“We do our work as one team, together,” Mark said. “We do the surveillance, we do the initial investigation, the arrests, the searches, through to court, barristers’ meetings, meetings with the CPS, all the way through to a verdict.”
“There’s a huge variety in what I do, and I get to do it with a really skilled bunch of people who I respect.”
The team is omnicompetent and made up of investigators at different stages of their careers who are advanced drivers and have a Q1 Surveillance accreditation.
Mark says he really enjoys the surveillance side of the job – whether that’s covert surveillance in a car, on foot or at an observation post.
“I’ve carried out surveillance on people suspected of being involved in all kinds of crimes, from murder to serious assaults and sexual offences, drugs offences and serious fraud. And I’ve worked all over the country doing it.”
Working on SWROCU investigations sometimes often requires teams to liaise with other forces and partner agencies.
“I’ve worked alongside Counter Terrorism Policing, the Met, the NCA as well as with our regional forces. We may be called upon to support other teams as the crimes we investigate are not contained to one geographic area.”
The variety of the role
Mark said the first big case he was involved in stands out as one to remember – he was the OIC of what turned out to be a significant trial.
“The operation was a drugs conspiracy that was running between an area in the North West and Dorset. We spent a lot of time in Bournemouth doing surveillance and it ended up with five defendants going to trial, all of whom were found guilty, with the principle getting 15 years and the second in command getting 10 years. I learnt so much from that particular operation – working so closely with barristers and the CPS was a huge learning curve.”
When Mark is the OIC for a job, he’s often more office based. Other members of the team are deployed on surveillance or deal with ancillary matters such as enquiries, logistics and vehicle checks.
To those that want them, the training opportunities are fantastic.
“There are so many opportunities to improve your skillset. We have people on the team who have advanced interview skills and in terms of surveillance, further down the line, you could be a surveillance trainer, a surveillance lead, trained in using drones or a SPOC.
“There are lots of different roles within the Operations Team, such as being OIC on a job, or the Exhibits or Disclosure Officer, or doing Covert Authority submissions. All of these competences add to the variety. The experience you gain here is a real stepping stone to the next opportunity.”
“The experience you gain here is a real steppingstone to the next opportunity.”
Having joined the police in 2005, Mark spent several years as a uniformed response officer. This was followed by three years in CID, which gave him lots of investigative experience, but it wasn’t until he joined SWROCU that he gained his detective accreditation.
“I found out about the SWROCU from a colleague who already worked here and thought I’d be really interested in the work, which I was.”
Laying fears to rest
The SWROCU leads the operational response on behalf of forces within five regions, so there’s naturally a perception that the work keeps officers away from their families.
Understandably, Mark shared this concern and had reservations about moving from his home force and the impact it might have on his family life.
“My biggest concern was being away from home and that my life as I knew it would change,” said Mark. “Would I go from being a busy police officer to being a ridiculously busy police officer? How would it affect my children and my wife?
“I quickly realised it is a very reasonable, flexible organisation,” he said. “Lots of people here have children and they all manage work and their personal commitments absolutely fine.
“Not only that, wellbeing is also at the forefront of all the leaders’ minds. The work-life balance is really important and I haven’t missed a school performance or parents’ evening; it’s a given that those things are important too.”
‘No barriers to working here’
ROCUs across the country are carrying out significant recruitment over the next few years, and SWROCU is no exception.
“The expansion isn’t stopping and this growth is really encouraging,” Mark added. “If you’re a team player and have the enthusiasm, I would encourage you to join. There is no barrier to working here and for me, it really is the best place to be.
“I feel part of the ROCU family; it’s a place where people come and don’t want to leave. It’s an environment where people feel like they belong, and this encourages everyone to want to do their best.”
*Name has been changed