Forensics and Investigations

My role is to analyse, compare and identify crime scene finger and palm marks using fingerprints taken in custody for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. I report findings in statements as required and provide expert fingerprint evidence to the judiciary. My work has to comply with the Forensic Regulator Code of Conduct and I work within a UKAS accredited bureau under ISO 17025.

My work helps to identify criminals by searching finger/palm marks that previously were unknown to have any involvement, thus improving investigation outcomes.

I applied to the Metropolitan Police Service in 1989 after phoning their recruitment line. They had an 'Identification Officer' role and I enquired as to what that was. 'Crime scene examiner and fingerprint expert' was the answer, so I applied and was offered the role and started in 1990 in both roles (they were combined then, but have been divided into two separate roles now).

One of my greatest achivements was when dealing with cold case review in 2009, concerning a 1988 rape of a disabled child overnight in a Winchester school dormitory. I identified the offender who was later extradited back to the UK from Holland and finally convicted at Winchester Crown Court.

I attend crime scenes to assess and recover evidence to assist either the investigation team/CPS or the coroner. I document the scene with photography and my scene notes, recover physical evidence such as footwear marks, fingerprints and DNA (blood, cellular, body fluids) and then process and submit those exhibits.

I attend court when required and provide statements. I have bolt on specialisms in CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear) - evidence recovery from those environments with hazardous substances present and I'm also trained in the use of a wet chemistry kit specifically designed for identifying corrosive substances.

I am the lead CBRN Single Point of Contact (SPOC) and will soon be training more staff in this specialism. I am trained to deal with DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) situations where their are mass fatalities or co-mingled remains and the identity of remains must be verified. I am also part of the Covert Forensic Team and provide support to all of the teams which use covert tactics providing pro-active forensics.

I have been heavily involved in setting up the framework for the covert team both locally and nationally as part of a National Covert Forensic Working Group. I have also written the national standard documents for forensic examination (both overt and covert) for ATM attacks.

I love the variety of the work on a day to day basis as well as the unpredictable nature of the work. I find the challenges of problem solving and assessing scenes to be one of the most interesting aspects of my work and even more so when it comes to the specialism scenes.

I worked a lot of different jobs and lived abroad for nearly four years during which time I worked out a lot of things I liked and didn't like about jobs. When I came back to the UK I took a night course in forensics and really enjoyed it so then did a foundation degree. As I had been out of the country I had to wait three years to be able to apply for jobs. I initially got a civilian job with Hertfordshire Constabulary and during those nine months visited the scenes of crime officer (SOCO) office and built relations prior to then applying the next time jobs came up. I started as a Volume Crime Scene Examiner for just under two years before being promoted to Scene Of Crime Officer, which I have been doing for almost nine years now.

My proudest achievement is the work I have done over the past five years promoting CBRN SOCO as a role, furthering our involvement in these scenes, growing our training/skills and also recently securing budget to train up six new SOCO's.

My role is as Forensic Services Manager and I am responsible for the management and supervision of Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit staff, to ensure an efficient and effective scene examination service for volume and major crime in the force area.

The best part of my role is contributing to making a difference to victims of crime and families who have lost loved ones in tragic circumstances. I'm very proud to work with such an amazing team of people who share the same values, passion and dedication to their contribution to GMP.

I joined the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit 22 years ago as a CSI Administration Assistant. I quickly realised that the CSI role was the best job in the world and applied as soon as a vacancy became available. I held the role of CSI for 5 years. I was then promoted to CSI Supervisor/Crime Scene Manager, which was a role I absolutely loved for 13 years. I was able to bring all of this experience and knowledge to my current role of Forensic Services Manager (CSI) which I commenced two years ago. This role has allowed me to continue my career within forensic services whilst balancing my home life raising a young family.

There are many many investigations that I'm proud to have been part of but one particular case, Operation Cinnamon is one that will stay with me forever. I was appointed Crime Scene Manager for this utterly tragic and devastating homicide investigation of a young female by a complete stranger. Myself and my team worked relentlessly in extremely challenging conditions. As a result of the forensic evidence we fast tracked from the scene examination, we had identified the suspect within 36 hours which was an amazing achievement. I will never forget the moment the phone call came through to the senior investigative officer to confirm a forensic identification had been obtained. The male was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum tariff of 31 years.

I still feel very privileged to work for forensic services and am proud to be part of the GMP family.

As a Senior CSI I directly supervise a team of CSIs based on the Tameside District at Greater Manchester Police (GMP). I look after my team’s welfare and needs whilst managing their development, performance and attendance. I try to offer advice, support and guidance where required to ensure they are fully supported in their role. I attend serious and major crime in the role of Crime Scene Manager, ensuring effective and cohesive use of CSI and specialist resources and providing the forensic link to the Senior Investigating Officer.

Where necessary, I seek advice from other experts within forensic services and external agencies to ensure that appropriate forensic strategies and examinations plans are put in place to maximise forensic evidence and scene interpretation.

I love my job. We deal with some of the worst incidents imaginable, where people have lost loved ones in the most tragic circumstances. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to know that I give my all at every scene and help to provide much needed answers to grieving families. To help the investigation teams unravel a sequence of events, identify offenders and bringing some of the most violent criminals to justice is a privilege. I also enjoy supervising my team. I try to make their job easier and hopefully increase their job satisfaction. We have a great relationship and I am lucky to have them! I enjoy flying the CSI flag, sharing good news and trying to get recognition for the work we do as a unit.

I started as a Crime Scene Investigator in 2011 and have worked my way through the grades. I have enjoyed every step and have been fortunate to learn from some very knowledgeable colleagues over the years. I have been in the role of Senior CSI at Tameside for two years.

I look back fondly at being a part of many teams who have seen some fantastic results whilst working on major incidents. One particular incident that sticks in my mind was a fatal hit and run. The accident occurred very close to my home address in Altrincham. On a stretch of road I cross frequently with my two young sons. The victim, was crossing the road with a friend when he was hit by a speeding car. The officer described the vehicle to be moving at 'motorway speeds' in a 30mph zone.

The vehicle was stolen, the driver left the scene and abandoned the vehicle a short distance away. Marcus was left to die on the road side. I examined the vehicle and gave it my all over a full two days. I explored every single forensic opportunity and maximised every piece of potential evidence. One of my last exhibits was a pair of black rimmed reading glasses found in the drivers footwell. I managed to ascertain that these did not belong to the original owner.

As the investigation unfolded in the early stages, the officers recovered poor quality CCTV from a McDonalds drive through visited by the stolen car moments before the collision. The CCTV showed that the driver was wearing black rimmed glasses. The glasses were fast tracked for DNA profiling and gave a full profile identifying a possible suspect. This was then compared to the mixed DNA profiles gained from the driver control swabs (steering wheel and gear stick).

The driver of the vehicle was identified, arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving. This job will always sit close to my heart. I know i did everything I possibly could and helped to bring a small amount of closure to the grieving family.

I work on a major incident syndicate and assist in the investigation of murders and other complex investigations at Greater Manchester Police. I currently manage intelligence for our investigations. I devise intelligence strategies, review any related intelligence, research named nominals and carry out ANPR enquiries to establish if the information can and needs to be acted on. Where necessary, I will circulate people as wanted and produce arrest/operational order packs. I may also need to liaise with sensitive intelligence, FIB, prisons, the National Crime Agency, or request foreign national checks. If there are intelligence gaps within the investigation I will liaise with our surveillance unit or consider other covert tactics. I work closely with the analyst and phones officer regarding the data and also assist with outside enquiries, warrants or interviewing suspects and witnesses.

I have worked in MIT for three years and have loved working with such a lovely and passionate team. Working on such serious and complex cases I always feel proud to be a part of it and have learned so much. When a job first breaks, we might not sleep for a few days, but we love running round trying to start to piece things together. I love to dig into what we know and think about how we can fill in the gaps. Sometimes it’s tough and we don’t stop but it’s always so worthwhile especially when you charge or convict the offenders and hopefully give some peace to the families.

