Victoria Police promotion
ranks, selection, appeals and pay

Victoria Police groups its ranks into seven classification levels. Level 1 covers Constable (points 1 to 2) and First Constable (points 3 to 4). Level 2 covers Senior Constable (points 5 to 12) and Leading Senior Constable (points 13 to 16). Sergeant, Senior Sergeant, Inspector, Superintendent and Commander are Levels 3 to 7.

The full rank list in our data is: Recruit; Constable (Probationary Constable on swearing in); First Constable; Senior Constable; Leading Senior Constable; Sergeant; Senior Sergeant; Inspector; Superintendent; Commander; Protective Services Officer stream: PSO, PSO 1st Class, PSO Senior, PSO Sergeant, PSO Senior Sergeant; Police Reservist. Recruits are paid the Recruit rate until they're sworn in at week 12, then move to Constable point 1. Every rate on this page is on the Victoria Police salary page too.

The first ten years or so of a Victoria Police career are mostly automatic, provided you keep your training and performance up. Constables progress on the anniversary of appointment (cl 74.1). The official site says First Constable (points 3 to 4) follows completion of the Diploma.

1. 1

   Constable, points 1 to 2

   Level 1

   Sworn in at point 1 ($84,060). Annual progression on your appointment anniversary.

2. 2

   First Constable, points 3 to 4

   Level 1

   On completing the Diploma, per the official careers site. Point 3 is $90,399.

3. 3

   Senior Constable, points 5 to 12

   Level 2

   In-situ promotion after 4 years' service, the required Victoria Police Education Program components and satisfactory performance (cl 74.5). Then one point a year.

4. 4

   Leading Senior Constable, points 13 to 16

   Level 2

   Needs 12 months at point 12, commitment to skill and knowledge, mentoring junior members and current operational safety training (cl 74.14).

Progression stops if you're under a management of underperformance process, and can be deferred if you've been on more than three months' paid leave and can't be assessed (cl 74.11 to 74.12). Unpaid leave pushes your progression date back by the length of the leave unless it's been waived (cl 74.17).

Leading Senior Constable is earned by mentoring and skills, not by a selection panel. It's the last step you can reach without competing for a position.

From Sergeant up, there's no automatic progression into the next rank. Positions are advertised in the Victoria Police Gazette and filled by merit-based selection. You apply for the specific position, and if you win it you're promoted into it.

1. 1

   Position advertised in the Gazette

   The advertisement and position description set out the key selection criteria, qualifications, eligibility rules and any time-in-position requirement.

2. 2

   Written application

   You address the key selection criteria for that rank's capability profile, with examples.

3. 3

   Short-listing and interview

   Short-listed applicants are interviewed by a selection panel using questions linked to the capability framework.

4. 4

   Referee and record checks

   The Transfer and Promotion Unit obtains a referee report from a current or recent supervisor you nominate. Your ROCSID (complaints and discipline) report sits on the selection file.

5. 5

   Selection published, appeal window opens

   Unsuccessful eligible applicants can appeal to the PRSB, which re-hears the selection.

The referee and ROCSID details come from the PRSB's 2023 appeal practice direction, which describes what's on a selection file. We couldn't find Victoria Police's internal promotion policy published online, so check the current version on the intranet or with The Police Association Victoria.

Victoria doesn't publish a single, force-wide time-in-rank rule like NSW's "2 years at the rank below". Instead, each position description sets the qualifications, eligibility criteria and time-in-position requirements for that job. This matters for appeals too: PRSB guidance says that unless the Board decides otherwise, you can't appeal if you didn't meet those requirements when you applied.

The PRSB's practice direction gives the clearest public picture of what Victoria values at each rank, because appellants must answer set written questions. They're a good guide to how you'll be judged in the original selection too.

Victoria Police's own reappointment page for former Sergeants and Senior Sergeants says panels want skills that align with the force's capability framework. Expect behavioural questions asking for real examples, not hypotheticals.

The table below reads the current Schedule A ordinary rates from 1 June 2026. The after-tax column uses 2026-27 income tax and Medicare with no HELP debt.

