Mobile Surveillance Officer - Immigration Enforcement
Home Office
Apply before 11:55 pm on Tuesday 7th May 2024
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
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Type of role
Investigation
Operational Delivery
Policing
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
Job description
Do you meet the key eligibility criteria?
In order to be eligible, you MUST meet ALL the following criteria.
- I am at least 18 years old at the time of application.
- I am a UK National.
- I hold a full manual UK Driving Licence.
- I will need to undertake and pass a medical assessment if successful.
- I am aware that this role is physically demanding, and that I have a high level of mobility and fitness to carry out this role.
- I can undertake shift work.
- I will be able to provide all the ID documents required to complete my pre-employment screening and security clearance.
We are looking for candidates who hold a valid, in-ticket, College of Policing Q1 Mobile Surveillance Licence (or other Force/LEA equivalent as recognised by College of Policing and NPCC National Surveillance Working Group), who want real stretch and development in their everyday roles.
Immigration Enforcement attacks the criminality behind organised immigration crime. Our Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) teams play a fundamental role in disrupting and dismantling organised crime gangs, as part of a multi-layered UK law enforcement approach. Through working closely with partners in the National Crime Agency, territorial policing and many other agencies and departments, our CFI Teams take vigorous action against those criminals that seek to benefit from illegal migration.
The Operational Support Unit supports criminal investigations through the collection of evidence and intelligence by means of deploying covert tactics. Whilst the office is based in Feltham, Middlesex, the team have a national remit to conduct surveillance in line with tasking and coordination requirements. This role requires applicants who can demonstrate an interest in proactive work. They must be willing to work in a committed and highly flexible manner within a team environment and be prepared to spend substantial periods of time away from home. This is a busy, high-profile role which offers the right candidate exceptional opportunities and investment in a challenging and rewarding job.
You would be expected to demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism and teamwork with adherence to our vision statement:
Tackling immigration crime by empowering our people, inspiring confidence and protecting communities.
Person specification
As a Mobile Surveillance Officer, your duties will include (list is not exhaustive):
• Operate as part of a Surveillance Team, undertaking static, foot and mobile surveillance in line with National Policing standards.
• Successful candidates will bring with them a full range of previous surveillance experience in either law enforcement, military or other government agency roles.
• Successful candidates will have a range of surveillance qualifications, including Q1 with some being specialists in technical, rural and/or motorcyclist surveillance.
• Provide the tasking unit with evidence and intelligence in the form of high-quality surveillance logs and other documentary and media evidence obtained through the effective use of covert surveillance techniques.
• Prepare deployments, establish observation points and use technical equipment as may be required.
• Understand and appreciate the objectives of an operation along with knowledge of the levels of authority required and the parameters of that authority in line with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and The Police Act 1997.
• Make operational decisions as the situation demands and in order to achieve the set objectives.
• Acting as the Bronze Commander/Surveillance Ops Com for deployments in line with National Policing standards
• Give evidence in Magistrates and/or Crown Court.
• Conduct briefings and de-briefings.
• Maintain vehicles and associated documentary processes, equipment and radios.
• Perform other tasks as directed by OSU team leaders.
• In the event of joint operations with other Law Enforcement Agencies, on occasions there may be a requirement to operate in tandem with ‘Mobile Armed Support To Surveillance’ teams.
• Promote a safe working environment through effective risk assessment of every deployment and dynamic risk assessment of every situation.
• Promote a professional working environment by maintaining the highest standard of behaviour and integrity.
• Engage in continuous professional development pathway training as appropriate.
As there is a requirement to attend court to give evidence, all CFI staff are required to disclose any adverse judicial decisions or internal disciplinary matters under CPIA. Applicants need to bear this in mind when considering their eligibility for this post.
Applicants need to be active, enthusiastic and to be able to tolerate long periods of physical and mental activity. They must also be able to tolerate potential long periods of inactivity.
Applicants will be required to undertake hearing tests and vision tests in accordance with guidelines. The successful candidate will be required to undergo and pass an annual health assessment, as well as arrest training to PST level 3 and pass an annual PST refresher.
Hours of work – The posts require shift-based attendance. These shifts are highly flexible and include high incidence of anti-social and weekend hours working. Attendance is regularly changed at short notice. Shifts are regularly extended or altered as per operational requirements. A high level of on call is expected during which 24-hour availability will be required.
Essential Criteria
Successful candidates will hold the following proven skills:
- An in-depth knowledge and use of relevant legislation (UK and international law) affecting operational agency activity.
- Proven experience of successfully been part of a team to deliver against operational objectives and performance.
- Experience in effective operational decision making with accountability for decisions made.
- Proven experience in managing risk in a pressurised operational environment.
