Sussex Police are inviting applications for the role of investigator to join the Response Investigation Teams (RIT) that were first introduced in 2011.
There are 32 new temporary investigator posts to be filled as part of a pilot project. RIT investigators work alongside police officers investigating crimes. They are not desk-bound and go out and meet with victims, take statements, interview suspects, collect evidence and create files for court.
RIT allows secondary investigations to be streamlined and removed from front line response policing. This means that response officers can attend emergency and priority calls but can hand over the investigation and, where relevant, prisoners to the dedicated RIT freeing them up to get back out on the streets quicker.
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne, said: “As part of my pledge to increase the visibility of officers I am pleased to see that Sussex Police is recruiting 32 civilian investigators. This will allow for more officers to be out in the community; one of the things that local people have told me matters most to them. This will help to achieve my Police & Crime Plan objectives of safer communities, greater police visibility, increased public confidence and a positive focus on victims.”
Sussex ACC Robin Merrett added: “As a performance and service investment we are recruiting a number of civilian RIT investigators on fixed term contracts for 18 months. This is to enable us to free up police officers for front line duties, including responding to calls from the public and to target those who commit crimes. We are able to recruit and train these staff quicker than would be the case with officers and they will provide resilience within the RITs – but they are not a replacement for officers.”
The application window for investigators opened on Monday 19 August and will remain open, 24 hours, until midnight 1 September.
