Job Title: Communications Data Investigator - Single Point of Contact (SPOC) - Core Team
Location: Cobalt Square - Vauxhall, 1 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SU
Contract: Permanent - Full time
Band/rank: Band D
Salary: The starting salary is £48,021, which includes allowances totalling £10,511.
The salary is broken down as £37,510 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £40,141. Plus, a location allowance of £2,009, a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000, and a shift disturbance allowance (SDA) equivalent to 20% of the basic salary.
Working Hours: This role requires 24/7 cover. Most staff work early, late and night shifts, including weekends – which is awarded with a shift disturbance allowance (SDA).
The Role:
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Digital function within Met Intelligence of the Metropolitan Police.
The Communications Data Investigator - Single Point of Contact (SPOC) within the Communications Intelligence Unit, ensures the lawful acquisition, analysis, and secure handling of communications data in support of critical policing investigations. The role provides expert technical and legal advice to investigators, enabling fast-time, life-at-risk decisions and evidential packages that underpin serious and complex crime prosecutions.
Working for the Met doesn’t have to mean patrolling the streets. Just as important as our uniformed officers is our 14,000-strong team of professional and support staff working behind the scenes. It’s these skilled people who provide the organisational capability to police London.
We are seeking staff from a variety of backgrounds to reflect the many and increasingly wide use of Communications Data in policing – from helping locate a missing person, safeguarding children, protecting the public from online harassment to the investigation of road traffic collisions.
You will have passion for technology and share our vision for making digital intelligence available to everyone in the organisation. You should have the skills to help guide and support others, giving them confidence to use communications data in resolving policing challenges. Investigators will look to you to provide the answer as a Communications Data SPoC.
You will be responsible for managing your own work file of applications as well as engaging with individual investigators and teams to help them exploit the full range of data types. The job is demanding, sometimes challenging, but offers a variety of opportunities as this area policing expands.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide specialist advice and guidance to police officers and staff around the practical use of Communications Data to help them deal with both fast time incidents and reactive investigations.
- Help explain the world of digital investigation to colleagues who often have little practical experience of how to obtain it or use in policing.
- Review and quality assure communications data applications and engage with applicants to ensure necessity, proportionality and collateral intrusion comply with relevant legislation and associated codes of practice.
- Advise and give recommendations to designated persons (DP) before and during their review of applications for authorisation, to aid the effective implementation and their understanding of the application process.
- Identify and acquire communications data from communication service providers (CSPs) to support investigations and crime prevention activity.
- Evaluate acquired data to ensure compliance with the notice/authorisation issued.
- Identify reportable and recordable errors and take appropriate action under codes of practice so that information is accurate and properly supports crime prevention activities.
- Comply with all relevant legislation, such as CPIA, DPA, IPA.
Who we're looking for:
- Understanding of the legal frameworks governing communications data (Investigatory Powers Act, Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act, Data Protection Act, European Convention on Human Rights).
- Awareness of disclosure requirements and audit/compliance processes.
- Practical knowledge of communications technologies and how they support investigations.
- Ability to analyse complex data accurately and translate it into actionable intelligence.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills to explain technical findings to investigators, senior officers, and courts.
- Ability to prioritise high-volume casework and make legally robust, time-sensitive decisions.
- Competence in using data analysis, mapping, and Microsoft Office tools.
- Experience of supporting serious or complex investigations where communications data has been critical.
- Experience of applying legal frameworks in a professional environment requiring compliance and audit.
Qualifications:
- If not already held you will be required to attend a Home Office SPOC Accreditation Course. This is a 2-week course held at the college of policing in Ryton (Coventry).
- You will be provided full training by our dedicated training team prior to being released onto your team.
Additional Requirements:
- This role is a 24/7 role working a mixture of different shifts within a 5-week rotation. You will also be required to work some weekends.
- Applicants from policing, intelligence, regulatory, or comparable law enforcement backgrounds are welcome.
- Vetting requirement: minimum Security Check (SC) and Management Vetting (MV)
Vetting
This post requires access to the most sensitive intelligence material on a daily basis. Applicants must hold or be prepared to undergo National Security Vetting (NSV) Security Check (enhanced) (SC(e)) level before taking up the post.
How to Apply
To begin your career at the Met, please click the “Apply”. The application process requires a comprehensive CV, a Personal Statement, and an online application form. In your Personal Statement, you should explain your interest in the position and illustrate how your skills and experiences make you a suitable candidate. Please note that you should not submit two copies of your CV and ensure that your documents are saved in either PDF or Word format, clearly labelled as CV and Personal Statement.
Completed applications must be submitted by 23:55 on 26 July 2026.
