Crime Scene Investigator

Job summary

Investigations Command is the core crime fighting capability of the NCA. We take an intelligence-led approach and concentrate on tackling the criminals and risks to the public which are beyond the capability or capacity of other law enforcement bodies. Our work is largely focused on investigating Organised Immigration Crime, Human Trafficking, Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Economic Crime, Firearms, Drugs, Kidnap and Extortion and Money Laundering. The Investigations Command provides a flexible, shared operational capability, designed to maximise the impact of the UK's collective resources against serious and organised crime. Our teams respond to a broad range of threats, many of which also remain a responsibility for police forces and other agencies as well as private industry.

Information about the Business Area

This DD area comprises the Command’s national multi-threat teams (in the north, central & Wales, and the south), as well as the Command’s Forensic capability.

Role Summary

We are recruiting experienced Crime Scene Investigators to join our Forensics Team to support our response to Serious and Organised Crime in the London, South East and Northern regions
In this role you will deliver all aspects of forensic support, to develop intelligence in the proactive environment and securing forensic evidence in reactive operational activity.
You will support all of the NCA investigations from beginning to end, Nationally and Internationally.

Job description

As an NCA Crime Scene Investigator, you will play a vital role in tackling serious and organised crime by providing specialist forensic support across a wide range of operations. You will attend scenes throughout the UK, and occasionally overseas, to search for, identify, and recover evidence that helps link individuals to criminal activity and supports intelligence-led investigations. This could include deployments involving large-scale drug importation, organised immigration crime, firearms offences, fraud, money laundering, and child exploitation.

You will be responsible for planning and delivering forensic examinations at scenes, ensuring evidence is collected using appropriate techniques and recorded accurately. Working closely with investigators and partner agencies, you will contribute to building strong evidential cases by preserving the integrity of exhibits and maintaining clear, reliable documentation throughout the process.

This role requires a high level of professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to ethical standards. You will operate within strict legal frameworks and national forensic requirements, contributing to a service aligned with ISO 17020 and Forensic Science Regulator standards. This is an opportunity to make a direct impact in protecting the public and disrupting serious criminal activity.

Duties & Responsibilities

To support the Senior Crime Scene Investigator to develop and deliver forensic tactical collection plans to support the Forensic Strategy - Assist in planning and delivering forensic strategies that maximise evidence recovery and support investigative objectives.

Exploit all available and appropriate search and recovery techniques in the recovery of forensic evidence. Apply innovative methods to preserve record and recover evidence to Criminal Justice Standards (CJS) in difficult and hazardous circumstances - Use a wide range of forensic techniques to safely locate, recover, and preserve evidence to required standards, even in challenging environments

Work within the NCA Forensic Quality Management System to support the ISO accreditation and compliance with the Forensic Science Regulator Codes of Practice for NCA Crime Scene Services - Be an active member to support accreditation through tasked work from the ISO board.

Work Monday to Friday and be available to be on an on call rota and to deploy anywhere within the UK and abroad - Core Hours are Monday - Friday 0800 - 1600. This needs to be flexible to suit the requirements of the Organisation. On call is approximately once every 5 weeks, and this is for seven days (Monday - Sunday) Flexibility is required within the on call rota , as there are often requirements for short term cover outside of your rostered week.

Examine and manage crime scenes as part of a multi disciplinary team - Work collaboratively with partners to effectively examine, manage, and process scenes.

Manage own workload and responsibilities - Take responsibility for prioritising tasks and delivering work efficiently to required standards.

Prepare written reports, statements and photographs detailing evidence.Attend court as required - Produce clear, accurate documentation and provide evidence in court when required.

Perform dynamic Risk Assessments, supervise the Health and Safety at crime scenes of colleagues and continually seek ways to improve the working environment - Ensure safe working practices through ongoing risk assessment and proactive health and safety management.

Person specification

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Knowledge of ISO17020 Accreditation requirements and obligations.

Knowledge of Relevant legislation including but not limited to Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), Criminal Procedure and Investigations ACT (CPIA), Policing Act, Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) and Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA).

Experience of presenting evidence, either in the form of written statements or orally in judicial proceedings.

Experience in the control of all aspects of crime scene examination, including knowledge of relevant Health & Safety Regulation in a forensic environment and writing Risk Assessments.

A broad level of experience in providing forensic support (including staying abreast of forensic scientific developments).

Ability to communicate effectively.

Ability to work on your own and as part of a large team.

On-call working

The on-call requirement is a minimum of one week in every five-week cycle. As the team provides continuous 24/7 cover throughout the year, you may be required to work on bank holidays.

