Victoria Police Academy
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37°53′29″S 145°10′30″E / 37.8915°S 145.175°E
| Type | Police academy |
|---|---|
| Established | 1973 |
| Founder | Victoria Police |
| Address | 1 View Mount Road, Glen Waverley , , , Australia 37°53′29″S 145°10′30″E / 37.8915°S 145.175°E |
  Location in Victoria | |
The Victoria Police Academy is the main induction training establishment for the Victoria Police. It is located at 1 View Mount Road, in Glen Waverley, in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The grounds encompass 16 hectares (40 acres).
The site was built from 1954 – 59[1] as the main campus of Corpus Christi College, a seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, from 1959–1972. The main chapel was intended to have wings of offices and accommodation either side, however only the southern wing was built before the College was sold.[2]
The Victoria Police bought the site on 30 October 1972, and opened the Academy in 1973.[1] Offices occupy the former seminarians rooms; the former kitchen and dining room now serve the current Academy. Additional buildings for instruction and student accommodation, sports facilities and a gymnasium and indoor swimming pool, were erected in the 1980s, and a mock village was added later for scenario training purposes.
Training
Newly inducted recruits spend 31 weeks at the Academy. In 2004 an inquiry uncovered systemic bullying and the head and two other staff were transferred out of the Academy.[3]
The Academy also houses the Detective Training School (DTS) used for training of detectives. There is also obstacle equipment and fields where the Dog Squad often train.
Academy facility upgrade
In order to increase the Academy’s capacity to accommodate the training of an additional 1700 police and 940 PSOs by November 2014, A$15.4 million was provided to Victoria Police to upgrade the Victoria Police Academy in 2013-14. The significant works included:[4]
- an operational tactics and safety training complex with a new firing range, a ‘soft fall’ area for conducted energy device and defensive tactics training, and a simulator, for firearm and operational safety training
- a new training system, called Hydra, which simulates a variety of operational scenarios, ranging from vehicle intercepts to large-scale criminal investigations and emergencies, such as bushfires
- a railway platform for PSO training, new classrooms for training, improvements to bathroom and change room facilities, a dining room upgrade and extra car parking space.
New operational tactics and safety training facility
Construction of a new police training facility alongside the new Victorian Emergency Management Training Centre in Craigieburn commenced in 2013–14. The now complete A$30 million Victoria Police facility replaced a facility located at Essendon Fields.[4]
The Craigieburn complex will house administration and training staff and include an indoor firing range, scenario training village, classrooms, an auditorium, conference centre and fitness facilities. Police can undertake compulsory training twice a year at either this facility, the Victoria Police Academy or other locations in country Victoria depending on location.[4]
