Detention Officer

Hampshire County Council; Southampton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - GBP 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the United Kingdom seeks dedicated Detention Officers for permanent full-time positions in custody. The role involves monitoring detainees, executing various duties, and providing high care standards. Successful candidates will undergo a minimum six-week training course. A QCF Level 3 A-levels or equivalent is required, along with a full manual driving license. The starting salary is £30,333 per annum, plus additional allowances. This is an equal opportunities employer, promoting diverse applications.

Qualifications

• Full manual driving licence required.
• Experience in a relevant field is preferable.
• Ability to work in a team and independently.

Responsibilities

• Monitor detainees' conditions and behaviors.
• Perform tasks such as taking fingerprints and DNA.
• Support custody colleagues in the running of the custody suite.

Skills

Good communication skills

Teamwork

Resilience

Decision making

Education

QCF Level 3 A-levels or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Job description

Detention Officer February 2026 Awareness Sessions - HC623238

We will start recruiting for an exciting and diverse role of Detention Officers within custody. We are holding a number of awareness sessions to give potential applicants a chance to find out more about this role.

These events will provide you with information and an insight into the role, its duties and expectations. They will also cover the recruitment process and be run by a recruitment and central custody advisor who has extensive experience of the role.

If you consider yourself a resilient individual with good communication and people skills, who can be challenged as an individual but also works well within a team of like‑minded colleagues and would like a rewarding role where no two days are the same, then book your space and find out more.

There will be roles available in Southampton, Portsmouth, Isle of Wight & Basingstoke. All roles will be permanent & full‑time at 37 hours per week. Detention Officers are paid, starting salary £30,333 per annum plus a shift allowance and weekend enhancement which will add approximately £800 (depending on shifts worked) to your salary before tax per month. You will be required to work a shift pattern comprising evenings and weekends. Further information will be included in the awareness session.

If you are interested in applying for this role, please click on the link of your preferred date to book a space via Eventbrite on one of the awareness sessions being held in February (please only book one time slot).

Thursday 19th February 2026 at 18:30 – 19:30pm

Saturday 21st February 2026 at 10:00 – 11:00am

Please note you will be sent a link for Microsoft Teams prior to your booked event. You will attend the session remotely; there is no need to attend in person. If there are no available spaces on your preferred date, please send an email to [e-mail].

Please do not submit an application form to this advertisement. You will be able to submit an application in due course after the awareness session has been completed and you have received an application link from us.

As a Detention Officer you will be based in one of our Police Investigation Centres, where you are an integral part of the running of the custody suite. You will provide support to your custody colleagues and offer a high level of care and professionalism to those detained within the custody environment.

Detention Officers are uniformed support staff workers given certain Policing Powers within custody to execute your duties and deliver a high level of service.

Due to the complex environment you will need to be alert at all times, think on your feet and make informed decisions. You will handle tasks such as taking fingerprints, photographs and DNA, recording possessions and ensuring they are safe and secure. During their time in custody, you will regularly monitor a detainee’s condition and behaviour, assist with investigative procedures, preserve evidence and maintain the safety and security of all personnel within the custody suite.

Assisting in the detainee rights and entitlements, and assisting the custody sergeant with the release of detainees when required.

Successful candidates will undertake a minimum of six to seven week training course (Monday – Friday), assessed throughout. Training covers all aspects of the role, its place the Criminal Justice System, police IT & systems, personal safety training and emergency first aid.

You will need to be educated to QCF Level 3 A‑levels (or equivalent) or have work experience deemed to bring the post-holder to a comparable level.

Applicants must have a full manual driving licence. Although you’ll be posted to one of our custody centres, there may be occasions when you are required to work at other locations such as Portsmouth, Southampton, Basingstoke or the Isle of Wight.

Please note that you must provide evidence of education and driving licence at interview stage.

Everything will be covered in the awareness session and you will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Please note that the email address you supply when submitting an application will be used for contact throughout the full lifecycle of that vacancy. You will not be able to amend your contact details. Choose an appropriately accessible email address, mindful that the process may take several months for some roles.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is an inclusive employer and strives to have a workforce representative of the communities we police and serve. We recognise that we are not fully representative and are working to address this imbalance through a variety of initiatives.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary is an equal opportunities employer that positively promotes flexible working, enabling officers and staff to achieve a healthy work‑life balance whilst meeting operational requirements of the constabulary. We actively encourage applications to be made on a full‑time, part‑time or flexible working basis.

The Equality Act 2010 allows us to promote equality within Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary by adopting Positive Action to support people from under‑represented groups. Our aim is to recruit talented people with a diverse range of skills and experience and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our Positive Action team is available to provide support through the application and assessment process by contacting: [e-mail]

The Disability Confident campaign aims to remove barriers, increase understanding and ensure that people have opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. We will accommodate requests for reasonable adjustments where possible throughout our recruitment and promotions processes and encourage anyone requiring reasonable adjustments to disclose this at the earliest opportunity.