Prisoner Escort & Custody Driver

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Permanent roles offering job stability & security

Base Location: Woking Vehicle Base, GU21 3BA

Working as a Prisoner Escort & Custody Officer in Prisoner Escort Custody Services (PECS) is more than just a job; it’s an opportunity to be part of a caring community where you are valued and can make a difference every day.  In addition to a fulfilling career, we offer:

• Salary: Starting at £25,716 (40hrs pw), with £22,502 during the 5 ½ weeks training.
• Growth and Development: We believe in recognizing your contributions and growth. With continuous training and development opportunities, you’ll see tangible progress in your earnings annually: Year 2 - £26,357 / Year 3 - £26,835 / Year 4 - £27,352.
• Additional Earnings: Generous driving allowances are available, up to £2,700 depending on license type (subject to terms & conditions).
• Transparent Earnings: Factoring in base salary, driving allowances, and an average of 8 hours overtime weekly, your first-year income can grow between £31,316 to £33,416.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Pension (matched up to 6%), life insurance, 20 days annual leave (rising to 25 after 7 years’ service) plus Bank Holidays. Enjoy exclusive discounts on Merlin Attractions, mobile phones, cinemas, leisure, retail, and hospitality.
• Health and Well-being: A range of benefits to support you and your family, such as Employee Assistance Programme, MIND, Simply Health Care, and Dental Plans.
• Supportive Culture: Join a team that values diversity and inclusion, where you can make a positive impact every day.

We operate 24/6, and you’ll cover various early and late shifts (minimum of 40 hours per week), including bank holidays (except Christmas Day and Good Friday). Shifts start at 6:30 am, with unpredictable finish times, so flexibility is key. While evening or overnight work is rare, we provide a 12-week advance rota, giving you the flexibility to enjoy meaningful time off and pursue the activities you love.

We are open to considering part-time positions for day shifts only. However, please note that full-time attendance would be required during the initial training period of 5 1/2 weeks.
 

About the Role:

As a PCO, you’ll be part of a dedicated team providing compassionate and secure court transportation and custody services. You’ll pick up detainees from prisons or police stations and transport them with utmost care to courts, ensuring their physical and mental well-being throughout the journey.

Once at court, you’ll attend to their well-being until it’s time for them to return to custody or be released. Key duties include accompanying detainees in courtrooms and cells, searching property or people, ensuring food and drink are available, and completing paperwork and data entry for the day.

What You Need to Succeed:

Our current PCOs come from diverse backgrounds with various work and life experiences. What matters most is your commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others. You’ll learn everything you need during the 5 1/2-week training course and with the support of our experienced colleagues.

• Requirements: A current driver’s license (C1 License with valid CPC card desirable) / D License (with valid CPC card & Tacho Graph desirable). You should be reasonably fit and possess strong written and verbal communication skills to manage various situations effectively.
• Ideal Candidates: Those with an interest in criminology or psychology will find this role especially rewarding.

Discover More: Use our careers assistant tool to learn more about this exciting opportunity: Careers Assistant

Our Assessment Process:  Online Assessment (sent via email upon application) -> Briefing call to assess eligibility -> Competency based virtual interview -> short role-play and written exercise.

Additional Information:

All roles are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and all offers of employment are subject to Ministry of Justice Enhanced Level 2 checks with Enhanced DBS (Adult & Child Barring) and satisfactory employment references.  

#PECS  

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.  We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. 

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Silver Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.  For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.
 

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.