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As per title really, seen an office based support job come up with the constabulary that looks interesting, I reckon I have the experience and interests for, easier commute, bit of a pay cut is the only obvious down side.
The interest side and public service side is what I'm lacking in my current job. Hoping this would encourage me to keep on working to a sensible early retirement age rather than run out the door tomorrow.
Any experience/downsides to that kind of role would be appreciated.
I started as Police civilian staff in February this year. Paid about a third more than the advertised salary thanks to weekend and shift allowances. Recruitment takes several months due to vetting but kept informed all the way about progress. I pretty much shadowed a colleague for the first month and was given time to complete online learning and attended training to learn the IT systems. Co-workers friendly, meetings with my line manager every 6 weeks allows me to discuss progress. Some civilian roles you wear a uniform and some you don't. If you do you're advised to cover up going to and leaving work. I work part time in a shift pattern and the early starts took some adjustment as I'm 30 mins drive away.
Depending on the role, you might be exposed to graphic details of man’s inhumanity to man, which might not be bearable for everyone.
I have a friend who is a civilian worker who does all the admin for evidence storage, cataloguing and production for trial.
They’ve been through a lot of staff who don’t cope well with some of the stuff they have to see.
They’ve been through a lot of staff who don’t cope well with some of the stiff they have to see.
The role I'm interested in is well away from that line of work
I loved working for the Police, I used to prepare their court cases for the magistrates court among other jobs.
As with any job a lot depends on the role itself (police staff roles cover scenes of crimes officers right through to accountants), the people you work with and the organisation.
Generally most police forces are pretty good employers, very similar terms to local government. Downsides - some people take offence at you working for the police (don't forget to take off your ID when shopping after work!), many forces are downsizing still as a result of sustained austerity, so jobs are not as secure as they once were, offices and equipment can be really poor depending on the force/role, and there are often too few staff and too much work, which can be frustrating. You probably need permission for any paid or voluntary roles outside the force (to avoid conflicts of interest), and if the role is particularly senior it might come with other restrictions, such as not joining a political party, posting political things on social media, etc.
One point - the term 'civilian' is seen by many police staff as pretty demeaning. Police staff are a vital part of the police system, and the term civilian is seen as reducing this to a lesser contribution than police officers.
Yes, lots of experience.
Generally a decent employer, but like anything it depends on your immediate management.
You will go to the bottom of the number of leave days and salary scale unless you negotiate something better.
Pension likewise, probably joining the local council scheme.
I didn't feel the need to join a union, apart from for one specific manager many years ago
WFH and canteen facilities vary, cheap gym and sports clubs usually available
Sideways moves often available as well as promotion
HTH
Some helpful points here, thank you all
I'd forgotten about the sports side of things. I went to the police ski champs, played tennis and hockey for them and was a member of the HQ sports centre which was cheap and good. Very happy memories.
My sister in law also works for them (in a different force) and she really enjoys it too. She often changes jobs but she's been in her current role for >5 years which is unusual for her. Pension is (usually) the local government one
I did IT Support for 26 years - the leave was great, pay was reasonable and the pension is a no brainer. We worked flexi and from home 2 to 3 days a week. I saw some of the shit, but you don't have to unless you work in CSI. Plus side, it's worthwhile. Go for it!
Been working as Police Staff for nearly 5 years. Pay is decent, annual leave amazing (9 weeks), pension and benefits are good. How much you enjoy it will as usual come down to your colleagues and managers. Some are brilliant and some are lazy useless workshy wastes of space. The police are in my experience useless at getting rid of useless bad apples to the detriment of everyone else. It's caused by a combination of the culture of police officers not being stackable which does pass to the staff side with weak HR, weak management or both and a strong union who can always find something that hasn't been done right and get their member reinstated.
It's also a very hierarchical organisation so don't be surprised if your managers boss doesn't speak to you. They believe your manager will tell them everything they need to know and your manager will tell you everything you need to know. No miscommunication has ever happened due to this technique!!!
They're also not particularly good at recognising that experience gained outside the police is just as valuable as experience within the police and you will find jealous (sergeants especially) officers who resent staff who come straight in to the police at pay band x when they've spent so many years as an officer, done exams etc and more crap jobs before they get to the equivalent pay band.
Don't forget that the police like many parts of the public sector has no money so facilities can be dire with leaky buildings / plumbing, broken heating / ventilation and office furniture that should have gone in a skip 30 years ago.
Despite this I'm unlikely to leave and will be here until I retire in 20 years.