Information about the role of a contact or dispatch supervisor, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A contact or dispatch supervisor is a control room position within the operational support sector of policing. It's a team leader role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
To supervise contact centre staff to provide an effective and efficient service to the public whilst managing staff wellbeing. To coordinate and manage the response to incidents and ensure staff identify and manage risk appropriately. To oversee communication between the public, police and other external agencies.
Key responsibilities
- Supervising and developing staff by creating an open, fair and supportive environment, to ensure performance, quality assurance and service level agreement targets are achieved or exceeded.
- Supervising and supporting staff to identify and manage risk to provide the appropriate level of response to incidents, escalating where necessary. To ensure effective service delivery.
- Identifying individual or team training and development needs and providing appropriate coaching and performance feedback to ensure high performance of individuals and the team.
- Monitoring the wellbeing of staff and ensuring appropriate support is available and provided following difficult and/or sensitive incidents to ensure staff welfare and officer safety.
- Assessing and supporting the management of critical or potentially critical incidents to ensure the safety of all and contribute to the timely resolution of incidents.
- Monitoring and reviewing ongoing incidents to ensure effective and efficient responses in accordance with set performance guidelines.
- Responding positively to errors or mistakes and complaints from internal departments and staff and external customers to maintain and promote a positive image of the organisation and to identify areas for improvement.
- Acting in adherence to all other legal frameworks, key working principles, policies and guidance relevant to the role to ensure effective, secure and legal working practices.
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 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We take ownership – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We collaborate – Level 2: Supervisor or middle manager
- We support and inspire – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We analyse critically – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
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. These 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 2
- Problem solving – Level 2
- Performance management – Level 2
- Relationship management – Level 2
- Change management – Level 2
- Managing people – Level 2
- Managing resources – Level 2
- Planning – Level 2
- Use of IT – Level 2
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 at a supervisory or direct line management level.
- Proven experience in a busy customer service or call handling work environment, with frequent people contact, particularly on the telephone, including handling difficult callers and sensitive matters.
- Experience of working in a pressurised and reactive environment.
- Knowledge of call management operating procedures.
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 knowledge and understanding of regulations and College of Policing guidance, good practice and any local policy applicable to contact centre operations and leading and managing teams
- maintaining and updating key knowledge, understanding and skills relating to legislation policy and practice across all contact centre functions and areas of responsibility
- maintaining knowledge and understanding of new approaches identified by evidence-based research, problem solving and team working and synthesise these into working practice
- maintaining knowledge and understanding of performance management and assessment processes and ensuring they are implemented effectively when leading and managing teams
Related roles
You can find other team leader or technical lead roles in the: