Detective Sergeant Serious Organised Crime Team (SOCT)
Post Title: Detective Sergeant Serious Organised Crime Team (SOCT)
Type of contract: Permanent- Full Time
Rank/Grade: Detective Sergeant
Directorate/Department: Specialist Operations
Vetting level required: MV/SC (internal officers may be required to undertake a vetting check before moving to the role)
Location: New Street
Salary: According to National payscales plus allowances
Statement of expectation for the role:
This role is that of a Detective Sergeant, working exclusively within the Serious Organised Crime Team (SOCT), which is under Specialist Operations.
The Serious Organised Crime Team (SOCT) is the lead provider of proactive investigations within CoLP and are focused on disrupting both national and international organised crime which impact the City of London. We work in partnership with embedded colleagues from the National Crime Agency (NCA), seeking opportunities to disrupt national and international criminal networks.
This team maintains a high level of expertise in a range of covert tactics to proactively tackle serious and organised crime, as well as owning investigations from inception / intelligence development through to prosecution and conviction. We draw on expertise from across the force, regularly partnering with force covert assets and other law enforcement partners where necessary. The blended skillset on the team enables candidates to experience many career pathways, including specialist skills such as surveillance, digital media investigation or financial investigation.
These specialisms are accessible to other units and departments on the condition that any referrals are aligned to the SOCT terms of reference:
The SOCT primarily focuses on five strands of work:
- Drugs Trafficking & County Lines
- Money Laundering / Illicit Finance
- Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking (where proactivity / covert tactics are required)
- Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime
- Cryptocurrency Investigation
The team will also, where necessary, support high profile crime, such as murder, manhunts and other serious crime requiring proactive or covert tactics. The SOCT can also assist with proactively minded digital media strategy and the proactive use of communications data.
We are looking for a team supervisor, joining three other sergeants, who will supervise operations involving covert tactics and serious / complex investigations. You will be supported with the required training and courses to enable you to progress in these roles should you be successful.
Experience of proactive policing, an understanding of RIPA / IPA and experience in building complex cases is a pre-requisite.
The role is predominantly London based, both office and deployed in support of operations.
Description of Department:
- Developing intelligence packages against mapped OCG’s and identifying investigative and disruption based interventions against them.
- Liaising with partners both internally and externally to achieve operational objectives
- Conducting proactive operations against OCG’s in order to secure successful prosecutions and convictions.
- Experience in targeting high level drug conspiracies, including importation.
- Utilising a dynamic and proactive approach to disrupt illicit finance activity, money laundering whether cash based, through the UK banking systems or Cryptocurrency platforms.
- POCA cash seizure and Account Freezing Orders opportunities, with additional focused investigations into high harm fraud offences.
- Fast time response to crime in action.
- Supporting wider force units should it be required in the most serious investigations, such as homicide.
The application and interview will be tested under the College of Policing Competency and Values Framework.
Essential Criteria
- A PIP 2 qualified Detective Sergeant.
- Decisive decision-making skills.
- An innovative and creative approach to problem solving.
- Tenacious, dynamic and able to work independently or in a team
- Experience in intelligence development and handling of intelligence
- Flexible and prepared to work extended shifts in cases of operational necessity
- To be vetted to SC/MV, prior to taking up the post (potential for Managed vetting if agreed by Vetting/HR). If they do not meet the requirements, they will be deemed unsuitable.
- Experience of communications data requests and analysis
Desirable criteria
- Experience knowledge in conducting proactive police investigations utilising a wide range of covert tactics.
- Q1/2 Mobile or Foot surveillance Qualification
- Advanced / Standard Driving Qualification
- Financial investigations (FI/FIO) qualification
- Knowledge / Experience of proactive tactics in investigations
- DMI or equivalent C&G qualifications
- Cryptocurrency investigation expertise
Applicants who fail to address the skills/knowledge/experience of the job description will not be considered.
[INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY] Please note that your application will not be considered without the completed endorsement form. Please ensure you leave enough time for your verifiers and senior leaders to complete the support of your application before the closing date.
Please note Officers who are not within 3 months of completing their tenure period, will not be eligible to apply for internal roles. This applies only to Officers who are not currently working within this Directorate.
If you would like to discuss these opportunities in more detail, please contact: SOCTInspectors@cityoflondon.police.uk. DI Steve Weller and DI Kev Hughes are happy to meet and chat about the role informally / answer any questions you may have. You are equally welcome to come visit our office and chat to the team.
The closing date for applications is Friday 23rd January 2026 @ 23:59.
The City of London Police is keen to promote flexible working and will, subject to operational policing requirements, proactively consider all applications to work flexibly.
The City of London Police is committed to equality of opportunities and continuously strive for inclusivity within our Force. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities and long-term conditions, those with Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic backgrounds, female candidates, and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
We strive to ensure all our information and services are accessible to and useable by everyone. If you would like to receive any information in a different way or would like us to do anything differently to help you apply for our roles, please get in touch with HR via hrservices@cityoflondon.police.uk
Benefits:
* In return, we will offer a number of benefits including a generous pension scheme, a free Oyster card for London (TFL) travel and subsidised national rail travel, which allows you to travel within a 70 mile radius. For further information please visit:
https://careers.cityoflondon.police.uk/working
The ATOC Rail Travel Concession allows regular serving police officers to travel on National Rail services within a 70 mile radius of London for a small monthly cost. This is a taxable benefit that the City of London Police negotiates and Officers make a contribution to the cost of the scheme. If you wish to confirm if your journey would be covered under this scheme, please contact HR Services directly as the 70 miles is an approximation. *
A diverse workforce improves the service we provide to our public by making us more approachable and relevant within our communities. This is why it’s vitally important that we recruit people from a wide range of communities and backgrounds with an understanding of cultural issues and a wide range of skills. We therefore particularly encourage female and people from Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic communities to join us.
The way we work is changing. With a few exceptions most roles will be able to accommodate part time, job share and flexible working patterns. We can also offer hybrid working patterns of home and office-based shift patterns. Feel free to speak to us about any flexible working requirements.
The Force has a number of Staff Support Networks that can offer you support and advice. Applicants are very welcome to contact the networks directly if they need any support or ask any question before they apply. For further information on the networks and their contact details please visit: