Police Community Support Officer

• Do you like to build strong working relationships?
• Are you a good listener and a clear communicator?
• Do you want to make a real difference to the communities of the West Midlands?

West Midlands Police are currently recruiting Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s) and this could be the role for you! 

About the role:

PCSO’s are a crucial link between local neighbourhoods and the Police, as they provide a visible presence within their local communities. PCSO’s conduct patrols to help prevent crime, keep people safe from harm and increase community trust and confidence. Within the role you’ll become an integral member of the neighbourhood that you work in; shaping positive partnerships with organisations such as schools, the local Council, businesses and charities. 

Trained to calm heated situations, PCSOs defuse hostility and provide that all important reassurance to help make our communities safer. As a PCSO you will have different powers to Police Officers so you will not be expected to make arrests or investigate crimes, your role will be based around proactively preventing crime specific to the local area you are working in.

As a PCSO, you can expect to:

• Connect with communities, empowering and encouraging them to become more involved with the policing of their area. As part of this you will represent West Midlands Police at local events, conduct meetings within the community and deliver presentations at schools
• Identify and understand key issues and crimes and work with the public to remove and prevent these
• Understand the diversity and demographics of your community and find ways to engage with harder to reach community members
• Be able to talk to community members about the issues affecting them
• Maximise opportunities to gather intelligence about harm and criminality through enhanced relationships with the community, partners and colleagues
• Work with partners to deliver agreed objectives

This role requires applicants to work 36.5 hours per week, covering a shift pattern spanning from Monday to Sunday including evening and weekend work. Shift patterns vary with cover between 08:00hrs – 00:00hrs.

About you:

• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal
• Strong decision maker, who is also confident in working collaboratively as well as independently
• Ability to remain calm under pressure when dealing with confrontational situations
• Proactive approach to problem solving
• Keen interest in working with the public and local communities
• You must have or working towards a Level 2 English (Grade C/4 or above)

Please note that this role carries a tenure agreement – PCSOs are unable to apply for alternative Police Staff roles within West Midlands Police for two years following their start date. 

You will be posted to where the vacancies are at the time of starting with West Midlands Police. Successful candidates will not be posted to their home Neighbourhood Policing Unit.

What’s in it for you?

• Starting salary: £30,897.00, rising annually up to £32,613.00 after 2 years.
• 26 days’ annual leave, rising to 31 after five years.
• Extensive benefits, including pension scheme, employee support, staff networks, and professional development opportunities. See our benefits website for more details.
• A career that matters, make a lasting impact on communities while developing your skills and future.

Fitness, Medical & Vetting:

• Must pass medical checks, which may include drug and fitness testing.
• Must pass our required vetting checks. See our Vetting FAQ for more information.

Residency & Nationality

• Lived in the UK for the past three years.
• Must be a British, Irish, or EEA national, or have the right to work in the UK without restrictions.

Application Process

• Our careers website provides a step by step breakdown of the application process.

West Midlands Police is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are committed to delivering a fair and inclusive recruitment process and ensuring that no applicant is disadvantaged because of their disability. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the be made to our recruitment process, please let us know. All information shared will be kept confidential.

Guaranteed Interview Schemes:

As a Disability Confident Leader and we operate a Disability Confident Interview Scheme. All candidates who share with us that they are disabled and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview*. 

As a proud signatory of the Armed Services Covenant and Care Leaver Covenant, West Midlands Police also operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Military Service Leavers and Care Leavers who meet the minimum role requirements. 

*There may be times we cannot interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example, seasonal and high-peak times. In these situations, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, we will select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Prospective officers and staff must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold. 

Contact – For more information please contact careers@westmidlands.police.uk

West Midlands Police is the second-largest police force in the country, serving the three major cities of Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton, alongside the districts of Sandwell, Walsall, Solihull, and Dudley.

 Against this backdrop, the force handles more than 2,000 emergency calls every day, while patrolling the streets and responding to incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We have made significant improvements in reducing overall crime, improving call response times, and increasing arrest rates. This work can only continue with the right people, therefore as an employer of choice, we are looking for the right people who can serve and protect our communities.