After completing my degree in forensic science, I joined GMP in 2008 and worked as a CSI for seven years, all over the force. For the next few years I then worked in CID CoM North as an ISO. This experience was invaluable for my current role as I had never been a police officer and had to learn how to be an investigator, in a busy environment, on a huge range of cases. I always loved being part of a major investigation and wanted to push myself so I applied to join MIT in 2020.

The team have had some fantastic convictions in some very sad cases. In 2023 some of the team and I were awarded judge’s commendations in relation to the investigation into a murder. This was an extremely complex investigation with very minimal information at the start and a victim of good character. Following a couple of months of hard work by the team and our VERA colleagues, I was able to identify the suspects. I was then also able to identify the true identity of the vehicle that was used during the murder and trace it to a burn site in Barnard Castle. In 2023 two offenders were sentence to 33 and 30 years respectively for the murder.

I assist police officers with investigations, obtaining statements from victims and witnesses, interviewing suspects in custody and voluntary attendees. I obtain elimination DNA samples from witnesses/victims/suspects, research suspects and victims, execute warrants and conduct searches. I review phone downloads of both victims and suspects, write comprehensive reports of my findings and results of enquiries on crimes and upload on files, charge suspects and obtain their PACE DNA if they were voluntary attendees. I also conduct video recorded interviews with officers as second interviewer.

I especially enjoy being a part of the Child Protection Unit at Greater Manchester Police and contributing to the most serious child abuse investigations that come into the department. I enjoy gathering evidence whether that's through research or speaking with members of the public and my findings helping to obtain a conviction for the victims. I enjoy everything about my role; it is very varied and interesting.

I was a Voluntary Attendees Officer where I would deal from start to finish with suspects who were not under arrest - charging them, cautioning them, arranging for their biometrics to be taken etc. I enjoyed doing that and so I wanted to gain more experience and deal with investigations so I applied for numerous ISO roles and some I didn't get far with, but I persevered and applied for an ISO within CID at West Didsbury but this was merely research purposes to see what competence examples I would need to get to fulfil the role, turns out I had enough experience to do the job and here I am!

My most proudest moment was talking a 17 year old girl who was having a mental breakdown down from the bridge over the M602 motorway in February 2023. She had just been discharged from hospital and felt she had been let down by the Mental Health Crisis Team and thought her only option was to end her life. I made her see that that wasn't the answer and that she had more to live for and that I could get her help through my job in the police.

I believe the experience that I had gained through my role within the Child Protection Unit helped me understand what she needed and the services I could refer her to. I made sure she was safe and well and handed her over to police officers who returned her back to the hospital to be assessed by the MHT. I later found out her mum came for her and she went home.

Ray has worked in policing for over 45 years, joining as an officer in 1978. He spent most of his police officer career in criminal investigations and was highly respected as a Detective. In 2008, he retired after 30 years’ service and took up a police staff role as investigations manager within the crime support hub at Bradford District at West Yorkshire Police. 

He leads a team focusing on data integrity, investigation standards, CCTV, forensic hits and fraud investigations, supporting first responders and investigators.

The job that Ray actually does goes way beyond his role profile and he has become a key member of the District, exercising influence far beyond his own team. Due to his exceptional knowledge he is a point of reference, especially in areas such as data integrity and investigation processes. He has a meticulous and detailed approach to problem solving which has seen him become a go to member of staff for the senior leadership team. 

In recent years he has spearheaded efforts to improve investigation standards. He wrote a training package for the front line and delivered it to hundreds of officers, teaching them how to get the basics, such as seizing and packaging an exhibit, right. The training that he produced for the Ddstrict was adopted by the force. He developed the process used to manage forensic hits in Bradford – and it is help up now as the model for the force. He has dealt with many process issues. When a deficiency in a process is discovered, Ray has often been the one to tackle it.

Ray has an exceptional work ethic and a strong sense of personal responsibility. If asked to look at a problem, he will deliver a solution. He is extremely conscientious and reliable. His level of motivation, after more than 45 years in the organisation is inspiring.

My role has involved providing support to the Crown Office throughout the Lockerbie investigation, through the various judicial reviews and appeals, and to continue that support with Crown Office and US colleagues in the preparation for the trial of the Libyan accused of being involved in the conspiracy to destroy Flight Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie on 21 December 1988. This includes extensive reviews of the evidence currently held and examining potential means of gathering new evidence.

