Local Crime Investigator
Whether it's interviewing a suspect in custody, helping to search for evidence in a suspect's house or workplace, or reviewing CCTV footage, you'll be at the heart of the investigation.
- You'll be questioning suspects, so you'll need to have an enquiring mind to ask questions and get to the truth
- You'll be interviewing victims and witnesses, so it’s important you can show strong empathy, professionalism and first class customer service
- You'll be examining CCTV and reviewing statements to piece together what happened, so you need to be patient and thorough
- You'll be handling evidence and preparing reports, so you'll need to be meticulous and transparent
Being an LCI is a rewarding life-long career where your hard work could be on display in the courtroom and seeing offenders brought to justice.
Our LCI’s are a key part of our investigative resources, dealing with crime such as burglary, Robbery, physical and sexual assaults, and frauds. You will be the case officer, directing the enquiry and supporting victim and witnesses.
You will be based out of one of our three hubs, Swindon, Melksham or Amesbury.
You will be part of a small team, with a supervisor providing support and guidance. Members of the team will work closely with response officers, Neighbourhood teams and the Criminal Investigation Department.
- You must have a full driving licence.
- You have resided permanently in the UK for a minimum of three years prior to applying
On top of your W7 grade pay £31,062 - £32,322, you will get 14% shift allowance for evening and weekend working.
In this role, you will workday and evening shifts (covering a period form 7am to midnight) including at weekends and bank holidays, therefore expect this to impact on your personal life.
No qualifications are required to carry out the role of Local Crime Investigator, but skills required on the appointment section on the job description are listed below:
- Competent in the use of Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel
- Willingness to attend and complete Institute of Legal Executives Course if required.
- Interviewing skills - ability to conduct an interview to the point of reporting a person for an offence
- Enquiring mind to be able to ask the right questions
- Methodical approach to your work
- Work under pressure and to very tight deadlines usually set by the Court
- Good communication skills, both written and spoken - contacts will include CPS, solicitors, doctors, judges, forensic scientists, local hospitals, witnesses, victims of crime, armed forces, DVLA etc.
- Ability to work unsupervised and as part of a team.
- Flexible and creative approach to problem solving.
- Attention to detail when reading a file is essential - ability to assess the accuracy of contentious information.
- Confidence if required to give evidence at a criminal court either locally or elsewhere.
Please note that not all of the above skills are essential to apply therefore we recommend referring to the job description for information around essential and desirable requirements.
Please be aware that as an LCI, you will often come across emotionally upsetting and challenging topics and events, such as child abuse and domestic abuse.
Applications are made with a CV and covering letter. Your covering letter will be scored against the job description criteria, please use this letter as your opportunity to evidence experience that would support your application. An assessment process will then be undertaken to test your abilities in key areas.
For those successful in the assessment process, an invitation to an Interview, where you will be asked questions to test your competency to perform in this challenging role, so please refer to the guidance document for advice on how to structure your answers.
The initial training course is currently 13 weeks (Monday to Friday) 9am-5pm primarily at Devizes Police HQ, but other locations are used across for force for training, depending on the circumstances, there is a blended learning approach of classroom and online learning.
There is one weeks leave allocated during the course, Topics covered are aspects of the law, investigation and taking statements from witness, victims and interviewing suspects. Upon successful completion of the training, you will benefit from a period of tutoring to continue your development. You will be expected to gather evidence and complete a portfolio within 12 months to gain your PIP1 accreditation.
An LCI role offers great opportunities for development once you have achieved your PIP Level 1 (investigators) accreditation, you could go on to be an LCI supervisor, or join one of our specialised departments such as the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Public Protection Department, CID or Complex Fraud amongst others where you can gain your PIP level 2 accreditation.
- Can I choose where I am based
No, whilst we will try and keep commuting distance to a minimum, organisational need is the priority and therefore your posting will be dependent on where in the force area we have the greatest need for staff. You will however be given the option to choose your preference.
- This is my dream job, but I have a child, are there opportunities for flexible working after the probationary period?
All applicants must be available to undertake the initial training full time. We can then discuss flexible working patterns, but this will need to be across the full range of our shift patterns to meet our operational demand and so it is not guaranteed.
- Is there an upper age limit to apply?
There is no upper age limit. All applicants can apply from the age of 17 but must be 18 when they start training.
