Your career as a police custody officer starts with paid training at the Victoria Police Academy, in the police custody officer foundation course.
The course, combined with on-the-job training, prepares you for life as a police custody officer.
Earn while you learn
You’ll be paid from your very first day of training.
Your training wage is competitive, and can include penalty rates and shift allowances.
Learn more about police custody officer salaries, leave, benefits and hours.
Police custody officer foundation course
The police custody officer foundation course requires dedication and commitment to success.
The training is rigorous, disciplined and thorough. It is also physically, academically and mentally demanding.
Hear from some of our PCOs about what you'll learn:
Training schedule
The foundation course is eight weeks long.
Training hours are usually between 7:30am to 4:10pm Monday to Friday. These hours may vary to include evening and weekend work.
| Week | What you'll learn |
|---|---|
1-3 | Custody administration During your first week, you will have an observational shift. |
4 | Workplace placement In week 4, you will do workplace training. This will not include direct contact with persons in custody. |
| 5-6 | Persons in custody wellbeing |
7 | Workplace placement During week 7, you will do workplace placement. This will include direct contact with persons in custody. |
| 8 | Incident management, self-awareness training, offender wellbeing simulation |
9-26 | On-the-job training and further learning From weeks 9-26, you will complete on-the-job training. The training follows an operational learning framework. |
Your probation will be complete after 26 weeks.
Graduation
After successfully completing the course, you will graduate from the Academy. This will include a formal ceremony and celebration.
Career progression
Once you are a PCO, you may be able to progress to a supervising police custody officer (SPCO) role. SPCOs are responsible for overseeing and coordinating the day-to-day operations of a team of PCOs. Learn more on Police custody officer career progression.
Victorian Public Service employees also have access to the Jobs and Skills Exchange (JSE) website. The JSE can be used to find and apply for other VPS positions across the government sector.
The Victoria Police Academy
Police custody officers complete eight weeks of training. Six weeks are completed at the Victoria Police Academy.
You must attend the entire training in person.
The Victoria Police Academy is located at 1 View Mount Road, Glen Waverley VIC 3150.
Accommodation and costs
It is not compulsory to live at the Academy while you are training.
You can apply for free accommodation if you live over 30km away from the Academy. Approval will be based on where you live and your circumstances.
Academy accommodation includes:
- meals from Monday to Friday
- computer access
- physical training facilities
- study areas.
Recreational leave and weekends
Training at the Academy is physically and mentally demanding. There’s a lot to fit in and it will take all your dedication to succeed.
You cannot take leave during training. This is unless it’s leave allocated by the Education Department.
If you are staying at the Academy during your training, you will able to return home on the weekends.
COVID-19 vaccinations
While no longer mandatory, Victoria Police strongly recommends all recruits and employees remain up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations.
Already started your application?
Continue with your police custody officer application.
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