MOD Police
Shifts, Hours and Leave
What working for the Ministry of Defence Police means for your time: the hours, what you are paid for nights and call-outs, overtime, leave and how postings work. The MDP does not publish its shift pattern, so this page sticks to what it does publish, read on 23 October 2026.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 23 October 2026 · MOD Police (UK-wide)
MDP constables work a 40-hour week. The MDP does not publish its current shift pattern. It does publish the pay rules: 10% of base hourly pay for each full hour between 2100 and 0500, £35 for every 24 hours on call, casual overtime at time and a third and time and a half (or time off) for a rest day worked at under 15 days' notice. Leave starts at 25 days (200 hours) and rises to 30 days (240 hours) at 10 years. The CNC, by contrast, publishes a 4 on, 4 off pattern of 12-hour shifts.
Does the MOD Police publish its shift pattern?
No. None of the MDP careers, pay, leave or advert pages we read on 23 October 2026 sets out a shift pattern. We have not found a current primary source for one.
Some websites say MDP officers work four 12-hour shifts then four days off. That claim appears to come from an old MDP transferee page that no longer exists. We could not verify it, so we do not repeat it as fact. The MDP rebuilt its website in 2025/26 and many older pages and PDFs were removed. If the pattern matters to you, ask the MDP recruitment team or raise it at your suitability interview.
What the MDP does publish tells you a lot about the shape of the job:
- A 40-hour week in every constable advert.
- Night pay for each full hour between 2100 and 0500, which shows night work is part of the job.
- On-call pay per 24 hours available for emergency response.
- Rest day working with a premium when notice is short, which shows rest days can be worked at short notice.
The suitability interview at RAF Wyton asks about your awareness of how the role may affect your personal life. Being able to talk through nights, rest day working and possible postings is part of that. See our MOD Police interview questions.
The 40-hour week
Every MDP constable advert we read gives 40 hours a week: the New Recruit AFO CT and TFU adverts and all six NEOF adverts. That is your contracted time. Overtime, on-call and rest day working are on top.
- A year of contracted hours: 40 hours x 52 weeks = 2,080 hours (our arithmetic, before leave).
- Your hourly rate: the MDP does not publish the formula it uses. Dividing basic pay by 2,080 gives about £14.73 an hour at point 2 and £23.76 at point 8 (our arithmetic).
- Training time: you are paid in full from your first day at training. See MOD Police training.
Some of your working year goes on required training: annual tactical firearms refreshers, first aid updates and national qualification shoots, plus an annual job-related fitness test. The MDP does not say how many hours these take.
On-call pay
The MDP pays £35 for each 24-hour period you are available for emergency response. It is a flat sum, the same at every pay point.
| Period available | On-call pay |
|---|---|
| One 24-hour period | £35 |
| A weekend (two 24-hour periods) | £70 |
| A week (seven 24-hour periods) | £245 |
| One week in four for a year (13 weeks) | £3,185 |
The MDP page does not say which roles go on call or how often. It also does not spell out how work you are called out to do is paid on top of the on-call sum.
MOD Police overtime rates, with worked examples
| Type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Casual overtime | Time and a third | Extra hours beyond your rostered hours. |
| Rest day worked, less than 15 days' notice | Time and a half, or time off in lieu | You are told you are working a rest day with under 15 days to go. |
| Rest day worked, 15 days' notice or more | Not published | The pay page gives the premium only for short notice. |
| Public holiday working | Not published | No public holiday rate on the pay page. |
| Point | Basic hourly | Casual overtime hour | 4 hours casual | Short-notice rest day hour | 8 hours short-notice rest day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point 2 (£30,643) | £14.73 | £19.64 | £78.57 | £22.10 | £176.79 |
| Point 4 (£33,222) | £15.97 | £21.30 | £85.18 | £23.96 | £191.67 |
| Point 8 (£49,413) | £23.76 | £31.68 | £126.70 | £35.63 | £285.08 |
Example: a cancelled rest day
A constable on point 2 is told 10 days ahead to work 8 hours on a rest day. That is under 15 days' notice, so the MDP rate is time and a half: 8 x £22.10 = £176.79 (our arithmetic). They could take time off in lieu instead. The same 8 hours as casual overtime at time and a third would be £157.14.