Essential Criteria

You must meet the essential criteria and evidence this within your application to be considered for the role.Qualifications, Membership and Licences

• Full DVLA Driving License

AND

• Crime Scene Investigators Qualification (Modules 1 & 2, College of Policing, or equivalent)

Any applications from candidates not meeting this eligibility criteria will not progress.

Desirable Criteria

Desirable criteria are only used for assessment in the event of a tie break.College of Policing C1 / Level 2 trained certificate
Crime Scene Manager trained certificate

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Ability to recognise, assess, and manage risk in an operational forensic environment while maintaining control, safety, and evidential integrity.
• Confidence and professionalism when operating within the criminal justice system, and your capacity to withstand external scrutiny of your forensic work.
• Effectiveness in leading and managing complex or large-scale crime scenes, and how well you apply forensic knowledge and experience to achieve successful outcomes in challenging operational environments

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,428, National Crime Agency contributes £10,842 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• All NCA employees are members of the UK Civil Service and eligible for the Civil Service pension scheme, alongside your salary the NCA contributes £10,842. Further information on the benefits of the scheme is available on the Civil Service Pension Website.

  New entrants to the NCA receive 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service, plus 8 bank holidays.

  If qualifying criteria is met new joiners from UK Police Forces or the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for annual leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day).

  Other benefits include:

  • Flexible working, including flexi-time, compressed hours and job sharing (in line with business requirements)
  • Family friendly policies, notably above the statutory minimum
  • Learning and Development opportunities
  • Interest free loans and advances, including season tickets, childcare and rental deposits
  • Housing schemes - Key Worker status
  • Discounts and Savings with a wide variety of services including Cycle to Work, Smart Tech schemes, dental insurance, gym discounts and savings on everyday spending, available through the Reward Gateway , Edenred and Blue Light Card schemes.
  • Staff support groups/networks
  • Sports and social activities, including membership to the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC)

  Further information is available on the NCA Website.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Technical skills.This vacancy is using the Success Profiles framework and will assess using the following criteria: Behaviours, Technical Skills Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

How we will assess you

Your application will be assessed against the following:Technical - this will be assessed by 250 word examples on:

• Ability to recognise, assess, and manage risk in an operational forensic environment while maintaining control, safety, and evidential integrity.

• Confidence and professionalism when operating within the criminal justice system, and your capacity to withstand external scrutiny of your forensic work.

• Effectiveness in leading and managing complex or large-scale crime scenes, and how well you apply forensic knowledge and experience to achieve successful outcomes in challenging operational environments

A panel will assess how well your application demonstrates the requirements outlined above.

Longlist

In the event of a high number of applications, we may operate a longlist. Applicants will need to meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria.

- Ability to recognise, assess, and manage risk in an operational forensic environment while maintaining control, safety, and evidential integrity. .

Candidates who do not meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria will not progress to having their other criteria assessed. Applications must meet the minimum criteria to be progressed to the assessment stage.

You will receive an acknowledgement once your application is submitted.

We aim to have sift completed and scores released within 10 working days of the closing date of the advert. For high volume campaigns this timeframe may be extended.

Scores will be provided but further feedback will not be available at this stage.

For guidance on the application process, visit:
https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/applying-and-onboardingNCA Applying and Onboarding

Assessment 1

The format of this assessment will be Interview which will be tested on the criteria listed in the Success Profiles at Assessment section.

Additional assessment methods used alongside InterviewAs part of the assessment process Role Play will be required to assess the criteria outlined below:An individual scenario-based assessment where you will explain your thought processes and approach to examining a crime scene. Your responses will be evaluated against this criteria:

Success Profiles at Assessment

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions

• Delivering at Pace

Technical

• Ability to recognise, assess, and manage risk in an operational forensic environment while maintaining control, safety, and evidential integrity.

• Confidence and professionalism when operating within the criminal justice system, and your capacity to withstand external scrutiny of your forensic work.

• Effectiveness in leading and managing complex or large-scale crime scenes, and how well you apply forensic knowledge and experience to achieve successful outcomes in challenging operational environments

Assessment OutcomeOutcomes will be communicated via the NCA recruitment portal.
If successful but no role is immediately available, you may be placed on a reserve list for 12 months.
Reserve lists can be used to fill similar role types across the Agency where the assessment criteria is considered a match by the recruitment team and the business area.