Leading Senior Constables give up less gross pay by staying put. The step from point 16 to Sergeant point 1 is +$11,805, against +$18,867 from point 12. On allowances, Sergeants swap the capability allowance ($3,488 a year at Constable 1, rising by point) for the leadership allowance ($3,760 at Sergeant 1).

Rates rise 3% again on 1 June 2027, the final scheduled increase under this agreement. On those rates, Senior Constable P12 to Sergeant P1 will be +$19,433.

Once promoted, you start at point 1 (cl 74.7) and progress on the anniversary of your promotion (cl 74.3). From Sergeant up, though, progression isn't automatic. Each year you agree up to two performance objectives with your assessor, measured against the policing capability for your level, and you must achieve them to progress (cl 74.13). The agreement says progression at these levels is expected to be "more challenging and difficult to achieve".

Inspectors, Superintendents and Commanders have an extra objective on leadership in service delivery reform, and receive the Service Delivery Reform allowance for it. Officers who have completed six months or more at a point progress on 1 July each year (cl 74.4).

If you complete your Performance Development Assessment by the due date (30 days before your progression date) and nothing showing you're unsuitable has been documented and raised with you, you progress without further review (cl 74.16). If you're refused progression on performance grounds, you can appeal to the PRSB (cl 74.18).

A Senior Constable on point 12 wins a Sergeant position and starts on point 1. Here's the difference in take-home pay on ordinary rates alone, before allowances, shift penalties and overtime.

Victoria is unusual: an independent body re-hears promotion decisions. The Police Registration and Services Board hears appeals under Part 8 of the Victoria Police Act 2013 and is independent of Victoria Police. The PRSB member considers the selection file and the hearing and decides the matter afresh.

1. 1

   Lodge your notice of appeal

   Within the appeal period after the selection is published. If you weren't short-listed, nominate a referee on the notice (VP form 1047): a current or recent supervisor who has supervised you for a substantial time.

2. 2

   Written submission

   Due by noon on the second Friday after appeals close (eight days). Answer the set questions for the rank, in 11-point font, within the page limit. You declare it's your own true account.

3. 3

   Reports gathered

   The PRSB contacts your referee and gets your ROCSID report if you weren't interviewed. You can correct errors in your ROCSID report; referee reports usually aren't shared.

4. 4

   The hearing

   You're asked interview questions about your work and experience. Bring paper and a pen, answer the question asked, and don't read out prepared answers: irrelevant answers score poorly.

5. 5

   Decision

   The PRSB decides whether the appeal succeeds.

PRSB guidance, as summarised in search results because the page blocked our fetch, says that for positions up to Senior Sergeant the grounds are superior efficiency, or equal efficiency and greater seniority. "Efficiency" covers aptitude, special qualifications, merit, diligence, good conduct, quality of service and fitness. Check the current Guide to Transfer and Promotion Appeals on the PRSB website before you lodge.

Higher duties are where most Sergeant candidates get their supervisory examples. The agreement pays for them in two ways (cl 76).

For a Senior Constable on point 12, acting as a Sergeant pays the difference to Sergeant point 1. That's about $363 a week before tax, calculated by us from the two ordinary rates.

Protective Services Officers have their own ladder under the same agreement. PSO Senior is an in-situ promotion after 4 years' service, the required education components and satisfactory performance (cl 74.6). PSO Sergeant and PSO Senior Sergeant are selection-based, and their appeals have their own PRSB practice directions.

A PSO who completes the Constable Qualifying Program and becomes a police officer is placed on a Constable increment that matches their PSO salary (cl 75.1). For many senior PSOs that's a quicker route to higher pay than PSO Sergeant.

For a warm-up, the free AI mock interview covers integrity and communication questions. See how other states compare in the NSW, Queensland and WA promotion guides. The Victoria Police pay deal page tracks the 2025 agreement through to its 2028 expiry, and the Victoria Police overview has everything else in one place. For every force side by side, see the national police ranks and promotion guide.