Example: staying on after a shift
A constable on point 8 stays 2 hours past the end of their shift to finish an incident. Casual overtime at time and a third: 2 x £31.68 = £63.35. If those 2 hours fall between 2100 and 0500, the MDP pay page does not say whether unsocial hours pay is added on top; ask before you count on it.
A year of extras: three worked examples
How much do the hours add to pay? Here is a New Recruit on point 2 at AWE Aldermaston, where basic pay plus the published allowances is £36,748. The three years below use example hours we chose to show the range. They are not MDP rosters or averages.
| Year | Example hours | Unsocial hours | On-call | Overtime | Total with basic and allowances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 150 unsocial hours; 0 days on call; 0 hours casual overtime; 0 hours short-notice rest day | £221 | £0 | £0 | £36,969 |
| Middle | 350 unsocial hours; 14 days on call; 24 hours casual overtime; 8 hours short-notice rest day | £516 | £490 | £648 | £38,402 |
| Heavy | 550 unsocial hours; 28 days on call; 80 hours casual overtime; 32 hours short-notice rest day | £810 | £980 | £2,279 | £40,817 |
Even the heavy example adds less than the gap between point 2 and point 6 of the scale (£6,461). The extras are real money, but your pay point and your site matter more. Use the MOD Police pay calculator to try your own numbers.
Annual leave
The MDP leave page gives 25 days (200 hours) a year with under 6 years' service. From 6 years you get one more day a year until you reach 30 days (240 hours) at 10 years.
| Service | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Under 6 years | 25 days | 200 hours |
| 6 years | 26 days | 208 hours |
| 7 years | 27 days | 216 hours |
| 8 years | 28 days | 224 hours |
| 9 years | 29 days | 232 hours |
| 10 years or more | 30 days | 240 hours |
The MDP gives leave in hours as well as days. The leave page we read does not cover public holidays, carry-over or how leave works on a long-shift roster. For how hours-based leave works in Home Office forces, see maximising leave on a shift pattern.
Maternity, family leave and pending changes
- Maternity leave: up to 15 months of police maternity leave, subject to eligibility.
- Maternity pay: 26 weeks on full pay, then 13 weeks on Statutory Maternity Pay, then a further 13 weeks unpaid. Those three blocks add up to 52 weeks (our arithmetic); the MDP page does not break down the rest of the 15 months.
Waiting on Police Regulations changes
DPF Circular 33/26 (August 2026) says three changes for MDP officers wait on amendments to the Police Regulations 2003 after a Home Office consultation:
- Maternity Support Leave.
- Adoption Support Leave.
- Removing the 10-day qualifying period for the Acting Up Allowance.
None of these was in force for MDP officers on 23 October 2026. Check the DPF or the MDP for the current position before you plan around them.
Postings, vetting and where you work
Your hours are only half of the work-life picture. Where you are posted shapes your commute, your allowances and whether you need to move house. What the MDP publishes:
- Nine regions across the UK, from HMNB Clyde and RNAD Coulport to Devonport and Whitehall, with headquarters at RAF Wyton. See MOD Police stations.
- DV sites: some postings, with AWE, Menwith Hill and RNAD Coulport named as examples, need Developed Vetting and 10 years' UK residence.
- A failed DV: you are offered another posting suited to the clearance you got, with no entitlement to relocation expenses. The MDP says do not commit financially to a house move until clearance for your posting is confirmed.
- Later moves: the vetting page says you would need DV if later posted to a site with higher security requirements. The MDP does not publish its mobility terms.
- US bases: officers at United States Visiting Forces bases need a Common Access Card, which means giving personal information to the US authorities. The MDP says only that some officers work at these bases.
For the vetting detail, read MOD Police vetting: SC, DV and police vetting.
