Police Community Support Officer - West Sussex Division - Expression of Interest in Worthing

Our PCSO’s play a vital part in keeping Sussex safe. As a PCSO you will work alongside our policing prevention teams to prevent and tackle local issues, building relationships within the community and winning the trust of the public. You will encounter a range of situations from dealing with anti‑social behaviour, taking statements from victims of crimes, providing reassurance and helping resolve community challenges. As a PCSO you are the face of local policing for the community, ensuring we meet our policing priorities.

The key duties and responsibilities include:

• Going on highly visible foot patrols.
• Reassuring the public after minor crimes or anti‑social behaviour.
• Building relationships with community, religious and business leaders.
• Working with young people and local schools.
• Making house visits to gather intelligence.
• Collecting CCTV evidence.
• Carrying out missing person enquiries.
• Protecting crime scenes until police officers arrive.
• Providing crime prevention and personal safety advice.
• Offering support at large public gatherings, such as sports events and public demonstrations.

To apply you must:

• Be aged 17 at date of application, you must be 18 before you start – no upper age limit.
• Have lived in the UK for three continuous years immediately prior to application.
• Have leave to enter or leave to remain and work in the UK for an indefinite period.
• Have obtained and be able to evidence GCSE English at grade A*-C/9-4 or Level 2 Functional Skills qualification and, if you are under the age of 19, GCSE Maths at grade A*-C/9-4 or Level 2 Functional Skills qualification. These need to be achieved by the date of your End Point Assessment.
• Have a full UK manual driving licence (by the time of appointment).
• Not be a member of the British National Party (BNP) or other relevant organisations.
• Not have tattoos that could cause offence.
• Not have more than six penalty points.
• Not have served a prison sentence.

For PCSOs the pay and holiday benefits are as follows:

• Starting salary of £28,914 plus unsocial hours shift allowance of approximately £7,000 per year, (pro rata).
• Fully‑funded professional qualification – Level 4 Diploma in Community Policing Practice.
• 177.6 hours per year annual leave, rising to 214.6 hours per year depending on your length of service.
• In addition, you will receive 8 public holiday days per year.
• A competitive benefits package including pension, flexible benefits, employee assistance programme for advice and counselling, access to discounts / savings / cash‑back rewards.
• A progressive approach to flexible working, enhanced maternity and paternity leave and potential for a career break (after two years’ service).
• Opportunities to join various support networks, staff associations and sports clubs.

As a PCSO you will work shifts. You will have a rotating shift pattern covering the full week Monday to Sunday between the hours of 8:00am and midnight, so you will need to be prepared to work weekends and bank holidays. The role of PCSO is tenured for 24 months, meaning you will not be able to start a new position within the force during this time. The role will be on an initial fixed‑term contract but, upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will transition to a permanent contract.

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 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 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.