Scenes of Crime Officer - Cardiff/Bristol

Job Introduction

Salary: £37,005.87, plus £4,000 Market supplement, plus 10% Shift and 10% On Call allowance per annum with yearly increments based on performance

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Cardiff/Bristol

Type of Working Arrangement: This is an operational role based primarily at our Cardiff/Bristol office. Occasional home working may be possible for specific tasks, but the role requires regular presence on site.

Hours: This is a full-time, shift based role (37 hours per week)

British Transport Police (BTP) is the national police force for the rail network throughout Great Britain. We are the ‘Guardians of the Railway,’ putting passenger safety at the heart of what we do. Our values are simply: We Care, We Do the Right Thing, We Strive to Be Better Every Day, We Are One BTP, and We Are Proud to Protect. Join us and help create an environment where we can all be our best every day.

The Opportunity

Are you looking for your next exciting career move? British Transport Police has an excellent opportunity for a Scenes of Crime Officer to join our Scientific Support Unit .

Based in Cardiff or Bristol, you'll join a dedicated team of Scene of Crime Officers (SOCOs) who provide specialist forensic support across the railway network. In this vital role, you will work closely with police officers and key stakeholders to deliver expert forensic advice and develop effective forensic strategies tailored to each incident.

Your day-to-day work will involve attending scenes of crime and fatalities across Wales and the South of England, carrying out thorough and methodical examinations to recover and preserve forensic evidence. You will play a crucial role in supporting investigations while helping to minimise disruption to rail services, facilitating the safe and timely reopening of railway lines wherever possible.

This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference, using your forensic expertise to support investigations, protect the travelling public, and contribute to keeping Britain's railways safe.

What You'll Be Doing

• Conduct examinations at a wide range of scenes in conjunction with other SOCO’s and 3rd parties and decide what evidence to gather ensuring quality standard processes are followed and maintained in an impartial and independent manner.
• General crime scene photography and injury photographs.
• Fingerprint examination of a crime scene to obtain identifiable finger / palm marks for submission to the Fingerprint department.
• Proactively monitor and assess incidents for forensic opportunities and communicate with victims of crime, witnesses or investigators to establish whether attendance is appropriate.
• Attend forensic post-mortems to record and recover evidence from the deceased.
• Assist HM Coroner/Procurator Fiscal to identify or confirm the identity of deceased persons through fingerprint, DNA or other means including conducting examinations in the home of bereaved persons.
• Complete administrative tasks, quality management and regulatory requirements including anti-contamination procedures, auditing and evidence management.
• Maintain up to date records, complete detailed scenes of crime reports, interrogate and update force systems to communicate results to stakeholders.

Qualifications And Training

What you'll bring to the team:

• Degree level qualification in a forensic science-related subject or relevant experience in the field.
• Full UK manual driving license (essential).

Experience

• Experience working as a Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO), Volume Scenes of Crime Officer, or equivalent experience within forensic environments, including casework handling.

Skills

• Strong organisational and administrative abilities with meticulous attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; high interpersonal and people skills.
• Ability to plan, prioritise, and manage time effectively while remaining calm under pressure.
• Proactive, logical, and solution-focused with strong problem-solving and teamworking skills.
• Competent in IT systems and comfortable working independently.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of all forensic-related science.
• Knowledge of ISO 17020/17025, Forensic Science Regulator’s Codes of Practice. (desirable)

Additional Information

A full UK manual driving license is required for this role. The job involves extensive travel across the UK, working long hours, which may sometimes be unsociable and includes shifts and on call. The job will necessitate working in difficult circumstances including tunnels, steep embankments and outside in all weather conditions. The job entails dealing with extremely distressing situations including scenes involving death and mutilation, liaising with family members who have received news of recent loss of a loved one and victims of crime. Applicants should be prepared for challenging and difficult circumstances.

Further information about this vacancy can be found in the attached job description.

What We Offer

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 30 days after 5 years.
• Family-friendly policies, including up to 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave.
• Bespoke benefits platform and Blue Light Card access.
• Salary sacrifice options for cycles, home technology, gym membership, and electric vehicles.
• Interest-free annual rail season ticket loan after 6 months.
• Access to the Transport Benevolent Fund for health, welfare, and financial support.
• Development opportunities, including fully funded apprenticeships.
• Excellent Pension scheme: We offer the BTP GPP Police Staff Pension Scheme, administered by Royal London. This group personal pension plan is available to all police staff and is a defined contribution scheme. It provides the flexibility to vary your pension contributions from 4.4% to 12% of your salary. For more information, visit the Royal London dedicated pension page or email us at Note: If you are an existing member of Police Staff in the RPS, your pension will not be affected.

Inclusion & Diversity

We are committed to building a workforce where everyone feels they belong. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences. Diversity strengthens our teams, improves our services and helps us better represent and support the communities we serve. We are proud to be an inclusive employer and strive to create a workplace that is fair, respectful and accessible to all. We actively work to challenge discrimination, remove barriers and ensure equity throughout our recruitment and employment practices. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment or selection process, please let us know - we are happy to support you. Your talent, your potential, and your unique perspective matter here. For more information on Inclusion or the Disability Confident Scheme, please click the links Inclusion & Diversity Disability Confident Scheme.

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