Contact Management Centre Officer - Apprenticeship

Thames Valley Police

Oxfordshire, OX5 2NX

Closes in 15 days (Thursday 30 January)

Posted on 14 January 2025

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Summary

Our teams are the first point of contact for over 1000 emergency and over 2200 non-emergency phone calls and over 100 interactions via our digital platforms every day. As a Police Call Handler, you will perform one of the most demanding roles in the modern police force and one which is key to inspiring satisfaction and confidence in the community.

Annual wage
£35,167.90 a year

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Please see the Thames Valley Careers site for more information on our benefit schemes

Training course
Emergency contact handler (level 3)
Hours
6 on 4 off. 2 earlies ranging from 07:00 to 17:00. 2 lates ranging from 10:00 to 02:00 (Sun-Thurs) or 03:00 (Fri & Sat). 2 Nights ranging from 21:00 to 07:00.

37 hours a week

Possible start date

Sunday 1 June

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

30

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

  • Handling emergency and non-emergency calls. You will have to be able to remain calm whilst taking control of a call and getting as much information as possible by asking the right questions and recording that information so it is relayed to the officers responding.
  • Crime Recording – using our systems to take reports of crime and making sure everything is recorded according to guidelines.
  • Working with partner agencies to record other incidents in which the Police play a role.
  • Signposting members of public to more appropriate agencies when it is not a matter dealt with by Police.
  • Dealing with requests/queries via online platforms

Where you’ll work

Police HQ

Oxford Road

Kidlington

Oxfordshire

OX5 2NX

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

THE CHIEF CONSTABLE OF THAMES VALLEY

Your training course

Emergency contact handler (level 3)

Equal to A level

Course contents
  • Use appropriate sector specific phraseology.
  • Operate communication systems.
  • Operate software systems.
  • Communicate in a calm manner considering the caller’s circumstances.
  • Build and establish appropriate rapport.
  • Use clear language to convey instructions, avoiding jargon and sector specific terminology.
  • Overcome barriers to effective communication.
  • Use appropriate questioning techniques to gather relevant information to the incident.
  • Use appropriate listening techniques to gather relevant information to the incident.
  • Record relevant information appropriate to the incident accurately, clearly and concisely and review information already held on the incident where applicable.
  • Manage the expectations of the public, colleagues, internal and external partner organisations.
  • Provide advice or information appropriate to the incident, giving safety advice when necessary and adapting response when required.
  • Identify and assess risk, take action and record appropriately.
  • Update internal and external colleagues when applicable.
  • Decide and apply grading or prioritisation guidelines appropriate to the incident.
  • Analyse information and apply relevant policy, procedures or regulations appropriate to the incident.
  • Advise on the appropriate course of action, signposting to other organisations when required.
  • Undertake tasks simultaneously, seeking assistance when necessary.
  • Complete any resulting actions accurately and efficiently at the end of the contact
  • Use appropriate sector specific phraseology.
  • Operate communication systems.
  • Operate software systems.
  • Communicate in a calm manner considering the caller’s circumstances.
  • Build and establish appropriate rapport.
  • Use clear language to convey instructions, avoiding jargon and sector specific terminology.
  • Overcome barriers to effective communication.
  • Use appropriate questioning techniques to gather relevant information to the incident.
  • Use appropriate listening techniques to gather relevant information to the incident.
  • Record relevant information appropriate to the incident accurately, clearly and concisely and review information already held on the incident where applicable.
  • Manage the expectations of the public, colleagues, internal and external partner organisations.
  • Provide advice or information appropriate to the incident, giving safety advice when necessary and adapting response when required.
  • Identify and assess risk, take action and record appropriately.
  • Update internal and external colleagues when applicable.
  • Decide and apply grading or prioritisation guidelines appropriate to the incident.
  • Analyse information and apply relevant policy, procedures or regulations appropriate to the incident.
  • Advise on the appropriate course of action, signposting to other organisations when required.
  • Undertake tasks simultaneously, seeking assistance when necessary.
  • Complete any resulting actions accurately and efficiently at the end of the contact

Your training plan

The apprenticeship takes approximately 18 months to achieve. Once completed, you will receive a level 3 apprenticeship in emergency service contact handling.

During the apprenticeship you will receive structured on and off-the-job development, which will include classroom training and personalised tutoring, to develop your competence in responding to emergency and non-emergency calls.

The on and off-the-job development includes the use of communication systems and software, communication skills, risk assessment and decision-making, and technical knowledge and understanding of incidents relevant to policing.

The development is predominately delivered in blocks of learning. The first 5 weeks of training will most likely be based at Kidlington (HQ North or South). After that, it will be at the location you are applying for.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4/C)
  • Maths (grade 4/C)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Team working
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience

Other requirements

Please note due to the sensitivity of the role you must be 18 years or over at point of application Please note all applicants must attend an awareness session to progress to the next stage, please note we have the current dates upcoming; 4th February 2025 at 6pm till 7:30pm 5th February 2025 at 6pm till 7:30pm For more information on this role and Thames Valley Police as a company please visit https://tvpcareers.co.uk/roles/contact-management-999-101-call-handler/

About this company

Preventing and thoroughly investigating crime, supporting victims and bringing offenders to justice. This commitment can’t be achieved by any one person alone; it relies upon a team of over 8,000 staff, officers and volunteers, working alongside partner agencies and the public. Together, we aim to build stronger, more resilient communities, providing a modern police force which meets the needs of the public we serve. Exciting challenges lie ahead – new digital technologies and ways of working are transforming the way we protect our communities. To ensure we deliver a high-quality service, we require the very best talent to be a part of the TVP family. This is your opportunity to take on a role with pride and confidence, inspiring change in our communities. It’s a unique and rewarding career. A career worth living.

https://tvpcareers.co.uk/roles/contact-management-999-101-call-handler/ (opens in new tab)

Disability Confident

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Progression opportunities include:

  • Those within the department and control room, such as becoming a supervisor or/and operational manager
  • Becoming a Police Officer
  • Applying for internal roles within Thames Valley Police

 

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

THE CHIEF CONSTABLE OF THAMES VALLEY

CM Recruitment Team

RecruitmentStaffCM@thamesvalley.police.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000296128.

Apply now

Closes in 15 days (Thursday 30 January)

When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.