Police Prosecutor

Sussex Police; Shoreham-by-Sea; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career progression

LGPS pension

Generous annual leave

On-site gyms

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Sussex Police now seeks a capable prosecutor to review Single Justice Procedure and Police Led Prosecution files. You will ensure evidential and public interest tests are met and provide clear direction to officers until cases meet required standards or are stopped.

You will QA cases to protect the force's reputation within the justice arena. You will present cases in PLP Magistrates’ Courts, handling guilty plea and absence matters, with strong liaison to CPS and colleagues.

Qualifications

• Membership of the Institute of Legal Executives with a specialisation in Part II in criminal litigation OR a degree OR 3 years’ experience in the Criminal Justice System.
• Extensive knowledge and practical experience of Criminal and Traffic Law.
• Able to identify and resolve case file deficiencies and set action plans for investigating officers.
• Able to deal with legal arguments and defence applications to avoid potential trial issues.
• Able to liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service for legal advice when needed.
• Be a confident decision maker with credibility and resilience in a high volume environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including drafting letters and arguments.
• Flexibility under pressure and ability to plan and prioritise workloads.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Arrange trials and adjournments dates with appropriate costs applied for Sussex Police.
• Undertake file management of cases adjourned for trial and ensure dynamic case management.

Responsibilities

• Review SJP and PLP court files for prosecution consideration.
• Ensure evidential and public interest tests are met per Code of Crown Prosecutors.
• Provide clear case direction, advice and feedback to officers.
• Deliver final QA of cases to protect Sussex Police’s reputation.
• Present cases in PLP Magistrates’ Courts, including guilty plea and absence cases.
• Collaborate with CPS when legal guidance is required.

Skills

Criminal Law

Traffic Law

Case management

Written and verbal communication

Microsoft Office

Trial scheduling

Decision making

Education

IoLE Part II (criminal litigation)

Law degree

Criminal justice experience

Job description

Division / Department - Operations Command
Grade - Grade 10
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent
Salary Grade Range - £35,772 - £39,276
Working Hours - 37.0 Hours per Week
Shift Allowance - No
Politically Restricted - No
Location - Shoreham

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.

Chief Constables' Message

We really welcome your interest in joining our Police Force. It is a privilege to lead the teams in Surrey Police and Sussex Police who continuously work selflessly and tirelessly in order to keep people in our counties safe.

We are looking for talented and inspirational people who put the needs of the public at the heart of everything that they do and who want to make a difference. If you feel you are that person then we want to hear from you.

We wish you all the very best with your application.

The Role & Key Responsibilities

From your first day with us you will be part of a policing family making a real difference.

In this dynamic and interesting role you will work as part of a small team responsible for the review of all Single Justice Procedure (SJP) and Police Led Prosecution (PLP) court files submitted for consideration of prosecution for specified road traffic and criminal offences.

You will be required to ensure the evidential and public interest tests have been met as set out in the Code of Crown Prosecutors and to provide clear case direction, advice and feedback to officers in respect of these files until the case meets the required standards or is discontinued. You will provide the final quality assurance of these cases supporting the force drive to improve case file quality and protect the reputation of Sussex Police within the justice arena.

As part of this role you will present cases in the PLP Magistrates’ Courts where the prosecution function falls to the police to prosecute and includes dealing with guilty plea cases for criminal matters, proof in absence and exceptional hardship cases.

Skills & Experience

Full training will be provided.

Ideally you should have:

• Membership of the Institute of Legal Executives with a specialisation in Part II in criminal litigation OR aDegree OR 3 years’ experience of working within the Criminal Justice System sufficient to undertake the principal accountabilities of the post.
• Extensive knowledge and practical experience of Criminal and Traffic Law
• Able to identify and resolve case file deficiencies and set action plans for investigating officers.
• Able to deal with legal arguments and defence applications to avoid potential trial issues.
• Able to liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service for any reason where it is considered that appropriate legal advice should be sought before proceeding further.
• Be a confident decision maker able to demonstrate credibility and resilience in a high volume work environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including writing letters and constructing valid points and arguments.
• Flexibility in approach to the role, working well under constant pressure and to be able to plan and prioritise a demanding workload.
• Strong problem solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and resolve issues independently, plan solutions and make sound pragmatic decisions which will have a direct impact on the service.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Arrange trials and adjournments dates ensuring that costs are applied for on behalf of Sussex Police.
• Undertake file management of cases adjourned for trial, and to ensure dynamic case management.

Why Work With Us?

We take pride in looking after our people and offer a variety of benefits;

• career progression
• contributory pension scheme (LGPS)
• generous annual leave allowance
• discounts for everyday spend
• on-site gyms and a range of sports clubs
• generous and supportive parental leave
• financial and mental wellbeing guidance and support
• discounted contributory healthcare scheme

If you would like more information or just an informal chat about the role please contact Steve Day, Prosecutions Supervisor who would be happy to give you an overview of the role and answer any questions you have.

We are only as good as our people. It's 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 the skills that diversity brings; all of which help us to 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 Disability Confident, hold Race Equality Matters Trailblazer status, are a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.

We are committed to being an anti-racist police service. We promise to challenge injustice, ensure fairness and to uphold anti-racist principles in both our organisation and our communities. For more information, you can read our full anti-racism statement here .

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 belief, we would love to hear from you.

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 successful 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.