Specialist roles and time away from home
Some MDP roles change your hours and time away more than others. From the MDP's specialist role pages and adverts:
| Role | Base | What it means for your time |
|---|---|---|
| Special Escort Group (SEG) | AWE Aldermaston | Convoy escort of sensitive defence materials. The MDP says it involves extended time away from home. Needs C, C1 and D1 licence entitlements or willingness to gain them. |
| Tactical Firearms Unit (TFU) | AWE Group, Berkshire | Needs the 15m multi-stage fitness test to level 10.5 before employment. Hours are not published. |
| Marine Units | Clyde, Portsmouth and Devonport | Waterborne AFO CT on an RYA-accredited two-year pathway. Swim test and marine medical before an offer. |
| Operational Support Unit (OSU) | RAF Wyton | Firearms, search and public order, plus mutual aid to Home Office forces. |
| Dog handlers | Not stated | Dog Handlers' Allowance of £3,048 from 1 September 2026. |
Specialist posts generally go to experienced officers who have completed probation. The NEOF route opens some of them to serving officers from other forces: see transferring to the MOD Police.
MOD Police vs CNC: hours, overtime and leave
The Civil Nuclear Constabulary is the other armed national force and it does publish its pattern. Side by side:
| MOD Police | Civil Nuclear Constabulary | |
|---|---|---|
| Published shift pattern | Not published | Normally 4 days or nights on, 4 off, 12-hour shifts |
| Weekly hours in adverts | 40 hours | Not stated on the CNC pages we read |
| Unsocial hours pay | 10% of base hourly rate for each full hour 2100 to 0500 | None published |
| On-call | £35 per 24 hours available | None published |
| Overtime | Casual: time and a third. Rest day with under 15 days' notice: time and a half or time off in lieu | Available; rates not published |
| Annual leave | 25 days (200 hours) rising to 30 days (240 hours) at 10 years | 200 hours rising to 240 hours at 10 years, plus eight public holidays |
| Public holidays | Not published on the pages we read | Eight; if you work one you take another day |
If a published, predictable pattern matters to you, the CNC's 4 on, 4 off 12-hour pattern is a known quantity. The CNC also says that although overtime is available, you start and finish at your allotted times. The MDP publishes more about pay for unsocial hours and call-outs but less about the roster itself. See 4 on 4 off explained and CNC vs MOD Police.
What the MDP does not publish about hours
- The shift pattern or shift lengths.
- Public holiday arrangements and any public holiday overtime rate.
- An hourly rate formula for overtime and unsocial hours.
- How on-call and call-out pay combine.
- Whether unsocial hours pay is added to overtime worked at night.
- Mobility terms: whether and how you can be moved to another site.
- Which sites are US Visiting Forces bases and the full list of DV sites beyond the three named.
- Leave carry-over rules and how leave works on a long-shift roster.
- The current annual fitness standard for serving officers.
Common mistakes about MDP hours
- Quoting 4 on 4 off as the MDP pattern. That is the CNC's published pattern. The MDP does not publish one.
- Reading unsocial hours as 10% of salary. It is 10% of base hourly pay for each full hour between 2100 and 0500 only.
- Counting part hours. The MDP says each full hour.
- Assuming every rest day worked pays time and a half. The published premium is for under 15 days' notice.
- Moving house before DV is confirmed. A failed DV can change your posting with no relocation expenses.
- Planning on Maternity Support Leave. It was still waiting on regulation changes on 23 October 2026.
Questions to ask the MDP
- What shift pattern runs at the site I am likely to be posted to and how long are the shifts?
- How often are rest days cancelled and how much notice is usual?
- Which roles go on call and how often?
- How are public holidays handled?
- Is the site a DV site and what happens to my start date while DV is processed?
- Can I be moved to another site later and on what terms?
Asking about the job's impact on your life is not a weakness at the MDP's suitability interview: the MDP says that interview assesses your awareness of how the role may affect your personal life. PolicePay is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the MDP.
Frequently Asked Questions
What shift pattern do MOD Police officers work?
