Custody Officer Assistant
Grade: Grade 3
Salary: £22,248 to £23,835 per annum (plus weekend allowance of 14.54% and a shift allowance of 20%.)

Please note, if you apply for the role of COA only, you will only be considered for this role.

Internal Promotion opportunities are available on successful completion of probationary period.

Please note this role no longer requires successful applicants to complete an Apprenticeship, this role is a permanent contract.

We have recently removed the requirement for a GCSE Maths/Level 2 Maths qualification for this role. Therefore when answering the question on the application around Level 2 qualifications please only refer to your English qualification and attach copies of your certificate for Level 2 English.

Within this role you will be given ongoing continuous professional development and personal training to ensure you develop within this position. As you'll be a part of the West Midlands police, you'll have the internal opportunities within the organisation to branch into and explore.

We are recruiting to our custody team to meet the operational demands of the 24/7 custody environment. As part of your role you will be required to work weekends and bank holidays: allowances will be paid where appropriate.

To apply, you will have experience of working well under your own initiative and as part of a team. You will be able to remain calm and deliver the role in a pressured environment. You will also be a confident decision maker with excellent communication and interpersonal skills. In addition you will:

• Be 18 years or over
• Have a minimum of GCSE grade C or GCSE grade 4 (the new numeric grading) or a level 2 in English and Maths or an equivalents
• Be computer literate
• Be able to write in a clear, concise and accurate manner
• Be helpful and compassionate
• Be prepared, with support, to work in a team environment which can be unpleasant and aggressive

When completing the application form, please either tick yes or no on the question 'Are you prepared to complete a 12 month level 3 apprenticeship in Custodial Care?'. This will not affect your application as this role a permanent role, which no longer requires successful applicants to complete an apprenticeship.

Once you start the Custody Officer Assistant role you will attend a training course based in Birmingham for the first 4 weeks of your employment (Mon – Fri 08:00 – 16:00). The course will include aspects of legislation, policy, first aid, personal safety and ICT systems.

Due to the nature of the role, preferred candidates will be required to complete and pass security vetting checks and undertake a medical examination.

Flexibility is required as you may be deployed to a custody suite anywhere within the West Midlands Police force area at short notice.

What’s in it for you?

We're able to offer you a comprehensive range of rewards and benefits including:

• Access to a Corporate Health Cash Plan and wellbeing website
• The opportunity to save on travel costs through a Corporate Travel Scheme
• The option to join a generous Local Government pension scheme
• A uniform

West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader - the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions. As part of our commitment we operate a ‘Disability Confident Interview Scheme’ - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview.

It is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example: in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, the employer could select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job, as they would do for non-disabled applicants.

"Diversity and Inclusion Vision: Maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities