Force Command Centre Dispatcher in Guildford

Division / Department - Contact and Control

Grade - Grade E

Status - Full Time

Contract Type - Permanent

Salary Grade Range - £29,151 – £32,224

Working Hours - 36.0 Hours per Week

Shift Allowance - Politically Restricted

Location - Surrey Police Headquarters, Guildford

The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time.

Chief Constables' Message: We really welcome your interest in joining our Police Force. It is a privilege to lead the teams in Surrey Police and Sussex Police who continuously work selflessly and tirelessly in order to keep people in our counties safe. We are looking for talented and inspirational people who put the needs of the public at the heart of everything that they do and who want to make a difference. If you feel you are that person then we want to hear from you. We wish you all the very best with your application.

The Role & Key Responsibilities

You already know that policing is unpredictable. Now imagine being the person who makes sure the right help gets to the right place—fast. As a Force Command Centre Dispatcher, you’ll be pivotal in managing the deployment of officers and staff across Surrey—reviewing incidents, risk-assessing what’s coming in, and prioritising deployment to protect the public and support frontline colleagues. This is not a desk job. It’s a frontline support role—at pace. One moment you could be assessing a welfare concern or vulnerability report; the next, coordinating a response to an urgent incident. Every decision matters, and no two shifts look the same.

What you’ll be doing:

• Reviewing incidents that require deployment and risk-assessing reports quickly and confidently
• Prioritising demand and deploying resources based on risk of harm
• Passing clear, pertinent information to attending officers/staff so they can arrive informed and ready
• Working closely with partner agencies and other emergency services to ensure the most appropriate response
• Keeping victims/callers updated where appropriate—providing reassurance, advice and realistic expectations

It is our mission to identify and protect vulnerable people, prevent and respond to harm and keep people safe. This is a 24/7 service—so you’ll work a rotating pattern across days, nights, weekends and bank holidays. In this role you will work 2 day shifts followed by 2 night shifts and then 4 days off. We recognise colleagues balance demanding roles with life outside work, and we welcome applications and discussion with candidates who want to work full time or part time/flexible hours.

Skills & Experience

You don’t need previous control room experience—we’ll train you—but you do need the mindset:

• Strong judgement and common sense
• Excellent communication and attention to detail
• Emotional resilience (some incidents can be distressing or traumatic)
• Confidence working independently and as part of a tight team

You’ll be supported from day one with a structured classroom-based programme and on-the-job learning with a dedicated coach—helping you build confidence until you’re fully independent.

Why Work With Us?

Policing is an exciting 24/7 business and we all have commitments outside work. We’re invested in supporting people to balance their life with work and we encourage flexible working. We are open to conversations about job shares and part time working. We encourage agile working, giving you the opportunity to manage your own diary and work wherever you give the best service to the public. We take pride in looking after our people and offer a variety of benefits:

• Starting salary: £35,629 (Grade E, inclusive of an unsocial hours allowance of £6,802)
• Career development and progression pathways
• The satisfaction of knowing your work directly supports colleagues and helps protect the public

Please use the following links for more information on the benefits of working with Surrey Police.

We are only as good as our people. It's important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we'll grow from the variety of thinking, approach, and the skills that diversity brings; all of which help us to deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all. We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of Disability Confident, hold Race Equality Matters Trailblazer status, are a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement. We are committed to being an anti-racist police service. We promise to challenge injustice, ensure fairness and to uphold anti-racist principles in both our organisation and our communities. We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status, or religious belief, we would love to hear from you.

Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly. You may wish to consider adding noreply@policejobssurreyandsussex.as.recruitmail.com to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.

This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes. Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference. This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process. Please note that not all jobs are available for internal candidates across both Forces, the current agreed recruitment principles are; vacancies in collaborated units are available to all officers and staff across both Forces vacancies in non-collaborated units are only available to officers and staff within the Force with the vacancy unless it is advertised externally if the vacancy is advertised externally and an officer or member of staff from the other Force is successful it will result in a transfer of employment. Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self-employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.