What you could be doing | Local Policing
We're committed to providing the very best policing service to the communities we serve
Working in Local Policing
Every single police officer, every single member of our extensive police staff, is wholeheartedly committed to providing the very best policing service to the communities we serve. Together, our officers and staff carry out investigations into all areas of crime, including violence, public order, acquisitive crime, drug related offences, sexual offences, fraud, domestic abuse related offences, hate crimes, children and adults at risk and locating missing persons.
To give a few recent examples, we’ve conducted county lines drug supply investigations, targeted knife crime, and carried out modern day slavery and human trafficking investigations. We’ve also been actively addressing drug misuse and anti-social behaviour within Derby city centre and other key areas, as well as other initiatives in partnership with various other agencies.
Our Local Policing teams
REACTIVE UNITS
This team oversees our response to incidents, making sure that the right resources attend to effectively resolve an incident. Our reactive inspectors oversee demand management and prioritise according the threat and risk they present. They also manage the initial response to serious incidents utilising available resources.
LOCAL POLICING UNIT
These vital units provide on-the ground policing services for a specific patch or beat. We have a broad range of roles available within our team. The majority of our staff are warranted police officers but we also have police community support officers and neighbourhood investigation officers. Each patch has its own challenges and issues - so adaptability is an important quality if you’re keen to work here!
Our Response Teams cover calls for service and investigate crimes 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. Local policing offers a variety of social issues that all impact on the community. It’s policing at the sharp end, but in a fun, positive environment.
NEIGHBOURHOOD SAFEGUARDING TEAM
We protect the vulnerable, keep communities safe and build lasting relationships. From licensing off-licences and taxi firms, to investigating missing persons and hate crimes, the work we do in our neighbourhoods makes a difference very single day. Here in the NST, we’ve been involved in Herbert Protocol, Knife Angel, Youth Summits, Project Zao, Serious Violence Strategy, Drinkaware, Intoxicated and National Hate Crime Week.
This team is mainly made up of police community support officers, but there are also opportunities to work as a PCSO supervisor, a digital PCSO or a neighbourhood investigation officer. Join us and you’ll be hugely valued and supported, and part of a team that goes above and beyond every day.
ORGANISED CRIME GROUP AND MULTI AGENCY DISRUPTION TEAM
We define an Organised Crime Group (OCG) as individuals, normally working with others, with the capacity and capability to commit serious crime on a continuing basis. An OCG typically exhibits elements of planning, control, co-ordination, structure and group decision-making. We work to disrupt OCG activity by reducing their capability, mitigating the impact of their activity, protecting communities from the effects of their criminality, and deterring individuals from becoming involved with such groups. We generate, collate and develop intelligence on OCG activity. We plan and conduct enforcement on OCG members, and manage investigations through court proceedings.
In the last 12 months alone, we’ve recovered viable firearms, and thousands of pounds worth of illegal drugs and cash. The team has been involved in both regional and national investigations and have secured a conviction for an attempted murder by shooting and created a successful intervention and community safety program in an area identified as being at risk of serious and organised crime.
INTELLIGENCE UNIT
This team is made up of intelligence development officers who develop and evaluate intelligence, and, in turn, assess the threat, risk, harm, vulnerabilities and opportunities which exist. The Intelligence Unit also maintains networks with internal and external partners at all levels of seniority. This makes sure that we’re sharing information with partners and working to shared objectives - so that nothing, or no one, slips through the net.
Within the Unit you’ll find a Divisional Observation Team (DOT). It’s their role to provide covert support to Divisional teams, disrupt criminality and assist in the collection of evidence to dismantle OCGs, high-risk individuals and high-risk groups on South Division. We also have Integrated Offender Management (IOM). This enables a cross-agency response to the crime and reoffending threats faced by local communities.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT
Our Criminal Investigation Department (CID) hub is based at St. Mary’s Wharf Police Station. Together, CID Hub officers' complete investigations into serious and complex crimes that are reported from victims across the entire Constabulary. These could be serious violent offences, high value fraud and theft offences, robberies, serious sexual offences and drug supply offences. We also take a lead in investigating ‘high-risk’ missing persons.
CUSTODY INVESTIGATION UNIT
Known as CIU, our Custody Investigation Unit aims to relieve pressures from Local Policing Units and the CID Hub by dealing with criminal investigations. We help out the Roads Policing Unit and other head quarters-based departments by completing investigations and carrying our suspect interviews. We also have an important role to play in giving in-service officers and staff experience of dealing with detained persons. We help them to develop and hone their criminal investigation skills, knowledge and awareness when they’re at the beginning of their career.
Our two divisions
Our local policing teams are involved in a wide range of policing activities across our North and South divisional areas. Each division has its own unique challenges that will test and develop your skills.
North Division
Based at Chesterfield, but with police stations across the northern part of the county, North Division covers a large geographical area and a diverse range of communities. Our area borders major cities such as Manchester and Sheffield and includes large towns such as Chesterfield, Matlock and Buxton. We also cover the Peak District National Park that attracts millions of visitors each year. This means we deal with everything from countryside and rural crime to county lines, drugs, extremism and organised crime.
Our two divisions
Our local policing teams are involved in a wide range of policing activities across our North and South divisional areas. Each division has its own unique challenges that will test and develop your skills.
South Division
The South Division is centred on the city of Derby and its surrounding villages. This mixture of urban and rural communities includes some of the most ethnically diverse areas in the county. Recent projects include investigations into modern day slavery and human trafficking, dealing with drug misuse and anti-social behaviour in Derby city centre, and running a football tournament to engage with school students and educate them about the consequences of carrying knives.
Why join the team?
If you’re looking for a challenge, if you want to be part of a strong, focused team, and if you’re prepared to go the extra mile to achieve the right result, then you’ll thrive in local policing. We look for people who share our positive, ‘can-do’ attitude. People who listen, communicate clearly and can solve problems - and, crucially, who don’t give up easily! You’re going to need a talent for analysing and evaluating evidence from a range of sources. You’ll need to be able to keep calm and focused too, especially in challenging, stressful situations.
As one of our Detective Inspectors puts it, “If you enjoy working with complex problems, where the detailed analysis of events is the key to success, then a career here will certainly provide you a great deal of satisfaction.” Of course, we’ll give you the training and support you need to do your job brilliantly. Training is managed by the force Training Centre and East Midlands Collaborative Human Resources Learning and Development (EMCHRS L&D).
Meet some of the team
Sarah McAughtrie, Superintendent – Head of Operations South Division
Even as a child I wanted to work for the force, so I’ve been living the dream since 1998. Throughout my time here I’ve had really good support from managers and peers who have always encouraged me and given up their time to help me develop.
There can be some tough times of course. But, there’s a real sense of teamwork, a ‘can-do’ attitude, and a lot of fun too. I can’t ever remember having that ‘Sunday night feeling’ in all the time I’ve been here - even after I was a DC and spent many hours hanging out in drug dens. I even once got arrested, interviewed and bailed!