Detention Custody Officer - Drumkeen VB

Better places, thriving communities.

£28,648 per annum

40 hours per week (plus overtime opportunities)

24-hour service, 365 days a year.

Rolling Variable Shift pattern covering days, mid shifts and nights

About Us

We're looking for respectful, caring people to join our teams.

If you're the right one for us, your strong communication & interpersonal skills, non-judgemental approach, excellent problem-solving skills and ability to keep calm under pressure will be the foundations to develop your Care & Custody career.

Role Responsibilities

Your working time will require you to cover day, mid and night shifts with varying start and finish times as this contract is delivered 24 hrs per day and 365 days a year.

Your new role as a vehicle base DCO will be to escort and transport immigration residents within the UK. This may be by land, sea, or air.

You'll spend time both driving a small minibus-sized vehicle and escorting inside that vehicle at different times during your shift while maintaining high standards of security and safety, and promoting the welfare and decency of detainees in your care. There will be requirements to fly as part of escorted removals back to England.

There will be occasions when you will support your colleagues in Larne House Residential Short Term Holding Facility

Requirements

No specific role experience or qualifications are required to be a DCO as full training and supported development are given. Experience of dealing sensitively with a wide variety of people who have been agitated, confused, or angry would be an advantage.

You'll begin your Care & Custody career completing a 4-week initial training course in England and then continuing your development over the next 6 months with on-the-job mentoring.

We will support you every step of the way, developing your skills to professionally deliver this rewarding, sometimes challenging role with integrity and respect.

Essential Criteria

• Be a UK citizen, Citizen of the Commonwealth with your own indefinite leave to remain (not through marriage) or EEA citizen.
• Have a valid and in-date passport, with no restrictions on your stay in the UK. Please note Visa's in out-of-date passports cannot be accepted as proof of Right to Work in the UK. A Biometric card alongside a current in-date passport must be provided.
• Have continuously resided in the UK for the previous 5 years. Applicants must not have spent more than 3 months at any one time overseas during the previous 3 years.
• This position is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and Applicants must be prepared to undergo an Enhanced DBS check, complete employer referencing for the previous 5 years and vetting to the level of Counter Terrorist Checked (CTC) if offered a role.
• Specific driving compliance is attached to this role.
• Full Northern Ireland manual driving licence with at least 12 months qualifying experience.
• Fewer than 7 points on your Northern Ireland Driving Licence.
• No driving ban/disqualification within the previous 5 years.
• Not currently bankrupt.
• You must be able to pass a red/green colour-blind test as part of your air side driving requirement. (candidates should contact their optician before applying if they have any concerns)
• Due to the safety-critical nature of this role, we require that employees are not under the influence of any substance—including prescribed medication—that may impair their ability to perform their duties safely. This includes any THC-based prescriptions due to the lack of reliable evidence on safe levels of THC in the system.
• If you are currently prescribed medication that may affect your ability to carry out safety-critical tasks, we encourage you to discuss this with us as part of the recruitment process. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments where appropriate and in line with our obligations under the Equality Act 2010.
• To ensure the highest standards of safety and compliance, we operate a random drug and alcohol testing programme. By applying, you acknowledge that participation in this testing is a condition of employment.