Scenes of crime officer

Scenes of crime officers (SOCOs) find, record and recover evidence from crime scenes.

Also known as: SOCO, crime scene investigator, CSI officer

• Starter salary£24,000 a year
• Experienced£43,000 a year
• Typical hours36 to 42 a week

What you'll do

As a scenes of crime officer, you could:

• attend crime scenes and other major incidents
• preserve and protect the investigation area
• record scenes and potential evidence using photography and video
• gather fingerprints, hairs, fibres and other materials
• find, record and recover evidence like blood and DNA samples
• keep written records and update information systems with evidence details
• produce crime scene reports and give evidence in court

Working environment

You could work on the streets, in a court, at a mortuary or at a police station.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding, outdoors some of the time, dirty and cramped.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work on your own
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
• knowledge of public safety and security
• administration skills
• to be flexible and open to change
• legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

How to become a scenes of crime officer

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• working towards this role
• applying directly

University

You could do a degree accredited by The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences . You could then join a scenes of crime training programme.

Subjects include:

• forensic science
• applied science
• criminology
• chemistry
• biology

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Work

If you're already working in the police service in a support role, you might be able to apply for training to become a Tier 1 crime scene investigator (CSI).

Your employer will organise training through the College of Policing . The training covers investigative methods for volume and priority crime, such as vehicle-related offences, burglary and street robbery.

Direct application

You can apply directly to a police force to join as a trainee scenes of crime officer.

Each force sets its own entry requirements but you might need one or more of the following:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) including maths, English and a science subject
• a minimum of 2 A levels or equivalent qualifications
• experience of working in the police service
• a willingness to work long and unsocial hours

Initial training can take between 6 and 12 months.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

For some police forces, you might need to undergo vetting procedures like psychological screening.

You'll usually need a driving licence.

Career path and progression

With a minimum of 2 years' experience as a Tier 1 investigator, you could apply to move onto Tier 2 training.

Once you've finished Tier 2 training, you could become an advanced practitioner, dealing with major crimes.

After a further 5 years, you could become a senior or principal officer, with responsibility for managing a crime scene investigation (CSI) team.

You could also use your skills and experience to go on to become a forensic scientist .

Career tips

Qualifications or experience in photography can also be useful and may be essential for some jobs.

You'll be required to attend scenes which may be upsetting, though training and support will be given to help with this.

Professional and industry bodies

You can join The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences for professional development and advice.

Guides for this industry

• Police & Law Enforcement: pay, interviews and getting started →

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0