SYP - Call Handler and Dispatch Operator

Role:                 Call Handler and Dispatch Operator

Department:     Force Control Room

Location:          Atlas Court, Sheffield

Salary:              £26,487 - £29,085 (plus 20% shift and weekend working allowance)

Hours:               37       

Contract Type: Permanent

This is an exciting opportunity to join South Yorkshire Police as a Call Handler and also receive training for the role of a Dispatch Operator.  As part of a dedicated team, you will be the first point of contact for all types of contacts from the public and other agencies, including 999, 101, crime reports, intelligence and general enquiries including both telephone and electronic media. You will be responsible for identifying and assessing risk and make resolution and deployment decisions using a range of systems.  You will also allocate resources to incidents and support them in any radio transmissions. 

You will be part of the wider policing family helping to keep South Yorkshire safe as well as part of a team of great people.  Most people join the police service because they want to help others and make a difference to people’s lives.  Working in the Force Control Room, there is no doubt that you will be making a difference – every day.

Therefore, we are looking for motivated people who are excellent team players with the ability, after training, to work unsupervised and use their own initiative. To be successful in the role, you will need excellent verbal communications skills, but you will also need the ability to:

Apply active/deep listening skills – this involves listening intently and going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intent behind them. At all times being empathetic to the needs of others.

Multi- task – to be able to type at the same time as listening, speaking and entering data onto systems in a timely way. You should also be able to think ahead, and risk assess a situation by asking the right questions.   

Demonstrate resilience – the ability to respond to and recover from difficult situations.

You will be based on Atlas Court, Sheffield which is located 5 minutes from Sheffield City Centre and Meadowhall.

You must be prepared to work shifts and bank holidays with the service operating 24/7, 365 days of the year.

Working a 24/7 shift pattern, full time or job share, attracts a salary of £26,487 - £29,085 (pro-rata for job share hours) and 20% shift allowance and weekend working taking the starting pay to approximately £35,400 (pro rata job share).

As a Call Handler and Dispatch Operator you will be responsible for:

• Receiving and critically assessing all types of contacts including 999, 101 and other types of contacts, by telephone or online, from the general public, police and other agencies.
• Identifying the purpose and nature of each contact by eliciting relevant and sufficient information to enable an accurate and timely assessment of appropriate means of resolution.
• Assessing risk and identifying the appropriate action to resolve or determine the appropriate agency, deployment grading and priority of contacts.
• Maintaining accurate records of relevant information using appropriate systems to ensure an audit trail and to measure and improve performance.
• Using a variety of applications and systems to maintain and update incident records, audit trails and resource availability to measure and improve performance.
• Operating the Airwave network, linked to operational patrols within the guidelines and procedures of the Force.
• Deploying resources to incidents within the guidelines and procedures of the Force.
• Operating message systems and others including maintaining a watch on internal messages.

Skills and experience:

• Excellent Communication skills with the ability to listen, empathise and provide support.
• Excellent Communication skills with the ability to adapt language to meet the needs of different people/audiences.
• Experience of information gathering and problem solving.
• Able to utilise IT packages, systems and/or databases.
• Able to appropriately prioritise and plan own work.
• Ability to work under pressure, making logical and appropriate decisions.

Skills and experience as documented in the role profile need to be evidenced in your application to be considered for interview.

For more detailed information relating to the role, skills and experience for this role, please refer to the attached role profile.

What we offer:

We offer generous entitlements and supportive policies to enable a better work-life balance, some of which are listed below:

• A highly competitive salary and access to a generous pension scheme
• Generous annual leave allowance, starting at 29 days per year
• A wide range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Flexible working arrangements including flexi0time and hybrid working
• A transparent and collaborative team culture underpinned by our core values of Fairness, Integrity & Trust
• Comprehensive range of development and leadership courses to develop your career with South Yorkshire Police
• Employee Assistant Programme (accessible 24/7) offering confidential support and advice
• Flexible lifestyle benefits such as: Blue Light Card, Company Shop, Cycle to work scheme
• Committed to embedding sustainability: Force sustainability strategy - SYP (southyorkshire.police.uk)
• Membership to the Sports and Social Club
• Access to a wide range of staff support groups and networks

Eligibility:

Applicants must meet the minimum requirement checkable history criteria, which must be taken into account for individuals applying to work with South Yorkshire Police in any capacity. A minimum checkable history of 3 years is required for this role and successfully undergoing recruitment vetting procedure is a pre-requisite of employment with South Yorkshire Police.