I have been privileged to have been associated with the Lockerbie Air Disaster investigation for almost 25 years. I have without doubt met and worked with some incredible people throughout the world. I enjoy the partnership working with other organisations including the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the FBI, and the Department of Justice in the USA.

My career started initially as a Detective Constable assisting in the preparation for the trial of the two Libyans at Kamp van Zeist in The Netherlands. I then progressed to become the Deputy Senior Investigating Officer, a position I held until I retired from the Police in 2018. I then returned to Police Scotland as a Member of Support staff in the position of Investigation and Information Manager for the Lockerbie Air Disaster, utilising my skills and knowledge of the investigation. 

I have many achievements I am particularly proud of:

1. Chief Constable's Commendation for my work in the Lockerbie investigation
2. FBI Commendation from the Office for Victim's of Crime in recognition of my work with the victim's families.
3. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of my years of work on the investigation and to the bereaved families of the Lockerbie Air Disaster.

My greatest achievement has to be the MBE. My nomination included letters of support from Crown Office, the FBI and the Department of Justice, highlighting my contribution to the investigation and importantly to the support provided to many families over the years.

I am a manager a team of ten staff at Nottinghamshire Police - all police staff members. I manage a core business of money laundering, confiscation and civil investigations - pre and post charge and upon conviction.

What I enjoy most out of my role is working with a great team andtaking money off bad people, and the satisfaction of knowing that my investigation/team have literally taken the money out of crime. 

I've been a Accredited Financial Investigator for over 19 years. I was asked to apply for the position of Manager by my DI, who thought I had what it takes to lead a team. I have had many achievements as a finanicial investigor, and recently I have also been elected Chair of the newly formed Nottinghamshire Association of Muslim Police.

I have line management responsibility for staff and officers, supporting their professional development, maintaining their competencies, as well as taking responsibility for their performance & wellbeing. I have experience of managing complex performance issues, providing support and signposting staff to other specialists for their welfare and wellbeing.

I have written and delivered development/performance plans following HR procedures, ensuring achievable objectives and goals are set to support monitoring and ongoing development.

I have Crime Scene Manager (CSM) and Crime Scene Co-ordinator responsibilities for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary. This includes running crime scenes for major, serious and complex crime, liaising with senior investigative officers in the Major Crime Incident Room and advising OICs, providing forensic strategies and submission strategies to ensure all forensic evidence is maximised.

I write Standard Operation Procedures for the CSI department and provide forensic training to CSIs and officers of all ranks on subjects such as sexual assaults, firearms, and Post Incident Police Shootings, through to general forensic preservation.

When I am Duty CSM I am point of contact for all forensic queries for the force that day, managing resources and deployments across the counties. The aspect of my role that I enjoy most is helping to solve cases for the victims of crime.

My route into this position took a long time. I kept applying and eventually got the role of Volume Crime Scene Investigator. It took me ten years as the posts rarely came up, police officers were Scenes of Officers back then and only a few civilian posts were around.

Two moments in my career stand out to me. The first one was getting the forensic evidence to catch a sadistic killer of a vulnerable lady - this case will stay with me forever.

The second was working on the project to build a new CSI site in Portsmouth. Using my forensic knowledge, advising and directing the team to ensure the site was not only fit for purpose but also future proofed, we now have a bespoke forensic technical space which is now accredited to ISO17020.

My role is to supervise Criminal Investigation Departmen (CID) teams. I take investigative command for critical incidents, significant incidents and serious and complex crime across West Sussex. I attending scenes of significant incidents including drugs offences, modern day slavery and human trafficking, stalkings, sexual assaults, violence against women and girls (VAWG) incidents, robbery, grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, murder, suspicious deaths, unexplained deaths, and suicides.

I support victims throughout the criminal justice process, as well as families of suicide deaths through the investigation and also coroner inquests.

I love the range of jobs which it brings. The job can be heavily demanding and can be at the drop of a pin long days. However, during those times, not only yourself but your whole team are willing to stay, support each other and the motivation from the whole team approach keeps you motivated.

