Detention Officer

**Role type**

Police Staff

**Contract duration**

Permanent

**Contract type**

Full Time

**Department**

Custody

**Location**

Blacon, Middlewich, Runcorn

**Grade/scale**

SC 4

**Salary**

£23,100 - £25,353

Please note, if this is a paid role and the role is part time then the salary quoted will be pro rata based on the hours worked per annum.

**This/These post(s) attract allowances**

Shift Allowance

**Allowance percentage**

20%

**Hours per week**

37

**Closing Date**

30/05/2023, 23:55

**Job description**

**Detention Officer, Permanent Opportunity working within the Custody Suites**
- Cheshire Police are currently seeking to recruit Detention Officers to ensure the current demand and requirements are met across our range of custody suites. Due to the nature of the role and the statutory requirements when handling detainees, and our current staffing the Constabulary are specifically seeking to appoint male applicants only for this role at this time, as there is a genuine occupational requirement for additional male Detention Officers._

The** Detention Officer **will be involved in managing the day to day of wellbeing and management of detainees, take photographs, fingerprints and perform non-intimate searches with or without consent and ensure appropriate bagging of exhibits. The Detention Officer will search cells and rooms within the cell area, check visitors and their baggage to ensure no breaches of security.

**The main responsibilities will be..**
- Provide assistance to a police officer or independently to restrain, using reasonable force, detained persons who become violent and place those persons in a contained environment, ensuring that any damage to the property or equipment is reported to the custody officer.
- Administration support.
- Control the movement of detainees within the cell area in relation to exercise periods, toilet facilities and to supervise visits by official representatives and relatives ensuring that security considerations are complied with.
- Ensure that all prisoner’s health and welfare needs are attended to and met.
- When necessary deal with all enquiries in relation to detained persons.
- For more detail information, please review the Role Profile attached_

**Do you have the right skills and experience?**
- Basic literacy and numeracy skills.
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience of working within a people orientated environment.
- Specific training will be provided.
- Must be able to pass a relevant PNC course.
- Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
- Computer literate ability.
- Must be able to work a 24 hour shift pattern of work.
- Cheshire Police seek to recruit Male Detention Officers to ensure the current demand and requirements are met of male detainees. Of the arrests that are made in Cheshire on average over 80% are male detainees. At present there are more female Detention Officers than male. Part of the Detention Officer duties involve searching / supervision of detainees and in some cases this involves assisting Police Officers conduct strip searches so the Detention Officers must be of the same gender._
- This recruitment is seeking to balance the male/female ratio of Detention Officers to meet the requirements made from the ratio of male/females detainees. _As a result positive action under section 159 of the Equality Act will be applied at interview as part of this process._

Cheshire Constabulary is fully supportive of diversity, equality and inclusion and strives to employ a workforce which is representative of the community it serves.
Applications are welcomed from all underrepresented groups and support will be made available throughout the recruitment process for all applicants. Under-represented groups include:

- People of ethnic minority
- Individuals who identify as having a visible or invisible disability
- Gender in relation to female representation for PC entry routes
- Gender in relation to male representation for Staff entry routes
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender + (LGBT+)