- firearms industry
- weapons industry
- private security industry, and
- the sex industry.
Updated
