Custody Officer

CGR Services; New Zealand; On-site; NZD 75,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

New Zealand Police in Whangarei is seeking a Custody Officer to join our Custody Unit at the Whangarei Police Station and possibly the District Court. You will monitor detainees, provide care, and maintain safety while upholding professional standards in a dynamic environment.

The role requires shift work, weekend availability, and adherence to manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga and aroha principles while following strict safety procedures.

Qualifications

• Hold a full New Zealand Driver Licence.
• Be a New Zealand citizen or hold permanent residence.
• Be physically fit and able to pass a fitness assessment.
• Willing to complete a pre-employment Medical Assessment (including a drug test).
• Able to work a variety of shifts between 6:00am and 10:30pm, including weekends and public holidays.

Responsibilities

• Uncover and collect information with active listening and communication.
• Maintain detainee safety and well-being, upholding professional standards.
• Monitor detainee behaviour and respond to incidents to de-escalate risk.
• Collaborate with external stakeholders to ensure appropriate care and support.
• Prepare statements for court and document information accurately.

Skills

Custody procedures

Communication

Attention to detail

Job description

New Zealand Police is working with the community to make New Zealanders be safe and feel safe. With over 15,000 staff, we provide policing services 24 hours a day, every day. We operate by land, sea and air, manage over 860,000 emergency calls a year and are always actively preventing crime and crashes. We’re working towards specific goals and targets that highlight our intent to work collaboratively with iwi and communities, other government sectors and business partners to deliver our business and achieve long-term change.

• Based in Whangarei
• Salary starting from $75,495.00
• Initial 11-month Fixed Term duration
• Shift Work
• JR 6013587 E tῡ ki te kei o te waka, kia pakia koe e ngā ngaru o te wā. Stand at the stern of the canoe and feel the spray of the future biting at your face Mō te tūnga

About the role

New Zealand Police are committed towards ensuring New Zealand is the safest country by delivering services that ensure our communities feel confident, safe and secure. Our Whangarei Custody Team are seeking a motivated individual to work within our dedicated staff as a Custody Officer. The role of a Custody Officer within NZ Police is pivotal, and Custody Officers are responsible for providing appropriate standard of care for detainees whilst they are in our custody. Your main purpose will be to assist with prisoner Management within the Whangarei Custody Unit based at the Whangarei Police Station and/or at the District Court as required. In this position you will need to be able to work shift work and weekend work when required at either the District Custody Unit or the Courts as directed. Applying the principles of manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga and aroha you will be responsible for ensuring the health and safety of detainees, monitoring their behaviour, providing proper care and ensuring professional standards whilst they are in our care are continuously met. This role is not for the faint hearted and will require someone who is confident, open-minded with attention to detail and willing to follow stringent safety procedures.

Why work at Police?

• It is an organisation and career to be proud of.
• You will be helping to keep communities safe.
• There is on the job training in support of your development.
• You will partner with other services in supporting detainees.
• Possibility to progress within the Police.
• Competitive salary

Key Accountabilities

• You will be able to uncover and collect information using your active listening and communication skills.
• You will be resilient when faced with adverse situations, maintaining composure, and working alongside team members to mitigate and de-escalate potential risk.
• You will work collaboratively with external stakeholders to ensure appropriate care and support for vulnerable detainees is available.
• In a fluid operational environment, you must be adaptable to change, remain vigilant to detainee needs and maintain high standards of professionalism that align with our business.
• Demonstrate commitment to ongoing training.

What you’ll bring

Whilst we are looking for skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the role, we also place high importance on your state of mind, the alignment of your values with ours, your ability to contribute to and build high performing teams, and the way that you lead yourself or others. The successful applicants will have the following skills and attributes:

• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Resilience and perseverance, with the ability to de-escalate situations in a calm and professional manner.
• Strong attention to detail, accurate and precise, with the ability to record and prepare information such as statements for court.
• Duty of care, understanding the welfare, health, safety, and level of care required for detainees.
• Strong team player, reliable, trustworthy, flexible to work shifts, weekends, public holidays.
• Decisive, cool, calm, and collected, can think on your feet, using your initiative and work well under pressure.
• Good computer skills and are comfortable learning new systems, as you will be required to input and update data accurately in Police systems, accurate typing abilities are essential.

Special requirements

To be eligible to apply you must:

• Hold a full New Zealand Driver Licence
• Be a New Zealand citizen or hold permanent residence.
• Be physically fit and able to compete a fitness assessment as part of your recruitment process (https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=cRgqAjTO_yw)
• Be willing to complete a pre-employment Medical Assessment (including a drug test)
• Be able to work a variety of shifts between 6:00am and 10:30pm, including weekends and public holidays. Flexibility is required as you may need to cover night shifts if / when required on a 6 on / 4 off roster

This role is Individual Contributor/Emerging Leader level. You can refer to Indicators for Success for further information on the requirements. To view the position description for this role please copy and paste this link into a new browser: https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/pd/08-2023/custody_officer.pdf

About us

New Zealand Police is the lead agency responsible for preventing crime and enhancing community safety. It works in partnership with individuals, communities, businesses, and other public sector agencies towards the vision of making New Zealand the safest country. Police is the government’s largest front-line response agency with around 15,000 staff in large and small communities all over New Zealand and in liaison and policing development roles overseas. Your development is highly valued at NZ Police. Our employees enjoy significant investment in their development not only at an individual level, but also at the team and community of practice level. We work hard to match you with work that will both play to your strengths and challenge you in new ways. The work you’ll be engaged in is real, tangible work that directly benefits the frontline and communities. Taken all together, this means we can offer you career path opportunities to progress in your chosen profession and become a more well-rounded, experienced leader, with opportunities across the range of work we support.

Salary

This position is covered by a collective agreement, and salary will commence between $75,495.00 and $78,910.00 dependent on skills and experience relevant to the role. Advert closes at 5pm, Sunday 30th August.

The role of a Custody Officer within NZ Police is pivotal, and Custody Officers are responsible for providing appropriate standard of care for detainees whilst they are in our custody.