Technical Surveillance Unit Head of Unit

The TSU Head of Unit strategically manages the provision of covert technical surveillance capabilities for serious and organised crime operations.

• Manage the covert technical surveillance and specialist capability provision at a strategic level in force or across a region in support of tasking and coordination processes.
• Manage an operational response at force or regional level for the technical surveillance collection of evidence and intelligence.
• Authorise and approve operational plans, where appropriate, for the deployment of technical surveillance equipment.
• Prepare, agree and manage technical surveillance budgets and specialist capability provision expenditure to ensure the best use of available resources.
• Identify, develop and manage strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders and provide effective solutions to operational requirements.
• Approve and manage policies for the purchase, retention and disposal of all technical surveillance assets.
• Manage operational and capability gap analysis to develop partnership working and collaborative arrangements to enhance capability and capacity.
• Lead, motivate and engage TSU staff, taking strategic and individual responsibility for professional development.
• Manage quality assurance systems to force or regional standards for technical surveillance operations to ensure the reduction of risk.
• Present strategic reports, position papers and policy documents on operational and strategic issues to Executive and Chief Officers in support of the business area.

Prior Education and Experience:

• Must be professionally qualified in at least one technical discipline relevant to technical surveillance activity.
• Must have a project management qualification or proven ability and experience of managing large projects.
• Please refer to the College of Policing Surveillance Authorised Professional Practice Manual (Restricted) for more information.

Skills:

• Able to plan to short and medium-term cycles, to coordinate a range of activities appropriately within the function, to match these to available resources, and to identify and mitigate known risks to delivery.
• Able to develop and motivate a team and create strong engagement of individuals with their personal and team objectives and with Force values, behaviours and strategic priorities.
• Able to develop and implement an effective stakeholder relationship plan which develops trusts and enables contributions.
• Able to engage a variety of audiences through a range of media to inform and/or persuade.
• Skilled in setting, monitoring and enabling high performance against team and individual performance objectives.
• Able to identify potential applications of new or improved practices related to own area of work to improve ways of working.
• Able to contribute to resource planning, to manage financial budgets and utilise commercial acumen to make risk-based decisions that deliver effective outcomes within the resources allocated.
• Able to seek out and identify a range of information to identify patterns, trends and options, to solve multifaceted and complex problems.
• Skilled in coaching and mentoring to enable appropriate career and professional development.
• Able to manage the delivery of change initiatives within own team.
• Able to maintain personal resilience and wellbeing in complex and challenging situations and enable others to develop their own personal resilience and wellbeing.

• Maintain currency of College of Policing Guidance, best practice and any local policy applicable to the operational police context and leading and managing teams.
• Maintain and update key knowledge, understanding and skills relating to legislation policy and practice across all functional policing areas of operational responsibility.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding of new approaches identified by evidence based policing research, problem solving and team working and synthesise these into working practice.
• Maintain a working knowledge and understanding of new and evolving crime threats and priorities; and current best practice to tackle these in order to enable a pro-active and preventative approach.
• Complete all annual and mandatory training including for example, fitness tests, personal safety training, first aid, and protecting information.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding of performance management and assessment process and ensure they are implemented effectively when leading and managing teams.
• Keep up to date with guidance and best practice on health, safety and welfare.

Not applicable.

Technical Surveillance Unit – Operative

Technical Surveillance Unit – Team Leader