Ministry of Justice

SOC Operations Custody Officer - HMPPS Band 4

Directorate of Security - Corruption, Crime and Policing Unit (CCPU)

Job Overview 

The Directorate of Security (DOS) exists to support HMPPS in its mission to prevent victims by changing lives. We do this by creating conditions for a firm, stable and secure base on which decent regimes, relationships and rehabilitation can be built. To keep prisons, probation and youth custody services lawful, safe and secure by managing risks and threats.

Serious and Organised Crime represents a major threat to the UK’s national security and costs the country more than £30 billion a year. The Government refreshed its SOC strategy to deal with the threats we face from SOC in October 2018.

The Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) tackle the highest harm SOC nominals in custody and under supervision in the community and use operational insight to build organisational capability and resilience against serious and organised crime threats.

Focusing on Serious and Organised Crime the post holder will play a vital role in delivering, at a regional and local level, support and advice to disrupt organised crime in custody. This is an Operational role.

Summary

The post holder will help establishments identify and assist in the management of prisoners who have been identified as serious and organised criminals; provide briefings and training to establishment staff around Organised Crime Group nominals and disruption tactics/interventions with prisoners who have been identified as SOC Band 1 nominals.

The post holder will work with internal and external partners to deliver the response required to manage the risk surrounding SOC Band 1 nominals. They will coordinate and drive reactive and proactive interventions and activity to assist in establishing SOC routes and threats within establishments caused by serious organised criminality.

The post holder will be responsible for case managing the highest risk prisoners identified by recognised tasking and identification processes and ensure a comprehensive multi agency response to their criminality is coordinated and relayed to all appropriate partners.

The Regional Serious and Organised Crime Team is a function of HMPPS Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), part of National Security Group within the Directorate of Security.

Frequent travel across a Region and occasional travel to SOCU meetings in Headquarters and DOS Regional hubs will be required. An establishment within their Region will be identified as the main base for the post holder.

The post holder will report to the Regional Serious Organised Crime Manager [ROCM]. The post holder has no line management responsibility. 

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties 

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

To support the management of all SOC Band 1 nominals providing advice, guidance and information gleaned through a comprehensive investigation of those nominals’ activities. Ensuring that you enhance establishment capability and share best practice and lessons learned regionally the post holder will:

• The post holder will be responsible for the direct case management of SOC Band 1 nominals as identified via agreed identification processes. They will be responsible for agreeing local activity with the establishment’s Security Department and negotiating access and opportunities to develop information around their targets.
• Ensure that all information regarding SOC nominals is shared appropriately with partners (Security Departments, Establishment OMs, LEAs) updating all records across a range of platforms i.e. Mercury, PNOMIS, Case Management records etc.
• The postholder will be comfortable and capable (via training and development) in delivering briefings to Managers and Senior Managers in establishments ensuring that local management teams are kept abreast of plans and development around SOC Band 1 nominals.
• To maintain the Digital Case Management System (DCMS) with accurate and up to date information regarding the ongoing management of SOC Band 1 nominals ensuring reporting is shared with the establishment.
• Be motivated to work independently, often remotely from a variety of locations with little or no daily supervision.
• Be able to develop close relationships with stakeholders outside of HMPPS (NCA, HMRC, Police).
• Deputise for the B5 Regional SOC Manager at multiagency risk management meetings when required.
• Be responsible for the planning, delivery and facilitation of specialist interventions or disruptions directly or by other stakeholders that seek to divert and support SOC B1 nominals and those engaging in or vulnerable to SOC offending.
• Advise Offender Supervisors who manage serious and organised criminals.
• Form close working links with establishment offender management units, acting as a single point of contact for SOC related matters.
• Establish effective working relationships with SOC Probation colleagues and other partner agencies, for the preparation and planning of the release of SOC offenders. Ensuring that local POMs and OMU staff are sighted on appropriate risks.
• Establish effective working relationships with SOC Probation colleagues and other partner agencies, for the preparation and planning of the release of SOC offenders. Ensuring that local POMs and OMU staff are sighted on appropriate risks.

Establishment Support:

• Support work with prison intelligence analysts on known nominal targets and act as the initial point of contact for advice for establishments, on managing those prisoners whose behaviour may suggest SOC offending.
• Work closely with establishment Security Departments to support them in their responsibility for ensuring that all SOC related issues are fully investigated, intelligence developed and contextualised in preparation for any case management meetings or local TTCG/Security Committee meetings. To provide specialist advice on SOC related issues to Security Department staff and Senior Managers.
• Responsible for mail and pin phone monitoring.
• Engage with other prison staff to get the fuller picture, embed in activities that will get the bigger picture. Wing staff and wing management. Where tactically required blend into the wing team. Able to work on own initiative, instinct.

The role will require working in establishments, sometimes at short notice to lead or form part of tactical disruption interventions which may occur at any time 365 days a year.

Undertake other tasks including:

• Maintain and update systems in line with local agreements.
• Prepare relevant documentation for managers for verification/quality checking purposes.
• Attend and contribute to relevant meetings as required.
• Undertake any specialist training required.
• Establish, develop and maintain professional relationships with prisoners and staff.
• Understand and comply with national/local policies and legislation.
• Exercise the Powers of a Constable.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Behaviours

• Working Together 
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Experience

• Problem solving and decision making skills.
• Good communications, confident and aware of partnership working benefits. 

Technical Requirements

• Good understanding of the operational context of prisons.

Ability

• Hold a current UK driving license.

Minimum Eligibility 

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post.

All external candidates are subject to 6 months’ probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.

All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which HMPPS consider to be racist.

Hours of Work (Unsocial Hours) Allowances

37 hour working week (standard).

HMPPS Staff on closed pay structures only:

Additional Conditioned Hours Pensionable (ACHP) Staff moving from a closed 39 hour pay structure will be eligible for the two protected pensionable additional committed hours (ACHP). They will work a 39 hour week consisting of the standard 37 hour week and a further 2 additional hours (ACHP) paid at plain time pensionable rate.

Unsocial Hours Working:

This role requires working regular unsocial hours and a payment at the current organisational rate will be paid in addition to your basic pay to recognise this. Unsocial hours are those hours outside 0700 - 1900hrs Monday to Friday and include working evenings, nights, weekends and Bank/Public holidays.