Salary: Career Graded Band 5 to Band 7: £28,689 - £35,772 per annum (Please note that it is Northumbria Police policy to appoint at the beginning of the salary band.)

Location: Middle Engine Lane

Hours: 37 hours per week This role operates on a shift rota that includes weekend working. The successful candidate may also be required to participate in an on-call rota to support service delivery.

Contract: 12-Month Fixed Term Contract (Maternity Cover)

Working for #TeamNP 

Our purpose at Team NP is simple: to keep people safe and fight crime. But it takes more than police officers alone to achieve this. That's where our 2,000-strong team of police staff and 200 volunteers make a difference.

As one of England's largest police forces, we offer a diverse range of departments and specialisms, creating endless opportunities to develop your career. From mentoring and coaching schemes to leadership programmes and online learning, we'll provide the support, training and time you need to achieve your ambitions.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we're committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, valued and able to thrive.

Whether you're a member of staff or a volunteer, you'll have access to excellent health and wellbeing support, including year-round wellbeing initiatives, a 24/7 welfare support hotline and a leading approach to neurodiversity.

Above all, a career with Team NP is more than just a job. It's an opportunity to be part of something that truly matters.

Learn about our full benefits package 

The role 

Here at Northumbria Police, we think our region is amazing! It takes a great deal of people from different backgrounds, with diverse skills and experience to serve our force area effectively, think you have what it takes to help us make a difference? This could be the perfect time for you to join us in our Forensic Services Department as a Crime Scene Investigator.

Make a real difference at the heart of criminal investigations. As a Crime Scene Investigator, you will attend and examine a wide range of crime scenes, providing professional forensic support to help identify, recover and preserve evidence. Working closely with investigating officers and partners, you will use your expertise to maximise forensic opportunities, develop valuable intelligence, and contribute to bringing offenders to justice while supporting the Force's commitment to protecting our communities.

What you’ll do

Provide specialist forensic advice and guidance to investigating officers, helping to identify and maximise forensic opportunities throughout criminal investigations.
Attend and examine a wide range of crime scenes, selecting and delivering the most appropriate examination strategy while preserving the integrity and continuity of evidence.
Recover, record and preserve forensic evidence using approved techniques, including digital scene recording methods.
Identify, package and submit exhibits for specialist forensic analysis, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, quality standards and accreditation requirements.
Attend post-mortems when required, recovering and documenting forensic evidence to support investigations and assist in the identification of deceased persons.
Prepare detailed reports, present evidence in court when necessary, and maintain the highest standards of health, safety and professional practice at all times.

Sound interesting? For further information, and to support your application, please view the job description.

What you’ll bring

Educated to undergraduate degree level in a relevant discipline (e.g. Forensic Science, Crime Scene Science, Policing or Investigation), completion of an accredited/recognised Crime Scene Investigation training programme, or extensive operational policing or criminal investigation experience.
Demonstrable ability to organise and manage your own workload, prioritising tasks effectively to meet competing demands.
Experience of gathering, analysing and evaluating information to support decision-making and problem solving.
Ability to work effectively as part of a team, demonstrating self-motivation and a commitment to organisational values and behaviours.
Strong communication skills, with the ability to adapt your approach to meet the needs of a range of audiences, including colleagues, partners and members of the public.
Ability to explain complex forensic concepts and findings clearly and professionally to a variety of audiences.
Ability to travel throughout the Force area and beyond when required. Where driving is an intrinsic requirement of the role, candidates must be able to meet the Force's driving requirements.
Physical and emotional resilience to work in challenging environments and deal professionally with distressing and upsetting material.
Crime Scene Investigators are required to attend incidents and crime scenes across the Force area, often at short notice and at varying times of day and night. As driving is intrinsic to the role, applicants must hold a full UK driving licence and be able to drive Force vehicles.

We know it's important for you to feel that you're not only part of a great team, but part of a community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.  

Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone. 

Interested to learn more? For further information about the role please contact Lorraine Tyler by email at Lorraine.Tyler@northumbria.police.uk.

What we offer 

26 days’ leave (increasing to 30 days for 5 years+ service) plus 8 bank holidays 
NHS Fleet Solutions Car Lease Scheme 
Enhanced maternity, shared parental and adoption leave 
Flexible working (will be considered) 
Fantastic market-leading public sector pension scheme with up to 16% employer contribution 
Corporate travel schemes – local rail, bus services and metro discounts 
Access to private healthcare and eye test vouchers 
Discounts on shopping and eating out thanks to the Blue Light Card and Blue Light Tickets 
We’ve invested in extensive paid sick leave, trained mental health first aiders on-site, an employee advice service for the times you need that additional support
Access to gyms in some stations  
Sports & Social Club – join our thriving sports scene at Team NP and enjoy further exclusive discounts on days out and travel 
Cycle to work scheme 
Opportunity to volunteer in local community

We are committed to creating a connected and agile workplace. For agile and home-based roles, employees are expected to work from a Force site at least once a week, with two days recommended. Hiring managers can discuss arrangements at interview. This approach supports collaboration, wellbeing and strong working relationships.

Just so you know

Candidates with priority status will be given precedence for this role over other applicants.

Our application form will help us understand how your work, education and life experience has prepared you for the role of a Crime Scene Investigator with #TeamNP. To help support your application research what makes us tick here at Northumbria, the role you’re applying for and the values and behaviours that contribute.  

The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by a face-to-face interview. Just so you know, you can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.  

We are proud members of the Business Disability Forum and a Disability Confident Leader. We are committed to offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. Where application volumes are exceptionally high, we may prioritise those who most closely meet the criteria, applying the same fair approach to all candidates.

If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process. Please contact careers@northumbria.police.uk as early as possible so we can discuss your requirements.

Use of AI in Applications: AI tools may be used to support your application; however, all information provided must be an accurate reflection of your own skills, experience and qualifications. We encourage genuine responses that demonstrate your suitability for the role.

If your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a Recruitment Vetting (RV) form and Biometric Vetting, therefore you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 3 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed.  A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information, and references. 

Terms of appointment

This is a fixed term role subject to a six-month probationary period.

If you are successful in your application, you will have a six-month probation period with us where you will be unable to apply for any other post advertised internally or externally. 

Internal applicants should normally have completed six months in their current role. Where this requirement is not met, approval must be sought through the Careers mailbox and will be considered by the relevant policy/process owner.

Please note if you are interested in applying for this secondment opportunity, please discuss this with your Line Manager and gain agreement prior to applying.  

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

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