What you could be doing | Criminal Justice
WE HELP SUPPORT THE VICTIMS AND BRING OFFENDERS TO JUSTICE
Working in Criminal Justice
The Criminal Justice department supports the Force’s investigators by providing specialist services to help victims and witnesses and bring offenders to justice. There is a huge range of roles available, all of which require specialist training once you join. They range from office-based positions with little contact with victims or suspects, to those that demand close contact with suspects and a requirement to visit victim’s in their home.
We also recently established a new team with responsibility for contacting victims to offer them specialist support to help them cope with the aftermath of crime. This rewarding work is now making a positive difference to the lives of victims in need of help.
Many of our victims go through extremely challenging periods and need support to help them move forward. Working here enables you to really help vulnerable people and gain a great sense of satisfaction and pride by knowing you’ve made a positive difference to their lives. The key attributes you’ll need include a passion for helping victims, a positive outlook and the ability to come up with suggestions if there appear to be better ways to do things in order to improve our service.
Our Criminal Justice teams
CCTV UNIT
The CCTV Unit provides relevant CCTV evidence in a format suitable for playing in court.
CRIMINAL DATA SECTION
This team ensures that criminal records on internal systems and the Police National Computer are accurate and up-to-date.
CUSTODY
This team ensures that every arrested person is safely detained whilst in police custody.
EVIDENTIAL SUMMARISERS
Our evidential summarisers team produces transcripts of interviews with suspects and witnesses ready for court.
FIREARMS LICENSING
Our firearms licensing team ensures that firearms licenses are granted only to fit and proper persons.
IDENTIFICATION UNIT
This team carries out ID parades where the identity of a suspect is in dispute.
PROSECUTIONS TEAM AND POLICE PRESENTERS
They ensure that prosecution files sent to the Crown Prosecution Service are of a high quality and that vital evidence is made available on time.
WITNESS AND VICTIM CARE
This team is responsible for maintaining contact with and providing support to victims and witnesses as their cases come to court.
Meet some of the team
Tracy Lewis, Head of Criminal Justice
I was working for a bank but wanted a change. My best friend suggested I apply to the Police. So I did - and I’m still here almost 25 years later. I started out as a constable and worked my way up through the ranks. The variety of roles available is vast. You can move around fairly regularly too, so there’s always a new challenge to get your teeth into. There’s also something special about being able to help people in crisis. You get a real sense of pride. The variety, the people and the training - these are just some of the reasons why Derbyshire Constabulary is such a great place to work.
Meet some of the team
Paige Burley, Criminal Data Supervisor
I have a background in law, but felt unfulfilled in the jobs I had at solicitors firms, having chosen the legal sector to help vulnerable people. So, when I saw a job for a witness care officer at Derbyshire Constabulary, I jumped at the opportunity. The rest, as they say, is history!
I absolutely love working in the Criminal Justice department. Everyone’s amazing. When you hear them talk about a policing family, they really mean it. Some of the stuff we deal with can be quite dark and sad, but we always talk to each other and try and have fun too. There are so many positives to working here, not least, the constant opportunities to learn and develop.
Investing in your development
We know that to protect and support our community effectively we need to keep up-to-date with new approaches, processes and technologies. This means that there will always be opportunities for training and professional development. We’ll continuously review your training needs and help succeed in your role. We’ll challenge you to work outside your comfort zone. And we’ll encourage you to grow.
As well as professional training and a range of in-house training opportunities, you can also look forward to plenty of personal support. This might be from your colleagues in the team, new opportunities that become available or through membership of one of our many staff associations.
