A unique job for a unique person, this role demands a friendly, patient, broad minded individual with a positive attitude who can be there when people need it most. You must be able to work as part of a close knit, supportive team and make decisions in situations which may be frustrating or distressing for the caller.

Within this role you will play a critical role in our response to both emergency and non-emergency calls, providing a first class service to the public. You will be resilient, reliable and able to cope in a pressured environment – your decision making skills will be key. You will receive a huge variety of calls, often challenging in nature. At times you will be talking to people in potentially dangerous or vulnerable situations – they may be distressed or panicked and it is down to your ability to stay calm and determine the most appropriate response to make sure they get the help they need.

The role of a Contact Officer requires you to:

• Type and capture information, quickly and accurately
• Communicate in a concise and accurate manner
• Provide a high quality customer service
• Listen effectively and extract specific information to determine the correct response
• Demonstrate an aptitude for quick decision making and effective problem solving
• Learn and retain information
• Work effectively and enthusiastically as part of a team

Resilience is a key factor of the Contact Officer role. It’s a 24/7 job so there will be times when you are working weekends, bank holidays and even Christmas Day some years. There will also be times when you are feeling tired and still having to take those extremely difficult and sometimes traumatic calls. Whilst it’s true that this is not a job for the faint-hearted, on the other hand you will be working in a great environment with plenty of support as part of the police Family.

Salary

• The salary during the apprenticeship is £24,894 (which includes 20% shift allowance).
• On completion of the apprenticeship the salary is £26,024 with incremental yearly progression to £28,987 (which includes 20% shift allowance).
• Weekend working allowance (which is claimable). This accumulates to approximately £2,500 per annum pro rata.

Benefits

• • 24 days annual leave (30 after 5 years’) + bank holidays
• Automatic enrolment in the Local government pension scheme
• • Free parking, Free Uniform, 24 hour Gym access (only £3.50 per month), Eyecare vouchers, Blue Light Card, Access to Trade Unions

The role is 24/7 365 days a year and we work shifts to achieve this which are 6 days on 4 days off. Please visit the job advert for more detail.

You will receive a high standard of training both at the start and throughout your career as we support you to make the most of your qualities. As part of your initial development, you will not only complete training and become a qualified Contact Officer, but you will also gain the Level 3 Emergency Call Handling Apprenticeship.

From Day 1 you will be classroom based with our dedicated and experienced Training Team who will take you through a detailed 7 week Initial Training programme covering all the main aspects of your new role.

When you leave Training, you will move to the Control Room where you will be assigned a Mentor who will be an experienced Contact Officer. Your Mentor will work side-by-side with you for an extended period as you continue your learning ‘on the job.’ After your mentoring period you will be working independently with support as you continue your development during your probationary period.

During your first 15 months you will be contributing to your apprenticeship portfolio. You will need to gather evidence, undertake some self-study and complete activities to provide evidence against the ‘Level 3 Emergency Call Handling Apprenticeship’ standard. You will be given time within your working hours to do this and there is no expectation that you study outside of your rostered hours. You will be required to undertake a formal assessment at the end of the course but you will be assigned an Apprenticeship Facilitator who will support and guide you throughout.

In order to complete the apprenticeship programme you are required to have GCSE Maths and English at A – C or 9 – 4. If you do not have these qualifications you will need to obtain them prior to a job being offered. We can signpost you to a Learning Provider who will support you in achieving functional skills L2 which is the equivalent to GCSE grade C or Grade 4. Our recommendation is that you can begin trying to obtain this as soon as practically possible to avoid any delays in a job offer. We will hold onto your details for 12 months and once you’ve obtained these qualifications we will look to progress you on the next available intake.