PUBLIC SERVICE CENTRE
PUBLIC SERVICE CENTRE OPERATOR
APPLICATION PACK
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INTRODUCTION TO THE APPLICATION PROCESS
The information contained in this pack is compiled to assist you with your application. You will
find enclosed:
1. About the Public Service Centre
2. Primetime Working – The Facts
3. The Application Process
4. Good and Bad Examples of How to Evidence your Application
5. Training Programme
PLEASE CONSIDER THESE DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY BEFORE COMPLETING YOUR
APPLICATION.
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1. SOUTH WALES POLICE PUBLIC SERVICE CENTRE
South Wales Police are proud to announce a new Public Service Centre, a centre that puts the
communities of South Wales at the heart of everything it does. Our highly trained staff will answer
and respond to emergency and non-emergency calls. The centre will provide support to
operational officers through radio dispatch. Our aim is to be a fully multi-functional team.
Our staff are the first point of contact for our organisation and it is at this point that our staff can
positively influence the overall experience people have of the service provided by South Wales
Police.
In addition, the information gathered by our staff will be the foundation upon which the response to
a wide variety of operational incidents is based, including road accidents, firearms incidents, antisocial behaviour, hate crime and assaults.
The Departments’ role within the organisation includes:

Managing emergency and non-emergency telephone communications to the Force, both
from the public and other emergency services.

Ensuring the accurate recording and passing of incident information.

Arranging a police response, calling on specialist units like the helicopter crew, firearms or
scenes of crime staff to support the policing operation if necessary.

Managing police radio transmissions.

Liaising with local authority CCTV operations, prisons and other Government organisations
(for example Royal Mint).

Managing police communications at major events (e.g. a royal visit) and sporting events.

Monitoring the M4 corridor in the South Wales Police areas.
All staff will be required to work either on a primetime working pattern or some other variable shift
pattern. Further details of the facts of primetime are detailed below.
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2. PRIMETIME WORKING – THE FACTS
Our Public Service Centre handles over 1.2 million emergency and non emergency calls from the
Public every year.
We are the first point of contact for callers and play a crucial role in ensuring the public get the
right response from us. Our state of the art technology enables us to respond to calls effectively
and to make sure officers are efficiently dispatched to the wide variety of operational incidents
including road accidents, anti-social behaviour incidents, hate crime assaults and firearms
incidents.
We have introduced Primetime to enable us to meet peaks in customer demand that a fixed shift
pattern cannot.
Our Primetime contract will give you………..

20% shift allowance

Weekend enhancement as and when worked

5 celebration days per annum

5 elective shifts per annum

A choice of 8 or 10 hour shifts

24 annual leave days per year
A chance to provide ‘preferences’*
‘Preferences’ are….

