Police Digital Investigation Support Officer (Undergraduate Placement)

Police Digital Investigation Support Officer (Undergraduate Placement)

Closing Date: Friday 22 March at 5pm
Work Type: Full Time (37hours) – Temporary until September 2025
Salary: £28,302 per annum
Department: Norfolk Safeguarding and Investigations Command
Location: OCC Wymondham/Broadland Business Hub – Hybrid (Home worker)

Please quote Ref: L3369 on application form

Activities and Responsibilities of the Post

Principle Purpose of the role

Do you want to make a difference?

We have a great opportunity for an undergraduate with an interest and experience in Computer Sciences or Software Engineering to join us here at Norfolk Constabulary. In this placement you will be joining our Police Digital Investigation team working alongside Detectives. You will learn about how digital data contributes to criminal investigations and to their successful conclusions. It’s our task to model and develop state of the art digital processes and data visualisation skills integral to investigations. If you have a real enthusiasm for problem solving, creating and applying data skills …you have come to the right place.

What can we offer you?

• A year in industry placement as a Police Digital Investigator (Undergraduate), during September 2024 – September 2025, subject to a vetting process
• Salary of £28,302
• Holiday allowance of 24 days plus bank holidays
• Experience the real-world application of your work in an operational policing environment.
• Training programmes in relation to tactics e.g. Automatic Number Plate Recognition

What will you be accountable for?

Your main placement will be with the team responsible for data visualisation and analysis as well as the design of applications to assist operational Detectives. The expectations around this will be:

• Collaborative development: participating in design and development of analytical tactics useful in investigations
• The ability to follow software development methodologies and processes, including code review

Education

You should be studying towards a Degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering or an alternative with relevant experience.

What skills, experience and qualifications will you need?

You will have strong abstract reasoning skills with an ability to focus on key concepts at all levels of detail.

You should have an understanding of algorithms and data structures and familiarity with common coding languages.

You should be motivated, an independent problem solver, technically versatile, willing to be flexible and accept new challenges

You will be supported by a team who will impart their knowledge and experience on you so that you get the most out of your placement year with us

You shall be able to demonstrate excellent effective verbal and written communication skills.

Main Activities of the Role

• Provide technical and analytical support with the gathering of evidence to support criminal investigations, securing and retrieving data from digital storage devices in accordance with national and Force guidelines. This includes producing evidential reports in relation to data / information recovered
• Assist in the creation of an investigative strategy when digital devices have been used, challenging where needed on the requests for service required in order to ensure that the enquiries and work is justified, proportionate and necessary
• Identify gaps, patterns and relationships, trends, threats and opportunities and make inferences, deduce meaning and make recommendations
• Quality assure returned data from specialist teams to check for errors and take appropriate action in recording and reporting errors to prevent incorrect evidence or unjustified inferences being drawn into prosecution cases
• Prepare and present reports for Detectives at various stages of investigations, detailing the work carried out in a clear and comprehensible and timely manner, to ensure investigating officers are fully and clearly briefed regarding progress and findings
• Ensure the secure handling of and dissemination of material in accordance with legislation and best practice.
• If appropriate, provide the evidential continuity of items submitted to the hub throughout its involvement in any investigation, including the maintenance of complete records of the submission and disposal of such items
• Engage proactively with the Detectives / Investigators to support them in the development and update of the technology and data strategy
• Attend de-brief sessions and other live investigations meetings where applicable
• Keep abreast of changing technologies
• Any other duties which are commensurate with the role and grade as maybe reasonably requested by management.

Person Specification

It is essential that applicants meet the following criteria:

• Skilled in using specialised software relating to digital media for analysis and reporting
• Knowledge and understanding of Digital Investigation and intelligence techniques at a working level to be able to signpost and advise across a range of digital disciplines
• Understanding and aptitude to utilise evidence available, ideally within respect of digital evidence requirements
• Effective interpersonal, communication, negotiation and influencing skills, together with strong customer orientation.
• Ability to retrieve, analyse and compare data and information from a wide variety of sources,
• Experience of creating and delivering presentations with the ability to communicate information clearly.
• Ability to travel as required within Norfolk and Suffolk

It is desirable that applicants meet the following criteria:

• Investigative mind set with an understanding of investigative prosecution processes
• Previous experience of, or trained in the use of i2, Microsoft Reporting or equivalent software Power BI

Hours of work are 37 per week

This post is offered on a temporary basis

Special conditions / Points to note

• The purpose of this job description is to indicate the general level of the duties and responsibility of the role, the duties may from time to time vary without changing the general character of the role or the levels of responsibilities
• Whilst the role is normally based at the aforementioned location, you may be required to work at other establishments across both Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies as may be reasonably required. Police Staff Conditions of Service will be adhered to in such instances
• All duties must be carried out in accordance with relevant Health and Safety legislation and good practice. A ‘No Smoking in the Work Place’ policy applies.
• All duties must be carried out in a manner that supports the Constabulary’s commitment to equality and inclusion
• The jobholder will be required to work with sensitive data that may include child sexual exploitation and abuse operations

Norfolk constabulary is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

The recruitment criteria for all posts are subject to reasonable adjustment in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary contract
Contract length: 12 months

Salary: £28,302.00 per year

Benefits:

• Work from home

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: L3369