Information about the role of an intelligence support officer, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
An intelligence support officer sits within the intelligence sector of policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
The intelligence support officer provides information and data management and broad administrative support as part of an intelligence unit.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Receipting and assessing information and maintaining record management systems, ensuring that there is an effective record management and audit trail. Receiving queries and transferring calls as the first point of contact, maintaining confidentiality to ensure queries and requests are dealt with efficiently and effectively.
- Undertaking system checks and searches, including verifying and cross-referencing the validity of information to identify and communicate links between different pieces of information, where required, to support colleagues in the intelligence and analytical functions.
- Identifying and assessing threat, risk of harm and opportunity for interventions, and escalating intelligence to the appropriate person promptly for further action to support operations and live-time operational activities (for example, serving warrants, football intelligence).
- Disseminating intelligence and information, where required, in line with national standards, to support ongoing operations and aid with the achievement of forces' policing objectives.
- Developing briefings that have a clear purpose of either imparting information or generating operational activity to support ongoing operations and aid in the achievement of forces' policing objectives.
- Developing relationships with colleagues and team members to further operational awareness of roles and to support partnership working.
- Undertaking administrative activities to assist the department in meeting its objectives.
- Maintaining awareness of innovation within intelligence to ensure implementation of the latest techniques and tactics, good practices, and information relevant to the role.
- Adhering to all legal frameworks, key working principles, policies and guidance relevant to the role to ensure information and intelligence is handled and processed legally.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role. Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 1: practitioner
- We take ownership – Level 1: practitioner
- We collaborate – Level 1: practitioner
- We support and inspire – Level 1: practitioner
- We analyse critically – Level 1: practitioner
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 1: practitioner
Values
The CVF has three values that apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. These are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing. This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
- Communicating and influencing – Level 1
- Problem solving – Level 1
- Performance management – Level 1
- Relationship management – Level 1
- Change management – Level 1
- Managing people – Level 1
- Managing resources – Level 1
- Planning – Level 1
- Use of IT – Level 1
Education, qualifications and experience
Previous education, qualifications and experience
- Prepared to undertake College of Policing intelligence professionalisation programme (IPP) certification (to complete within 12 months of appointment).
- Prepared to develop knowledge in relevant legislation, policy, and guidelines (for example intelligence, authorised professional practice (APP), Freedom of Information Act, Management of Personal Information (MoPI), General Data Protection Requirements (GDPR).
- Knowledge of national intelligence model (NIM).
- Develop knowledge of associated issues and risks to policing and other government agencies.
- Experience of checking, recording and retrieving information from a database.
In-role education, qualifications and experience
- Successfully complete the College of Policing intelligence professionalisation programme (IPP) certificate within 12 months of appointment.
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence. CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR) conversations.
To achieve effective performance in the role, the following standards, registration, training and learning should be met.
Learning and accreditation
- There is a minimum CPD requirement for this role which maintains professional competency and IPP certification. Full details for the requirements can be found on college learn in the IPP CPD framework document for the intelligence support officer or by speaking to local IPP lead.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
- Complete all core training and learning required by the force.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- secondments to IPP partner agencies
- undertaking one of the specialist IPP endorsement
- completion of the mandatory CPD requirements also offers opportunities for developing further skills that can support further progression and development
Related roles
You can find other service deliverer roles in the: