Vacancy Information
Division / Department - East Surrey Division
Grade - Band 2
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent
Salary Grade Range - £38,979 - £56,223
Working Hours - 36.0 Hours per Week
Shift Allowance -
Politically Restricted -
The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time.
The Role
The role effectively comprises three strands:
a. To provide comprehensive and expert level professional advice and support on matters related to controlled drugs to the public, police, and partner agencies, through drug identification testing, training and presentations, along with general advice regarding drug effects and relevant legislations which control drugs including the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.
b. To provide impartial Drug Expert Witness testimony for the courts for any drug related matters as required, adhering to the Criminal Procedure Rules and Practice Directions 2020.
c. To provide support, advice and assist with any investigation under the ‘Controlled Drug Liaison’ aspect with regards to controlled drugs within pharmaceutical or healthcare settings in line with the Misuse of Drugs (safe custody) Regulations 1973, The Misuse of Drugs Act Regulations 2001, Health Act 2006 and Human Medicine Regulations 2012.
The post will be primarily based covering Eastern Division, with a base at Reigate Police Station however there is flexibility around agile working environments (remote working) away from the office, with travel in to the base station as required to perform core duties.
The post holder will be required to be on remand testing duty every third week on rotation which will require being able to provide cover for all urgent remand tests and interpretation statements for the force during core working hours, this may be conducted remotely if possible however it may require travel to your nearest examination room or Divisional base if testing is required.
It should be noted that the DLO role (Eastern) will be responsible for approximately 1/3 of the Expert Witness statements for all Surrey Police Drug Investigations, therefore any post holder should expect to be court warned for approximately 60% of the year.
Key Responsibilities
To complete and peer review Drug Expert Witness statements in all cases involving the supply, importation, or exportation of controlled drugs.
To manage the additional Drug Expert Witness cadre within the force, including the provision of guidance and continuous professional development, ensuring that skills and integrity are maintained.
To provide drug awareness training to officers and staff as required, along with partner agencies.
To test and identify substances seized within the force, for the purposes of possession or remand charges, utilising a variety of testing equipment including Raman Spectroscopy, Ion Mobility and Infra-Red Spectroscopy along with single test indication kits (Immunoassay and Marquis for example) and visual identification methods.
To manage the in house testing of controlled drugs within the force (predominately covering Eastern Division), including the provision of Class A and B EDIT training for officers and staff to enable them to perform in house identifications of selected substances using Home Office approved kits. The ordering and stocking of testing kits, monitoring of testing records for quality control purposes including the addressing of any concerns which are found and the maintenance and yearly submission of Home Office returns.
Partnership work with HM Prison Service and Sodexo with regards to controlled drugs visits, audits and destruction of controlled drugs stored within the prison and involvement in drug screening operations for staff and visitors using Ion Mobility (Ion Track) devices.
Partial management overview of the use of POCA and Section 27 seizures within the force. Including education for officers and staff on the use of POCA and Section 27 for the seizure of money and assets resulting from the trafficking of illicit drugs. Involvement where required for POCA cash swabbing. Oversight and liaison with Finance Departments regarding the Section 27 account and management of submissions for purchases from this account.
Responsible for the following equipment and its use in investigations and intelligence gathering operations: TruNarc Raman Drug Analyser, Alpha FTIR, EDIT approved presumptive kits, I3 and Mobile Trace Ion Track machines, Thermal Image Cameras.
To keep abreast of any new changes within the illicit drugs markets including but not limited to market fluctuations, emerging substances and potential hazardous substances.
To provide urgent updates via briefing submissions or public health alerts regarding any new risks to officers and staff, the public or partners resulting from illicit drugs.
To complete targeted chemist and other pharmaceutical premises inspections as required, under the umbrella of CDLO, to complete audits of controlled drug stocks and registers, assess compliance with safe storage of controlled drugs guidance and regulations. This will include liaison with partner agencies including but not limited to NHS England, SECAMB, Public Health and the General Pharmaceutical Society.
Attendance at the CDLIN meetings for the region to ensure that any emerging or current issues are identified and to provide guidance and advise as required.
To be the single point of contact for partner agencies regarding all drug related matters including Treatment Providers, public health, DEFRA, NHS England, HM Prison Service and Sodexo, Social Services, Drug Clinics, Customs and Excise and the Home Office and to provide assistance in any multi-agency forum regarding drugs.
Further responsibilities can be found in the attached job profile
Skills & Experience
Skills & Experience
• Proven and well evidenced experience in the field of illicit drugs.
• Experience of drug testing (Class A and B) is preferable.
• Demonstrable experience and a proven record of self-motivation, flexibility, drive, enthusiasm and initiative to be able to work with minimum supervision, alone or as part of a team.
• The ability to manage time and prioritise effectively with an aptitude to plan ahead and respond flexibly to changing demands in a multi project environment.
• Excellent communication skills at all levels to enable clear and concise verbal and written communication. Including experience of report writing, making presentations and delivering training, using non-technical language where necessary to impart information.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure whilst still being able to provide clear, concise presentations of evidence based opinions within a court environment. • Ability to process and assess large amounts of data within relatively small time frames, resulting in the extraction and development of impartial evidence based opinions.
• Well-developed computer skills and experience in using Microsoft products such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint with the ability to become proficient in Surrey Police IT systems.
• Applicant must hold a full driving license.
Further Information
For further information please contact inspector 40147 Lyndsey Whatley or PS
2190 Greg Turner
We recognise that our people are balancing demanding careers with commitments and interests outside of work. We welcome applications and discussion with candidates who want to work full-time or part-time/flexible hours.
Additional Information
Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly. You may wish to consider adding noreply@surreysussexpolice.as.recruitmail.com to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.
This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes. Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference. This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process.
Please note that not all jobs are available for internal candidates across both Forces, the current agreed recruitment principles are;
- vacancies in collaborated units are available to all officers and staff across both Forces
- vacancies in non-collaborated units are only available to officers and staff within the Force with the vacancy unless it is advertised externally.
If the vacancy is advertised externally and an officer or member of staff from the other Force is success it will result in a transfer of employment
Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self-employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.
Diversity Statement
We are only as good as our people. It's really important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we'll grow from the variety of thinking, approach and skills that diversity brings; all of which help us deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all.
We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index and Disability Confident, a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.
We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status or religious beliefs, we would love to hear from you.
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