Sign up to our virtual recruitment awareness event

We are running an online recruitment event on Thursday 6 October at 18:00 and Thursday 27 October at 18:00, which will give you the chance to learn more about about two key roles - radio operator and non-emergency contact officer.

Don’t miss out!

Awareness event registration
 

What will your reason be

For our staff, there are a broad range of reasons why they find their careers in our Force Command Centre rewarding. Want to hear more about the role from those that do it? Then watch our accompanying video and find out more about the roles we have available and about life in our Force Command Centres.

No 'average' call!

Last year, 401,000 calls were received from members of the public of which 73,000 were 999 emergencies. There is no ‘average’ call. Each caller is treated equally, and each situation is taken on its own merits. We are here for those that need us 24/7, 365 days per year dealing with both emergency and non-emergency calls.

It is a challenging role but working part of a team that will feel like a family in no time at all is all in a day's work.

Some calls will be challenging and sometimes difficult and will rely on your ingenuity and resiliance but there are always team members on hand to support you and provide 'time out' to talk about any issues that arise.

Working on a shift system, we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Although a highly pressured role, the rewards are equally as high.

There are two core roles available in our Force Command Centre. To find out more about them, read the below.

Non-Emergency Contact Officer

To find out more about the role, please expand the tabs below.

Express an Interest - Non Emergency Contact Officer

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What is a Non-Emergency Contact Officer?
A Non-Emergency Contact Officer is the first point of contact for a caller to Dorset Police. What you say and how you say it will not only help in resolving the caller’s query, but will also influence how they feel about Dorset Police once the call has been completed.

Do you:
  • Enjoy each day bringing a new challenge?
  • Communicate effectively?
  • Have good listening skills?
  • Like working in a busy team?
  • Have the confidence to say no if required?
  • Want to go home each day having helped over 40 members of the public? Then the role of Non-Emergency Contact Officer may be for you! The focus of role is on making every contact count by ‘getting it right first time’ and ensuring that as many calls as possible are dealt with at the first point of contact and as efficiently as possible. This means we can provide the best possible service to members of the public who need to call Dorset Police.
What skills are required?
A unique job for a unique person, it demands friendly patience, a broad mind and a positive attitude. 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.

The role of a Non-Emergency 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
What is the salary?

Within this role you can earn up to £26,000.

The commencing salary will be within Scale C which is £22,175 per annum pro rata, rising by yearly increments to £23,604 per annum pro rata. Salary is inclusive of 14% shift allowance.



An enhancement can also be claimed for hours worked at weekend which accumulates to approximately £2,500 per annum pro rata.

What is the shift pattern?
The hours are 37 hours on a rolling shift pattern which includes weekends - 6 shifts on and 4 off - between the hours of 0830 and 0030hrs.

We also offer part time working which is a set shift pattern of either 24.67 hours or 18.50 hours on a rolling pattern. Shift patterns are advertised in our brochure.
What is the recruitment timeline?
Date Stage
6 October 2022 Engagement Event
10 October 2022 Launch
27 October 2022 Engagement Event
4 November 2022 Close
7 - 13 November 2022 Situation Judgment Test
14 - 27 November 2022 (midnight) Virtual Assessment Centre
7 December 2022 Information Event
10 and 11 December 2022 Final Interview and telephone assessment
W/C 12 December 2022 Conditional's and Pre-Requisites Face to Face Medicals may impact timeline
6 March 2023 Intake

Emergency and Non- Emergency Contact Officer / Radio Operator

To find out more about the role, please expand the tabs below.

Express an Interest - Emergency and Non-Emergency Contact Officer/Radio Operator

What is the role?
As a Emergency and Non-Emergency Contact Officer/ Radio Operator you will be the first point of contact in answering and responding to calls of either an emergency or non-emergency nature and provide the vital link between members of the public and operational police officers.

You will participate in the efficient, effective operation of the Force’s Command Centre and provide a high quality service to members of the public, police officers and police staff.

The focus of the Force Command Centre is on making every contact count by ‘getting it right first time’ and ensuring an efficient and effective customer journey as well as seeking to address the maximum number of calls at the first point of contact within a 24 hour capability. You will also be responsible for directing officers to the scenes of incidents and controlling incidents via radio and other forms of digital communication.
What skills are required?
A unique job for a unique person, it demands friendly patience, a broad mind and a positive attitude. 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. The role of a 101 and 999 Contact Officer / Radio Operator 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
  • You must be able to deal with disturbing situations, keep your cool and think on your feet, cope with bad language and abuse
  • The role will also require you to work a 24/7 shift pattern including some weekends and bank holidays
  • We’d especially like to hear from you if you speak any of the following languages: Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
What is the salary?