In the event of a tie at the assessment stage, available roles will be offered in merit order using the following order:

1. Lead criteria (behaviours/technical/experience)
2. If still tied, desirable criteria will be assessed (if advertised)
3. If still tied, application sift scores will be used

Feedback is provided only to those who attend an assessment.You will be subject to vetting and pre-employment checks before appointment.Once the vacancy closes, the advert will no longer be accessible. Please save a copy for your records. We encourage all candidates to visit the NCA Careers Page for more information.

Eligibility, Pre-Employment Check and Vetting

Please see the NCA T&Cs and Privacy Policy (pdf) for details on how your data is handled. If you are an internal candidate who has passed interview but is undergoing an internal investigation or have a written warning in place preventing a post move you may not be able to be posted until this investigation is concluded or restriction lifted.

Nationality Requirements

This role is broadly open to the following groups:• UK nationals or dual nationals, where one component is British• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre- settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)• Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil ServiceFurther information on nationality requirementsYou will be required to participate in digital right to work and address checks as part of the recruitment process.

Security and Vetting

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is SC Enhanced. All security clearances will be managed by the NCA.For more information on security vetting please visit: UK Security Vetting guidance for applicants and Demystifying Vetting and see our vetting charter at: The Vetting Charter.

Vetting requirements - SC Enhanced

Prior to commencing the role, you will need to successfully complete SC Enhanced clearance. The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years.Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.For further information on National Security Vetting checks please visit the following page Demystifying VettingIndividuals will be required to undertake and pass a substance misuse test as part of pre-employment checks.

Occupational Health

Successful candidates will be expected to undertake an occupational health assessment. Depending on the role an in-person medical may be required in either London or Warrington. Unfortunately, travel costs will not be reimbursed.

Things you need to know

Operational Roles

The National Crime Agency is a law enforcement agency and as such we are part of the Criminal Justice System. Therefore if you are going into an operational role we need to be aware if any of our officers have, either before they join us or afterwards, any of the following:

Any criminal conviction (including Court Martial), or caution or fixed penalty notice for disorder or theft;
Any adverse judicial findings;
Any charges or summonses where the proceedings are not complete;
Any misconduct or gross misconduct findings or where proceedings are not complete.

You will be asked to complete a declaration covering the above if offered a role with the NCA.

Each case will be considered on its merits and a positive declaration does not automatically mean that your application will not be progressed. However, should you fail to disclose a relevant matter then your application or employment will be adversely affected. If in doubt, please declare it at this stage.

Multi Location

Where multiple locations are advertised, appointments will be made in merit order for each location.

Please indicate up to three location preferences clearly. Only your first three preferences will be considered. You may be allocated to any of the locations you select. If you decline an offer for a location you have selected as a preference, a further offer may not be made.

If you choose to reject an offer and no alternative preferred location can be offered, you will not be able to return to the process or be placed on a reserve list.

Only the advertised locations are available; any additional notes added to the application will not be taken into account.

Near Miss

If you meet the criteria for a lower grade, you may be offered that role if not appointable at the advertised grade.

Conversely, if found appointable at a higher grade but no posts are available, you may be offered a lower-grade role.

All offers are made based on merit.

Hybrid Working

The NCA supports hybrid working. The extent of remote working will depend on the role and can be discussed at the offer stage.

Reasonable Adjustments

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and an inclusive, equal opportunities employer.

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone can be their authentic self. If you’re neurodiverse, have a disability, or live with a long-term health condition, we encourage you to let us know about any reasonable adjustments you may need during the recruitment process.

If you experience accessibility issues with the advert or require reasonable adjustments, please contact our Recruitment Team at Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk before the advert closing date.

Please ensure you complete the ‘Equal opportunities’ and 'Reasonable Adjustments' sections in the application form to inform us on what support you may need in the recruitment process.

For more on our Disability Confident commitment, visit Disability Confident Scheme , Civil Service Careers.

Visit NCA Benefits and Support for more details.

Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

In order to monitor the effectiveness of the National Crime Agency's Diversity & Inclusion strategy, we require certain personal details about you on submission of your application for statistical and monitoring purposes only. Please note that this will be treated in confidence and will not impact your application.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Working for the NCA

The National Crime Agency is a 24/7 organisation, and working patterns must support business requirements. Some roles may require you to respond at short notice or outside of core hours.If preferable, alternative contract types may be available. Please review the green bar of this advert to view all available contract types for this role. Where Loan or Secondment options are available, these would be for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.If you have any specific queries about the role that are not covered by the advert, please contact:

Name : Central Recruitment Team
Email : Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk
• Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe your application has not been treated fairly, email: Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk (quoting the vacancy reference).
If unresolved, you may escalate your complaint to the Civil Service Commission.