Job title: City Centre Liasion Officer

Salary: C1 £28,598 - 31,022.00+ enhancements for working weekends

Hours: 37 hours per week – Two-week rota with alternating weekends. Bank Holiday working is optional. The appropriate enhancements will be payable for Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holiday working.

Contract: Permanent

Location: Merrion House, 110 Merrion St, Leeds.

This job offers no hybrid working asthe role involves daily patrols of the city centre as part of a small team. Individuals will spend extensive time on their feet and cover a lot of ground in all weathers.

As a key member of the Street Support Partnership, you will provide a uniformed visible patrol across the City of Leeds. Working with several agencies and council departments to provide support for people who find themselves rough sleeping and begging in Leeds.

As a Liaison Officer, you’ll thrive on talking to people, hearing their stories and engaging with a range of people and businesses in the City Centre via radio, teams’ meetings, emails or in person visits. Some of these conversations can be emotive and/or challenging and so being a team player is extremely important.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a Liasion Officer, you will bring to the role:

An ability to liaise effectively with internal and external partners, businesses, organisations, staff in other departments and the public.
An ability to work flexibly as part of a team, responding positively to changing needs and circumstances.
An ability to develop productive working relationships that command respect, trust and confidence and deal positively and objectively with challenging situations.
An ability to understand and use IT systems, such as Microsoft packages, One Drive and the ability to effectively communicate via radio systems, phone calls, emails and Microsoft Teams meetings where necessary.

About the role

The role of a City Centre Liaison Officer is vital, to liaise and work in partnership with Safer Leeds Street Support Team; Council departments and other bodies, including West Yorkshire Police. Sharing appropriate intelligence while completing a visible foot patrol and dealing with street-based challenges including, engaging with those begging and/or rough sleeping within the City Centre. Offering public reassurance and responding to local businesses calls for service and support.

As our next liaison officer, you will be joining an existing small team as part of the Safer Stronger Communities Directorate. Helping Leeds look and feel a safe place to work, live or visit.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose

To provide a highly visible uniformed presence, to ensure the city centre is a welcoming and safe destination.

To be a ‘capable guardian’ providing public reassurance, preventing, and responding to ‘on street’ community safety issues

Through Safer Leeds Street Support Team, work in partnership with city centre businesses and residents, collaborating on community safety programmes and projects with internal and external partners, and related networks.

Specific Responsibilities:

Undertake proactive and reactive city centre community safety patrols, that are intelligence led to address risks, threats, and harms in relation to people and place.
To report and record all pertinent issues and potentially dangerous situations identified during routine patrols to the relevant service / authority and ensure that appropriate follow up action is taken.
To adhere to a work schedule and ensure the delivery of the service is in accordance with the Safer Leeds Strategy, and the Best Council Plan.
To welcome, guide and assist with enquiries from the general public, retailers, residents, and visitors relating to the city centre and provide help and advice to enable them to gain maximum benefit from their visit/activity.
To support community safety initiatives and projects and assist in the promotional activities on city centre event spaces and the public highway.
To liaise and work in partnership with Safer Leeds Street Support Team; Council departments and other bodies, including West Yorkshire Police, sharing appropriate intelligence in dealing with street scene matters such as illegal street trading; Pedlars; traffic regulation order violations; cleansing and waste issues; and those begging and/or rough sleeping within the City Centre.
Operate and monitor Leedswatch CCTV camera’s to support crime reduction in line with the city centre plan, having due regard of the Leedswatch code of practice
Appropriate use; recording and storage of body worn camera’s
To exercise any delegated powers through the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) as agreed between West Yorkshire Police and Safer Leeds, and/or enforcement as authorised in relation to street scene risks, threats, and harms.
To promote timely and relevant communication relating to community safety and city centre issues with appropriate sectors and partners.
To support partnership situational crime prevention measures where appropriate in relation to removal and replacement of on street fixtures and fittings.
To maintain strict confidentiality and adhere to the requirements of Data Protection.
To develop and maintain effective relationships across sectors to take forward and further the objectives of Safer Leeds and the City Centre Community Safety Partnership Board and represent the service at appropriate meetings when requested to do so.
To be responsible for clothing owned by the Council, and to offer a high standard of personal presentation at all times.
To work a flexible 37-hour week, 5 day a week rota, as required by business need and demand, including unsociable hours. Weekend and Bank Holiday working will be regular and on a rotational basis. The appropriate enhancements will be payable for Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holiday working.
To undertake other duties of a similar nature and responsibility as may be deemed necessary by line management.
To abide by the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy in the duties of the Post and as an employee of Leeds City Council.
To observe and abide by the Health & Safety regulations and requirements in the duties of the Post and as an employee of Leeds City Council.

Core duties to include:

Patrolling Leeds City Centre to offer public reassurance and respond to on street community safety issues ~ on foot and/ or on an e-bike as appropriate
Directed through Safer Leeds Street Support Team and Leedswatch Hub
Work with LCC City Centre Management, Emergency Planning and Events Team, Licensing and Highways, Cleansing and Parks
Active and effective communication through use of Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) radio, providing intelligence and responding to issues
Record report and refer incidents and issues to relevant internal and external partners
Exercise any delegated powers and/or enforcement as authorised
Collection and disposal of discarded needles – singular/no more 5 at any one location
Monitor report and support joint cleansing operations relating to tents/rough sleeping locations
Work collaboratively on joint operations including Night Safe Leeds
Liaise with Leeds BID operational staff
First Aider response as deemed appropriate
Attend relevant meetings

Qualifications

5 GCSEs or equivalent including English and Maths and/or relevant experience.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.

Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following Application Form, Test, Interview or Certificate.

SKILLS

Ability to listen actively, ask questions, clarify points and check understanding.
Ability to liaise effectively with internal and external partners, businesses, organisations, staff in other departments and the general public.
Ability to communicate effectively with members of the public in different situations modifying style and response as appropriate.
Ability to pass on relevant information in a useful and timely manner to a wide range of customers, colleagues and partners.
Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with a range of people both internal and external to the Council
Ability to take initiative to assist and co-operate with others
Ability to actively identify problems and suggest solutions
Ability to work flexibly as part of a team, responding positively to changing needs and circumstances.
Ability to develop productive working relationships that command respect, trust and confidence and deal positively and objectively with challenging situations.

KNOWLEDGE / QUALIFICATIONS

5 GCSEs or equivalent including English and Maths and/or minimum 2yrs relevant experience in related field
An understanding of public sector issues.

EXPERIENCE

Experience of responding to on street queries and challenges
Experience of dealing with matters that are highly sensitive and confidential.

BEHAVIOURAL AND OTHER RELATED CHARACTERISTICS

Achievement of equal opportunities in both employment and service delivery and an understanding of the Leeds City Council policy.
Willing to take personal responsibility for and abide by the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
Conscientious and committed approach towards completing tasks accurately and to deadlines to achieve the service’s objectives.
Commitment to own personal development and learning.
Commitment to the goals and values of the organisation.
Ability to make colleagues aware of action they could take to improve the quality of service delivered by the Council.
Ability to promote a professional image of self, the department and the Council.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS: It is desirable that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates are not required to meet all the Desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between acceptable candidates.

KNOWLEDGE / QUALIFICATIONS

Ability to demonstrate competence in the use of a range of computer applications including Microsoft Word and Excel