Duty Time

Duty Roster - 3 Months

An officer should know for three months ahead their rest days, and the start and end times of their tour of duty. These should not be changed except for exigencies of duty.

An exigency is not defined in the police regulations, however PNB (Police Negotiating Board) Circular 86/9 states, the term "exigencies of duty" should be interpreted as relating to situations where a pressing demand, need or requirement is perceived that is not reasonably and necessitates a change of roster.  It relates to the situation at the time the duty is to be performed rather than when the cancellation is made. Therefore the requirement to change can be known about many months in advance but it is still an exigency. Changes to rosters should only be made after full consideration to welfare, operational and practical circumstances rather than purely on financial grounds. 

The 12 month roster should be published one month before it is due to commence. If you have received a duty change for a date before the date shown at the top of the website then you have not had due notice and need to inquire with the Force Resource Unit the reason for the change of duty. The notification of the change does not include the date changed and the date on which you were notified. It should be a 3 months notice period if it is not for an exigency of duty.

REGULATION 22

(a) A chief officer shall cause to be published, in accordance with this determination, duty rosters for members of his force of the rank of constable or sergeant (and inspector and chief inspector in the case of part-time members) and, in the determinations made under the Police Regulations 2003:

i) a reference to a rostered rest day is to be construed, in relation to a member of a police force who is required to do duty on that day, as a reference to a day which according to the duty roster was, immediately before he was so required to do duty, to have been a rest day for the member; and
ii) a day off granted in lieu of a rostered rest day shall be treated as a rostered rest day.

b) A chief officer shall cause each such roster to be drawn up and published, after full consultation with the Joint Branch Board, at intervals not exceeding 12 months and not later than one month before the date on which it starts.

c) Each such roster shall set out, for at least three months (except one relating to a part-time member who has agreed with the chief officer on a different period) following the date on which it comes into force, in relation to each member of the force to which it relates:

i) his rest days;
ii) those days, being public holidays, on which he may be required to do duty;
and
iii) the times at which his scheduled daily periods of duty (rostered shifts for members working variable shift arrangements and for part-time members) are to begin and end; and 
iv) for part-time members, his free days

Travel Time

Travel time between home and your usual place of duty is generally not duty time.

Such travel time shall only be treated as a period of duty when you are:

• Required to perform your normal daily period of duty in more than our tour (Split Duty) or
• Recalled to work between two tours of duty and you travel to and from your home between tours.

In calculating any period of overtime, the time occupied by a member in relevant travelling shall be treated as a period of duty.

For questions relating to overtime please see the Frequently Asked Questions page