Job Details
Job Title: Communications Officer HC619980
Location:Police HQ, Eastleigh / Hybrid :
Weekend allowance and standby allowance for on call, including overtime
Salary:SO2, GBP 38,754 : GBP 40,893 per annum
Hours:37 hours per week
Closing Date:Sunday 23rd February 2025 at 23:59 hours
Can you help us tell our story?
Its 8am. Your phone rings. Its a police officer telling you theyve found a body. Media are at the scene and the local community is worried. Can you help?
As a communications officer, youre at the heart of policing. Whether thats keeping the public informed during major incidents, seeking the publics help with appeals to crimes and incidents, helping local policing teams engage with their communities, supporting officers at court as they bring criminals to justice or working with local and national journalists on policing issues, its fair to say no two days are the same.
You need to be prepared for anything, and youll have the confidence and skills to deal with any incidents that come your way. Although part of the role requires you to work on your own, including at weekends and out of hours as part of an on call rota, youll be part of a supportive team dealing with officers and staff of every rank within the organisation.
Using your creative skills and previous experience in communications, journalism or a PR role, youll create engaging content to tell our story about what we are doing to keep people safe through exceptional local policing, the relentless pursuit of criminals and keeping victims informed. This will include planning, developing and implementing two way communications on digital and traditional channels, often dealing with live incidents.
If you have the right skillset, experience and temperament, and are passionate about supporting police and local communities, then this could be the job for you.
Key Accountabilities will include but not be limited to:
1. Play an active role in the communications delivery and response to major and critical incidents, particularly in incidents of high harm or those with significant community impact, providing specialist advice to
Senior Investigating Officers
, district commanders, senior leaders and force leads.
2. Develop an excellent understanding and ability to use a full range of digital channels, maximising appropriate opportunities for digital engagement. Including proactively seeking opportunities to create engaging content which promotes the work of Hampshire
and Isle of Wight
Constabulary.
3. Deliver training to operational colleagues in relation to the use of force digital channels, attending any required training to maintain competence and confidence in their use.
4. Provide input to departmental training on subject matter, including, but not limited to, how corporate communications can support local policing objectives, media law, journalistic practices and digital engagement using social media.
5. Ensure that all communications activity undertaken supports both the department and force priorities and/or objectives.
6. Develop a detailed understanding of the local media and digital landscape, applying best practice to ensure that communications are targeted to the right audiences in a timely manner.
7. Build strong relationships with local stakeholders and the media, ensuring a timely response to enquiries, prioritising responses to issues which have the biggest impact on public confidence.
8. Ensure that all communications activity is recorded on the relevant force systems in compliance with force policies and procedures to assist colleagues with situational awareness.
For more information about the role please click here
Essential Qualifications
Educated to
Educated to QCF Level4, with an NCTJ qualification or other qualification in either PR or general media studies