Ministry of Justice

Overview of the job

The Crime in Prisons Coordinator (CiPCo) will provide specialist administration and coordination support to help address high levels of crime committed within the establishment, aligning with national crime in prison objectives intended to support prisons to improve criminal justice outcomes. The role will cover a single establishment and managed within the Security team.

Playing a pivotal role in HMPPS's mission to combat crime in prisons, the CiPCo will address acts of criminality within prison confines, encouraging proportionate outcomes through internal disciplinary processes, adjudication awards, and law enforcement engagement. The candidate will possess a willingness to comprehensively understand relevant policy frameworks and guidance surrounding crime in prisons, particularly the Crime in Prison Referral Agreement (CiPRA) and the Victims’ Code. Additionally, they will become knowledgeable about the respective roles and responsibilities of HMPPS, the police, and CPS in investigating and prosecuting crimes within custodial settings, with the aim of achieving standardised and consistent processes across the sites. Motivated to improve information-sharing processes related to crime in prisons, the individual will contribute to better punitive outcomes and enhanced victim support.

HMPPS's efforts to tackle crime in prisons are crucial for maintaining safety and security while minimizing harm to staff, prisoners, and the community. A national strategy has been developed with objectives including:

•             Cultivating a culture of change and adherence to statutory and common law obligations outlined in the CiPRA.

•             Assisting in compiling information packages for crime cases to support high-quality referrals to law enforcement.

•             Enhancing the process of crime referrals, particularly regarding assaults against staff.

•             Facilitating the exchange of best practices among prisons at various levels.

•             Identifying trends and inefficiencies in case investigations, statement development, and evidence handling.

•             Fostering positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

•             Providing support to victims of crime and offering guidance tools to frontline staff.

•             Aggregating and analysing local data to improve the efficacy

               of crime referrals and operational processes.OFFICIAL               

These objectives must be implemented at all levels within prisons to ensure proportionate outcomes for offenders. The Prison Group Directorate and Directorate of Security are collaborating to enhance the crime in prison service provided to prisons.

Summary

Supported by the National Crime in Prisons (CiP) Taskforce, this role aims to address the high levels of crime committed within prisons. The CiP Taskforce endeavours to promote cultural change in how crime in prisons is perceived and managed, strengthen relationships between HMPPS and law enforcement, develop effective victim support strategies, and instil confidence in our ability to combat crime effectively.

The role entails providing specialist administration and coordination support to a single establishment, working closely with the national and regional CiP Taskforce and local Police Crime Team to manage crime cases efficiently.

Reporting directly to the Head of Security, who liaises with the Regional Crime in Prison Lead, this role is based within a prison. Daily travel to other prisons and occasional trips to the regional offices are necessary, with potential travel outside the region as required.

The job will involve contact with prisoners for information gathering but carries no line management responsibilities.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

General Responsibilities, Activities and Duties: 

•             Develop a comprehensive understanding of the operational environment in prisons and the establishment’s priorities, risks/threats, and opportunities to better tackle crime in prison.

•             Understand the relevant legal and policy frameworks relating to crime in prisons, security and safety; making sure these are followed when providing services to prisons.

•             Organise, produce and maintain accurate records for the PGD’s office, and regional CiP team.

•             Act as the single contact point for all communications regarding crime in prisons work, particularly for regional or national counterparts, the Prison Group, the regional CiP team and law enforcement.

•             Ability to complete and update performance returns when required by the Regional Security Lead.

•             Coordinate any awareness sessions on behalf of the CiP Team, primary evidence handling awareness.

•             Collate and store documents related to crime cases using appropriate local/regional/national storage platforms.

•             Correspond with relevant internal and external departments, stakeholders and agencies to ensure that they are disseminating relevant information related to crime cases, in line with information sharing and disclosure policies.

•             Complete and maintain police referral performance tracker for managing crime cases, updating systems and logs of information with responses within required timescales.

•             By request of Regional Security Lead, arrange and attend any required meetings, including the preparation of paperwork, minutes and action points to support the effective management of crime in prison.

•             Support the CiP team in delivering the crime in prisons delivery agenda.

•             Be the first point of contact for prisons to signpost policies, procedures and key contacts for crime in prisons work.

•             Identify positive and negative working practices surrounding the progression of crime cases, escalating to management for review.

•             Understand the establishment’s key threats and issues, working with Safety and Security analysts to ensure crimes committed by persons of interest are known to the Care, Separation and Re-integration Units (CSRUs) for appropriate progression and reported to relevant stakeholders.

•             Identify key themes and issues preventing proportionate outcomes to crimes committed in the establishment, escalating to the regional CiP team.

