Kennel Attendant - #1723085

Job Description

Prospective officers and staff must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold.

Purpose Of The Role

As a Kennel Attendant, the post holder is responsible for the day to day care & management of Police Dogs in kennels, with your main priority, the environment in which our dogs reside whilst in kennels. Kennel Attendants are responsible for maintaining extremely high levels of cleanliness & hygiene of the kennelling & whelping facilities, whilst also providing exercise to Police Dogs who are in kennels. Kennel Attendants will provide support to the Puppy Development Programme by assisting with mating’s & the whelping of puppies.

There is an expectation that all Kennel Attendants support the whelping of puppies, which includes an overnight on call rota whereby you could be called out to assist in the delivery of puppies. Kennel Attendants are also responsible for ensuring dogs receive appropriate veterinary treatment & grooming. The role of a Kennel Attendant is extremely physical, working a 3 on, 2 off shift pattern to include earlies & lates finishing at 2130.

Our kennelling strategy is to maintain the highest levels of cleanliness & biosecurity to ensure our dogs are kept in the best possible environment, this means that there are high demands on the physical nature of cleaning kennels regularly throughout the whole shift. Due to the nature of the role, Kennel Attendants will be required to handle operational Police Dogs, both detection dogs (spaniels/Labradors) & general-purpose dogs (GSD/Malinois)

It is therefore important that applicants are confident in handling all dogs & are able to effectively manage & mitigate risks.

Key Responsibilities

• Cleaning of kennels regular throughout the day
• Ensure high levels of biosecurity, cleanliness & hygiene of the kennelling & whelping facilities
• Provide exercise to Police Dogs whilst in kennels
• Prepare daily food for Police Dogs
• Grooming of Police Dogs
• Conduct veterinary visits with Police Dogs
• Administration of daily medical treatment to Police Dogs
• Provide support to Puppy Development Programme with mating’s & whelping
• Maintain accurate Police Dog boarding records
• To work a shift pattern which involves working on Public Holidays, weekend working & unsociable hours
• To be ‘on call’ for whelping of puppies Qualifications
  
  

Essential

Knowledge & Experience

• To have high standards of cleanliness & hygiene
• To have experience of handling/working with working dogs
• To have experience of whelping & delivering puppies
• To have experience of mating dogs
• Possess a full UK Driving Licence
• Possess “First Aid At Work” (Can be obtained once in post) Desirable
• To have basic IT skills (Microsoft Office applications)
• To have experience of working with volunteers
• To hold an Animal Behaviour Qualification Skills Essential
• To be confident around working dogs
• To possess integrity & professionalism at the highest level
• To be a dynamic, motivated individual who seeks a challenging role in Police Dogs
• To be able to work with minimal supervision & use own initiative
• To be able to show a high level of flexibility Desirable
• To have an analytical mind to identify problem solving solutions
  
  

Hours and Location

Hours of work is on shift basis 3 on, 2 off. The role is based in Dog Training Centre, Balsall Common.

Vetting

Successful applicants will be required to pass Recruitment Vetting and Counter Terrorism Clearance scrutiny prior to commencing their role, this will include a full background & financial disclosure as part of the vetting process.

Medical

Appointment to this role will be dependent upon successfully medical checks, which may include a drugs test and if required a fitness test.

Interview

TBC

Benefits

By choosing to join West Midlands Police you will receive an enhanced benefits package including:

• Fair remuneration with progression opportunities and access to a very competitive pension scheme.
• Enhanced annual leave in addition to public holiday entitlements.
• Discounts across travel, parking, daily costs of living and leisure activities.
• A comprehensive wellbeing package including 24/7 support, free eye tests and flu jabs.
  
  

Prospective officers and staff must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold.

West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader - the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions. As part of our commitment we operate a ‘Disability Confident Interview Scheme’ - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview.

It is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example: in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, the employer could select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job, as they would do for non-disabled applicants.

"Diversity and Inclusion Vision: Maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities"

About Us

West Midlands Police is the second largest police force in the country, covering an area of 348 square miles and serving a population of almost 2.8 million.

The region sits at the very heart of the country and covers the three major centres of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. It also includes the busy and thriving districts of Sandwell, Walsall, Solihull and Dudley. Leisure, retail and conference amenities, together with Premiership and Championship football teams, attract millions of visitors annually.

The West Midlands is an area rich in diversity, with 18 per cent of its population from ethnic minority backgrounds.

An average of 170,000 motorists travel through the region daily, making its motorways some of the busiest in Europe.

Against this backdrop, the force deals with more than 2,000 emergency calls for help every day, as well as patrolling the streets and responding to incidents 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week.