Weekday rest days

Shift start times

Weekend working
*preferences are subject to operational demand.
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3.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
Within this recruitment campaign for Public Service Centre Operators, we are looking to recruit
staff to commence training in 2014 and will follow a rolling programme.
Open Evenings
We are holding some Open Evenings to introduce you to South Wales Police. We will explain
more about the role and provide you with an opportunity to speak with some of our staff. Places
are limited, if you wish to book a place then please contact the number provided in the advert.
Our Open evenings for this recruitment process are being held in South Wales Police
Headquarters, Bridgend on:
The familiarisation sessions will take place at Conference Room 2, South Wales Police
Headquarters, Cowbridge Road, Bridgend. CF31 3SU on Saturday 22nd March 2014 between
10:00 and 12:00, Monday 24th March 2014 between 18:00 and 20:00, Tuesday 25th March
2014 between 18:00 and 20:00 and Thursday 27th March 2014 between 18:00 and 20:00.
Unfortunately we have a limited amount of space available and will be offered on a first come first
serve basis. Please be aware that once you have registered we do not have the facility to change
the date for you.
To register for a place on one of our familiarisation sessions please follow the link to our website to
complete the online registration form on our advert http://www.south-wales.police.uk/apply-for-ajob/
Application
Applications must be received by the advertised closing date, 09.00am on Friday 4th April 2014.
The Application Form is an electronic application and can be accessed via the South Wales Police
Website http://www.south-wales.police.uk/apply-for-a-job/ No hard copy applications or CV’s will
be accepted.
Short Listing
A selection panel will short list applications against a number of set criteria. The criteria chosen for
each short listing is selected directly from the Role Profile and you will be able to see what the
shortlisting panel will be selecting against as this is available in the matrix table at the end of the
role profile. This is what you should be evidencing against in your application. Applicants are
expected to evidence their ability set against the identified criteria in the Role Profile. At all times
you must give examples indicating the quality and quantity of work you have been doing.
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The assessment Process
If your application is successful you will be required to pass 2 audio tests. One test will be to
assess your spelling and grammar specifically, and the other will be to test whether you can
extract salient information from the call. Both tests will assess your ability to handle these types of
calls and obtain the information our police officers need.
In order to pass the tests you don’t need to type word for word, but you must cover all the relevant
and important information and everything you type must make sense. You will be allowed to stop
or rewind the test but this will slow your typing speed and you may not finish all the scenarios in
the prescribed time which may affect your overall score.
If you are successful at the audio tests you will be required to attend an assessment centre where
you will need to complete further assessments in relation to number, verbal reasoning and
prioritisation, role play/recall, and undergo a competency based interview.
The Assessment Centre is a series of practical exercises designed to test your mental dexterity.
These exercises are used to determine if applicants have the necessary skills and judgement to
perform the role of Public Service Centre Operator.
Your interview will be a thirty-minute interview. A panel will interview each candidate individually
with questions based on the Role Profile. The panel will assume that you have no working
knowledge of the PSC Operator job and will therefore seek evidence on your ability to perform the
role.
Vetting, Reference, Referee and Medical Checks
Applicants will be invited to complete a medical questionnaire which may be discussed to identify
any issues which may prevent appointment because of a risk to the applicant or anyone using the
service of South Wales Police. In addition, a hearing test will be completed for the purpose of
health surveillance. The nature of work necessitates security-vetting checks. Appointment is
conditional to all these checks being completed satisfactory. References will also be sought.
Notification of Short Listing
HR Recruitment notify all applicants of the outcome of the selection process, whether or not their
application is successful.
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4. GOOD AND BAD EXAMPLES OF HOW TO EVIDENCE YOUR APPLICATION FORM
CUSTOMER SERVICE
BAD
I have excellent Customer Service Skills,
and very good communication skills. I
speak to members of the public on a
regular basis and deal any queries to
provide excellent customer service.
BAD
I have excellent communication skills I talk
to people all the time in my current job. I
listen to what they have to say and then
reply appropriately
GOOD
I have excellent customer service skills I can demonstrate this with an
example- I currently work in a store in Cardiff, a lady came in to the
store quite upset that the dress she had bought had a rip in the back.
The dress was for a wedding the following day. I told her I would look in
the store room for another dress, we had the same dress but not in the
same colour. The colour was important as she was a bridesmaid and
needed to match everyone else. The lady at this point was crying, I took
her to the interiors department as this is usually quieter and sat her
down and told her I was going to do my utmost to sort the problem for
her! I rang all the local stores but no one had the dress, so I checked
with the catalogue and they had one left but it was in the Warehouse in
Leeds.
Normally we only deliver on next day delivery but I spoke to the
manager in the warehouse to see if we could get it to her today! He said
he could get it to the store but not to a home address. I spoke to the
lady and explained the situation, she explained that she had lots of
plans and tasks for that evening in readiness for tomorrow and wasn’t
able to get back to town. She was panicking by this point. So I agreed to
wait in the store till the dress arrived and then drop it to her. She lived in
Pontypridd but the wedding was in the Miskin Manor which is on my way
home so I could drop it off to her! I dropped the dress off and the
customer was extremely relived and delighted. She sent a lovely thank
you letter to my manager about me.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
GOOD
I was recently asked to give a presentation to a group of students. My
part of the presentation was for a day in the life of a call handler – I
developed a power point presentation to help me this included some
calls I had recently taken for them to listen to. I also allowed time for
them to ask questions. I got excellent feedback from my manger for the
way I explained my role, I didn’t use any jargon, the PowerPoint was
easy to follow and I had printed some documentation for them as
handouts.
In June this year I was involved in the School open evening for the year
6 students that would be coming to the comprehensive in the
September. I was given the lead for the Science Department. This
involved me giving presentations to small groups of students and
parents. I explained what they children will study for the first year! I gave
handouts to them for them to take home. I also arranged for the children
to have a go at some experiments under supervision. I had excellent
feedback from the head teacher in how well I communicated with both
parents and children. Changing my language to suit both children and
adults.
IT SKILLS
BAD
I can use all packages in the Microsoft
suite and use a computer daily in my work.
GOOD
I have excellent I.T. skills and am proficient in the use of Microsoft
packages such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook which I use on
a day to day basis in my current role as a Supervisor. I use Excel daily
to record income for the day this information is forward to Headquarters
via outlook. As the supervisor I also developed a short power point for
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staff for the offers that were coming up for Christmas, This allowed staff
to revisit the briefing as and when they needed.
I also use Microsoft word to write the end of month reports which again I
submit to Headquarters via Outlook.
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5. TRAINING PROGRAMME
All recruits will undergo a modular training programme that will last for a total of 22 weeks.
Elements of the training will take place in our training site within South Wales Police Area. You will
also complete part of your training in your substantive place of work, that being the Public Service
Centre, South Wales Police Headquarters.
The programme is designed in modules, allowing for some classroom based learning followed by
consolidation within the “live‟ environment, you will receive support every step of the way.
Weeks 1 - 7 – you will receive training in the South Wales Police IT systems and the „Emergency‟
Call Handling Package
Weeks 8 - 11 – consolidation within the Public Service Centre
Week 12 – annual leave
Weeks 13 - 18 – you will undertake the „non- emergency‟ call handling package
Weeks 19 - 22 – consolidation within the Public Service Centre
You will complete assessments along the way and you will be required to reach an acceptable
standard of operating.
Finally, good luck with your application and if you have any questions or queries then please don’t
hesitate to contact the HR Helpdesk on 01656 305870.
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