Crime Scene Investigator

When you join the police, you need to complete a two or three year probationary period as a general Police Constable. This gives you the skills and experience you need to progress in your career. After that, you can move into a wide variety of exciting roles, such as specialising in forensics.

Interest in forensic roles has grown rapidly in recent years. With technological advances within the field, police forces have been able to increasingly utilise the power of forensic techniques to assist in solving crimes.

As a Crime Scene Investigator, it’s your role to gather forensic evidence from crime scenes that will ultimately lead to the detection and prosecution of criminals. You'll process crime scenes using specialist techniques to visualise, capture and recover evidence. It’s your responsibility to gather this information and intelligence as part of an investigation.

Here’s a bit more about what being a Crime Scene Investigator involves:

• You’ll be responsible for preserving, capturing, and assessing evidence at crime scenes using digital capture, forensic and fingerprint techniques
• You’ll develop and implement short term plans within each investigation to assist the wider investigative objectives
• You’ll handle evidence from investigations in line with agreed protocols to maintain the integrity, continuity and security of the evidence for investigative processes and court proceedings
• You’ll assist with investigations by observing, assessing and recording all aspects of the crime scene and the immediate environment, ensuring all findings are available for the wider investigation 
• You’ll support the Criminal Justice process by providing accurate and timely Streamlined Forensic Reports (SFR), statements and other documentation
• It’s your role to identify situations when specialist support is needed to advance an investigation.

As a Crime Scene Investigator, attending upsetting incidents is part of the job – it’s vital that you remain focused on the task despite difficult circumstances. But you'll receive all the training and support you need to be able to do your job. 

Keen observation and problem-solving skills are paramount. You need to be able to break down seemingly straightforward problems into their component parts and determine the appropriate action. This role requires an organised officer, as you’ll need to process and categorise large amounts of evidence whilst managing a high volume of investigations, efficiently and effectively. 

Evidence that you collate will often be used in criminal proceedings, so the ability to present evidence in court and other hearings is a must.