PCSOs

Police Community Support Officers provide a visible uniformed presence in the community, helping the police to tackle anti-social behaviour and offer reassurance to the public.

Forensics Investigations

Staff within Forensic Investigations use the latest scientific techniques and specialist technical skills to investigate crime and provide forensic evidence to support police investigations.

Contact Centre

Our Contact Centre team handle all emergency (999) calls as well as 101 non-emergency calls, emails online crime reports and also deal with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  Contact Handlers create incident reports and compile and update crime reports from members of the public and Police Officers, conducting an initial investigation based upon the details provided.

People Services

People Services supports front-line policing by making the best use of our people resources, providing professional guidance and expertise on HR and Learning and Development matters.

Corporate Communications

Corporate Communications produce accessible and timely communications via a range of channels to support the Force’s strategic priorities.

Intelligence and Analysis

This team focuses on providing high quality, relevant and actionable research and analysis support to enable informed decision making and resource deployment to be made.

Finance and Services

This department is responsible for the preparation and control of the Force’s revenue and capital budgets and includes areas such as procurement, supplies and accounting.

Shared Business Service Centre

This team provides a single first point of contact for HR, ICT, payroll, invoicing and estates queries.

Information Communication Technology

ICT are responsible for maintaining our communications systems, applications and networks.

Designated Detention Officers (DDOs)

Detention Officers perform an essential role in the investigation of crime, ensuring that custody processes are beyond reproach. DDOs are responsible for all aspects of detainee care, including security, supervising exercises, facilitating legal visits and providing medication and other entitlements as required by legislation.

Specialist Crime

Specialist Crime utilises covert and overt investigation teams and specialists from Major Crime Team (MCT), Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Economic Crime Unit (ECU) and Cyber Crime Unit (CCU) to target and disrupt those involved with serious, complex and organised criminality. The command also provides Crime Support and Crime Review team to provide timely advice and guidance for investigations.

Criteria

All employees of Surrey Police are vetted to varying degrees:

• Police Officers
• Police Staff
• Specials
• Volunteers
• Temporary Staff (including Angels)
• Contractors

 

Vetting is just one part of the application process to join Surrey Police as an employee. One part of vetting is the Authentication process.

You must be able to satisfy the following:

• Identity
• Nationality
• Employment eligibility (right to work in the UK)
• Residency qualification

 

The residency qualification means that you must have a 3 year ‘checkable history’ in the UK – ideally this means that you would have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years. If we cannot check, then we cannot vet. There are two examples of when we can waive this rule:

• Where the person has been employed abroad by the British Forces
• Where the person has been employed abroad on offi cial duty of Her Majesty’s Government

 

The different levels of vetting depend upon your job role and what kind of access you are likely to have to our assets, which consist of:

• Buildings
• People
• Information
• IT systems

 

Vetting Levels

Recruitment Vetting (RV) – applies to all Police Officers, Police Staff, Police Community Support Offi cers (PCSO), Police Support Offi cers (PSO) and Special Constables. This is the minimum requirement at the start of your career.

It is a requirement of RV that a Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) is carried out. This is renewable every 10 years.

For specified roles (officers & staff), applicants will be required to provide fingerprint and DNA samples by consent. A speculative search against local and national databases will take place prior to appointment and any offer of employment will be conditional upon the results meeting the required vetting standard.

Non Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) applies to Contractors and there are three different levels, dependant upon the job role and how much access to our assets you are likely to have.

As part of the Police Officer application process, you are currently required to complete a Police Law and Community Course. We are aware that this is self financing, but need to point out that successful completion of this course does not guarantee you a job offer with Surrey Police. It is just another part of the Police Offi cer application process.

 

Subject Access (Data Protection Act) Disclosure

If you have previously requested one of these (they cost £10 and detail if you have any recorded convictions or cautions), please don’t rely on the information you have received when completing the caution and conviction declaration on your vetting form. The national systems searched by the Vetting Team may show other incidents that for various reasons prevent them being disclosed to you under Data Protection legislation.

It cannot be stressed highly enough that honesty is the best policy when completing your vetting forms. Absolute honesty is required and deceit at any stage of the process may have an adverse impact on your application.

Do not attempt to hide or withhold any information. Lying on your application / vetting form, concealing the truth or deliberately withholding information is a very serious matter and a lot of people are rejected at the vetting stage for this reason. If in any doubt, declare the incident and do not be persuaded by any other party to do otherwise.

