Contact Centre
Every year in Essex, we answer more than a quarter of a million calls to 999 and around half-a-million calls to our 101 service.
If someone needs to contact the police, it's likely it's because they need our help. They could be a victim of crime or trying to help someone else. They may be feeling frightened, upset, distressed or even angry. Whether someone contacts us by phone or using our digital 101 service, whoever they speak to has an important role to play in making sure they get the help they need.
Our Contact Centre are the first point of contact for Essex Police. They are available 365 days-a-year, seven-days-a-week, 24-hours a day. The team will take emergency and non-emergency reports from the public. They will remain calm, even in the most difficult situations, and make sure we get to those who need our help the most.
Their skills and professionalism mean we can continue to help people, keep our communities safe and catch criminals.
Join our team
Here you can find out about opportunities to work within our Contact Centre team.
Contact Centre Officer
We're looking for capable and diligent people to join our team as a Contact Centre Officer.
As a Contact Centre Officer, you will take 999 and 101 calls and handle online reports.
You will listen carefully and work out what the caller needs.
You will decide if it is a crime to record, a non crime that needs advice or safeguarding, or an emergency that needs officers right away.
You will use your training and judgement to choose the right response in real time.
Some calls are simple. Others are more complex.
You must spot risk, set priorities, and make sure the caller gets the right help as fast as possible.
The choices you make at first contact shape how Essex Police respond.
As a Contact Centre Officer you will earn up to £32,644 to £35,830 per year (inclusive of 20% shift allowance, when the full range of shift patterns are worked) additional weekend working enhancements are also available and paid when worked.
With the basic salary for the role being £27,204 to £29,859.
Full time - 37 hours per week
This role operates on working six days in a row, followed by four days off. This will consist of working a combination of early, day, late, and night shifts on a rotational basis.
You will be expected to work bank holidays including Christmas, New Year and Easter, if you are scheduled to work that day as part of your shift pattern.
Full training and support will be provided throughout.
When you join, you will receive classroom-based criminal law and effective communications training. This will include learning about the relevant legislation and procedures. You will also learn how to use the communication systems.
You will then move to on-the-job training. Here you will work alongside an experienced tutor. Your tutor will guide you through taking real calls from members of the public, offering you feedback and advice as you go.
Once you have completed your training you will begin your working shift pattern with support from our tutors.
Weeks 1 to 12: Initial training
This is an intensive 12-week course that combines computer-based learning and classroom-based sessions alongside a comprehensive adult learning program. Throughout the course, you will be expected to complete both formative and summative assessments to monitor and evaluate your progress.
In addition to scheduled classroom sessions, there will be self-led coursework that you must complete independently. Active participation and commitment are essential to ensure you gain the full benefit of this learning opportunity.
To progress to the Tutorship stage, you must successfully complete the Initial Training and pass all required exams and assessments.
Weeks 13 to 22: Tutorship
Here you will work alongside an experienced tutor who will guide you through taking real calls from members of the public, offering you feedback and advice as you go.
You will be required to successfully complete the Tutorship phase in order to progress to Independence.
Week 23: Independence
Once you have completed your training you will begin your working shift pattern with support from our tutors. This will be 37 hours per week, over a 24-hour period, covering seven days a week, 365 days per year, including weekends and some Bank Holidays.
You will receive shift allowance at the rate of 20%, plus weekend working enhancement (WWE). You will begin to work solo at this point.
Interested? Apply today
The application process
If you would like to apply to join our Contact Centre Team, please submit an application.
Once we receive your application, we will review it against our criteria and assess your eligibility for the role. If you meet the requirements, you will be invited to participate in a formal assessment.
The assessment will be held in person and lasts no longer than an hour. It will consist of a typing test and a formal interview hosted by senior members of our Command and training team. The interview is a Competency Values Framework (CVF) based interview. This means you will be asked about past behaviour and how you would deal with future situations and uphold the Code of Ethics.
If your interview is successful, we will then undertake pre-employment checks. This will include a medical questionnaire, a hearing test and vetting checks on you, your family and any declared associates. At this stage of the process, we will also check your references.