Division / Department - Public Protection
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent
Rank - Detective Constable
Location - Surrey Police Headquarters, Guildford
In line with the published Posting and Tenure guidance, operational requirements will always be considered prior to confirming posting dates to successful applicants.
The RolePurpose of Proactive Child Protection Investigation Team (PCPIT)
- Protect children from harm through timely identification, investigation, and intervention.
- Proactively identifying and relentlessly pursuing perpetrators of child exploitation.
- Conduct child‑centred investigations into allegations or suspicions of exploitation.
- Work collaboratively with children’s services and statutory safeguarding partners.
- Ensure investigative activity is trauma‑informed and aligned with statutory safeguarding responsibilities.
- Maintaining an investigative mindset that proactively gathers evidence and builds strong cases to hold offenders accountable.
- Strengthening multi-agency collaboration to improve safeguarding outcomes.
Core Team Responsibilities
- To carry out thorough and timely investigations of child exploitation from report to court.
- Proactively and relentlessly pursuing perpetrators using all known disruption tactics.
- Reviewing intelligence that is submitted, identifying signs of exploitation, and assessing whether further development is required.
- Attending safeguarding meetings and ensuring the multi-agency response is followed.
- Regularly liaising with MPUs, YEOs and other departments to share information and offer specialist advice and guidance to ensure best practices are followed.
- Adopting a victim centred approach, ensuring the Voice of the Child and their best interest is prioritised in safeguarding and investigative processes.
The Detective Constable within PCPIT plays a critical role in safeguarding vulnerable children by identifying, disrupting and prosecuting perpetrators of child sexual abuse and child criminal exploitation. Unlike reactive policing roles, this DC role focuses heavily on proactive, intelligence led investigations and utilises overt and covert tactics to achieve set aims and objectives.
Core Role Responsibilities
- Lead complex intelligence driven investigations into Child Exploitation.
- Working closely with internal partners including DISU, SNT, DFT, Online CPIT, CPIT, HHPU, CID and SOC to provide a holistic approach in targeting and disrupting perpetrators.
- Working with Child Exploitation Co-Ordinator’s to identify victims and perpetrators of Child Exploitation.
- Target perpetrator activity utilising a board range of Child Exploitation disruption tactics including the use of ancillary orders such as SROs, CAWNS and Civil Orders such as ASBIs.
- Working collaboratively with key stakeholders to act swiftly to identify victims and suspects, coordinate immediate safeguarding interventions and support victims through the criminal justice process.
- Build high quality, evidential case files for the CPS and present robust evidence confidently in Crown Court.
- Participate in partnership meetings to ensure to support the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 strategy.
- PIP2 DC with proven track record in managing complex criminal investigations.
Desirable:
- experience or have a deep understanding of covert policing methods.
- experience in intelligence led policing
- SCAIDP trained with experience of Child Protection RASSO Investigations
- Proven ability to apply structured problem-solving methodologies to policing
DI Tom McLachlan tom.mclachlan@surrey.police.uk
01483 633488
or
DCI Kim Downs Kim.Downs@surrey.police.uk
Diversity Statement
We are only as good as our people. It's important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we'll grow from the variety of thinking, approach, and the skills that diversity brings; all of which help us to deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all.
We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of Disability Confident, hold Race Equality Matters Trailblazer status, are a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.
We are committed to being an anti-racist police service. We promise to challenge injustice, ensure fairness and to uphold anti-racist principles in both our organisation and our communities. For more information, you can read our full anti-racism statement here.
We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status, or religious belief, we would love to hear from you.
Please use the following links to find out more on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Surrey Police and Sussex Police
Additional InformationIt is really important that you inform and seek support from your line manager of your intention to submit an application for this role as this allows for sufficient resource planning. Failure to inform your line manager may result in a delay in a release dates being agreed.
Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly. You may wish to consider adding noreply@policejobssurreyandsussex.as.recruitmail.com to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.
Please note that not all jobs are available for internal candidates across both Forces, the current agreed recruitment principles are;
- vacancies in collaborated units are available to all officers and staff across both Forces
- vacancies in non-collaborated units are only available to officers and staff within the Force with the vacancy unless it is advertised externally
- if the vacancy is advertised externally and an officer or member of staff from the other Force is successful it will result in a transfer of employment
