Information about the role of a contact centre officer, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A contact centre officer is a control room position within the operational support sector of policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
To be the first point of contact for all types of contacts from the public and other agencies, including 999, 101, crime reports, intelligence and general enquiries including both telephone and electronic media. Responsible for identifying and assessing risk and deciding the most appropriate agency before making resolution and deployment decisions using a range of systems.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Receiving and critically assessing all types of contacts, including 999, 101, online or in person, from the public, other agencies and internally. Maintaining high levels of customer service, managing customer expectations and meeting national and organisational service level agreements, ensuring appropriate response action.
- Identifying the purpose and nature of each contact by eliciting relevant and sufficient information. Enabling an accurate and timely assessment of appropriate means of resolution.
- Assessing risk and identifying the appropriate action to resolve or determine the appropriate agency, deployment grading and priority of contacts.
- Managing customer expectations regarding the service that can be provided by giving advice and taking appropriate action.
- Using a variety of applications and systems to maintain and update incident records, audit trails and resource availability to measure and improve performance.
- Following up contacts received to agree resolution before updating and closing down contacts and filing appropriately to meet organisational and national requirements.
- Creating, analysing, closing and coding reported crimes in line with national guidance, enabling accurate reporting of local crime statistics.
- Acting in adherence to all other legal frameworks, key working principles, policies and guidance relevant to the role, ensuring actions are in accordance with the Code of Ethics.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role. Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 1: practitioner
- We take ownership – Level 1: practitioner
- We collaborate – Level 1: practitioner
- We support and inspire – Level 1: practitioner
- We analyse critically – Level 1: practitioner
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 1: practitioner
Values
The CVF has three values. These values apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core Skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. Skills are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
- Communicating and influencing – Level 1
- Problem solving – Level 1
- Performance management – Level 1
- Relationship management – Level 1
- Change management – Level 1
- Managing people – Level 1
- Managing resources – Level 1
- Planning – Level 1
- Use of IT – Level 1
Education, qualifications and experience
To achieve effective performance in the role, the following standards, training and qualifications should be met.
Previous education, qualifications and experience
- Educated to level two or equivalent, or relevant work experience.
In-role education, qualifications and experience
- None specified.
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence.
CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR) conversations.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all core training and learning as required by the force.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- maintaining up-to-date knowledge and understanding of all applicable College of Policing guidance relating to data, information, intelligence and contact handling good practice
- maintaining knowledge of applicable legislation and guidance on the handling of data, information and intelligence
- undertaking all mandatory refresher training relating to data, information and intelligence handling legislation
- maintaining a working knowledge of new approaches to contact handling, including dealing with difficult and harrowing situations
Related roles
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