Detention/Escort Officer

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Criminal Justice Services department as a Detention Escort Officer, working at one of our 6 custody suites within the West Midlands Police Force area.

You will be responsible for delivering a safe and secure environment for those detained in connection with a wide variety of criminal matters. The custody environment is fast paced and can be unpleasant at times, so you must enjoy working at pace whilst being faced with challenging situations.

Working with the Custody Sergeant, your role will be to ensure the dignity and welfare of detainees from the moment they arrive until they are released. Duties range from administration of custody IT systems, taking DNA samples through to managing the welfare of the detainee whilst in their cell.

Dealing with people brings a need for excellent communication skills, as well as requiring the ability to remain calm when presented with volatile situations.

Interested in seeing what it's like working in Custody? Take a look at the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QipjuSzKU8s

Key responsibilities:

Use of custody IT systems and equipment to complete tasks including updating PNC records, booking in detainees, taking fingerprints/DNA and photographs
Carrying out searches to ascertain identity as well as same sex searches to seize and retain any items
Check well being, administer first aid where required as well as issuing medication and food, whilst patrolling and monitoring security of the custody suite
Assist a police officer to control and restrain a detained person or to prevent them from escaping from lawful custody or injuring themselves or another
Handle, store and move property and forensic samples

Essential Criteria:

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to remain calm and professional when faced with volatile situations
Be able to write in a clear, concise and accurate manner
Be helpful and compassionate
Strong decision making skills
Confidence dealing with confrontation

Desirable Criteria:

Experience working within a custody environment

DEO's are required to work weekends and bank holidays, where allowances are paid as appropriate. You will be working a shift pattern of 6 on 4 off, including 2 earlies, 2 lates and 2 night shifts.

If successful in this position, you will be required to attend at training course, details of this course will be sent to you once successful. The course length is between 3-4 weeks which will be Monday - Friday business working hours.

This course will incorporate aspects of legislation, policy, first aid, personal safety and ICT systems.

We are looking at a potential start date of January or March 2025.

About Us

West Midlands Police is England’s second largest police force. Together we serve the 2.9 million people who call the region home - one of the youngest and most diverse populations in Europe.

Our vision is to be recognised as a police service that is big enough to cope with everything that is asked of us, while showing we are small enough to care about the things that really matter to people.

Together we will fulfil our mission of working in partnership, making communities safer.

Benefits for employees of West Midlands Police Force include:

The opportunity to work in a wide range of policing departments
Extensive training and development throughout your career
Annual leave purchase scheme
Generous pension scheme
Family Friendly Employer - Enhanced Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave and Childcare Vouchers - save up to £900 a year
Access to EAP (Employer Assistance Programme)
Social clubs, sports clubs, and regional events
Discounts on gym memberships, travel and leisure, homeware and tech
Blue light card membership eligibility - over 15,000 discounts from large national retailers, including special member events across the UK
Police Mutual - access to affordable private healthcare, mortgage services and much more

Leave Entitlement - 24 days annual leave, rising to 31 days after five years

West Midlands Police is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are committed to delivering a fair and inclusive recruitment process and ensuring that no applicant is disadvantaged because of their disability. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the be made to our recruitment process, please let us know. All information shared will be kept confidential.

Guaranteed Interview Schemes:

As a Disability Confident Leader and we operate a Disability Confident Interview Scheme. All candidates who share with us that they are disabled and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview*.

As a proud signatory of the Armed Services Covenant and Care Leaver Covenant, West Midlands Police also operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Military Service Leavers and Care Leavers who meet the minimum role requirements.

*There may be times we cannot interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example, seasonal and high-peak times. In these situations, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, we will select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Prospective officers and staff must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold.

Contact – For more information please contact careers@westmidlands.police.uk

Vetting – Successful applicants will be required to pass Recruitment Vetting and Counter Terrorism Clearance scrutiny prior to commencing their role, this will include a full background & financial disclosure as part of the vetting process.

Medical - Appointment to this role will be dependent upon successfully medical checks, which may include a drugs test and if required a fitness test.