Prison Escort Officer (PECS): Role, Powers, Training and Pay

In shortEscort officers move and supervise people in custody between courts, prisons, police stations and hospitals, in vehicles or in court cells.

The legal definition of escort work is in section 80 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991. "Relevant premises" include courts, prisons, police stations and hospitals.

Vehicle-based staff

Collect people from a prison or police station and take them to court, or move them between prisons, in secure vehicles.

Court-based staff

Look after people in the court custody suite, bring them to the dock, and move them back. GEOAmey says the work includes supervising custody, managing documentation and searching.

GEOAmey roles

Three: vehicle-based, D-licence (driving larger secure vehicles) and court-based.

Serco roles

Prisoner custody officer (court), prisoner escort and custody driver (10, 12 and 14-cell vans), youth escort and custody driver, dual-badge officer who escorts both adults and children and young people, and a control centre operative based in Gloucestershire who handles planning and logistics.

• Delivering prisoners from one set of premises to another.
• Holding them in custody at court premises and presenting them before the court.
• Custody at police stations for remote hearings (added in 2022).
• Custody of prisoners temporarily held in prisons during transfers.
• Custody while they are temporarily outside prison.

In shortTwo private contractors deliver one national service for HMPPS: GEOAmey in Wales, the Midlands and the North, and Serco in the South.

• Contracts started29 August 2020Generation 4, 10 years
• GEOAmey contract value£632mPer an Amey press release
• People moved a yearAround 250,000GEOAmey area, at the time of the award
• GEOAmey scale at award1,400+ staff10 vehicle bases and 110 courts

PECS is managed by HMPPS on behalf of HMCTS, the police, and the prisons and secure children's estate. Serco's recruitment page lists its geography as South, South-West, South-East, East and Greater London.

GEOAmey also lists work in Scotland on its careers page; Scottish arrangements are separate from the England and Wales HMPPS contract. Contractors must be told of prisoner movements by a set time; the PECS contract guide gives a notification deadline of 21:00 the day before.

In shortAn escort officer is a certified prisoner custody officer with powers under the Criminal Justice Act 1991, not a police officer or a prison officer.

Section 89 defines a prisoner custody officer as a person holding a certificate from the Secretary of State approving them to perform escort functions, custodial duties or both. Schedule 10 requires them to be a fit and proper person with appropriate training, and certificates can be suspended or revoked.

Section 82: powers

A PCO can search, in accordance with the Secretary of State's rules, prisoners for whose delivery or custody they are responsible, and search other people at the places where prisoners are held and their possessions, but cannot require removal of clothing beyond an outer coat, jacket or gloves. The officer may use reasonable force where necessary.

Section 82: duties

Preventing escape from lawful custody, preventing or detecting and reporting other unlawful acts by prisoners, maintaining good order and discipline, attending to prisoners' wellbeing and complying with court orders about their treatment.

Prisoner Escorts Rules 1993

Cited by the HMPPS Searching Policy Framework: searching in as seemly a manner as is consistent with discovering anything concealed, and a prisoner must not be stripped and searched in the sight of anyone other than the officers present.

Section 83: discipline

A prisoner under escort is treated as in the governor's custody for disciplinary purposes, and the PCO may lay a disciplinary charge for breaches during the escort.

Section 90: assault

An offence to assault or obstruct a PCO on escort duty. The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 lists prisoner custody officers "so far as relating to the exercise of escort functions".

In shortSerco asks for 18 or over, Maths and English level 2 and the ability to pass control and restraint training; training is about five to 5.5 paid weeks.

GEOAmey asks for physical fitness for restraint duties, good spoken and written English and calm, patient behaviour, and gives no minimum age on its page. It says a full UK driving licence is "not necessarily" needed but a distinct advantage.

Vetting is detailed. Our prison officer vetting guide explains the underlying Enhanced Check Level 2.

• Serco: an age of at least 18, Maths and English at key skills level 2 minimum, the ability to pass control and restraint training, the right to work, and a C1 or D licence for driver roles.
• Serco vetting: security clearance is started during the assessment day.
• GEOAmey vetting: in England and Wales it uses Enhanced Level 2 vetting from HMPPS, covering criminal records including spent and unspent convictions, a financial check and a five-year work history, plus an enhanced DBS check.

In shortTerms are set by the operator: Serco lists no nights or Sundays and 20 days' leave, GEOAmey lists 25 days and 35 to 45-hour contracts.

Serco says court-based roles are 35 hours a week, Monday to Saturday, and vehicle-base roles 40 hours a week with flexible finish times. It lists a 12-week roster provided in advance, no Sundays or night shifts, overtime at standard rate, and part-time working of 3 full days a week.

GEOAmey mentions dedicated night shifts on a four-on, four-off rotation in Scotland, so check location carefully. It also lists a pension, life insurance and maternity and paternity packages; a salary is not stated on its PCO page.

In shortThe HMPPS Use of Force framework covers escort staff: ratchet cuffs are allowed, and rigid bar handcuffs are not used on cellular vehicles.

The framework defines "prison officer" to include prisoner custody officers employed by prison escort and custody services. Training for PECS staff is agreed between the Head of ORRU, the Head of Prisoner Escort and Custody Services and the provider.

Our uniform and equipment guide lists the full kit rules, and body-worn cameras and PAVA explains the camera and spray framework.

In shortNot every escort is an adult man in a standard cell van; the framework sets specific care expectations where force is considered.

Serco lists a youth escort and custody driver role and a dual-badge officer who escorts both adults and children and young people. The PECS contract guide refers to non-cellular vehicles for transporting vulnerable people, including pregnant women and those with disabilities.

If you are interested in the children's side, read youth custody officer for the HMPPS front-line role.

• The legal duty to attend to a prisoner's wellbeing sits in section 82 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
• The HMPPS use of force framework adds specific techniques and consultation requirements for restraining pregnant prisoners.
• Handcuffs must not be applied to pregnant prisoners or those suspected of being pregnant in the prone or supine position.
• Those are rules written for prison use of force, but they show the level of care expected where force is considered.

In shortEscort work builds relevant skills but is not a recognised fast track into the HMPPS prison officer role.

Escort work builds relevant skills: restraint training, working with people in custody, court procedure and handling paperwork. We found no published scheme that converts PCO service into an officer post. You would apply for a prison officer vacancy through the standard route; see how to become a prison officer.

Escort work is also a destination for many people. It offers more predictable hours than wing work (no nights or Sundays at Serco, a rota published 12 weeks ahead) but different trade-offs: driving, waiting time at courts, and the physical demand of restraint training.