Case Progression Officer
Role: Case Progression Officer
Grade: Police Grade 6
Salary: £32,409-£37,953
Closing Date: 17th April 2023
Contract Type: Permanent
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.
Scope of Role
CPOs (Case Progression Officers) provide a single point of contact for the Prosecution Team; advise officers and staff across the force on casefile quality; and ensure cases progress through the Criminal Justice System in a timely, accurate and efficient manner
Job Description
Applications are invited from enthusiastic individuals for the position of CPO. Successful candidates will provide a pre-charge gatekeeping casefile review service to raise standards in file quality and enabling the Crown Prosecution Service to make informed charging decisions first time every time. Applicants will positively influence casefile quality and timeliness at all stages of the criminal justice process and ensure compliance with force policy, Transforming Summary Justice, Better Case Management, the Director General’s Guidance (DG6) and the Manual of Guidance for the Preparation and Submission of Case Files.
Purpose of the Role:
- To provide a pre-charge gatekeeping casefile review service to raise standards in file quality and enabling the Crown Prosecution Service to make informed charging decisions first time every time
- To provide a single point of contact for the Prosecution Team; advise officers and staff across the force on casefile quality; and ensure cases progress through the Criminal Justice System in a timely, accurate and efficient manner
- To positively influence file quality and timeliness at all stages of the criminal justice process and ensure compliance with force policy, Transforming Summary Justice, Better Case Management, the Director General’s Guidance (DG6) and the Manual of Guidance for the Preparation and Submission of Case Files
Role Responsibilities:
- To develop, foster and maintain positive working relationships with West Midlands Police personnel, colleagues employed by our partner agencies and staff/ volunteers supporting the wider Criminal Justice System
- To support continuous improvement in file quality
- To provide advice and guidance to colleagues in matters of Criminal Justice policy and procedure
Applicants should possess the following essential skills:
- The ability to interpret legislation and translate it into activity which supports desired criminal justice outcomes
- Hold membership of the Institute of Legal Executives with specialisation in Part II in Criminal Litigation OR have a Law Degree with specialisation in Criminal Law OR possess appropriate experience working within the Criminal Justice System to facilitate the principal accountabilities of the post
- Excellent oral and written communication skills that will enable the postholder to influence and guide colleagues at all levels on matters specific to the role
- Evidence of successfully planning and progressing a series of work with strict deadlines 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 under pressure without the need to refer for guidance
- Must be able to provide evidence of the ability to support and develop staff
- Able to use bespoke IT and software packages where appropriate
Hours of working:
The hours of work are 36.5hrs per week at times agreed by management. The CMU is open Monday to Friday from 07:00 – 17:00pm. The postholder will also support a Saturday working rota and provide duty cover on public holidays for which appropriate allowances will be paid. Duties may vary according to local operational needs.
Location:
The current roles are based in Birmingham Lloyd House and Wednesfield Police Station.
Vetting
Successful applicants will be required to pass both 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.
Interviews
Interviews for this role will take place in mid May and will be face to face at Lloyd House. The interview will consist of a presentation and will follow with Competency Values Framework (CVF) questions. The link to our CVF is:
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)
For further details, please contact Stuart Knipe (Western Area Prosecutions Manager) by email at stuart.knipe@westmidlands.police.uk or TEL: 07584886397
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.
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