Call Handler & Dispatch Operator (Dual Role)

South Yorkshire Police; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous pension

Flexible working arrangements

Hybrid working

Employee Assistance Programme

Blue Light Card

Job summary

South Yorkshire Police seeks a Call Handler and Dispatch Operator for the Force Control Room in Atlas Court, Sheffield. You will be the first point of contact for 999/101 calls, assess risk, and deploy resources using multiple systems. The role requires resilience, teamwork and accurate data handling.

The position offers a permanent contract with a 37-hour week, competitive salary and 20% shift/weekend allowances. Hybrid/flexible working arrangements are available after training.

Qualifications

• Experience in emergency call handling or similar high-pressure roles.
• Ability to gather information accurately and assess risk.
• Proficient with IT systems and databases.

Responsibilities

• Receive and assess calls from 999, 101 and online reports.
• Elicit information to enable timely resolution.
• Assess risk and determine appropriate actions and deployments.
• Maintain accurate incident records and audit trails.
• Operate Airwave network and radio transmissions.
• Deploy resources to incidents per guidelines.

Skills

Active listening

Empathy

Decision making

Job description

Job Description

Role: Call Handler and Dispatch Operator (Dual Role)

Department: Force Control Room

Location: Atlas Court, Sheffield

Salary: £28,914 - £31,749 (plus 20% shift and weekend working allowance)

Hours: 37

Contract Type: Permanent

Are you looking for a role that's rewarding, and meaningful? If you're looking for a role where every day brings new challenges and the chance to make a real difference, this is it.

As a Call Handler and Dispatch Operator for South Yorkshire Police, you'll be the first point of contact for members of the public who call 999 or 101 or use our online reporting or webchat service. You'll play a vital role in supporting people during what could be the most challenging moment of their lives. Could you be the calm voice people rely on in an emergency?

You’ll be responsible for identifying and assessing risk and make resolution and deployment decisions using a range of systems. You will also allocate resources to incidents and support them in radio transmissions.

The Force Control Room is at the very heart of South Yorkshire Police. A police staff role here is an excellent way to gain experience and develop into other roles within our organisation. You'll be part of a great team of people and a member of the wider policing family helping to keep South Yorkshire safe.

We're looking for motivated people who are excellent team players with the ability, after training, to work unsupervised and use their own initiative.

Key Skills

• Apply active/deep listening skills which involves listening intently and going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intent behind them. At all times being empathetic to the needs of others.
• Multi- task to be able to type at the same time as listening, speaking, and entering data onto systems quickly and accurately. You should also be able to think ahead, and risk assess a situation by asking the right questions.
• Demonstrate resilience to stay calm and focused under pressure, make confident decisions quickly and effectively and can respond to and recover from difficult situations.

You’ll be based at Atlas Court, Sheffield which is located 5 minutes from Sheffield City Centre and Meadowhall.

You must be prepared to work shifts and bank holidays with the service operating 24/7, 365 days of the year. We will reward you with a competitive salary with enhancements to reflect the shift and weekend working.

Working a 24/7 shift pattern, full time or job share, attracts a salary of £28,914 - £31,749 (pro-rata for job share hours) and 20% shift allowance and weekend working taking the starting pay to approximately £38,745 (pro rata job share).

Responsibilities

• Receiving and critically assessing all types of contacts including 999, 101 and other types of contacts, by telephone or online, from the general public, police, and other agencies.
• Identifying the purpose and nature of each contact by eliciting relevant and sufficient information to enable an accurate and timely assessment of appropriate means of resolution.
• Assessing risk and identifying the appropriate action to resolve or determine the appropriate agency, deployment grading, and priority of contacts.
• Maintaining accurate records of relevant information using appropriate systems to ensure an audit trail and to measure and improve performance.
• Using a variety of applications and systems to maintain and update incident records, audit trails, and resource availability to measure and improve performance.
• Operating the Airwave network, linked to operational patrols within the guidelines and procedures of the Force.
• Deploying resources to incidents within the guidelines and procedures of the Force.
• Operating message systems and others including maintaining a watch on internal messages.

Skills and experience

• Excellent Communication skills with the ability to listen, empathise and provide support.
• Excellent Communication skills with the ability to adapt language to meet the needs of different people/audiences.
• Experience of information gathering and problem solving.
• Able to utilise IT packages, systems, and/or databases.
• Able to appropriately prioritise and plan own work.
• Ability to work under pressure, making logical and appropriate decisions.