The different jobs which can come around is vast and one day you can be dealing with one of the most horrific of crimes against a sexual abuse survivor, and then the next you could be dealing with a death to which there may well be third party involvement. Not a single day goes by where you are not on your toes thinking about what to do, making decisions on cases which affect not just the persons involved but also the wider public, and the safety and security of the community.

I applied to become a PIP1 Investigator after finishing university attending Bournemouth University. I had no dealings with police, understanding of the role or what would become of it initially. As soon as I joined I loved dealing with the bigger more serious jobs and after 1.5 years i applied to become a PIP2 Investigator and completed the National Investigators' Exam (NIE). After completing this and spending 2 years as a PIP2, I was advised I was ready to become a PIP2 Supervisor and advised to apply for the role. I did so and become a PIP2 Supervisor. I have now been on two different teams and the role is a great job which brings excellent opportunities.

My greatest achievement is in being able to progress from an individual who had never had any family or experience of anyone working in the police, to someone who has managed to come in, progress well and be supported throughout. I've learnt ways of leadership which not only get great results, but also motivates the team and gains respect throughout.

I have had dealings with multiple cases to which have been taken over by major crime teams. This includes corporate manslaughter cases, manslaughter, and GBH's.

I have supported multiple highly vulnerable victims and got offenders remanded into prison. I have helped to protect victims and the wider public.

My role is to to coordinate and assist in identifying child victims and offenders of child sexual exploitation from information contained within digital images and videos; to provide vital information regarding locations, clothing, distinctive marks, scars, tattoos, equipment used to make the image, age of the image and connections between series of images.

I conduct my own investigations to identify child victims and offenders from devices seized within Durham, using various available software packages.
To liaise with Child Exploitation Investigators and other Victim Identification Investigators at Local, Regional and National levels (including NCA CEOP); and to be a specialist user of the National Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) to achieve the safeguarding of victims of child sexual exploitation.

I coordinate where necessary, to facilitate the safeguarding for any such child identified and ensure that all partner agencies are aware and that national guidelines are adhered. I Review all IIOC investigations to ensure that Victim ID is considered. I cascade new developments and use of grading software to other staff. I also give presentations on CAID, victim identification and grading of images to officers and staff in force.

The investigation and using various techniques to identify a child. The satisfaction when a child is identified and safeguarding can be carried out is very rewarding.

Previously working within Criminal Justice Unit building casefiles for court, I would often be passionate regarding the cases involving the safeguarding of children. The role was created as a brand new role for Durham Constabulary in 2018 and I was keen to get into something more operational.

The work I am still currently conducting on a case of a male suspect who has groomed and sexually incited large numbers of young girls online. It has involved quite a lot of work in terms of interrogating images and devices but has identified and safeguarded many victims, some as young as nine years old.

My role is the same as a Detective Constable (DC) and I work alongside DC's in CID. In CID we take a lot of varied crime types from possession with intent to supply and sexual assault, to grievous bodily harrm where people have sustained life changing injuries.

My role is to take on an investigation and be the officer in charge of the case and investigate thoroughly usually presenting my findings to the Crown Prosecution Service for charging advice and then taking cases to Trial at Crown Court. As part of my role I take statements from victims and witnesses, I interview suspects, I take part in searches as required and help the CPS to present evidence at court. I am also responsible for submitting, reviewing and collating and forensic evidence such as phone downloads or forensic hits from fingerprints or DNA.

I am tier 3 interview qualified meaning I can interview higher level offences including murder. I also assist with the daily activities of CID which could include attending a deceased person and liaising with next of kin or safeguarding vulnerable people.

It is incredibly varied but rewarding and I get to meet lots of different people.

The things I like best about my role are working in a team when a big job comes in. I love us all pulling together to get evidence quickly and try to remand people in custody when the most serious of crimes happen. This can mean VERY long shifts but the team work and the right outcome is the best reward. I also absolutely LOVE interviewing. There are always many sides to a story and my role allows me to try and obtain all these different accounts even from the suspect to try and work out what has happened.