Desirable Criteria
- Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP) Level 1 or 2 Accreditation by a Police Force, National Crime Agency or other LEA under the auspices of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing.
Licences
Qualifications
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
www.careers.homeoffice.gov.uk/benefits
These are the benefits for you:
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- a CV detailing job history/qualifications/skills
- a statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 500 words)
- provide evidence of the Lead behaviour 'Making Effective Decisions' (250 words maximum)
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.
For guidance on how to construct your personal statement, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Statement
For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviour
The sift will be held on the Lead behaviour - Making Effective Decisions and the statement of suitability (personal statement).
The CV will not be scored.
The statement of suitability will be scored first for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability, will progress to a further sift where the Lead behaviour -Making Effective Decisions' will be scored. These candidates will therefore receive a sift score for both elements.
Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability will not have their Lead behaviour -Making Effective Decisions scored and will therefore only receive a sift score for the statement of suitability.
Please note that all candidates will be required to undertake a mandatory current College of Policing Q1 Mobile Surveillance Licence (or other Police Force/Military/LEA equivalent as recognised by College of Policing and NPCC National Surveillance Working Group) assessment before the sift process. Information will be provided to candidates after the closing date. Candidates assessed as not holding the required accreditation will be rejected.
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be
- a blended approach of strength-based questions and behaviour-based questions
Strengths are the things that you do regularly, do well and that motivate you. To find out more about strength based questions click here
For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviours
Problems during the application process
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application (e.g. you have ticked the incorrect eligibility box), please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at least two working days before the vacancy closes. After this, we may not be able to reopen your application.
Please note, we cannot make amendments to any part of the application.
Please use the following in the subject line in your email if you need to get in contact with us about your initial application “Please re-open my application – Vacancy Ref 350748 Closing Date 7th May 2024.
For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details with reasonable adjustments section.
Tie break decisions
The strengths and behaviours being assessed will be ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores. Please note that the order in which behaviours are listed in the advert does not necessarily reflect the order of importance.
Sift and Interview dates
Sift is expected to take place week commencing 13th May 2024.
Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 27th May 2024.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.
Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to:
- A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
- Good internet connection
- Microsoft Teams
Attach Supporting Documents
Do not attach any documents at this time.
Contact Details
Please use the following in the subject line in your email if you need to get in contact with us: Vacancy Ref 350748.
Further Information
For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Reserve List
Where a competition identifies more appointable candidates than there are available vacancies, a reserve list may be held for up to 12 months.
Whilst on a reserve list we may offer you an alternative similar role in the Home Office. Should you reject an alternative role, you will remain on the reserve list for the role you applied for. If you accept an alternative role, you will be withdrawn from the reserve list.
Please note there are no guarantees that further vacancies will arise in the locations you originally applied for before your time on the reserve list expires.
Candidates Please Note
Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.
If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, a contractor or contingent worker you can only apply for roles that are advertised externally, i.e.: outside the civil service. If you are eligible to apply for a role, you are required to select yourself as an external applicant and not internal when submitting your application on Civil Service jobs. This will prevent any delays in pre-employment checks should you become successful in being made an offer of employment after the Interview stage.
Are these Reserved Posts for UK Nationals only?
UK nationals who hold dual nationality are able to apply for this reserved post. If a UK passport is not being presented, then candidates will need to provide alternative evidence of UK nationality in line with the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Annual Hours Working Allowance
We operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance of 40%. This is to compensate for working shift patterns including night shifts, early morning starts, late night finishes, weekends, and public holidays. Shifts can vary in length and can be up to 12 hours. Shifts can be changed or extended according to business need. The rate payable is dependent on location and role and is indicative of the shift pattern you will be required to work.
The higher the AHA, the more flexible you will be required to be. Please note that the allowance is subject to regular review and can go down as well as up.
Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be at least 18 years or over to apply for this role. You will be required to work between 22.00 and 06.00, so this is a legal requirement. For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/night-working-hours and Child employment: Restrictions on child employment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Please note this role is only available with full-time hours.
Public and Personal Safety Training [PPST] – Level 3
These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including Personal Safety Training [PPST] which develops skills in personal safety, arrest, and restraint techniques. This demands physical activity and physical contact with delegates on the course. You will be required to complete a PPST health declaration and, if necessary, attend a medical examination. A formal offer will be conditional upon you being physically fit to undertake and pass the training.
You must be prepared to undertake regular refreshers of this.
Flexible working
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity, by Spring 2024. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).
Travel expectation
Some roles may require candidates to travel around the country. This applies particularly if the role could be based anywhere, or if there is a requirement to travel to other official sites, which may include overnight stays.
Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.
We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.
Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.
Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.
Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Medical
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
- Email : HORCCampaignTeamIE@homeoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance
HORecruitment.GRS@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