Skills and experience as documented in the role profile need to be evidenced in your application to be considered for interview.

What we offer

• A highly competitive salary and access to a generous pension scheme
• Generous annual leave allowance
• A wide range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
• Flexible working arrangements including flexitime and hybrid working.
• A transparent and collaborative team culture underpinned by our core values of Fairness, Integrity & Trust
• Comprehensive range of development and leadership courses to develop your career with South Yorkshire Police
• Employee Assistant Programme (accessible 24/7) offering confidential support and advice.
• Flexible lifestyle benefits such as: Blue Light Card, Company Shop, Cycle to work scheme.
• Committed to embedding sustainability: South Yorkshire Police Sustainability Strategy 2020-2025 (yhrn.police)
• Membership to the Sports and Social Club
• Access to a wide range of staff support groups and networks

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the minimum requirement checkable history criteria, which must be taken into account for individuals applying to work with South Yorkshire Police in any capacity. A minimum checkable history of 3 years is required for this role and successfully undergoing recruitment vetting procedure is a pre‑requisite of employment with South Yorkshire Police.

Appearance & Standards

South Yorkshire Police is committed to striking a proportionate balance between self‑expression and the need to maintain role sensitive professional standards in dress and appearance. Officers, staff, and volunteers of South Yorkshire Police are permitted to have tattoos visible whilst on duty provided the tattoo is not considered to be unacceptable or otherwise inappropriate. Tattoos will be reviewed as part of the recruitment and selection process.

South Yorkshire Police's overarching aim is to deliver an excellent police service to support safer communities. The public's assessment of our excellence is influenced by the level of trust and confidence in us, as an organisation and as individuals. In comparison to the general public, police officers and police staff are held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability. In applying to join the police, applicants are accepting of these higher standards and understand the implications on their right to privacy.

Smarter ways of Working

South Yorkshire Police is committed to developing working practices which assist staff to balance their personal and professional lives, whilst meeting the needs of the organisation. This in turn enables South Yorkshire Police to provide an outstanding service to the community.

There are 3 different categories as part of this which are: Fixed, Field and Hybrid.

This role has been evaluated as a fixed role.

Fixed

Fixed: This is a traditional arrangement, applicable when the work is mostly required to be undertaken at a fixed single place of work (on police premises) for the most of the time. The work can only or is more effectively delivered from a police premise or agreed organisational/partner premise.

South Yorkshire Police's Key Values

At South Yorkshire Police we have 3 key values which run through everything we do Fairness, Integrity & Trust, the attached document details the key behaviours we expect all employees to adhere to.

Contact details

For further information about the role, please email [e-mail] or call 0114 2196724.

Information Event

We are holding an information event via MS Teams on Thursday 8th October 2026 starting at 4.30 pm. If you are interested in attending the event and discussing the role,

Closing Date

12th October 2026.

Closing dates are not normally extended, other than in exceptional circumstances and agreement is made between the Talent Acquisition Manager and the Line Manager for the role.

Recruitment Timeline

Shortlisting: before 23rd October 2026

Assessment: 26th - 30th October 2026

Interviews: 16th - 27th November 2026

Candidate Information

If you are successful at the interview stage and before appointment, the relevant pre-employment checks are required. These include references, medical clearance, vetting clearance, and sickness absence criteria check.

As part of your employment contract, you would be required to engage with routine audiometry (hearing) testing as part of the force health surveillance programme. This test would be provided through the force Occupational Health Unit (OHU).

The training course is scheduled to commence in March 2027. You will be expected to work full time, Monday to Friday for the first 13 weeks during training. Training will take place at both Robert Dyson House, Wath upon Dearne, Rotherham and Atlas Court, Atlas Way, Sheffield.

Please note: No annual leave can be taken during the first 13 weeks of training.

Diversity & Inclusion

We are proud of being a truly inclusive organisation which provides fair and equal consideration to all of our applicants. We encourage and welcome applications from people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, nationalities, disabilities, sexual orientation, religions, or beliefs and of neurodivergence.

We're proud to have a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. Different backgrounds and experiences make us stronger.

If you are from an underrepresented group and want to find out more about the support we can offer, please contact our dedicated team on [e-mail]

In addition, we will look to support anyone who requires Part Time/Job share working hours.

View our recruitment video

https://youtu.be/2dGn5qti7_c