I pride myself on being a good interviewer and am always learning even after nearly 10 years going into interview with other people and watching their techniques. You never quite know what someone is going to say to you in interview and you have to be ready to react to that and adapt and I love it.

I started working for Sussex Police as a temp in 2007 in officer recruitment and then managed to get a role in the Criminal Justice Unit as a permanent member of staff. I really had no idea what the job entailed but it was working closely with victims and witnesses and preparing them for court cases. I found this really interesting but it made me more interested in the investigation side of things. I became deputy manager of the East Sussex CJU and then in 2014 Sussex Police started to allow Staff Members into investigations and CID I applied for this and was successful as a PIP 1 and then passed my NIE exam and in 2016 became a PIP 2 investigator in CID.

There are two jobs that i am incredibly proud of. The first involved the stabbing of a male in Hastings where the offenders ran away and then filmed themselves on social media discussing the stabbing. This job came in on our early shift and was a brilliant team effort of three very long shifts with three offenders to be interviewed and searches and subsequent charges where they were remanded in custody.

While interviewing one of the suspects I managed to get them to narrow down where they threw the knife after the incident and directed the search and this was located. All the three suspects were charged and two were given substantial time in prison.

The other job I was OIC for where a stabbing occurred on the railway bridge in Bexhill. Again this had multiple suspects and a male sustained life threatening injuries. Again this had multiple suspects in custody and from scouring CCTV it appeared that this was an organised fight where one of them had a knife. Due to covid the court case took a long time but the male who committed the stabbing ended up getting a prison sentence and the others community orders for affray.

Both these cases i am proud of as they show how CID can get great results working as a team and taking dangerous people off the streets.

My day at Greater Manchester Police starts at the morning briefing where I'm tasked carry out investigations from the night crime log. This can include completing house to house enquiries, CCTV trawl and viewings, interviewing victims of crime and witnesses and assisting with interviews of arrested suspects. I'm also tasked by detectives to assist in general crime enquiries. This can include taking witness statements for file building, assisting with video recorded interviews or general duties such as delivering exhibits to forensic services for examination. The work is tasked by both the General CID office and Child Protection Unit.

I really enjoy meeting victims and witnesses to take statements. This is an opportunity to ensure that they are listened to and feel valued. I ensure that I spend time listening carefully to them and offering support and reassurance and answering any questions they may have.

In being able to spend time with victims and build up a rapport and trust with them, it at least helps to give and leave the victim with a positive experience in dealing with a member of GMP and ensures they have someone who understands their case to talk to should they have any further questions or concerns.

I was a retired Police Inspector having served in GMP from 1978 (as a cadet) to retirement in 2010. My career involved working as a detective at both constable and sergeant level. Upon my retirement I worked at a large secondary school in Oldham as a behaviour manager. After 11 years at the school, I was ready for a change of career again and was informed that GMP were looking to recruit retired detectives as part of the investigative resilience project due to a shortage of detectives across the force area.

I was always extremely proud to work as a police officer for GMP and saw the force as a family. This opportunity was one I could not resist applying for and I was delighted to return to GMP as an ISO working at Central Park Police Station in September 2022. A decision I have never regretted.

The core responsibilities of my role are to manage the staff of the Asset Confiscation Enforcement (ACE) team situated within the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU). The team conduct investigations concerning persons who have outstanding Confiscation Orders which have resulted from their criminal conduct at the level of serious and organised crime. I seek to identify assets which through court proceedings will be forfeited at Crown Court and will contribute towards settling their outstanding Confiscation Order.

As an Accredited Financial Investigator I am authorised by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to progress application, at Crown Court, and I too have a number of investigations which maintains my accreditation.

Additionally, I act as the single point of contact in the field of Proceeds of Crime assisting investigators both in the NWROCU and within the six forces that the NWROCU represents. I monitor the ACE teams statistics and drive performance.

Leading on engagement with other Regional Organised Crime Units, police forces throughout the country including Police Scotland and Police Service Northern Ireland, the NCA and the Home Office is essential for effective investigations. Building relationships is the bedrock that allows investigators of the ACE team to conduct their enquiries effectively and efficiently.

