Turn Your Leave
Into More Time Off
Your exact entitlement under Police Regulations 2003 Annex O, then how far it stretches once your actual shift pattern's rest days are factored in.
Regulation-Based: Annex O (Regulation 33), as amended 1 April 2025.
Four consecutive working days followed by four full rest days, repeating every 8 days.
Your Annual Leave Entitlement
28 days
2025
26
2026
28
2027
28
How Far That Goes On 4 on 4 off
7× 12-day breaks
Book your 4-day working block off each time — it merges with the rest days either side. Uses 28 of your 28 days.
Total Time Off This Year
84 days
from 28 days of actual leave, thanks to your rest days.
Why Your Shift Pattern Matters More Than Your Day Count
Two officers can have identical 30-day entitlements and get completely different amounts of real time off, because one books leave randomly across the year and the other books it against their rota. If your pattern is 4 on 4 off, booking your 4 working days as leave doesn't cost you a 4-day break — it costs you 4 days and gives you 12, because it merges with the 4 rest days on either side. Do that seven times a year and 28 days of leave has bought you 84 days away from work.
This only works because leave spent on a day you'd already have off is wasted — so the entire strategy is: never book a rest day as leave, always book a working day, and let the pattern do the rest.
The Rules Behind The Numbers
Half days
Below superintendent, up to 3 days a year can be taken as half days — you work 4 hours on that day and don't get a paid refreshment break for it.
Carry-over and borrowing
A chief officer can carry forward up to 5 unused days into the next leave year (more only in exceptional circumstances), or let you take up to 5 days in advance against next year's entitlement.
Promoted, joining or leaving mid-year
Your entitlement for that leave year is calculated at 1/12th of the appropriate annual figure for each complete month at that rank — not the full new-rank amount from day one.
Recalled from leave
Being recalled for 1-2 days owes you 2 days back per day recalled (or 1 day plus a day's pay at double time); 3+ days owes 2 days for each of the first two, then 1.5 days for each after that. See our full recall from annual leave breakdown.
Explore The Full Shift Pattern & Leave Cluster
Every named pattern explained, which forces tend to use them, and how each one changes your leave-stacking strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days annual leave does a police officer get?
Full-time officers below superintendent start on 25 days and rise with service length to 30 days, under Police Regulations 2003 Annex O as amended from 1 April 2025. Superintendents and Chief Superintendents get a flat 31 days; ranks above Chief Superintendent get 35 days.
Does my shift pattern change how much annual leave I get?
No — your leave entitlement in days is fixed by rank and service length regardless of shift pattern. But your shift pattern changes how far those days stretch, because booking a working block off lets it merge with the rest days either side into one longer break.
Can police officers carry over annual leave?
A chief officer can, at their discretion, carry forward days not taken into the following year (capped at 5 days except in exceptional circumstances), or allow up to 5 days to be taken in advance from the following year's entitlement.
How is annual leave pro-rated for part-time police officers?
Part-time officers get the same full-time entitlement scaled by their contracted hours against the standard 40-hour week, rounded to the nearest half day.