Case Progression Officer

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.

Job Description:

Case Progression Officers (CPO) are an integral part of the Criminal Justice Process. Sitting within the wider Criminal Justice Department, CPO’s have responsibility for providing support and guidance to officers across the force in relation to file quality and progression of cases through the Criminal Justice System.

There is significant scrutiny nationally in relation to force file quality compliance and performance. This role provides the opportunity to support front line policing in building compliant files from the outset ensuring cases are progressed in a timely manner and positive outcomes achieved for victims and witnesses.

Successful candidates will form part of an established team and will work across a number of locations including the case management unit hubs (Lloyd House / Wednesfield) as well as across local policing areas and departments in order to provide real time support and guidance.

Role purpose:

To carry out case management and associated functions in relation to cases entering the criminal justice system including reviewing and assessing file quality prior to submission to CPS.
To provide a single point of contact for the Prosecution Team and officers across the force in relation to file quality.
To evaluate quality and timeliness at all stages of the Criminal Justice process ensuring compliance with force policy and national guidance including Transforming Summary Justice, Better Case Management, the Directors Guidance (Dg6) and the National File Standard.
To compile statistic and management reports in relation to file quality and timeliness.
Attend and actively contribute to meetings, representing the Criminal Justice Case Progression Manager when necessary.
The Case Progression Officer will report directly to the Case Management Unit Manager (Hub Manager).
Key responsibilities
To develop and maintain an interface with the Crown Prosecution Service, HMCTS and other partner agencies.
To be a single point of contact for case progression matters ensuring the timely provision of appropriate case papers to the Crown Prosecution Service at every stage.
To own and actively manage pre-charge reviews (gatekeeping) and escalations from CPS.
To provide the interface between the LPA / Departments and other partner agencies, regarding Criminal Justice issues.
To provide advice and guidance in relation to Criminal Justice policy and procedure.
To build effective relationships with frontline policing.
To monitor Criminal Justice Performance, identifying trends and remedial action where necessary, together with providing management information where required.
To be responsible for continuous improvement, encompassing changes to force and national policy, identifying training needs in relation to case preparation and file quality.
To monitor business processes and remove bureaucracy between agencies leading to improved performance and reduced delays in the Criminal Justice System, promoting the development of a cross agency approach to bringing offenders to justice.
To liaise closely with Witness Care concerning provision of information required by the Crown Prosecution Service and Court Case Progression Officers.
To carry out any other duties commensurate with the purpose and grading of the post that may be required, including deputising for the Criminal Justice Case Progression Manager as appropriate and necessary.

Knowledge and skills:

Membership of the Institute of Legal Executive with specialisation in Part II in criminal litigation

Law Degree, including specialisation in Criminal Law

Substantial experience of working within the Criminal Justice System sufficient to undertake the principal accountabilities of the post.
The ability to interpret legislation and guidance translating it into activity which supports desired CJU outcomes.
Recent evidence of working effectively in the Criminal Justice System, particularly in relation to involvement in court procedures and protocols.
Excellent oral and written communication skills to provide guidance and influence at all levels on matters appertaining to the role.
Evidence of successfully planning and progressing a series of work within general guidelines using initiative and judgement without recourse to senior members of staff.
Evidence of successfully completing management reports for the purpose of briefing senior leadership teams and other Criminal Justice partner agencies.
Able to work without direct supervision and make complex decisions without the need to refer for guidance.
Able to use IT and software packages where appropriate

Hours / Location of work

The hours of work are 36.5hrs a week at times agreed by management. Core operating hours of the CJU are 07:00 – 17:00 from Monday to Thursday and 07:00 – 16:00 on Friday. Duties may vary according to local operational needs.
Successful candidates will also be required to provide file quality support to officers once in every nine Saturdays and, less frequently on public holidays
We are particularly looking for CPO’s to join our Western Hub based at Wednesfield Police station, but also have a Central hub based at Lloyd House in Birmingham.
Successful candidates will be required to work from their bases station as well as across the local policing areas. A laptop will be provided to enable agile working.

Applicants who have not been successful for this role in the last 6 months are not eligible to apply on this occasion

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.

Probationary Policy

Under the Probation Policy, if you are currently in your probation period, “during your probationary period you will not be permitted to apply for alternative police staff roles within the Force unless there are exceptional circumstances. In such cases, you would require the support of your line manager prior to applying for alternative roles, and if successful, your probationary period will start over.”- Policies - Probation Period (Police Staff) (wmpad.local)

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.

Benefit Statement:

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.

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”