To apply to be a police custody officer, you must meet certain entry requirements.
Entry requirements
Victoria Police has no tolerance for illicit or illegal drug use. This includes in both work and personal life.
We conduct extensive background checks on all applicants during the selection process.
Code of conduct and prior behaviour
All Victoria Police employees follow a code of conduct.
You need to align with 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 it 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 history.
Failure to declare information 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 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.
If you have any contact with police during the selection process, you must inform us immediately at pcoemployment@police.vic.gov.au.
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 pre-requisite subject requirements. You also do not need an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR).
You do not need to have any existing knowledge of the law to join.
We will teach you what you need to know during your training.
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 information, visit Code of conduct, uniform and appearance for police custody officers.
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 residing 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.
You will pay all costs for the First Aid certification.
During the selection process you must declare your 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.
These associations may affect the community’s perceptions of your ability to use authority with integrity.
They may also put you at risk of associates asking you to forgo your duty, or compromise your integrity as Victoria Police employee.
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.
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.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination status
While no longer mandatory, Victoria Police strongly recommends all employees remain up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations.
Apply to be a police custody officer
Take the first step towards an exciting new career.
Already started your application?
Continue your police custody officer application by logging in to our careers portal.
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