Communications officer (999 and 101)
4. Training and development
On appointment, you’ll begin with a 12-week in-depth training programme consisting of both classroom and practical based training.
The first four weeks are completed at Hendon and the following eight weeks coaching can be at any of the MetCC centres (Hendon, Lambeth, Bow) however, coaching centre placement will take into consideration candidate’s living location.
Your training timetable is on a variable full-time shift pattern which comprises of working early, late and night shifts. During weeks one and four you will work eight hour shifts of earlies (7am to 3pm) and lates (3pm to 11pm).
From week five you will work a variable 12 hour shift pattern (7am-7pm, 10am-10pm, 11am-11pm, 1pm-1am and 7pm-7am) with some weekend working. Week five will be where you meet your development coach and start to take 'live calls' on the operational floor.
Through your training, we’ll introduce you to the Met, to our command and control operation, as well as helping you build skills and knowledge in areas such as:
- police policy and procedure
- the phonetic alphabet
- the geographical area serviced by the Met
- our rank structure
- the roles and responsibilities of borough policing and our specialist departments
- IT and radio procedures
Training is delivered in small classes of around eight to 10 people, where everybody in the class will be new to MetCC. During this training, you’ll have a mixture of theoretical and practical sessions with daily debriefs to help you track your own progress and ask for help if you need it. Our trainers will support you through your training and development.
The training period is really important to setting our new team members off on the right path, providing you with every opportunity for success through your early weeks. The 12-week training course has testing throughout so we can gain an understanding of your development. You will be given workbooks to help prepare you for the exams and there will also be an expectation that some 'light' homework reading will be completed.
There is an expectation that annual leave will not be taken during this period.
Your first year with us will be a probationary period. Think of it as your opportunity to demonstrate how well you’ve taken your training on board and developed the capacity to meet the requirements of your post.
You will have periodic reviews across your probation, which will assess your current progress against the expected standard. You will meet with your line manager and be assessed at three, six and nine months.
You will be supported throughout your probation but if your progress is not at the required standard due to attendance or performance, you may not pass.
Due to the considerable investment in training for this post, candidates will be expected to remain in the role of MetCC communications officer for a period of two years after joining (tenure).
Beyond your initial training to join MetCC, we have many opportunities for development and progression. Additional training can be offered around the ‘despatch’ side of things (deployment of resources on the streets), the facilitation of large-scale events / incidents from the control room (eg Notting Hill carnival), how to become a coach, lead on quality assurance … many different things.
When you click apply you will have access to our insight pack, which shows a typical career pathway for new joiners that can be achieved in the first five years within the Met.
Once you’ve joined our team and got your feet under the table, your line manager will work with you to understand your development needs and help shape development plans as appropriate.