Contact Officer

West Midlands Police ,
Birmingham, West Midlands
More Details
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £20,619 per annum

Overview

Grade: Band C Lower Salary: £20,619 to £25,380 Closing Date: 31st March 2020 Previous applicants: Previous applicants who have not previously been successful for this role in the last 6 months are not eligible to apply on this occasion. About the role: If you would like to be at the exciting and invigorating frontline of policing and enjoy a varied week, where no two days are the same, then our opportunities in Force Contact could be for you. We welcome your application to join West Midlands Police as a Contact Officer. Preventing crime, protecting the public and helping those in need is vital to the service West Midlands Police delivers daily to those who live and work in the West Midlands area. As a Contact Officer you will play a pivotal role in ensuring we deliver this service from the moment you take that call or control of an incident. Contact Officer (Locations: Central Birmingham and West Bromwich) We are the second largest police force in the country serving a population of almost 2.8 million; we handle over 3 million calls to our 101 Non-Emergency and 999 Emergency numbers each year. As a Contact Officer you’ll play a critical role in delivering the vision of West Midlands Police to the communities that we serve by being the trust and support at the end of the phone or other contact method. We are looking for motivated individuals with exceptional communication and customer service skills and experience of providing a service to members of the public. There will be occasions when callers are distressed and their situation critical; as a Contact Officer you will take control and give reassurance, be empathetic, compassionate and supportive, whilst remaining professional. Our Contact Officers are ready to deal with 999 and 101 calls from members of the public 24/7. Our resources require as much information as possible to deliver the force vision to the public and you’ll have the crucial task of communicating with callers and carefully recording this detail. In Force Contact, the actions you take during those critical first minutes of an incident will shape the Force’s initial response and give guidance to the subsequent allocation of resources. You will also handle non-urgent enquiries and provide advice to public over the telephone and via email. You will work within a friendly inclusive team of professionals who work together to deliver an excellent service. We will support you to learn the skills and systems required to be a Contact Officer and continue to invest in your development once in post. Contact Officers are full time posts which require applicants to work a shift pattern with staggered start times covering 24/7, 365 days a year. Knowledge, Experience & Skills We are looking for you to have the following skills and attributes that will complement the training programme you will receive to excel in this role. Essential: Computer literate Accurate keyboard skills, minimum 25 wpm Accurate verbal and written language skills Able to prioritise and multi-task under pressure, achieves deadlines, whilst maintaining quality Proven decision maker Highly developed problem solving skills Organisational skills and ability to prioritise Ability to transcribe and accurately record information in a timely manner. To remain professional at all times in relation to behaviour and communication with the public and staff The ability to deal with callers who are distressed, angry, upset or aggressive in an effective professional manner using influencing and verbal communication skills. Displays emotional intelligence Ability to work independently and as part of a team where necessary Demonstrable experience of delivering excellent customer service Customer focused Experience of dealing directly with the public Desirable: Experience of call centre / control room environments Knowledge and understanding of Home Office Counting Rules, National Standards of Incident Recording, National Call Handling Standards and Force Contact Call Handling Standards Previous experience of working in Emergency Services, ideally policing. Post Holders will have a nominated base location of work, but may be required to work at different locations across the force area within reason and to ensure business continuity. Please note that this role carries a tenure agreement - employees within Force Contact are unable to apply for roles within West Midlands Police outside of the department for two years following their start date. Successful candidates are required to undertake an appropriately stringent vetting procedure. West Midlands Police are currently undertaking a long term review of staff pay and conditions. The grade, pay and other terms of employment are therefore subject to review and may change in the future. West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader - the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme

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