Homicide CCTV Team - PSI

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. 

As this vacancy is currently only being advertised internally, it is only open to Police Staff.  Should the vacancy be advertised externally in the future, then retiring police officers, agency/contract workers, volunteers and Specials will be eligible to apply. 

The Homicide Investigation Team is currently seeking to recruit a Police Staff Investigator (PSI) to work within our CCTV team.

The CCTV team play an absolutely vital role within Homicide, working to distinct and bespoke strategies to recover and review CCTV evidence from all available sources to produce comprehensive and professional products for Court proceedings. The team are experts at tracking offenders and vehicles to and from crime scenes, working at speed to establish those key routes and taking offenders to points at which their identity is revealed. This is a hugely motivating and rewarding part of their work. 

This role is ideal for PSIs who are seeking experience in serious and complex investigation or have an interest in technology led policing and evidence gathering. 

The role requires self-motivated individuals who are able to work effectively without close supervision and possess effective communication skills when dealing with members of the public. Working alongside the investigation teams, officers will experience and learn how CCTV evidence can combine with other sources such as telecoms and forensics to create an overwhelming package of evidence, and will directly see how their work contributes to the conviction and lengthy prison terms of organised high-level criminals. 

Bespoke training and CPD will be delivered to team members to equip them with advanced knowledge in CCTV and other electrical systems as well as the investigative techniques required.

 

Key Responsibilities

• Attend and engage in major investigation briefings to understand the relevant CCTV strategy and parameters.
• Identify all CCTV opportunities from specific areas denoted within the investigative strategy and apply professional judgement to identify further opportunities upon receipt of new and emerging information. 
• Utilise CCTV systems to track persons and vehicles in order to establish movements and the identity of persons of interest 
• Engage with members of the public, businesses and others to recover CCTV footage in line with parameters set.
• Utilise initiative and systems knowledge to ensure CCTV evidence is seized in an appropriate format which can be copied, viewed and stored as evidence, and that interrogated systems are left in a suitable condition.
• Update accurate records to reflect the presence or otherwise of CCTV evidence within the areas set as well as enquiries undertaken, results and rationale.
• Handle all evidential exhibits appropriately to ensure their integrity and continuity. 
• Write search warrants where required to obtain CCTV evidence, present them to the Court for authority, and execute them. 
• View CCTV evidence in line with set viewing parameters and produce comprehensive viewing logs to demonstrate what is shown.
• Produce ‘sequence of events’ products including moving image compilations to demonstrate the CCTV evidence in the relevant investigation. 
• Gather all relevant intelligence which is forthcoming during enquiries, and ensure it is recorded and disseminated correctly.
• Comply with all relevant legislation, for example Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, The Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996, Data Protection Act 1998 and all rules and guidance including the Major Incident Room Standardised Administrative Procedures where applicable
• Attend Court and other hearings as required to present evidence.

 Essential Criteria

• Ability to write clear, concise and accurate reports
• Experience of working in an environment dealing with the public
• Working knowledge of confidentiality and data protection issues
• Be willing to successfully undertake any training requirements in respect of the role, which will include: - Personal Safety Training (conflict resolution level) - West Midlands Police IT Systems training - Investigation module
• Experience of working effectively in a team
• Competent IT skills
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal
• Self-motivation skills and able to contribute to problem solving activity
• Experience of effectively managing workloads 

Desirable Criteria

• Investigation and evidence gathering experience
• Previous experience in criminal law and criminal justice system
• Working knowledge of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act
• Knowledge of police policy and procedures in relation to the role
• Experience of dealing with conflict
• Experience of working in a multi-agency environment, working with partner agencies 

Hours and location

Role based at Aston Police Station with an eight week shift pattern including duty early, late and weekend shifts.

 

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.

 

Contact

For further information please contact DI Nick Barnes nicholas.barnes@westmidlands.police.uk or DS Andy McDonald andrew.mcdonald@westmidlands.police.uk.

 

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”

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