- Can I arrest?
Whilst an LCI does not currently have the power to arrest, there are a number of powers delegated by the Chief Constable to an LCI, these including seizing exhibits, issuing special warnings in interview etc.
Meet the Team
- Name: Tamara Barnett
- Role: Local crime investigator
- Length of Service: 8 Years
- Tell us a little bit about your role:
I work in the Volume Crime Team which is a department that deals with a wide range of crimes. It is my role to investigate these crimes by gathering all evidence and presenting it to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision. No day is ever the same, one day I could be interviewing or remanding a suspect in one of our custody suites and the next I could be visiting a witness to take a statement or out assisting Police officers with a search of a premises.
Why did you choose to apply for the role of Local Crime Investigator?
I started my career with Wiltshire Police on October 31st, 2016, as a 101-call centre operator and worked in the crime & communications centre for 6 years.
Whilst I loved my role in the call centre, I often wondered what happened to the people that I had helped on the phone and how the investigation of the crime they had reported concluded, I wanted to experience a different side of policing.
When the role of LCI was advertised I saw an opportunity to get involved and put what skills I had learned into practice.
How do you keep calm when dealing with stressful/ difficult/ upsetting cases?
Dealing with stressful and upsetting cases as a Police investigator can be challenging, but there are several things that I do which allow me to keep calm, however I would say that the main thing that helps me are the people that I work with.
I work with a great team of people who understand the challenges of my role and are always on hand to offer support and advice, we support each other!
Tell us about a call/ job you have dealt with that makes you feel proud?
Due to the nature of my role as an LCI and the range of incidents that I deal with I couldn’t narrow it down to one job. What does make me proud though is helping and supporting my victims.
It’s a great feeling when you have spent months working with someone who is a victim of crime and getting them the justice that they deserve, it’s a great feeling!
What advice would you give to anyone else considering applying for the role?
The best advice I could give someone is to go for it! What have you got to lose?! It’s not all about having an education and degrees, sometimes it’s about having life experience.
In whatever role you apply for within the Police you are given training and support throughout, you will be with an intake of other people who will be going through the same process as you have. And you never know might make a friend or two.
How did you find the training process?
The Training process entailed a 3-month course which consisted of both classroom and practical assessments. You will undertake a first aid course and Police safety training.
You will be an intake of other people who will have come from all backgrounds and walks of life.
You will have trainers there to help and guide through the course and provide you will all the knowledge that you will require when eventually joining your team. The training doesn’t stop there though as you will have a 1-2-1 tutor on your team who will supervise and advise you.
Meet the Team
- Name: Cath
- Role Local Crime Investigator
- Length of Service 1 year 3 months
- Tell us a little bit about your role.
I work in the Volume Crime Team in a team of investigating officers and police staff members. My role involves interviewing suspects and conducting investigations into alleged offences before building case files and sending them to CPS for further advice. This can lead to attending court to support the victim and the police investigation.
Why did you choose to apply for the role of Local Crime Investigator?
I previously worked in the police control room taking 999 and 101 calls and whilst I enjoyed my role, I wanted a bit of a change and to learn new skills within policing.
The role of an LCI appealed to me as I like the investigation process which is different for each case and no two days are the same. I wanted to learn more about the criminal justice process and actively make a difference in supporting victims and those involved in crime.
How do you keep calm when dealing with stressful/ difficult/ upsetting cases?
Working in a good, strong team plays an important part in dealing with difficult and more stressful cases. In my team, we work together to support each other and pass on our experience to help one another.
The cases I deal with can be distressing and upsetting at times and so taking some time to grab a coffee or go for a walk helps me to process situations and ensure I am providing the best service to those directly involved.
Tell us about a call/ job you have dealt with that makes you feel proud?
When I receive a good result for the victim of a case, it always makes me feel proud and pleased for them. A lot of work goes into a case file, so it is very rewarding to hear the good news that justice has been served.
What advice would you give to anyone else considering applying for the role?
I would advise you to go for it! It’s a dynamic and at times, challenging role but it is also very rewarding and interesting!
How did you find the training process?
The training process consisted of 12 weeks classroom training, learning about all the processes and requirements of the LCI role before being placed in my team to learn much more on the job.
Experiencing interviewing and investigating first hand involved a lot of learning but my team were brilliant at teaching me and supporting me as I learnt.