“There’s a perception that you have to be highly skilled to come here because you’re working on serious and organised crime,” John said. “I had some experience of dealing with complex crime having spent years in CID, but I didn’t think it would be enough to join the SWROCU.”
Debunking misconceptions
People working in the area of Economic Crime and Fraud within the ROCU have a range of specialist skills, such as in financial investigation, fraud investigation or money laundering, which allow them to target and disrupt criminals posing the greatest risk of serious and organised crime.
It wasn’t until a senior colleague invited John to look around SWROCU, spoke with him about the work it undertakes regarding economic crime, that he decided he would apply when the occasion arose.
“During my time working in a specialist role as a detective, I dealt with some fraud cases which ignited my interest in this field,” he said.
“When my colleague told me about the kind of investigations I could work on at SWROCU, I thought it sounded challenging and interesting and so I took the plunge and applied.”
“At my interview, I related any experience I had working with fraud, as well as my experiences in CID, to demonstrate the involvement I had in complex case work.
“I had apprehensions moving into a new job – that’s natural. The transition can be difficult because you have to get use to a different way of working and I started right in the middle of COVID-19, so it had its challenges, but I was fully supported by the RECU team who were all very welcoming.’’
John said one of the huge advantages of working at SWROCU is the amount of training and development open to the workforce.
“In my first year I was put through money laundering and fraud courses and a Financial Intelligence Officers’ course,” he said. “You can also go on to be a Financial Investigator (FI). It’s really beneficial that the unit is well resourced; if you show an interest in progressing, you’ll be encouraged to go for it.”
Collaborating with other specialist teams
While the fraud side of the work was a big pull for John, he also enjoys working with other specialists, such as the Confiscation and Asset Denial team and the Proactive Economic Crime Team (PECT).
He’s currently working on a case involving millions of pounds which have been laundered and converted into cryptocurrency.
John said: “I’ve been working on this investigation for a year now and that’s the nature of the job.
“You will investigate cases that will be long, protracted and complex, and if you like that kind of work, which I do, then this is the place to come.
‘’A real incentive to joining SWROCU is that you are surrounded by a competent and supportive team all focused on a doing the best job possible.”
‘’A real incentive to joining SWROCU is that you are surrounded by a competent and supportive team all focused on a doing the best job possible.
“Cases are investigated by a team because of the complex nature of them, which is totally new for me and does take time to get used to.
“At present, I’m concentrating on a complex case where I am the Officer in the Case working with an FI, a disclosure officer, an intel officer and an analyst. If needed, we work with the other capabilities too, such as the Cyber and the Ops Team. I also have contact with officers embedded in partner agencies, such as HMRC.
“There are departments here who you need to have constant interaction with. For example, if we’ve seized some electronic devices and need to get them forensically analysed, it’s done by a team on-site and I am able to speak directly to them, which makes my job so much easier.”
Having access to a range of other capabilities allows you to swiftly gather information related to a case, and the different teams often call on each other for support and assistance.
“If members of the other teams need help with warrants, searches, arrests or interviews, there is the opportunity to get involved and get away from your computer screen,” he said. “You aren’t restricted to your locality either; if something is going on in another part of the country, you go and assist and if you have to stay overnight, there aren’t any difficult discussions about that.’’
Making the right choice
John believes the perception that the ROCU is inaccessible to less experienced officers still exists and is a blocker to people applying. His advice is to go for it:
“I have come here and gained so much experience and I continue to learn from those around me who have specific skills,” added John. “If you have the interest and enthusiasm, you just have to take the plunge.
“If you’re interested in complex cases which will challenge you and where you will learn new skills, then this is the place to come.”
*Name has been changed