Quickly exit this site by pressing the Escape key Leave this site
We use some essential cookies to make our website work. We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your preferences and understand how you use our site.
You can manage your preferences and cookie settings at any time by clicking on “Customise Cookies” below. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our Cookies notice.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Sorry, there was a technical problem. Please try again.
This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.
If you’ve ever wondered what an average shift looks like for a Dispatcher working in a constabulary’s Force Control Room (FCR), you’re in luck! Dan Rowell talks us through his normal day at work below.
I began my shift at 5:50am where I logged in to find that there was 27 outstanding incidents in the South and 9 in the North of the county that were awaiting dispatch.
Firstly, all of these incidents will need to be reviewed and assessed to ensure the risk is still being managed appropriately. This will include tasking my colleagues up with making calls to the victims at a more reasonable hour, to ensure their expectations are met and that we get a live update from them to further assess the risk.
My next task is then to review what staff we have for the day ahead and to ensure that any gaps in staffing are filled. Any staff that aren’t required for dispatch for the day are then handed over to the contact centre to assist with taking 999 calls.
After co-ordinating staffing, I turn my attention to the queue of incidents that are sent to me to review. We have an ongoing incident involving a high risk missing person that requires me to use a radio channel which is separate from the main dispatch radio channel.
I therefore identify a staff member, designate a radio channel for them to work on and request all officers going out to the incident to move over to that channel. This is to allow us to keep the main dispatch radio clear for further incoming incidents.
We then had word from the RPU (Road Policing Unit) that a vehicle had made off from them. Whilst the other dispatch supervisor monitored the radio traffic and ongoing risk assessment, I located a dedicated operator to oversee this incident. I also consulted with Oscar 1, the Force Control Room Inspector, to seek tactical advice on how to safely bring the pursuit to a safe conclusion. As the incident progressed, myself and my colleagues continually assessed the information provided by the officer in the pursuit, and balance this in line with the National Decision Model to ensure that our actions are proportionate to the event.
Following the pursuit, we now have another high risk missing person incident that requires a dedicated operator on a separate radio channel due to the sensitive nature of this incident. I assigned a dedicated officer to the incident, which also alleviated some pressure off the main dispatch radio channel. As staffing was low on this day, I had to weigh up the risk of reducing available resource on the northern dispatch vs the risk to the missing person. Ultimately, I decide that the greater risk is to the missing person and make the decision to have a reduced number of staff on the main dispatch desk to facilitate a channel to locate this suicidal missing person.
By 12pm, the missing person channel is still running alongside our usual channels. The overall demand is heightening as we have invested a lot of our available resources to locating the suicidal missing person. The primary focus at this time is managing any incoming calls for an emergency response, alongside the missing person incident, which relies on strong communication between myself, the dispatchers and the duty sergeants.
Thankfully, the missing person has now been located. I now work with my dispatch colleagues to ensure that any units able to be diverted now start to take on the outstanding incidents in the queue. Call Handlers will have graded each incoming call based on its seriousness and priority for attendance, so we will make our way through the incidents based on their gradings.
It is now 3pm so I complete a handover for the supervisor on the next shift, briefing them about outstanding demand and what challenges we have faced during the day, along with any forecasted issues on the horizon.
Dispatchers play a pivotal role in ensuring our officers are there, when the public need them the most. They operate behind the scenes but it is their responsibility to review and assess reported incidents and then rapidly and effectively deploy the appropriate police resource. Their hard work is hugely valued and plays a vital cog in the policing operation across Cambridgeshire.
Learn more about the role of a Dispatcher.