You will be required to declare:

• Your previous names and any alias names that you have used
• Your address history for the last 5 years
• Your partner and their address history for the last 5 years
• Your parents and your partner’s parents
• Your full, half & step siblings
• Your children (if aged over 10)
• All co-residents at your current address (lodgers, other family etc)
• If you have any cautions or convictions
• If you have ever been arrested
• If you have been involved in an investigation
• If you have any criminal associates and if so, their details

 

If there is a reason that the Vetting Unit need to explore further, then you may be invited to a vetting interview. A degree of sensitivity will be used – this is not an interrogation!

It is the job of the Vetting Unit to display unswerving neutrality and to establish a rapport with you. The purpose of the interview is for you to give a confidential, detailed explanation of an incident or scenario that the Vetting Offi cer has decided they need to explore further before a decision can be made. 

 

Family/ Associates with a criminal history

Some of your declared family members may have links to criminality. If this is the case, the Vetting Manager will conduct a risk assessment to quantify:

• How you are linked to them?
• What are the type of offences they may have committed?
• How often and under what circumstances do you see them?
• The risk they may pose to you, as an employee of Surrey Police.

 

The main reasons why people fail the vetting process:

• Non declaration of cautions or convictions – lying or concealing the truth or deliberately withholding information.
• If you have a Caution or Conviction in the last 5 years. This will include a Penalty Notice for Disorder, a Reprimand, a Warning or a Final Warning. This rule will apply unless you are able to give evidence of any exceptionally compelling circumstances.
• Finances - If you have a County Court Judgment, an Individual Voluntary Arrangement, are currently declared Bankrupt or you are subject to a Debt Relief Order. There are no exceptions here.

 

Having a historic Caution or Conviction (particularly if it was when you were a Juvenile), may not necessarily bar you from appointment. Each vetting case will be examined upon its own merits. Points to be considered would generally include your age at the time of the offence, if you ever had repeated offending and the length of time passed since the offence was committed.

 

Your vetting...

... will be rejected if you have ever been convicted for any of the following offences, at any age (life ban):

• Treason
• Murder
• Rape
• Kidnap
• Incest
• Buggery
• Hostage taking
• Firearms offences
• Racially motivated / homophobic offences
• Domestic violence offences
• Death by reckless driving, or
• You have ever been sentenced to imprisonment for more than 10 years.

 

...would normally be rejected (unless there are exceptionally compelling circumstances) If you have committed:

• A violence related offence (Grevious Bodily Harm (GBH) or Actual Bodily Harm (ABH)
• Possession of fi rearms or offensive weapons
• Going equipped to steal
• An offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 – being sentenced up to 10 years imprisonment
• A sexual offence with a child under 18
• Gross indecency
• Acts in which indecency was involved
• Abuse or neglect of children
• A public order offence
• A dishonesty related offence – theft, fraud, deception, burglary
• Interference of the Administration of Justice
• Involvement in Class A drugs, or more than one occasion of Class B drugs
• Supplying drugs of any kind
• Reckless or dangerous driving in the last 10 years
• An offence of drink driving or drug driving in the last 10 years
• More than one time of drink / drug driving or being drunk in charge of a vehicle

 

If you have been cautioned or convicted within the last 5 years of:

• Driving with no insurance
• Failing to stop after an accident
• Driving whilst disqualified
• Receiving more than three endorsable traffi c convictions, including fixed penalty notices (speeding, contravening a red traffic light etc)
• 2 or more regulatory offences (no vehicle excise licence etc)

 

Prison Sentences

Any person who has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment (custodial, suspended or deferred) will be rejected at the vetting stage. If you need any further guidance please call the Vetting Team on 01483 633 333.

Many other professions have a Code of Ethics, and in 2014 a Code of Ethics for policing was introduced. Every day officers and staff make critical judgements and decisions and they do so using this Code which covers our professional standards, principles and the way we make our decisions.

Our nine principles from the Code of Ethics

• Accountability
• Fairness
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Leadership
• Objectivity
• Openness
• Respect
• Selflessness

 Find out more about the Code of Ethics.

"When I was 5-years-old I saw a lady on the TV digging and I said to my mum I want to be an archaeologist. She was a bit surprised that I knew such a big word which put me off a bit.

