Vacancy Information
Division / Department - Forcewide Grade - Grade E Status - Full Time Contract Type - Permanent Salary Grade Range - £26,109 - £29,654 Working Hours - 36.0 Hours per Week Shift Allowance - Politically Restricted - 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
Surrey Police are seeking applicants for the position of Custody Detention Officer. Custody detention officers perform an essential role in the smooth running of the custody suite, ensuring the safety and comfort of the detainees, visitors and contractors who may be present. You will receive training in relevant aspects of the law, conflict management, food preparation, first aid as well as also being trained to take fingerprints, footwear impressions and DNA samples.
You need to be competent at using computers and will receive further IT training enabling you to enter detainee data into our secure systems. These positions will appeal to applicants who are reliable, enthusiastic and self-disciplined with good people skills and a cool head.
You will be dealing with people from all aspects of society. You will at times deal with people who are upset, angry and or violent. You will be required to use not only verbal communication skills to deal with detainees but you will also be expected to physically restrain detainees if needed. You need to be prepared that you will not always be spoken to or treated with respect by detainees.
You will predominantly be based at Salfords custody but could work at any of our Custody Centre's if there is an operational need. Surrey Police has three custody suites - Guildford, Staines and Salfords.
Key Responsibilities
Upon completion of training you will be responsible, as part of a well-drilled team, for all aspects of detainee care including security, supervising exercise, facilitating legal visits and providing food. You will work with custody medical teams for both physical and mental health and oversee other entitlements as required under legislation.
Skills & Experience
First and foremost you will be a good communicator and team player. Working in a close knit team under the supervision of a police Sergeant and Inspector, you will have dealings with persons from all walks of life. Being firm but fair, compassionate and having a sense of humour are all qualities which are vital to this role as well as being a problem solver and self-starter.
Further Information
The unsocial hours allowance for this role is £4,458 per annum. Due to the sensitivity involved within the role a high level of integrity will be needed, therefore successful applicants will be subject to security vetting.
It is essential that you hold a full current and valid driving licence and have access to a personal vehicle so that you can travel to any of the three custody suites – Guildford, Staines and Salfords.
All successful applicants will need to undertake a written health assessment, and where appropriate, participate in a health interview and/or medical assessment as deemed necessary by the Occupational Health Department. This will apply to new recruits and all internal transfers to the role.
If successful you will be required to work at different locations across the force and will need to be prepared to travel to these various locations for which travelling expenses will be paid. Please note, that although over the course of 12 months your average working weekly hours equates to 36 per week, in reality you will be working 12hr shifts, which is 2 early shifts 0600-1800hrs, followed by 2 night shifts 1800-0600 and then 4 days off. Approximately once every 8 weeks, you will accrue 2 extra days off in effect giving you 6 days off. As part of the recruitment process you will be required to demonstrate team working in a number of scenarios, observation skills and group discussions.
You will at times be required to work at other police stations across the division to cover shortfalls of staffing and sickness.
During the first 9 weeks of your employment you will not be able to take annual leave. This is to enable you to complete your training and reinforce that training in the custody suite.
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. 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.
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.