Permanent roles offering job stability
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& security.
Working as
a Prisoner Escort Custody Driver (PCO) in Prisoner Escort Custody
Services (PECS) is more than just a role—it’s an opportunity to be
part of a professional team that plays a vital role in the justice
system, ensuring safety and security every day. In addition to a
rewarding career, we also
offer:
* Salary of £26,745 (40hrs
pw). Training salary is £23,402 (35hrs
pw).
* Annual salary increments: Year 2 -
£27,411, Year 3 - £27,927, Year 4 -
£28,446
* Additional driving allowance
earnings for Category B1/C1 License
holders:
o B1 = £600 per
year
o C1 = £2,400 per year. (C1 License
holders must drive 6 cell vehicles – subject to further
terms).
* A potential
first-year income between £32,345 & £34,145 (depending upon
license type and overtime based on a current average of 8 hrs
overtime pw).
* Pension (matched up to 6%),
life insurance, 20 days annual leave (rising to 25 after 7 years)
plus Bank Holidays.
* Discounts on Merlin
Attractions, mobile phones, cinema, leisure, retail, and
hospitality.
* Health and wellbeing
support: Employee Assistance Programme, MIND, Simply Health Care,
and Dental Plans.
A supportive team and culture
passionate about diversity and
inclusion.
We are
operational 24/6, and you’ll be expected to cover various early and
late shifts, with a minimum of 40 hours per week. Flexibility
is absolutely essential, as the nature of the role involves a wide
range of different working arrangements and additional hours. There
will be days when your finishing time is unpredictable, and you may
need to work beyond your scheduled hours to meet the demands of the
job. We operate on a rota basis, which is provided 12 weeks in
advance, allowing you to plan ahead. This system ensures
that, despite the long and often unpredictable hours, you will have
the flexibility to enjoy meaningful time off to do the things you
love.
About the
Role:
As a PCO at our base, you’ll work as
part of a crew to provide safe and secure court transportation and
custody services. You’ll collect adult male and female detainees
between prisons, police stations and courts, always ensuring their
well-being. Depending upon operational requirements, you may
be required to remain at court, where you’ll be responsible for the
care of the detainee until they return to custody or are released.
Duties include accompanying defendants in courtrooms and cells,
searching property and people, ensuring food and drink are
available, and completing paperwork and data entry.
Key
Responsibilities:
* Start the day early, attend briefings
to receive assignments, including details on prisoners, pick-up and
drop-off locations, and specific
risks.
* Check handheld
devices for schedules and prisoner information. Complete vehicle
checks.
* Collect prisoners from various
locations, verify paperwork and property, search prisoners, and
load them onto the vehicle.
* Monitor
prisoners' welfare during transport, conduct cell checks, and
provide water if needed. Arrange comfort stops for long
journeys.
* Transport prisoners to courts
and handle inter-prison transfers for reasons such as bed space
management or educational needs.
* Return
to the vehicle base, perform end-of-use checks, report defects, and
hand in documentation.
* Work beyond contracted
hours due to job demands, sometimes exceeding 50 hours a week. Stay
with prisoners admitted to hospitals and handle emergency transfers
during incidents like prison
riots.
What
you need to do the job!
Our current PCOs
come to us with diverse work and life experiences. What you’ve done
before doesn’t matter; what matters is your commitment to making a
difference in the lives of others. The rest you will learn during
your 5 1/2-week training course and through our experienced
colleagues. You’ll need to hold a current driver's licence,
B1 or C1 Licence (valid CPC card desirable). Our roles would suit
those who have a particular interest in criminology or
psychology.
Required skills and
abilities:
* Ability to understand and
respond to the emotional needs of
detainees.
* Capability to handle stressful
and emotionally demanding situations with a calm and composed
demeanour.
* Ability to think on your feet
and make quick, effective decisions in challenging
situations.
* Strong ability to work
collaboratively with colleagues to ensure the safety and well-being
of detainees.
* Meticulous in following
protocols, conducting searches, and completing paperwork
accurately.
* Adequate physical fitness to
perform duties that may involve restraining detainees and handling
long hours.
* Skilled in de-escalating
conflicts and managing challenging behaviour
effectively.
* High ethical standards and a
commitment to always maintaining confidentiality and
professionalism.
* Sensitivity to the
diverse backgrounds and needs of detainees, ensuring respectful and
fair
treatment.
Our
Assessment Process:
Briefing call to
assess eligibility -> Competency based Virtual Interview ->
short role-play and written exercise.
Additional Information:
All roles are exempt from the
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and all offers of employment
are subject to Ministry of Justice Enhanced Level 2 checks with
Enhanced DBS (Adult & Child Barring) and satisfactory
employment references.
This role is not eligible
for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship under current UK Home Office
rules, as it does not meet the required salary or skill level
criteria. Whilst we encourage applications to other roles,
candidates who already have a valid right to work in the UK through
other immigration routes or permissions must meet the below minimum
eligibility criteria:
* Have at least
two years remaining on your current visa
Have lived in the
UK for at least one year, as vetting process requires a
counter-signatory from a recognised professional who has known you
for that duration.
For
general right-to-work guidance, please visit the
#PECS
About
Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work
we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from
caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.
We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential
public services around the world in areas including defence,
transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services.
We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public
services for the benefit of everyone. By joining Serco you will
have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks –
SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited
(Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee
Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity,
inclusion and belonging.
Apply
Please click on the apply button
to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large
volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we
sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly
to avoid disappointment. At Serco, we see people first and
foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to
building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the
needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at
interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly
encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open
to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate
a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are
proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the
Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the
minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to
demonstrate their abilities at an interview. For help with your
application please contact j&icareersUK@serco.com.
At Serco we support fair access to employment for those
with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge
(some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security
clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly
on j&icareersUK@serco.com to
discuss.