Vacancy Information
Division / Department - Forcewide Grade - Grade 7 Status - Full Time Contract Type - Permanent Salary Grade Range - £20,199 - £22,047 Working Hours - 37.0 Hours per Week The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time.
The Role
We have an exciting opportunity to join Sussex Police as a Custody Assistant.
Custody Assistants are based in our custody centres across the county and are responsible for maintaining the welfare and safety of persons taken into custody, providing care and support. You will play a vital role in the smooth running of our custody centres, supporting the Custody Sergeants to maintain a safe and professional environment for detainees.
At the direction of the Custody Sergeant you will obtain fingerprints, photographs, footwear impressions, DNA and other samples. You will undertake other general duties including the preparation and serving of food, maintaining a clean, tidy and hygienic custody centre, along with general management of queries from visitors to the custody suite such as Police Officers and solicitors.
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.
You will need to be able to work a shift pattern covering 24 hours a day, including weekends and bank holidays (a copy of the shift pattern is attached below).
Could this be you?
If you are looking to work in a fast-paced 24/7 environment, where no two days are the same, are calm under pressure and are an excellent communicator this is the role for you.
The ideal candidate will be have experience of working well under your own initiative and as part of a team. The role requires excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. You will need to demonstrate resilience when confronted by difficulty and be able to diffuse conflict and remain calm in potentially hostile situations.
In addition you will:
• Be computer literate
• Have a positive and practical attitude
• Be helpful and compassionate
Are you eligible?
- You must have achieved a standard of education equivalent to GCSE grade C in English. Please note, you will be expected to provide evidence of this qualification when submitting your application.
- You must hold a full UK driving licence and have access to a vehicle as you may be required to work from any of our custody centres across the Force
- 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 (please see our website for more details)
- Starting salary of £20,199, plus unsocial hours shift allowance in the region of £7000 per year.
- 177.6 hours per year annual leave, rising to 214.6 hours per year depending on your length of service. (A standard full time Custody Assistant working day is 12 hours). In addition, you will receive 8 Public Holiday days per year.
- On-going training and development.
- Career progression opportunities.
Further information
Please note, interviews will take place between Monday 13th July and Friday 17th July 2020.
Successful candidates will need to attend and pass a two week training course which is expected to run mid to end of September (exact dates tbc). This is full time, Monday to Friday at our Custody centre in Brighton.
The role will be offered on a full time basis however, we may be able to offer flexible working opportunities following successful completion of initial training and once individuals are able to perform the role independently. Successful applicants would need to work the full shift pattern until this point, which we anticipate to be around 3 months but this would be subject to review and could be longer. Any flexible working request would need to be balanced with operational need. Applicants looking to work flexibly should discuss their preferences at interview.
For an informal discussion about the role or for further information, please contact Tina Spink on 07870 378340 or email: tina.l.spink@sussex.pnn.police.uk
Additional Information
Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly. You may wish to consider adding noreply@surreysussexpolice.as.recruitmail.com to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.
This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes. Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference. This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process.
If you are an internal candidate looking to apply for this role, please ensure that you discuss your application with your line manager before submitting an application. If you are conditionally offered the role your attendance record and any reasonable adjustments already in place will be discussed with yourself and your current line manager.
Please note that not all jobs are available for internal candidates across both Forces, the current agreed recruitment principles are;
- vacancies in collaborated units are available to all officers and staff across both Forces
- vacancies in non-collaborated units are only available to officers and staff within the Force with the vacancy unless it is advertised externally. If the vacancy is advertised externally and an officer or member of staff from the other Force is success it will result in a transfer of employment.
Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.
Applications will only be accepted by clicking the 'Apply Now' button. CVs are not accepted as part of our recruitment process.
Diversity Statement
We are only as good as our people. It's really important to us that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we believe that as an organisation we'll benefit from the variety of thinking, approach and skills that diversity can bring; all of which helps us to deliver a better policing service.
We have worked really hard to create a safe, open and inclusive culture. We have a range of staff networking groups to provide specific support and advice and we are proud to be members of Stonewall and Disability Confident, and to be aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.
We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities so, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status or religious beliefs, we would love to hear from you.
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