Appearance & Standards:

South Yorkshire Police is committed to striking a proportionate balance between self-expression and the need to maintain role sensitive professional standards in dress and appearance. Officers, staff, and volunteers of South Yorkshire Police are permitted to have tattoos visible whilst on duty provided the tattoo is not considered to be unacceptable or otherwise inappropriate. Tattoos will be reviewed as part of the recruitment and selection process.

Smarter ways of Working:

South Yorkshire Police is committed to developing working practices which assist staff to balance their personal and professional lives, whilst meeting the needs of the organisation. This in turn enables South Yorkshire Police to provide an outstanding service to the community.

There are 3 different categories as part of this which are: Fixed, Field and Hybrid.

This role has been evaluated as a Fixed role.

Fixed: This is a traditional arrangement, applicable when the work is mostly required to be undertaken at a fixed single place of work (on police premises) for most of the time. The work can only or is more effectively delivered from a police premises or other agreed organisational/partner premises.

South Yorkshire Police’s Key Values:

At South Yorkshire Police we have 3 key values which run through everything we do Fairness, Integrity & Trust, the attached document details the key behaviours we expect all employees to adhere to.

Contact details:

For further information about the role, please contact: Stephanie Ballantyne on 0114 2196724.

Familiarisation Event:  

We are holding a familiarisation event at Niagara, Conference & Leisure Centre, Niagara Road, Sheffield S6 1LU on Tuesday, 26 March at 6.00pm to 8.00pm.  If you are interested in attending the event and discussing the role, please click on the link below to create an account and book yourself a place. 

Recruitment Event Registration

Once you have created an account, a link to this event will be sent to you prior to the event taking place.

Closing Date: 14th April 2024

Closing dates are not normally extended, other than in exceptional circumstances and agreement is made between the Talent Acquisition Manager and the Line Manager for the role.

Recruitment Timeline:

Shortlisting: 15th – 19th April 2024

Assessment: 22nd April – 28th April 2024

Interviews: Week commencing 13th May 2024

Candidate Information:

If you are successful at the interview stage and before appointment, the relevant pre-employment checks are required. These include references, medical clearance, vetting clearance and sickness absence criteria check.

As part of your employment contract, you would be required to engage with routine audiometry (hearing) testing as part of the force health surveillance programme. This test would be provided through the force Occupational Health Unit (OHU).

The training courses are scheduled to commence in September 2024. You will be expected to work full time Monday to Friday for the first 12 weeks during training.

Please note: No annual leave can be taken during the first 12 weeks of training.

Diversity & Inclusion:

Expressions of interest are particularly welcome from female and ethnic minority candidates.

It is really important to us that the department represents the community we serve, in order for us to provide the best service, utilising a range of backgrounds, experience and skills. We support and value all officers and staff and the unique experiences they bring to the role. We strongly encourage and welcome expressions of interest from these valuable underrepresented groups.

If you are from an underrepresented group and want to find out more about the support we can offer, please contact our dedicated team on positiveaction@southyorks.pnn.police.uk

In addition, we will look to support anyone who requires Part Time/Job share working hours.

Application Guidance:

Please find attached the Application guidance document to assist you with the completion of the application form. Please note you will be shortlisted against the evidence provided in this form, so it is important that you complete all fields and provide details evidence of how you meet the criteria for the role and also when you have demonstrated good Public Service and acting with Integrity.

Public Service – The principles of respect and selflessness

As individuals and as part of a wider organisation, we have a responsibility to ensure that we act in the best interests of society as a whole. Improving the safety and wellbeing of the public underpins all that we do. We constantly think about how to create the best possible outcomes for those we serve and we take personal responsibility for delivering these. We show resilience and determination to overcome barriers and to provide the best outcome.  We are dedicated to work in the public interest, engaging and listening to their needs and concerns. We work to make sure that the public feel valued and engaged, which helps to build confidence in the police service. We are respectful to the needs and concerns of different individuals and groups.

Integrity – The principle of integrity

We understand and reinforce expectations of professional behaviour and openly recognise good and bad performance. We maintain the highest levels of professionalism, making sure that we always uphold the values and ethical standards of the police service.  We need to build and maintain confidence with the public, colleagues and partners if we are to deliver a modern and effective police service. Doing the right thing is about becoming a role model and upholding public trust.

Case Studies – Harvinder and Kyle

Please find attached case studies for two team members in the Force Control room who are talking about the role and what it is like to work within South Yorkshire Police.

How to apply:

Please click ‘Apply’

Applicants who have applied in the past three months are not eligible to apply.