Earn up to £31,000.

The salary for this position is Scale C/bar/D.

The commencing salary will be Scale C (working between 08:30-00:30). £22,175 to £23,604 per annum inclusive of a 14% shift allowance PLUS up to approximately £2500 is claimable a year for working weekends.

Once you have progressed to Scale D (which is subject to pass/fail assessments after completion of 999 and dispatch training) the pay scale starts at £25,362 - £28,087 per annum inclusive of a 20% shift allowance PLUS up to approximately £2500 Is claimable for working weekend* (working 24/7 shifts).

What is the shift pattern?
The hours are 37 hours 24/7 on a rolling shift pattern. We also offer part time working which is a set shift pattern of either 24.67 hours or 18.50 hours on a rolling pattern. Shift patterns are advertised in our brochure.
How much annual leave will I get?
Generally you will receive 22 to 30 days per annum.
What is the recruitment timeline?
Date Stage
6 October 2022 Engagement Event
10 October 2022 Launch
27 October 2022 Engagement Event
4 November 2022 Close
7 - 13 November 2022 Situation Judgment Test
14 - 27 November 2022 (midnight) Virtual Assessment Centre
7 December 2022 Information Event
10 and 11 December 2022 Final Interview and telephone assessment
W/C 12 December 2022 Conditional's and Pre-Requisites Face to Face Medicals may impact timeline
6 March 2023 Intake
Force Command Centre Staff taking a selfie

Triage Operator

Assignments for the role of Triage Operator are now available through the employment agency Adecco. These assignments are located at the Winfrith Force Command Centre.

To apply, please contact one of the Adecco branches direct or register your CV and details on their website.

Adecco Website

*Opens in a new window

A Triage Operator is responsible for assessing the nature of calls received from members of the public, determining whether the call is suitable for action, and transferring it through to the Force Command Centre. They are also responsible for directing calls and emails not suitable for the Force Command Centre to other agencies or internal relevant departments as appropriate.

Do you:
  • Enjoy each day bringing a new challenge?
  • Communicate effectively?
  • Have good listening skills?
  • Like working in a busy team?
  • Have the confidence to say no if required?
  • Want to go home each day having helped over 40 members of the public? Then the role of Non-Emergency Contact Officer may be for you!

The focus of role is on making every contact count by ‘getting it right first time’ and ensuring that as many calls as possible are dealt with at the first point of contact and as efficiently as possible. This means we can provide the best possible service to members of the public who need to call Dorset Police.
A unique job for a unique person, it demands friendly patience, a broad mind and a positive attitude. 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.

The role of a Triage 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
The salary for this role is £9.82 per hour with the addition of 14% shift allowance and weekend enhancements if performing the standard shift pattern.
If you wish to perform the new shift pattern, you will receive the addition of weekend enhancements only. Please see below for details regarding the available shift patterns.
This role is on a rolling shift pattern between 0800hrs and 2230hrs, including weekends, performing approximately 30 hours per week on average. Shifts within this pattern are as follows:
  • 8am – 2pm
  • 11am – 7pm
  • 2pm – 10.30pm
To apply, please contact one of the Adecco branches direct or register your CV and details on their website.

Poole Branch
For roles based at Poole, Ferndown, Bournemouth, Blandford and Winfrith

Branch Telephone: 01202 202810

Branch email: [email protected]

Yeovil Branch
For roles based at Winfrith, Weymouth and Control room triage

Branch Telephone: 01935 472453

Branch email: [email protected]

A workforce that reflects our communities

Our ability to build trust, understand problems and support our communities across a range of policing matters, relies on us having a workforce that is reflective of our communities and all the unique individuals that exist within them. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity within our workforce and to eliminating discrimination.

We are very keen to encourage applications from those that have never considered policing as a career. Representation within our workforce from black and minority ethnic communities and females is currently much lower than we want it to be; by improving this we will be better able to serve our local communities and our work place will benefit from all the differences in thinking, points of view, and approaches that diversity brings.

In order to achieve this we are proud to pursue a policy of ‘positive action’.

For further information and to register for this scheme please click the button below.

Positive Action Support Our Current Vacancies