Published by Robert L Senior Reporter, on Sunday, 12th May 2024, at 18:50hrs
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in Lancashire Police’s Control Room? Well, you may just see what it’s like if you hurry and apply for the role because applications for this position close on the 17th May 2024.
Lancashire Police are on the lookout for enthusiastic individuals who can remain calm under pressure whilst obtaining and delivering accurate information from callers to colleagues in the help to keep people safe across the county.
Lancashire police said, “Being a Police Control Room Operator (PCRO) is more than just answering calls, it’s about obtaining and providing accurate information to ensure the right decisions are made to help and keep people safe.
PCROs are predominantly the first point of contact for members of the public wishing to speak to the police. Covering the whole of Lancashire, PCROs deal with all emergency (999) and non-emergency calls (101), identifying risk, threat, and vulnerability and grading the incident correctly.
PCROs use a wide variety of systems to be able document incidents quickly and accurately. Therefore, computer/typing skills are essential. Additionally, you will progress with further training to be a radio dispatcher where you will liaise with officers about live incidents and assign them to attend the scene.
On a typical day, we receive around 800 emergency calls and over 2,200 non-emergency calls. Each call is dealt with on its own merits according to the needs of the caller who may be vulnerable or distressed. On one call, you could be dealing with a victim of a serious assault, then providing support to someone reporting a family member missing on the next.
AS A PCRO AT LANCASHIRE CONSTABULARY YOU’LL BENEFIT FROM:
- Working for a top-rated force
- Choice of shift patterns including full and part-time hours
- Generous local government pension scheme
- 24 days annual leave + 8 days bank holiday*
- Focus on health and wellbeing
- Free onsite parking
- Access to the gym and sports clubs
- State of the art contact centre
- Be valued for the work you do
- MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE TO PEOPLES LIVES
- *Based on working a full-time rota and inclusive of shift allowances
What is it like to work as a Control Room Operator
Posted as a case study, Nadia Macrae said,
“My first 999 call was from a victim being threatened with a firearm,”recalled Nadia Macrae.
“Due to the serious nature of this call, it was escalated to a number of departments and senior staff members.”
As a former travel agent, this was a totally different type of call for Nadia, but it didn’t faze her. “My training kicked in, and I was confident I had done everything needed to ensure the safety of the caller,” she said. “Something that has surprised me about this role is how much intelligence gathering there is, and the level of responsibility I have when deciding what happens next when a call comes into the control room.”
Adjusting to the PCRO shift pattern wasn’t easy at first-but now nadia is feeling the benefits: you receive a 52-week rota when you start, so you can really plan your year ahead. In fact, I feel that being able to spend time off during the day in the winter months with friends and family and walking my dog has only improved my quality of life.
“I was looking for a career which made a real difference to people’s lives. A friend recommended that I apply for this role and I am so glad they did.” There is a great deal of support during the training period and I am really enjoying working and meeting new people. If I could give one piece of advise to someone considering applying for this role it is to just go for it. As long as you have a genuine desire to help people then this could be a great role for you.
To find out more about applying to become a PCRO head over to Lancashire Police Website by clicking the following link: https://joinus.lancashire.police.uk/explore-our-roles/police-control-room-operator/
Applications close on Friday 17th May at 10am.
G2K INCIDENT WATCH 