Staff - Force Control Room Operative

Northamptonshire Police; Northampton; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site gym

Canteen facilities

Employee assistance programme

Annual leave 25 days (+5)

Job summary

Northamptonshire Police seeks a capable Force Control Room Operative to answer and triage calls, dispatch officers and resources across the county, and provide public guidance. You will work within a 24/7 control room environment, following risk assessments and escalation procedures.

Core shifts are 4 on/4 off, including 12‑hour days and nights, with additional patterns available per rota. The role offers a competitive starting salary and generous leave.

Responsibilities

• Answer 999 and 101 calls, dispatching officers to incidents across the county.
• Risk assess and grade incidents to allocate the correct resources.
• Ensure incidents are resolved correctly and provide public guidance.
• Be part of the Force Control Room, the beating heart of policing.

Job description

Northampton, Force Headquarters - NN4 0JQ

Grade/scale Staff - Scale 5

This/These post(s) attract allowances Shift Allowance

Shift percentage Other

Other Shift Percentage Depending on shift

37

15/11/2026, 23:55

* The hiring manager reserves the right to close the advert prior to the closing date, depending on the level of applications

To answer all calls for service in the Force Control Room, providing the public with advice and guidance, ensuring incidents are risk assessed and then graded, allocating and dispatching the appropriate resources in accordance with that assessment and ensuring that they are resolved correctly.

Our Force Control Room (FCR) is the beating heart of policing in Northamptonshire.

Answering emergency 999 calls and non-emergency 101 calls, as well as sending police officers to incidents across the county, our FCR operatives are hard at work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year. Core shift pattern is 4 on 4 off (2 x 12 hour days followed by 2 x 12 hour nights), other patterns are available with a reduced shift enhancement.

Based at Force Headquarters at Wootton Hall, Northampton, the team takes an average of 1,200 calls a day - and no two are the same. One minute you could be taking the details of an stolen vehicle, the next you may be sending officers to a report of an armed robbery.

• Competitive starting salary of £30,333 (full time, part time per rota)
• Additional shift enhancement depending on the shift pattern.
• Annual leave entitlement of 25 days which is increased by 5 days after 3 years continuous service.
• 24/7 on-site gym and canteen facilities
• Access to round the clock employee assistance programmes including counselling

Why work for Us

Northamptonshire Police has real heart. We're a county force tackling big-city issues, and everyone in our policing family, from frontline officers to police staff, has a part to play in serving our communities by fighting crime and protecting people. If you want an exciting career that offers variety, job satisfaction and the chance to develop and challenge yourself, while improving the lives of others, and all within an organisation that’s forward-thinking and innovative, you'll find it with us.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

Weare committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

We are working hard to increase diversity and inclusion within the organisations where communities are under-represented, including those from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, people of all ages, abilities, faiths, religions and gender, LGBTQ communities and those from other disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds, who share our values and wish to make a difference to the communities we serve.

Northamptonshire Police/OPFCC is a Disability Confident Employer - We aim to achieve the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions. If you meet the essential criteria for the role you can choose to share your disability if you would like to take part in our disability confident interview scheme.
All applications will be treated on merit, based on the evidence provided in your application and suitability for the role you have applied for.

All requests for flexible working patterns will be considered and will be dependent on the role.

Recruitment and Selection Policy

Internal applicants who are at risk of redundancy or in need of redeployment and pass the selection process, will be offered the role over the remaining internal and external applicants.
Internal applicants must have line manager support prior to proceeding with an application.

Please be aware that the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Northamptonshire Police are separate employers. Although Police internal vacancies are open to OPFCC staff and vice versa, if you are successful, the change of employer will require a longer onboarding process and you will receive a new contract and payroll number. Service with either employer can be carried over as continuous service.

Police Barred and Advisory lists

Individuals placed on the Police Barred and Advisory lists will not be considered for employment by the Police and OPFCC for a minimum of 5 years from the date of listing in the case of gross misconduct, or 3 years from the date of listing in the case of poor performance.

Vetting and safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and operate safer recruitment processes, to ensure the organisations employees are proud to work for because they feel safe, valued and part of a happy and supportive work environment. All employees and volunteers therefore will be subject to background checks including vetting and references.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to referral to disciplinary action.

Please note, you will require the following detail to complete this application form; NI Number, ID detail, address information, referee information, full employment history including dates and any qualifications you may have attained. You may also be requested to provide photos of any visible tattoos you have. The application system only remains active on a single page for a period of 60 minutes. Please therefore ensure you allow time to complete this fully as part complete pages will not be saved.