"I did a literature degree at university and said to my career advisor I wanted to join the police. She asked what I was interested in and I said arts and photography. She came back and gave me a four-week placement in the Crime Scene Investigation team in Liverpool. Within hours I knew that’s where I belonged. While I was waiting for the right opportunity I spent two years as a restaurant manager for Pizza Hut.

"It’s a job that requires you to think differently about how people operate. If you’re going to a burglary for instance you need to understand why that house was targeted, how the burglar approached the property and enter the house. You think like a criminal without actually being one.

"The evidence you provide can support a case or rule out a theory which makes it a really exciting role."

“I previously worked in the travel industry, but wanted to change career and was attracted to the role of contact handler in Surrey Police’s contact centre as it was an opportunity to do something that matters.

I can make a real difference in this role, and can do something to help in people’s darkest moments. I’m never bored! One second I can be dealing with a relatively mundane call, and the next I’m picking up a 999 call so there’s definitely excitement. I regularly get the opportunity to use my life skills and the team’s really good too; I have colleagues I admire and trust."

"I joined the Corporate Communications department here five years ago on a temporary contract covering a maternity leave. I had no idea that I was pregnant with my first son at the time!

"Luckily for me, despite my own impending requirement for maternity leave, a permanent position became available and I now work across two teams, specialising in the delivery of our public information awareness campaigns.

"The organisation is a perfect fit for me, allowing me to work flexible hours and achieve the work/life balance that I need as a (now) mum of two. Opportunities for career progression have opened up for me, and I get a real buzz from the variety of projects I am involved in that all play their part in protecting our communities."

"The Force Control Room (FCR) is a fast paced, often stressful place to work which is open 24/7. No two days are ever the same. Having worked in the FCR for over 14 years now I can safely say you will never be bored, but it does take a certain type of individual to be able to multi-task and work at high speed. 

The FCR is at the heart of the force, prioritising calls from the Contact Centre, from members of the public and ensuring officers are dispatched and kept updated at all times.  Apart from this we also deal with several spontaneous incidents that occur throughout the shift and many other admin tasks.

This role is not for the faint-hearted however it is an extremely rewarding job for the right individual."

"I studied public services at college and then worked at a leisure centre before deciding I needed more job security. The job is exciting and definitely keeps you on your toes. You walk in at the start of the shift and don’t know what you’re going to get. Balancing shift work and family life is easier than I thought it would be. The shift pattern is structured and planned well in advance so you can arrange your life around it."

"I’m a senior analyst in Surrey Police’s performance and analysis team. Day to day that means we identify the strategic risks and issues facing the force, working with our virtual data warehouse and using a tool called Tableau to visualise the information. We then make recommendations based on the data.

"We work with anyone in the force, although it tends to be more senior officers; as a team we do a lot a work that goes directly to the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable.

"I fell into this role really. After my degree in criminology at Aberystwyth, and then a Masters at the University of Leicester, I sent out CVs to various police forces and decided on Surrey because of one person on the interview panel who was especially encouraging and made a real impact on me.

"Surrey Police is a good place to work, with opportunities to progress if that’s what you want. I started in 2013, and was promoted to senior analyst in 2015."

"Having a degree in History and a working background in media I joined Surrey Police in 2012 and never looked back. Since my first day I have been fortunate that the skills I held were recognised, developed and encouraged by my line management which ultimately led me to my current role as Data Protection Officer where my remit is to ensure the Force’s legal responsibilities are upheld.

"As the single point of contact regarding data protection matters I am involved in all areas of the Force so while often challenging, no two days are ever the same and you are constantly learning in an ever changing field where actions and decisions have real world connotations.

"While such an environment would not suit some, joining Surrey Police has been a fantastic opportunity and if you have the mind set and determination to achieve then there are real opportunities for progression in a professional and supportive environment."

“I spent 38 years in the RAF, from 1972 to 2010, as an aircraft technician. I had various jobs on leaving the RAF but I wanted something where I’d be working with the community, then I came across the PCSO role which was perfect. I’d be out in the fresh air, not tied to a desk and helping the public. I’ve been doing this role for three years now and I’m so glad I made the change. No two days are the same and I feel really useful in the community.

“I would definitely recommend this as a job to anyone my age. All I would say is that you do need to keep yourself in good physical condition. 

“The Force is very accommodating. I’m about to start a three day flexible working pattern as my daughter is about to have twins and this will enable my wife and I to help out.”