OCC Communications Officer

Serving an estimated population of nearly 600,000 people, Warwickshire Police receives over 90,000 emergency calls per year, in addition to many more non-emergency calls for service.

Working as part of our OCC Control Room as a Communications Officer is a varied and diverse role, with no two calls received being the same. One minute you could be taking the details of a stolen vehicle, the next you may be sending officers to a report of an armed robbery.

Not all calls need an officer. There are many times when you are the one to help resolve the call, giving the appropriate advice, without the need to dispatch an officer, so, if you are calm under pressure, able to gather information quickly, and offer a voice of comfort in the difficult moments of people’s lives, then Warwickshire Needs You.

The control room operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, it’s a pressured environment, but it is also a hugely rewarding place to work. Knowing you have helped someone at one of the worst times in their life is incredibly satisfying.

We want people who are calm under pressure, have attention to detail, be able to multitask and the determination to deal with those in need with empathy and professionalism and are keen to progress with an expectancy of reaching a controller position which will involve direct communication with officers.

Join us in helping protect our communities from harm – we’re recruiting throughout the year, and we are now open for applications, looking for our next new colleague!

There is no closing date for this post as applications will be reviewed regularly and candidates updated accordingly.

The planned assessment centre dates for now are:

5th February

7th March

15th April

16th May

18th June

30th July

20th August

25th September

Please ensure you are free for the earliest one should your application be successful at shortlisting!

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If you are full time your starting salary will be £34,982 (£26,106 basic + £8,876 allowances)

37 hours per week, over 8 weeks

12 hour shifts (days and nights) Rotating shifts

4 shifts on! 2 days 2 nights 4 shift off!

OCC Communications Officer Application Timeline

Initial Application

You will complete an application form and answer questions to demonstrate how your experiences and examples align with the essential and desirable criteria for the role. Your responses will be scored based on the relevance to the roles requirements.

Paper Sift

Independent reviewers will evaluate your application against recruitment criteria, scoring each question from 1-4

Assessment Centre

Held at Warwickshire Police OCC in Warwick Technology Park. The session takes about 2 hours and includes:

Spelling Test

Statement Test (Listening)

Mapping Exercise

Typing Test

Problem Solving Exercise

Example Calls Exercise

Interview

Conducted via Microsoft Teams and will last about an hour. You will be asked 6 questions related to the essential criteria for the role, with a mix of example based and scenario based questions. In preparation for this, think about your transferable skills, research Warwickshire Police, and focus on the specific services offered in the OCC

Vetting

Before joining, a vetting process is conducted that includes gathering details of your family and any known criminal associations. You must inform those listed as they will be included in these background checks.

Final Offer Of Role

After successfully completing all previous stages, you will receive a formal job offer.

Training

You will undergo 6 weeks of classroom training, Mon-Fri, this will give you the grounding, learning all aspects of the role as well as systems usage, vulnerability, risk, law, and many other elements critical to the role.

Tutoring

Following classroom training, you will be assigned a tutor to guide you as you start taking live calls and transition into the full role of OCC Communications Officer.

Answer the call. Assess the risk. One call can change everything.

What can we offer you?

As a valued member of our organisation, you’ll benefit from the below and more!

Local Government Pension Scheme

Unison Membership

Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Occupational Health Services

Free Parking

On-site Gym Facilities

Fully equipped kitchen and rest break areas

Starting Annual Leave balance of 24 days

Additional payments for bank holiday working

Access to a wide range of internal support networks

Access to Coaching & Mentoring Schemes

Health & Wellbeing Support

Career progression pathway

Eligibility for Blue Light discounts