Head of Crime

The Head of Crime strategically leads, develops, and delivers investigative capability at PIP 2, 3 and 4 levels. They ensure that the quality of investigation consistently meets or exceeds national standards, to deliver the organisational priorities, to meet professional competence and support public confidence.

• Monitor and review competence, identify and develop workforce structure improvements to facilitate the delivery of effective services, and position resources to support the organisation in fulfilling objectives.
• Lead projects and manage the delivery of change to ensure efficiencies are realised, change is effectively embedded and contributes to organisational development.
• Lead, manage, and develop staff and team effectiveness, driving achievement of organisational objectives and monitoring and evaluating team capacity, capability, confidence and wellbeing to ensure resilience and support as well as advanced investigative skills and promote the highest levels of professional conduct.
• Develop and maintain strategic and operational links with local policing and protective services in order to assist effective dialogue on all aspects of crime and forensics.
• Develop strategies and tactics for a function area to manage threat and risk and identify gaps in response or knowledge to ensure that effective mitigation plans are put in place.
• Develop investigative policy, quality assurance, and audit measures to promote and develop the quality of crime investigation and ensure that policy is being consistently applied, learning is identified and embedded.
• Oversee and provide strategic leadership on the investigation of crime and ensure that there is capability and capacity to deliver the organisational objectives in respect of investigation.
• Develop a coordinated media strategy, also representing the force externally where required, to ensure that all media contact is effective and supports the investigation, detection and reduction of crime and disorder, and shares information that promotes a positive image of policing.
• Identify, develop, and maintain partnerships with key external partners and stakeholders to understand emerging threat, risk, harm, vulnerability and safeguarding to ensure the effective delivery of and operational response to crime and scientific services.
• Manage resources and budgets under area of responsibility to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of crime investigations against the objectives set by the Chief Officer team.
• Ensure that supervisory officers are aware of their responsibilities for the health, welfare, wellbeing and development of police and police staff within their command.

Prior education and experience:

• Experience and knowledge in their relevant field.

• Significant experience in, and understanding of, investigation, intelligence and associated practices.

• Broad operational command experience, with the ability to plan for and improve performance for victims of crime.

• Experience of national and local partnership working.

• Experience in financial management, promoting continuous improvement and efficiency whilst maintaining or improving quality of service.

• Accredited (or previously accredited) to a minimum of PIP level 3 either major crime or serious and organised crime.

• Experience of project /change management.

• Knowledge and understanding of College of Policing Guidance.

Skills:

• Able to use a wide range of high impact communication and influencing techniques and methods to successfully negotiate, collaborate and affect change across a diverse range of stakeholders.

• Able to develop strategic plans and to clarify strategic priorities and the immediate and longer-term actions required to achieve these.

• Skilled in identifying the financial, people and materials resourcing requirements under area of responsibility to identify and mitigate known risks to delivery.

• Skilled in setting function, team and individual objectives, assessing progress, identifying emerging risks, issues and opportunities, and taking corrective steps as required to ensure that the right results are achieved.

• Skilled in leading, developing and inspiring people, engaging a diverse range of teams with Force strategic priorities, values and behaviours.

• Able to scan the horizon, identifying likely future needs of Policing and using these to inform strategic planning.

• Able to create strategic organisational change that reshapes the services or functions delivered by the Force, to deliver appropriate responses to emerging trends and issues.

• Skilled in building and maintaining stakeholder relationships at the most senior levels; drawing upon these to enable collaborative working, to resolve issues and to reconcile conflicts of interest to meet the complex needs of ensuring public safety.

• Able to hold individuals to account for their performance and behaviours.

• Work closely with colleagues in Intelligence, in order to develop strong practices in relation to turning intelligence into evidence.

• Stay up-to-date and/or actively contribute to general intelligence advancements e.g. College of Policing Guidance updates, APP, Relevant Knowledge Hub communities, wider Investigation Community.

• Stay up-to-date with new approaches to evidence-based policing and apply this to your work.

• Stay up-to-date with changing legislation (including current information on disclosure) and current national policing priorities.

• Evaluate the impact of the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) Learning the Lessons reports relating to investigation and formulate mitigation strategies, where appropriate.

• Understand and develop knowledge of other roles within the policing e.g. work alongside colleagues from a different unit to further operational knowledge of each other’s roles.

• Maintain operational effectiveness e.g. attend other units within the law enforcement area they work in to seek feedback of the effectiveness of the unit.

• Chair strategic meetings, conferences and working groups and facilitate discussions (adhering to current disclosure guidelines).

• Coach and/or mentor less experienced colleagues e.g. Senior Investigating Officer and deliver training sessions to support learning and development.

• Keep up to date with guidance on conducting the Performance Development Review (PDR) process.

• Ensure knowledge of your line-manager responsibilities in relation to Assessment and Recognition of Competence (ARC) procedures.

• Maintain knowledge and skills relating to work-based assessments.

• Understand and implement recommendations from HMICFRS (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services) PEEL assessments.

PIP Accreditation

Assessed competence against relevant professional standards for this role is required to maintain PIP accreditation. Maintenance of this accreditation requires the demonstration of continued competence against professional standards as well as evidence of CPD, in line with the College of Policing’s requirements.

• Strategic Investigator (PIP4)
• Investigator – Volume and Priority Crime (PIP1)
• Investigative Supervisor (PIP2)
• Investigative Manager (PIP2)
• Investigator – Serious and Complex Crime (PIP2)
• Senior Investigator (PIP3)
• Specialist interviewer: Victims and witnesses
• Specialist interviewer: Suspects
• Interview Advisor
• Investigation Support Officer