Job Title: Trainee Reporting Officer (Forensic Firearms Unit - FFU)
Salary: The starting salary is £46,985, which includes allowances totalling £3,009 allowance.
The salary is broken down as £43,976 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £49,670. Plus, a location allowance of £2,009 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000.
Location: Lambeth HQ (15-minute walk from both Vauxhall and London Waterloo Stations)
More Trust
Less Crime
High Standards
The Metropolitan Police Service (Met) serves London 24/7, policing a city with over nine million residents. Forensic Services helps keep London safer by providing an invaluable response to the capital’s complex policing challenges and you’ll have a key part to play.
As a Trainee Reporting Officer, (TRO), the role will build on your current professional forensic and firearms knowledge and experience through undertaking an initial mentored training programme with a requirement to pass probation at 12 months.
Future progression to Reporting Officer (RO) (from Band P to Band N) is dependent upon achieving and maintaining competence across all the necessary and relevant evidence types for a Forensic Reporting Officer within the Forensic Firearms Unit, (FFU) which is expected to be achieved within 3 years.
Upon progressing to your substantive Reporting Officer (Band N) role, you will be expected to contribute to the mentoring programme for trainee staff.
Candidates with relevant experience at a Reporting Officer level within an accredited Firearms laboratory will be required to demonstrate competence at Band N level within 12 months.
Forensic Services
As an integral part of the Met, Forensic Services contributes significantly to making London safer through a wide range of technical and scientific expertise in order to investigate, detect and reduce crime. Forensic Services is the largest multi-faceted forensic organisation within Policing across England and Wales. We provide technical and scientific expertise in crime scene management and examination, specialist imaging, evidence recovery, exhibit analysis, fingerprint comparison and digital examination.
Within Forensic Services, Physical Forensics delivers casework across a number of disciplines (including Firearms, Specialist Imaging, Biology and Trace & Fingerprint Enhancement) to the Met in support of policing objectives to address investigative requirements and provide forensic evidence to the Criminal Justice System. The range of forensic services includes the recovery and enhancement of fingerprints and footwear marks, the identification and recovery of body fluid stains, blood pattern analysis (both within the laboratory and at scenes of crime) submissions for DNA profiling and the classification of firearms.
Forensic Reporting Officers within the Forensic Firearms Unit work with the Forensic Examiners and Forensic Senior Reporting Officers. They examine firearms, ammunition and firearm related exhibits, providing a vital supporting role. Examinations may take place within either the main firearms laboratory or within the DNA controlled search laboratory, where you will work closely with Biology and Trace Examiners. The role will bring huge job satisfaction and reward in contributing to the effective delivery of quality forensic science casework to the Met and the Criminal Justice System.
Our lab is a fast-paced setting where speed and accuracy are both crucial: you’ll need to meet deadlines, manage your caseload and work on challenging cases at short notice without sacrificing quality whilst demonstrating the MPS principles and values. Success requires working closely with a range of key Stakeholders including investigating officers, front-line crime scene examiners, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and other forensic experts in MO4 and beyond.
The Role
The role holder will be trained to report a range of firearms cases, including the identification and classification of firearms, ammunition and related items; comparison microscopy of fired ammunition; use of the IBIS system; and use of the NABIS database. The role holder will achieve and maintain relevant competencies and pass all required on-going competence tests. At all times, the role holder must follow relevant Health & Safety requirements and procedures, including technical processes in line with independently verified standards. A further part of the role is to identify new trends in armed criminality and to contribute to the development of intelligence products. The role holder will be required to supervise, mentor and train junior colleagues.
On a daily basis, key activities could include, but will not be limited to, preliminary safety inspections, identifying, classifying, measuring and comparing exhibits, test firing weapons, loading samples onto our automated comparator systems and inputting intelligence and other information onto national databases. We’re always looking for ways to improve our systems, so you’ll also participate in audits and quality assurance activities.
Forensic Services is looking for Trainee Reporting Officers who will support the Reporting Officers and Senior Reporting Officers within the FFU in the examination of firearms, ammunition and other related items. They must ensure that all examinations of an item are carried out in accordance with the requirements of working within an ISO 17025:2017 accredited laboratory.
As part of working in the accredited laboratory the role holder will work within the Forensic Services Quality Management System, which may include auditing, reporting and investigating quality incidents and in line with relevant H&S processes where they will be expected to participate in quality assurance, engage in audits, report non-conformances and suggest improvements to the system.
The role holder will be responsible for contributing to the unit’s overall performance targets within the Directorate of Forensic Services.
The role holder must display excellent communication and organisational skills as they will be required to liaise effectively with other Forensic Services staff, MPS Police Officers and external stakeholders.
Application Process
The initial application process will comprise an application, CV and a Personal Statement.
Personal Statement - please describe specifically how you meet the essential criteria for the role. (max. 250 words)
Your CV must not exceed 2 pages (information exceeding this will be disregarded – Arial font 11).
Your application will be assessed against the following CVF elements, all at Level 2:
We take ownership
Give an example of when you have initiated a change to improve an activity or process. (max. 500 words)
We are emotionally aware
Describe a time when you have supported a colleague or customer through a difficult or challenging situation. (max. 500 words)
Those successful at the paper sift stage will be invited to attend an interview which will be assessed against the following CVF elements:
- We support and inspire
- We collaborate
- We analyse critically
- We are innovative and open minded
In addition to the above technical questions will be included.
There will also be a two-part pre-interview task, details of which will be provided prior to interview.
The Met values and principles will not be subject to questions but will be evaluated throughout the recruitment process.
How to apply
To begin your career at the Met, please click the "apply button “. The application process requires a comprehensive CV, a Personal Statement, and an online application form. In your Personal Statement, describe specifically how you meet the essential criteria for the role. (max. 250 words)
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 12th April 2026.
