Fancy stepping into uniform? Can you see yourself supporting your community?
West Midlands Police is opening its doors again, from Saturday (12 August), to recruit the next generation of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to serve the region’s diverse communities.
It is the second time in a year that the force has advertised for new PCSOs, with the last round of recruitment, in January, attracting over 1,000 applications for 80 posts. The successful candidates are due to begin their training from September 2017 and will be patrolling the streets by October 2017.
The new recruits will be based across the West Midlands and successful candidates will be at the heart of neighbourhood policing, becoming the friendly face of the force throughout the region.
PCSOs provide a visible police presence within their local communities by conducting patrols to help prevent crime, to keep people safe from harm and to increase trust and confidence in West Midlands Police.
Chief superintendent Chris Johnson, who oversees the force’s WMP2020 modernisation project for Neighbourhood Policing, said: “The PCSO role is vitally important to the work we do in our communities to provide that visible presence, which offers reassurance and an opportunity to engage for local people.
“Neighbourhood teams are at the forefront of our drive to intervene early in community issues which, in turn, can prevent harm by nipping problems in the bud before they escalate – our PCSOs are key members of these teams.”
This second phase of recruitment will select the next 80 PCSOs to join the force, whose operational careers will begin in the new year.
The candidates will enter into a rigorous selection process which will see those successful beginning their training from January 2018
CSupt Johnson added: “The area we police is richly diverse, with around 30 per cent of local people coming from ethnic minority backgrounds. We want our force to reflect that and it is key that communities know that we have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
Applicants do not need specific formal qualifications to apply for the role, however anyone keen to consider a career as a PCSO should have a good standard of education and an ability to communicate effectively both in writing and verbally.
Applications are welcome from people aged 18 or over.
Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Lynnette Kelly, said: “We are delivering on our promise to recruit at least 150 PCSOs to support neighbourhood policing teams.
“The PCSOs will work with officers to proactively tackle issues in neighbourhoods and will provide a real boost to local policing.
“Neighbourhood policing has been under real strain in recent times with the rising threat level, increased demand and massive budget cuts. In 2015 PCSOs faced extinction due to the level of cuts. By driving further efficiencies we have protected the role of PCSOs in the West Midlands.
“The public wants to see a presence in their local communities and these new recruits will help deliver that.
“We want people from all backgrounds to apply for these positions to ensure that West Midlands Police represents the people it serves.”
Recruitment closes to all applicants on 25 August.
These are full time posts and hours are based on a 36.5 hour week spanning Monday to Sunday, which requires applicants to work a shift pattern. Shift cover is between 8am – midnight, and includes some evening and weekend work. Roles are based across the eight West Midlands Police Neighbourhood units. The salary starts at £22,671.
The PCSO role is more than just a 9-5 job so if you think you:
* are up for a challenge
* can communicate with a wide range of people
* can remain calm in difficult or heated situations
* are able to build relationships within local communities
* could identify and understand key issues in the community
* can ‘think on your feet’
* can see yourself as a PCSO, you can access the role description and application form via this link https://jobs.west-midlands.police.uk/
You will need to set up an account on the force’s new recruitment site, which manages the whole application and selection process online. This can be done now, if desired, with the advert and application set to go live from Saturday 12 August.
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