•             On the direction of the Regional Crime in Prison Lead and Regional Corruption Prevent Manager, the post holder may also be asked to understand capability gaps and signpost wider capability opportunities, best practice and guidance and support light touch research to inform our evidence base on crimes in prison.

Specific Taskings:

•             Be the Crime in Prison SPOC for the establishment, developing relationships with prison staff, the Security team and police crime team officers/Police SPOC (internal and/or external) to assist with information sharing and the collation of evidence packages.

•             Coordinate crime clinic invites and agenda, circulating actions log to relevant staff. Provide live, accurate updates to the police referral tracker during crime clinic meetings.

•             Regularly update police referral tracker with new outcomes/ updates outside of the crime clinic meetings, ensuring charges and outcomes are accurate with comprehensive information added regarding case-specific details. 

•             Complete crime referral proformas with accurate details to assist police in the acceptance and investigation of referred crimes.

•             Collate, store and disseminate evidence linked to crime cases, including BWVC, CCTV, physical exhibits and documentation related to circumstantial evidence (records, statements etc) in accordance with the Evidence Handling Policy Framework. 

•             Collate relevant use of force documents or case notes from DPS to accompany statements.

•             Collate relevant adjudication history to support referrals if required and any other relevant prisoner information (DPS case notes for example) required for police/CPS, disseminating in line with relevant disclosure protocol.

•             Attend monthly Security meeting to understand nominals of interest and the establishments’ keys risks and threats.

•             Work closely with Safety, Security Analysts, Police and regional teams to triage crimes and identify nominals of interest/crimes of interest for further discussion at crime clinics.

•             Develop relationship with Adjudication Liaison Officers within CSRU, providing timely advice and guidance on police referrals, their suitability/compliance with the Crime in Prison Referral Agreement (CiPRA) with updates on their progression. 

•             Where required, ensure crime details are reflected on all the relevant information platforms; National Incident Management Unit (telephone reporting), Incident Reporting System, PNOMIS and Mercury/IMS.

•             Collate and disseminate information relating to CPS action logs.

•             Assist the establishment in ensuring consistent good practice with evidence handling security, preservation and continuity. The ability to deliver Evidence Handling awareness is desirable.

•             Develop and maintain a database of persons of interest (high harm nominals) and those subject to ancillary orders, ensure this information is updated and available to Adjudication Liaison Officers (ALOs) within the Care, Separation and Reintegration Units (CSRUs).

•             Assist in identifying and communicating crimes committed by repeat offenders and persons of interest to the police and any other invested internal and external teams within the Corruption, Crime and Policing Unit (CCPU), South East

Region Police Intelligence Team (SERPIT), the National Intelligence Unit (NIU), the Joint Extremism Unit (JExU) and other Law Enforcement Agencies.

•             Coordinate the dissemination and destruction of evidence for crime cases with local police constabularies and keep an electronic log of all exhibits disseminated or destroyed.

•             Collate and apply quality assurance to witness statements for submission to the police and coordinate meetings for staff to make statements with police where required.

•             Assist with the coordination of meetings for staff to make statements with police, where required.

•             Assist with issuing MG4D (charging paperwork) to prisoners, keeping a log of dates and times issued electronically. 

•             Issue medical disclaimers to either to the suspect(s), victims(s) and witnesses with medical record access form, where identified at crime clinics. 

•             Liaise with witness care/specialist support teams regarding availability to attend court dates with victims and/or witnesses.

•             Liaise with specialist support teams regarding interventions and care services for staff, providing administration and coordination support for staff victims of crime. 

•             Liaise with the People Hub/Detail departments to ensure that staff are relieved from the regime management plan to attend meetings or interviews related to CiP cases.  

•             Support the police crime team to ensure that emails and electronic messages/letters to staff and prisoners are issued, keeping records to this effect; this may include information regarding crime reference numbers and formal updates on cases.

•             Assist with the creation, submission and storage of prison impact statements for the IA, police, and CPS. 

•             Produce reports, where required, giving a high level overview of crime in prison data for the establishment, including relevant data/thematics/statistics.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks, potentially of an operational nature (if operational) of a similar level of responsibility that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Civil Service Success Profile Criteria

Behaviours

•             Making Effective Decisions

•             Delivering at Pace

•             Communicating and Influencing

•             Managing a Quality Service

•             Working Together

Experience

•             Candidates should role model impeccable professionalism and integrity.

•             Good understanding of the operational context of prisons and probation.

Ability

•             Good communication (written and verbal), leadership and partnership working skills.

•             Problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to drive innovation and resolution.