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 - Yes
Politically Restricted - No
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 Policing Support Officer which is a civilian role within the custody suite. Custody support officers perform an essential role in the smooth running of the custody suite, ensuring the safety and comfort of those persons who have been arrested, 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 and DNA samples. You need to be competent at using computers and will receive further IT training enabling you to enter data into our secure systems relevant to those arrested. These positions will appeal to applicants who are reliable, enthusiastic, and self-disciplined with good people skills and a cool head. You will be based at our Custody Centre in Staines, but may occasionally be required to work elsewhere (Guildford or Salfords) for which travelling costs will be met. 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 those arrested but you will also be expected to physically restrain arrested persons if needed. You need to be prepared that you will not always be spoken to or treated with respect by arrested persons.
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 £5,622.00 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. You will be permanently based at one of the three custody suites (Staines, Guildford or Salfords). However, at times you will be required to travel to any of the custody suites in order to cover staff shortages. It is therefore essential that you hold a current and valid driving licence and have access to a personal vehicle. 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 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.
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.