Police officer salary, leave, benefits and hours

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 at the Victoria Police Academy. You will have access to shift penalties and overtime payments.

Starting salary

Recruits are paid a salary of $55,995 from week 1 at the Academy. 

Salary after graduation

After you are sworn in as a Probationary Constable at the end of week 12, you will earn $76,927 per annum, plus allowances.

When you receive your Diploma of Policing, you will progress to First Constable. This will be at the end of your training, after all the requirements of the Diploma are met. Your salary will increase to $82,728 (plus allowances).

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

As a police officer, you will be entitled to nine weeks recreation leave.

These are made up of:

• 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.

You will also be entitled to 15 days of personal/carer leave per year.

Additional shift penalties and overtime payments may apply dependent on your role and duty.

Other leave entitlements

There are a range of other leave entitlements, including:

• parental leave
• study leave
• long-service leave.

After 10 years of service, you can access three months of long-service leave on full-pay, or six months on half-pay. 

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 its employees with a range of flexible work options.

We can accommodate your personal circumstances, where operational and service delivery priorities allow.

Part-time work

In accordance with the Fair Work Act 2009, an employee, other than a casual, must have completed at least 12 months continuous service with the employer before requesting flexible working arrangements, such as part-time.

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 Enterprise Agreement 2019.

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 1800 to 0100 hours Saturday and Sunday).

You will attract shift allowances for each of these hours worked.

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 one or more of the following:  

• relocation allowance  
• yearly remote location allowance
• yearly one-person station allowance
• reimbursement of telephone expenses 
• cost of comprehensive insurance cover whilst relocating.

Remote allowance applicable locations 

You may be able to claim remote 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.