Police Staff Investigator

Would you like to be able to help your community? Do you consider yourself to be a keen problem solver with a passion for helping others? Do you take pride in making a positive difference to people’s lives? If so, we want to hear from you.

At Avon and Somerset Police our vision is to deliver outstanding policing for everyone within our communities. To help support this vision we are looking to recruit new Police Staff Investigators into a range of exciting opportunities across our organisation.

The role itself offers variety and no two days will be the same. Working within our investigative teams offers a rare opportunity to be part of operational policing; working closely with suspects, victims and witnesses to help progress cases and seek to deliver the justice that victims deserve. Your role in the investigative process really can make a difference.

After a dedicated training course and an extensive tutorship you will be fully equipped to take ownership of assigned crimes, working independently as a Police Staff Investigator alongside your Police and Detective Constable colleagues. You will be given policing powers (which are known as designated powers), which includes the ability to perform searches and to use our information databases to obtain information that may be used in a case.

We will develop you in your career and you will also receive both practical support and paid for training to help your advancement towards becoming a nationally accredited investigator – a qualification which is widely recognised in investigator roles in organisations across the country.

It’s vital that we are there to provide support to victims when they need us. You will therefore be required to work shifts, which will include a variety of day and evening shifts and the occasional night shift, plus weekends and bank holidays. There will be times when your hours may be longer than you had expected because there are some things you just can’t leave until your next shift. But you will leave each day knowing that you have supported and guided members of your community during their time of need and are helping to keep them safe and to secure justice for them.

As An Investigator You Can Expect To

• Provide an investigative response to crimes, working as part of a team and independently
• Work closely with external agencies and voluntary organisations to ensure that we deliver the most effective service
• Interview victims, witnesses and suspects and obtain statements
• Compile written reports setting out the facts of the case based on the evidence you have collected
• Trace and locate suspects using a variety of specialist techniques and databases
• Assist and co-ordinate the collection, handling and preserving of physical evidence
• Assist in or undertake surveillance activity and the research of information
• Use databases to keep an accurate and up to date record of the evidence collected
• Assist in the preparation of evidential files for the Crown Prosecution Service, coroner or other relevant authority
• Attend court and present the evidence that you have collected.

Skills And Experience Required

• Experience of interviewing and taking statements or written accounts across any industry
• Experience of gathering and collating information, along with composing reports and developing those findings
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Experience of viewing, maintaining and updating computer systems
• Ability to plan and organise a varied workload and use your initiative to develop information and intelligence
• Comfortable with working with limited supervision
• You should ideally hold a full current driving licence or be able to travel around the force area using alternative transport.

Location of work;

We have opportunities across the force area, you will be asked to specify your preferred location(s) in the application question section.

What It Takes

Our staff come from a variety of backgrounds with a range of professional and life experiences but are all united in their pride and ability to

Your experience shapes who you are and we’re offering you the unique opportunity to bring your own perspectives and apply them to your role every day. We are dedicated to increasing our ability to better communicate and understand the public we serve, with this in mind, we encourage applicants who converse in multiple languages to apply. We want you to represent your communities.

We are looking for people who share our values of caring, inclusive, courageous and learning. Click to find out more about our inclusive culture.

Please take some time to find out more about the roles we are recruiting for in the attached ‘Police Staff Investigator role Information sheet’.

The recruitment process

• When you click to apply (below), you will be asked to answer some application questions. Your answers will be reviewed and we will email you to confirm if you have passed the application and shortlisting process.
• If you pass the application and shortlisting process, you will be invited to attend a virtual Familiarisation event, during this event we will bring all the roles to life for you, you will have the opportunity to hear from people who do the role and you will be able to ask any questions you may have. PLEASE NOTE, this is a mandatory event and you will not be able to progress in the recruitment process if you do not attend.
• Once you’ve attended the Familiarisation event you will be invited to attend a virtual Interview. We will share more information with you about what to expect when we ask you to book yourself onto a slot. We will also share the relevant job description(s) with you.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please get in touch at [email protected]

Employee Rewards And Benefits

Financial rewards

• If applicable to the role you’ll receive a shift allowance, weekend enhancement, night shift enhancement (the details are shown in the ‘Police Staff Investigator Role Information sheet’ attached to this advert)
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Police Staff Welfare Fund.

Health and Wellbeing

• Gym membership – Membership to the gym at Police Headquarters for £5 per month. Open 24 hours per day
• Union membership – membership to the largest trade union in the UK for a small monthly cost
• Occupational Health – Support and advice through our Occupational Health unit
• Employee Assistance Program – An online and telephone service designed to help you deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting your home or work life
• Mental Health Support – Access to Work service to ensure people who have mental health conditions can overcome them and stay in work.

Lifestyle

• Great discounts on products and services – Exclusive benefits for you and your family including; shopping, days out, sporting events, dining and holidays through the ‘Blue Light card’
• Lifestyle benefits, including sports and social facilities and activities, cycle to work scheme, childcare vouchers.

PLEASE NOTE– application numbers will be monitored and we may decide to close the advert earlier than the advertised closing date. This will not affect your application if you have already started to complete the process.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Flexible working

All requests for flexible working patterns will be considered and will be dependent on the role.

Recruitment and Selection Policy

Internal applicants who are at risk of redundancy or in need of redeployment and pass the selection process, will be offered the role over the remaining internal and external applicants.

Police Barred and Advisory lists

Individuals placed on the Police Barred and Advisory lists will not be considered for employment by the police for a minimum of 5 years from the date of listing in the case of gross misconduct, or 3 years from the date of listing in the case of poor performance.

Vetting and safeguarding

Avon and Somerset Police are committed to safeguarding and operate safer recruitment processes, to ensure a police service that employees are proud to work for because they feel safe, valued and part of a happy and supportive work environment. All employees and volunteers therefore will be subject to background checks including vetting and references.