A Victoria Police officer has been charged after driving at 200 kilometres per hour to a crash involving a colleague. 

Leading Senior Constable John Bradley Beecroft has appeared in the Wangaratta Magistrates' Court this week, accused of multiple offences including dangerous driving in relation to an incident near Euroa last year.

The court was told that Leading Senior Constable Beecroft - a 16-year veteran of the state’s Highway Patrol Unit - was driving on the Hume Freeway when he was called to attend a crash involving other officers. He allegedly travelled up to 230km/h to help an injured colleague.

Police allege that the accused’s actions put others, including his colleague in the car, in danger.

The officer’s defence lawyer James Anderson said; “He travelled in circumstances where he believed he might be met with police officers in a critical condition or worse, and where time was of the essence”.

“He was interviewed by the police and he said that his driving he considered safe and reasonable given the urgency of the situation,” Mr Anderson said.

The court was told that Leading Senior Constable Beecroft's partner, a 45-year veteran of the Highway Patrol Unit, agreed, and that Leading Senior Constable Beecroft holds a “gold class” licence, which allows officers to drive at unrestricted speeds.

Victoria Police says officers holding a gold class driving authority “must still travel in a reasonable and safe manner that does not endanger themselves or the public”.

“It's a somewhat extraordinary case in which to bring this charge,” Mr Anderson said.

“Mr Beecroft is charged essentially with conduct endangering life given the speed at which he was travelling, but that speed is justified by him on the basis that he was travelling to a critical situation.”

An internal police investigation reportedly found the officer had allegedly engaged in “urgent duty driving” for seven minutes on an 8.7-kilometre stretch of freeway, overtaking 77 vehicles

It is also alleged that investigators found five other police units reached speeds of between 141km/h and 166.9km/h on their way to the same crash.