PS/573/BCH - PO2 - Principal SOCO - Scientific Services - CSES Major Crime Cadre - JPS Crime

Police Staff
Joint Protect Services Crime
Bedfordshire Police Force
Headquarters, Huntingdon, Cambs
Scientific Services, CSES Major Crime Cadre
Permanent
PO2
£37,281 - £40,662
Full Time
Yes
TBC
8.69%

As part of Joint Protective Services (JPS) the Scientific Services Unit for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH), is one of the leading Scientific Services Units in the country and the first to be recommended for ISO 17020 accreditation. There is now an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to take on the role of Principal Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO). There is currently a vacancy for a Principal SOCO as the Crime Scene Co-ordinator (CSC) in the Major Crime Unit (MCU) Team at Cambs Police HQ in Hinchingbrooke.

The successful candidate will be responsible for all forensic aspects of cases that fall under the remit of the Beds/Cambs/Herts (BCH) Major Crime Team working on live and cold cases. BCH MCU are split into two Hubs a Northern (Hinchingbrooke) and Southern (Welwyn Garden City), with two CSC’s at each. The role of a CSC is detailed in the “Major Incident Administrative Procedures Manual” (MIRSAP), being one of co-ordination and is not hands on. In brief, it involves advising the SIO, on forensic potential and evidential value, managing CSMs, providing strategies, exhibit reviews and subsequent submissions to Forensic Service Providers and in house, i.e. Fingerprint Bureau, Chemical Enhancement Laboratory. Arrangement of Post Mortems, liaison with Pathologists and other experts.

This vacancy is full time and covers the hours of 07:00am – 03:30pm on a rotating shift which includes weekend working, for which an enhancement is payable. There is also a requirement to be on the out of hours Crime Scene Manager (CSM) on call rota. There is an expectation that there will be a requirement to work additional hours as and when the need arises, including short notice rest day working.

The applicant will have extensive experience of both managing staff in a supervisory role for a minimum of two years and also as a Crime Scene Manager for Major and Complex Crime scenes.

It is also a requirement that the applicant is in possession of a full driving licence, and have a good working knowledge of the Police Code of Ethics, the Forensic Regulators Code of Practice and Conduct, ISO 17020, and Cognitive Bias.

A board pass will remain active should any other Principal SOCO vacancies arise in the following six months.

For more information or to informally discuss please contact.

Detective Inspector, Steve Porter - Email: steve.porter@cambs.police.uk

Internal applicants within Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary or Hertfordshire Constabulary (BCH), should upload either a CV or a completed ‘Staff internal role summary’ form, which can be found in the vacancy documents below. Please note you will be required to provide a statement no more than 500 words against the minimum entry requirements as stipulated in the role profile. 

External applicants should ensure that your current CV is uploaded and provide a statement no more than 500 words against the minimum entry requirements as stipulated in the role profile. To ensure the recruitment process is fair and equal, please do not include personal details on your CV other than your name. 

This vacancy is live to those at risk of redundancy and will remain open to redeployees until the conditional offer stage throughout the recruitment process. Any redeployee that wishes to apply should apply through the redeployment portal and provide a statement no more than 500 words against the minimum entry requirements as stipulated in the role profile. Redeployees will take priority over other applicants at any point during the recruitment process up until conditional offer. 

This force is a Disability Confident employer. Should you require any reasonable adjustments for your application process that you have not made explicit in the application, please contact the HR Service Centre on 01438 75 7777 (or the above email address) or the manager contact for this role directly. We also offer the guaranteed interview scheme; this means that all candidates with a disability covered by the Equality Act 2010, who meet the minimum entry requirements for the role, will be invited to attend an interview. 

All applications must be submitted through our online recruitment website by clicking the apply button below. 

It is recommended that you download and store a copy of the role profile as this will no longer be available once the advert has closed.

Everyone at BCH (Beds, Cambs & Herts Police) take personal responsibility to help create an inclusive workplace, where police officers and staff respect one another, feel valued for their differences and can be themselves. We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments, wherever needed so everyone feels welcome and can flourish.

7 October 2021

This opportunity is closed to applications.