Designated Detention Officer (Various Locations)
Location of Role: Colchester/Chelmsford/Harlow/Grays/Southend
Advert Closing Date: 31/03/2025
Starting Salary: £29,109.00 (pro-rata for part-time vacancies)
Part/Full Time: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: 24/7 shift
An exciting opportunity has arisen for individuals to undertake the role of Designated Detention Officer. In this role, you will be required to assist with the safe and effective detention of arrested persons held in Essex custody suites, undertaking duties as directed by the Custody Sergeant from arrival to departure. This will include:
1. Contributing to the assessment of needs and risks presented by each detainee
2. Taking fingerprints, images, and DNA samples
3. Ensuring detainee care is in line with PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence Act) and Authorised Professional Practice
4. Supporting the investigative and video remand hearing processes
5. Ensuring that prisoners remain safe and secure in police custody
6. Contributing to the efficient day-to-day management of the Custody Suite in full compliance with PACE.
What are we looking for?
The post holder should be able to work on their own initiative with the ability to plan and organise their own workload. As a key person within the Custody Suite, the post holder will also have to work with others ensuring the required tasks are completed in what can be a pressurised environment.
The post holder will need strong interpersonal skills as they will need to communicate with prisoners who can be vulnerable or confrontational, as well as Police Officers and numerous outside agencies including the courts.
The post holder will need to be literate with good IT skills, including use of Athena, PNC, Storm, Email, Word, and Excel, as well as the ability to undertake research into prisoners, enabling the gathering and updating of intelligence.
The post holder will also require a working knowledge of the provisions of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), The Safer Detention Guidance (SDHP), and Essex Police policies and procedures. Regular training will be given to support this knowledge base.
It is a requirement of the role to successfully complete the Designated Detention Officers course as well as to complete a fitness test, DDO PST Training, and first aid refresher training on an annual basis.
Ability to prioritise competing demands and effectively deal with confrontational situations is essential.
In addition, it would be helpful if you could evidence the below desirable criteria:
1. Working knowledge of Athena
2. Knowledge of Legislation and Policy
3. Understanding the Management of Police Information
4. Understanding of Risk Management
The shift pattern for this role is 6 days on 4 days off, subject to availability and change.
The starting salary is £29,109.00 which includes a 20% shift allowance and additional weekend working enhancement. Essex Police offers incremental increases within this salary band, therefore the salary for this position will rise to a maximum of £31,293.00.
We have multiple opportunities in various locations; your preference of our vacancies will be discussed at the interview stage. We are particularly looking for individuals that would be happy to work in the Southend area. Whilst you will be based at a specific station, there is a contractual requirement for you to provide cover within a nominated geographical area. You must therefore have access to a vehicle, with appropriate Business Use Insurance.
If you would like more information about the role, please contact Inspector Sarah Harding at Sarah.Harding@essex.police.uk or on 101 extension 424314.
Your application for this role will be shortlisted on the content you provide within the “reason for application” question, within the application form itself. CVs, covering letters, or attachments are not included in the shortlist. Within your “reason for application” answer, please refer to any experience, skills, and abilities you feel you have that will make you suitable for this role, based on the role criteria stated in the job advert or job description. Please provide as much detail as possible as insufficient content may mean you do not meet the shortlisting criteria; however, please note this question is limited to 9000 characters and this system will count spaces and blank lines as characters. This count may differ from the Microsoft Word word count function; therefore, you may wish to use a different online character counter to check the characters used.
All of our posts require a level of vetting and security clearance. During the recruitment process, you will be sent vetting information forms to complete.
Kent Police and Essex Police welcomes applications regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, sex, or employment status.
Please let us know if you require extra support at any stage of the application process or for further information regarding this position, please email us at recruitment.business.services@ecis.police.uk stating ‘Application Support and Adjustments’ in the title of your email. Alternatively, you can call us on 01245 452833. Where appropriate, we will make adjustments to the selection process, working arrangements, and/or the working environment provided it is reasonable in all the circumstances to do so.
If you’re not from the UK, you must be a resident in the UK and have lived here continuously for the last three years. You must also be free from restrictions with indefinite leave to remain. If you’re from the UK, you must have lived here continuously for the last three years. This doesn’t apply to those serving abroad in the British Armed Forces.
Essex Police and Kent Police are an equal opportunities employer. Communications may be recorded for monitoring purposes.
As a Disability Confident Leader we:
* have subjected our Disability Confident self-assessment to external challenge and validation
* are taking an active leadership role in encouraging and helping other employers on their journey to becoming Disability Confident.
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion are central to the values of our organisation. At Essex Police, we value and embrace the unique experiences, identities, and abilities that each of us bring to our roles. We strive to empower everyone to bring their authentic self openly and safely to work. Through the dedicated commitment of our support networks, DE&I team, and wider HR departments, we are on a journey to embed our DE&I commitments, ensuring Essex Police is an employer of choice; where everyone feels included.
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