Vacancy Information
This role is within a unit where Surrey Police and Sussex Police work in collaboration, whilst remaining two separate legal entities/employers with different terms and conditions.
Both Surrey Police staff and Sussex Police staff are employed in this unit on their own force terms and conditions.
Successful candidates may be appointed on the terms and conditions of employment of either Surrey Police or Sussex Police, depending on organisational requirements. A discussion will be held with the successful candidate to confirm the details of location, salary, allowances and hours.
Division / Department - Specialist Crime
Grade - Surrey Police Grade F / Sussex Police Grade 9
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent
Salary Grade Range - Surrey Police £29,606 - £34,000 / Sussex Police £29,649 - £32,247
Working Hours - 37.0 Hours per Week
Shift Allowance - Yes
Politically Restricted - No
Location - See Advert
The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time.
The Role & Key Responsibilities
We welcome applications from Black, Asian and Global Majority backgrounds where we are currently underrepresented.
From your first day with us you will be part of a policing family making a real difference. It is our mission to identify and protect vulnerable people, prevent and respond to harm and keep people safe.
Surrey and Sussex Forensic Investigations department currently have two exciting opportunities to join Crime Scene Services as a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI). At the time of writing there is one vacancy in Sussex, and one in Surrey (based in Guildford).
In this role you will act as lead forensic investigator at crime scenes of all types, including unexplained deaths where as a part of your role you will be expected to attend post-mortem examinations.
You will:
* Carry out the forensic investigation of crime scenes and any other police related incidents as required.
* Seize exhibits in line with agreed protocols to maintain the integrity, continuity and security of the evidence for investigative processes and court proceedings.
* Take detailed photographs of crime scenes.
* Develop and implement examination strategies within each investigation to assist the wider investigative objectives.
* Produce detailed written reports that illustrate the scene's layout and evidence locations.
* Use your expertise and observations to understand the sequence of events.
* Collaborate with police officers and forensic experts to interpret evidence and decide on examination strategies.
* Undertake crime scene management duties and provide support and guidance for less experienced staff acting as mentor where required.
* Present evidence at court and explain its relevance in a clear, unbiased manner.
* Perform your duties across Surrey and Sussex making an equitable contribution to the designated shift pattern and on-call rota covering a 24-hour period, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.
* Demonstrate a willingness to maintain competency and continuously develop in the role. This will include undertaking training and participation in the provision of auditing ISO related processes.
* Be required to wear a Police Staff uniform as appropriate to the Force employer whilst on duty and maintain a smart appearance.
* Be able to work within and comply with the appropriate measures required to maintain ISO accreditation standards. You will be required to undertake training and participate in the provision of auditing for accreditation purposes across Forensic Investigations when requested.
In addition - you must be able to attend and pass a residential Crime Scene Investigation course developed by a recognised national training agency. Failure to achieve a pass at this course will lead to formal procedures to remove the post holder from the role.
You will also need enhanced vetting in line with Force Vetting Policy and maintain this standard. Due to the specialist operational nature of this role, you must be willing to provide finger/palm prints and a DNA sample for inclusion on a Central Elimination Database.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
Essential Requirements:
* It is essential that candidates have a pass in both Maths and English GCSE or equivalent qualification.
* You must hold a current, full driving licence for manual vehicles and will be required to pass an internal driving assessment to be authorised to drive police vehicles of the relevant class.
Knowledge Skills and Experience:
Applicants will be educated to degree level or have evidence of transferable skills from a relevant role in which they have worked for at least 12 months. You will need to be physically and mentally resilient, as you will attend traumatic and disturbing police-related incidents where persons may be deceased or have come to harm. Many of the duties involve lone working, so you must be self-motivated and able to perform successfully without supervision. You will be expected to independently develop examination strategies based on observations and investigative requirements. Teamwork is also key, so you will need to demonstrate the ability to work in a wider group. You will need to be able to prioritise your work, be organised with your time, and have the flexibility to alter plans as priorities change. You will possess exceptional communication skills, both oral and written, as you will need to elicit information from victims of crime, produce reports, and advise on crime scene investigation matters. Some of the people you meet in your role will have been victims of crime: you must be able to demonstrate the ability to deal with people in times of stress with both respect and empathy. You must have the ability to operate, record, search, and communicate utilising role-related computer systems and software and have sound experience of using Microsoft Word, Outlook, Teams and Excel.
Why Work With Us?
Policing is an exciting 24/7 business and we all have commitments outside work. We’re invested in supporting people to balance their life with work and we encourage flexible working. We are open to conversations about job shares and part time working.
We take pride in looking after our people and offer a variety of benefits;
* career progression
* contributory pension scheme (LGPS)
* generous annual leave allowance
* discounts for everyday spend
* on-site gyms and a range of sports clubs
* generous and supportive parental leave
* financial and mental wellbeing guidance and support
* discounted contributory healthcare scheme
Please use the following links for more information on the benefits of working with Surrey Police or Sussex Police
Further Information
For further information regarding this role please contact:
Senior CSI Scott Gardener:
Senior CSI Henry Cass:
Senior CSI Anna Cameron:
As part of the application process we will be hosting mandatory Orientation Sessions. These workshops will give you an opportunity to find out more about this challenging role and engage with personnel already employed by Surrey and Sussex Forensic Investigations.
Details of these sessions will be made available after the paper sift.
Successful applicants will be invited to attend an assessment day. Candidates that are successful at the assessment days will then be invited for a competency based interview drawing from the Competency and Values Framework.
Unsuccessful interviewees who achieve a benchmark set by the recruiting team will be held in a pool for 6 months and may be contacted and offered a position should any further vacancies arise across Surrey or Sussex.
The successful candidates will be required to participate in a shift pattern and on-call rota covering a 24-hour period, 7 days per week. Shift work operates between the hours of 0730 to 2200 in Surrey and 0800 to 2200 in Sussex, on call thereafter.
All applicants must be available to attend a residential Crime Scene Investigator course. All training is supplied by the employer, however you will be required to sign a learning contract to cover the cost of training should you leave within 1 year of completing the course.
All posts will be offered subject to successful vetting and medical review.
Crime Scene Investigator Competency Gateway
Prior to fulfilling the above accountabilities, the Crime Scene Investigator will start at pay scale F/Grade 9 and will progress through a training and development programme designed to provide the post holder with the skills to examine volume crime scenes.
An individual will be progressed to pay scale G/Grade 10 once they have gained competence in examining specified types of serious crime scenes, can work independently in the role and can undertake on-call duties. The individual must demonstrate competence as outlined in the relevant framework and fulfil the key accountabilities in conjunction with the Stage 2 CSI training programme (This will include assessment of technical knowledge, practical skills and work products).
Progression is dependent upon the availability of training courses and the individual successfully completing the various requirements of the training and development programme, but it is envisaged that it will take between 12 months and 2 years (pro rata) to become fully competent as a Tier 2 practitioner.
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 Information
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 to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.
This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes. Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference. This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process.
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
Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.
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