Vacancy Information
Submit an Expression of Interest today for the Contact Handler role and we will contact you when we open for recruitment.
For many people, our Contact Handlers are the first point of contact with the police, whether it’s over the phone, by email or Social Media. Our Force Contact Centre isn’t just a call centre, it’s the start of our front line.
You’ll get a good starting salary, opportunities for progression and the satisfaction that comes from helping others.
Please note this is not an application for the role.
The Role
A Contact Handler plays a vital role in keeping Surrey Safe.
You’ll handle a huge variety of emergency 999 calls, non-emergency 101 calls, online and social media communications. The situations you’ll be faced with are as diverse as the communities we serve and you’ll be engaging with people of all ages and backgrounds.
Our Contact Handlers need to be able to strike the right balance between showing empathy with every caller, while not becoming emotionally involved when dealing with sometimes difficult circumstances.
Our Contact Handlers provide excellent customer service to members of the public and Surrey Police colleagues.
Key Responsibilities
If you are looking to work in a fast-paced 24/7 environment where no two days are the same, are calm under pressure, are an excellent communicator and have the confidence to make critical decisions, this is the role for you.
You’ll need to be able to think on your feet, ask the right questions, listen for vital details, and log information quickly and accurately.
The role is based at our Headquarters on the outskirts of Guildford.
Our Headquarters site is based in Artington (approx. 1.5 mile outside of Guildford Town Centre), own transport is desirable as public transport is not readily available around shift times.
You’ll need to be able to work shifts, including nights, weekends and bank holidays.
Skills & Experience
Are you eligible?
• You must be aged 18 or over on the day you submit your application – no upper age limit.
• You must have lived in the UK for three continuous years immediately prior to application.
• You must not be a member of the British National Party (BNP) or other similar organisations for example Combat 18 or The National Front.
• Not have served a prison sentence.
What we offer you
• We value all our staff and provide many benefits.
• Starting salary of £22,954 plus an unsocial shift allowance in the region of £4,458 per year.
• 180 hours annual leave, rising to 209 hours depending on your length of service.
• Part time working patterns after completion of training which is full time.
• Ongoing training and development.
• Career progression opportunities.
Additional Information
Successful candidates will be offered an 8 week classroom based training course. This is full time, Monday to Friday with a working pattern of the hours between 8am and 8pm. This is followed by a 16 week coaching period working the 24/7 shift pattern.
The probationary period for this role is 12 months and progress assessments take place at regular intervals during this period.
The role of Contact Handler 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 timeframes e.g. Police Constable.
Find out more about Contact Handlers on our website here.