Paramedics, firefighters and defence force personnel wanting to take up a career in policing will be fast-tracked in a major recruitment revamp.
Applicants with favourable VCE results and those working in specified public service roles will also be able to get into the force quicker.
It comes as Victoria Police ramps up a recruitment push to bolster the frontline, with double squads resuming at the academy.
Under the changes - to be implemented immediately - Victoria Police will no longer require paramedics and firefighters employed in the last five years to complete its entrance exam.
The switch applies to those who've worked anywhere in Australia as well as New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
It's designed to recognise the education, training and aptitude of people already working in emergency services.
The exemption does not apply to volunteers.
Exam exemptions are also being introduced for a range of other applicants.
They include Australian Defence Force personnel who've served full time in the last five years, all Victoria Police employees and Victorian Public Service employees working elsewhere at Grade 3 or higher.
Police forces elsewhere in Australia have introduced similar provisions.
Applicants who in the last five years attained an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank of 65 or above and a minimum VCE study score of 25 in English will also be entrance-exam free.
In further changes Victoria Police is extending an entrance exam exemption for applicants who achieved a specified bachelor degree in Australia over the last five years to include such qualifications from universities in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
This applies to degrees in the arts, science, humanities, business and law.
Current university students in their final year of a criminology bachelor's degree or similar at a university in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom are also being added to the entrance exam exemption list.
A total 490 university qualified police applicants have benefited from the existing bachelor degree exemption since it was introduced on 1 July 2023.
Victoria Police is streamlining the recruitment process as it looks to fill more than 1000 vacancies statewide and bolster support for hardworking members on the ground.
Exam thresholds for police are now in-line with those for PSOs to allow for a more holistic assessment of applicants.
Applicants will still be required to pass all eight components of the test spanning literacy, writing, verbal skills, numeracy and more.
Applicants who've successfully passed academic entry requirements for other police forces in Australia will no longer be made to sit Victoria Police's entrance exam.
Additionally, Victoria Police is removing the necessity for the majority of potential recruits to have a one-on-one psychologist appointment.
Over time these interviews have become common place for nearly all applicants, holding up the recruitment process.
The force has reviewed its psychological testing and is confident it is more than robust to identify issues without everyone needing to go through one-on-one testing.
The option will still be available as required.
Further improvements are expected as Victoria Police continues a review of its recruitment process.
Double squads have returned to the Victoria Police Academy in Glen Waverley for the first time since February 2024.
Three double squad intakes of a total 44 recruits each are planned, with the first already commencing training on 24 February 2025.
Usual single squads comprise around 22 recruits each.
Quotes attributable to Rick Nugent, Acting Chief Commissioner:
"These changes mean quality applicants will no longer be held up with unnecessary obstacles to start their policing journey.
"That translates to more recruits starting their training sooner and more rapid support for the frontline.
"There's no doubt policing can be a tough job and it takes a special person to do it.
"We want to make sure we're doing everything we can to attract those people and back the hardworking police making a difference out in the community each and every day.
"To that end we're also taking double squads at the Victoria Police Academy for the first time in a year, with three intakes scheduled."
For more information about Victoria Police's recruitment process go to https://www.police.vic.gov.au/police-recruitment-process.