Engagement with members of the regulated sector is crucial, working collaboratively we can quickly identify assets which have been hidden from law enforcement. Using designated gateways we have the access to a wealth of information which greatly assists ACE team investigations.

Regulated sectors include: banks, insurance companies, tax advisors, accountants/legal advisors, and estate agents.

Having worked in Policing for 12+ years in a number of varied roles I feel I have gained a significant amount of experience. With that experience I have been exposed to ideas and process that work outstandingly and equally areas of policing which were less productive which I have learnt from.

With that I have always been someone who has never been afraid to share my initiatives or solutions for problems with my team and members of my senior leadership team. I have had a number of successful initiatives get off the ground , notably a digitised map of all the known cannabis farms throughout Merseyside. This greatly assisted the Force Intelligence Bureau when analysing relatable intelligence and assist with force tasking.

Previously I have had to rely on others to see my vision and assist me with my initiative. Being at an elevated senior level it is now expected of me to highlight new initiatives and drive them to a successful conclusion increasing the overall performance of my team, my department and my organisation. This is the level of responsibility I thrive from: identifying an idea or process that would be beneficial; consulting with practitioners and peers to gain valuable opinions, inputs and concerns; drafting a plan to show the journey and highlight the milestones of the plan, and finally, effecting the change and seeing the fruits of our labour.

I started my policing career as a volunteer being a Special Constable within Merseyside. From there I successfully applied to work, on an agency basis, in the ICT department as a clerical officer. This now entitled me to apply for internal positions within the organisation. My first fulltime employment with Merseyside Police was as a Cannabis Dismantling Team Operative. From there I progressed to work in the Digital Forensics Department in the Force Intelligence Bureau. I then made the jump to the NWROCU as a Financial Investigator and subsequently became a Senior Financial Investigator over the Asset Confiscation Enforcement Team.

My role is to create and show video identification parades, e-fits and photo albums to victims and witnesses, and to provide advice and guidance on the above to Investigating Officers.

I like most running the actual procedures themselves. Every victim or witness is different and although the procedure is the same for everybody not one of them is the same because of the interaction and needs of the individual person.

I joined Surrey Police after 20 years of working for Royal Mail before taking voluntary redundancy. I started as a police temp in the Witness Care Unit but always wanted a job with face-to-face public access, so the ID Unit seemed the ideal choice.

Over the years I've run ID parades and performed e-gits on a lot of high profile jobs and received good work reports on several of them. I think the one that stands out the most in recent times was during the COVID lockdown when we had a witness who had left the country after the incident had happened to them and moved to Gibraltar but was still required by CPS to view an ID Parade.

There were no travel option, so contact was made with the Gibraltar Police who had no need for ID Parades as the terriroty is so small and therefore had never conducted one. This meant that I needed to advise and provide guidance to a police officer who had never completed an ID parade before and ensure that the procedure compiled fully with all the PACE requirements. All of this was done by e-mail and telephone conversations as we had no access to video communications at the time

I am pleased to say that it all went well and the ID parade was completed successfully.

Working within the incident Assessment Unit (IAU) at Avon and Somerset Police is a fast paced and varied role. Together with another Supervisor I line manage a team of 20 police staff investigators who are carrying a case load of live investigations. My role is to support the staff by conducting crime reviews and setting investigation plans. I am responsible for allocation, transferring and filing crime investigations for my team. Victim service is at the heart of everything I do and my role is to ensure that my staff are supported in order to provide the best service to the public.

The IAU is made up of police staff and police officers and is under the Command-and-Control umbrella within the Response Directorate.

It provides a desktop investigation function that enables appropriate crime types to be investigated remotely. Investigators will liaise with victims and witnesses gathering evidence to identify offenders. This function provides vital support to our front-line police officer colleagues by creating capacity for them to respond to emergencies and attend live incidents that carry a higher threat, harm and risk.

The volume of work that comes through the IAU on a weekly basis is remarkable. For example, a review of last week shows that over 600 incidents were taken from the live screen and assigned to the IAU. We have a great team of dedicated staff who are victim focused and strive to achieve the best outcomes for the pubic they serve.