The MDP does not publish its current shift pattern on its careers pages. Its adverts say 40 hours a week and its pay page sets out unsocial hours, on-call and overtime pay, which tells you nights, weekends and call-outs are part of the job. A four on, four off pattern is quoted online from an old MDP page that no longer exists; we could not verify it.
How many hours a week do MOD Police officers work?
40 hours a week. Every MDP constable advert we read on 23 October 2026 gives a 40-hour week.
Do MOD Police officers get paid extra for nights?
Yes. The MDP pays 10% of your base hourly rate for every full hour worked between 2100 and 0500. On our arithmetic that is about £1.47 an hour at point 2, or about £11.79 for a shift that covers the whole window.
What is the MOD Police overtime rate?
Casual overtime is paid at time and a third. If you work a rest day with less than 15 days' notice you get time and a half or time off in lieu. The MDP does not publish a public holiday rate on its pay page.
How much is MOD Police on-call pay?
£35 for each 24-hour period you are available for emergency response. A full week on call is £245 (our arithmetic). Any work you are called out to do is separate.
How much annual leave do MOD Police officers get?
25 days (200 hours) a year with under 6 years' service. From 6 years it rises by one day a year to 30 days (240 hours) at 10 years. The leave page we read does not set out public holiday arrangements.
What maternity leave do MOD Police officers get?
Up to 15 months of police maternity leave: 26 weeks on full pay, 13 weeks on Statutory Maternity Pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, subject to eligibility. Maternity Support Leave and Adoption Support Leave are waiting on changes to the Police Regulations 2003.
Can the MOD Police move you to another site?
The MDP does not publish its mobility terms. Its vetting page says you would need Developed Vetting if later posted to a site with higher security requirements, which shows later postings can happen. If you fail DV for your first posting you are offered another site with no relocation expenses.
Do CNC officers work 4 on 4 off?
Yes, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary says its officers normally work a 4 day or night 12-hour shift pattern: four on and four off. That is a CNC fact. The MOD Police does not publish its pattern.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 23 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- MDP: New Recruit PC Authorised Firearms Officer Counter Terrorism (advert) : 40-hour week (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Salary, allowances and pension : 10% unsocial hours for each full hour 2100 to 0500; £35 on-call per 24 hours; casual overtime at time and a third; rest day with under 15 days' notice at time and a half or time off in lieu (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Leave entitlement : 25 days (200 hours) rising to 30 days (240 hours); 15 months' police maternity leave (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Defence Police Federation Circular 33/26 (6 Aug 2026) : Maternity Support Leave, Adoption Support Leave and the Acting Up Allowance qualifying period waiting on Police Regulations 2003 amendments (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: UK Security Vetting : SC for all; DV for some sites; later postings to higher security sites; no relocation expenses after a DV fail (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: New Recruit entry criteria : DV sites such as AWE, Menwith Hill or RNAD Coulport; 10 years' residence for DV posts (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Police vetting : Common Access Card for officers at US Visiting Forces bases (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Our locations : nine regions and stations (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Our specialist roles : SEG, TFU, Marine Units, OSU and other specialist roles (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: NEOF PC Special Escort Group AFO CT : convoy escort; extended time away from home; licence entitlements (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: NEOF PC Operational Support Unit Officer : RAF Wyton; mutual aid to Home Office forces (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Firearms training : annual tactical refresher training (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Fitness : fitness assessed annually via the JRFT (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Police officers : 4 days or nights on, 4 off, 12-hour shifts; 200 to 240 hours' leave plus eight public holidays (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Police officer transferees : overtime available; start and finish at allotted times (accessed 23 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Free tools for MOD Police and CNC applicants
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the Ministry of Defence Police, the Ministry of Defence, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, the Defence Police Federation, the Civil Nuclear Police Federation, the College of Policing or any other force. It does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Every fact here comes from the force's own pages, GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk or the other sources listed, read on the date shown. Each force sets and changes its own process and pay: check its current pages and your own invitation before relying on anything here. Our practice questions are original PolicePay material, not questions used by either force. Details are as checked on 23 October 2026.