999 Police Emergency Call Taker Guildford, England
Job description
“Surrey Police, what’s your emergency?”
“I’ve just woken up to someone trying to break into my house”
“My mum has dementia, she’s 77 and has gone missing”
“There’s been a car crash outside my house, the car is upside down on its roof"
Our teams are the first point of contact for around 430 emergency and 800 non-emergency calls every day. Also, there are around 840 interactions via social media, email and live chat every day.
As a Contact Centre Officer you will perform a key role on our policing front line, responding to reports of incidents and crime from across Surrey. The contacts you receive can range from a situation where life is at risk, to a longer-term issue where someone is seeking our support and advice. We aim to respond to each contact in a timely way and ultimately contribute to making our communities feel safe by inspiring trust and confidence in the Police.
You must be able to work and make decisions under pressure. Calls can be traumatic or distressing at times, so you'll need to display high levels of emotional resilience. You’ll be giving re-assurance and safety advice to callers, arranging to get them the help or support they need as fast as possible.
You won’t be going at it alone. You’ll have access to full training and our Contact Centre works closely as a team to continually support you in your career.
You’ll get a salary of £31,956 opportunities for progression and the satisfaction that comes from helping others.
The Role
You’ll deal with an assortment of emergency 999 and non-emergency 101 calls - call demand varies by the day of the week and time of day. Factors such as weather, traffic accidents, national or local events can all have an influence on the number and type of calls received. With each call you’ll need to be able to remain calm and in control, gathering as much information as possible by asking the right questions. The information you gather will need to be recorded accurately into our systems and is transferred to those responding. With the training we give you’ll be empowered to risk assess and prioritise each incident, ensuring an appropriate response.
- Initial investigation – when a crime is reported you'll be trained to ask initial questions to establish the risk/severity and whether there are lines of investigation, including forensic opportunities. If the matter cannot be progressed on the information available you'll be using our system to record details of the report. With each contact we manage the expectations of the reporting person, providing crime reduction advice and re-assurance.
- Liaison with other emergency services and partner agencies, supporting the work they do and arranging for police involvement where this is needed.
- Advice – many of the calls we receive are resolved within the Contact Centre, this could be through offering advice or signposting members of public to more appropriate agencies when it is not a matter dealt with by Police. With each contact you’ll be managing expectations, advising what police can and cannot do.
- Recording intelligence –from information given to us by our communities you’ll be identifying and recording information to share with other parts of the organisation to inform our future policing operations.
- Dealing with conversations through online platforms – our Digital 101 team regularly monitor and respond to direct messages through Facebook and Twitter. They also service the online chat facility available on the Surrey Police website.
- On a rotational basis spending a shift dealing with reports of incident and crime made through our website and e-mail requests for service.
- Making sure we deliver a good service by being focused and alert to deal with whatever the next call could bring and dealing with sometimes constant calls to a professional standard.
Key Responsibilities
Previous customer service or call-centre experience is desirable but not essential; we're looking for common sense, attention to detail, good communication skills, high levels of resilience and ability to remain calm under pressure. Above all, you'll have the drive and determination to make a difference to the communities of Surrey we serve.
You will receive a structured classroom-based course and on the job training with a dedicated coach, who will assist you in your learning and support you to become independent.
We expect high standards and ethical behaviour, central to this is the Code of Ethics which is the professional code of conduct for Policing
Our teams are there when the public need us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You’ll need to commit to working a shift pattern covering the 24 hour period, this includes night shifts, weekends and Bank/Public Holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Shifts are timetabled well in advance so that you can plan properly.
Part-time working or flexible shifts may be available after completing the full-time training, which is 12 weeks, subject to successful completion of initial training.
The role is based at our Police Headquarters in Artington which is approximately 1.5 miles outside of Guildford Town Centre. Due to shifts starting as early as 6am or finishing as late as 3 or 4 am own transport is desirable as public transport is not readily available around these times. We offer free onsite parking at all times.
Our site is a former stately home which enjoys views out across the Surrey Hills. The extensive grounds allow for walking and relaxation. There is also a free on-site gym which is open 24 hours.
During office hours there is a canteen serving hot and cold food as well as Costa Coffee. At all times we offer a fully equipped kitchen to store or prepare meals along with vending machines.
Once out of training there is the opportunity to continue to develop, through taking on additional skills and responsibilities such as becoming a point of contact for other colleagues in a particular area of policing or becoming a coach or mentor.
Skills & Experience
- Previous customer service or call centre experience is desirable but not essential.
- You’ll need to type at a good speed (minimum 30 words per minute) and have good IT literacy.
- Education: There are no essential requirements, but it is desirable that candidates are educated to QCF Level 2 in English and Maths.
- It's also desirable, but not essential, that applicants have a typing or keyboard qualification (RSA or equivalent) or an IT qualification such as ITQ/ECDL/CLAIT.
- You must be 18 years or over on the day you submit your application – there is no upper age limit.
- You must have lived in the UK for three continuous years immediately prior to application.
- Have leave to enter or leave to remain and work in the UK for an indefinite period.
- Not be a current or previous member of a proscribed terrorist organisation or group.
- Not have served a prison sentence.
- Not applied for this role or that of Force Control Room Operator previously within the last 6 months.
We value all our staff and provide many benefits:
- Salary of £31,956 (inclusive of a shift allowance of £5,847 per year, for working across the 24/7 period), reviewed annually.
- 180 hours annual leave, rising to 209 hours depending on your length of service.
- Uniform is provided with a full range of sizes available.
- Progressive approach to flexible working, enhanced maternity and paternity leave and potential for a career break (after two years’ service).
- Great training and development opportunities that support future career progression.
- Opportunity to join various support networks, staff associations and sports clubs.
- A competitive benefits package including pension, flexible benefits, employee assistance programme for advice and counselling
- Access to discounts / savings / cash-back rewards including the Blue Light Card which provides its members with access to more than 15,000 discounts from large national retailers to local businesses across categories such as holidays, cars, days out, fashion gifts, insurance, phones and many more.
Contact Details
For more information please contact the Recruitment Team on: [email protected]
Additional Information
We are recruiting for our September course, which runs 11th September to 20th October. Should this course be filled then successful candidates will be placed in a 'pool' and offered a vacancy on the next available course.
Candidates need to be able to commit to the whole course as we cannot authorise any leave during this time. We may be able to be flexible with the odd day.
The probationary period for this role is 12 months and progress assessments take place at regular intervals during this period.
The role of Contact Centre Officer is tenured for 24 months, meaning that you will not be able to start a new position within Force during this time. You may however be able to apply for roles with longer recruitment time frames e.g. Police Constable.
For more information about the Contact Centre Officer Shift pattern see the attached document.
Want to know more about what it takes to be a Contact Centre Officer?
Visit our careers mini-site below where you can find out more information and register to join one of our online discovery sessions.
https://www.surrey.police.uk/police-forces/surrey-police/areas/careers/careers/contact-and-deployment/
Diversity Statement
We are only as good as our people. It's really important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we'll grow from the variety of thinking, approach and skills that diversity brings; all of which help us deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all.
We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index and Disability Confident, a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.
We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status or religious beliefs, we would love to hear from you.
Job Detail
Reference number
SYSX ST-CMPG00039Date posted
27/06/2023Closing date
04/08/2023
