Tarian

Including Regional Covert Communications Manager, Technical Capability Developer, Network Technician and Investigators.

Including Cyber Crime Unit Manager, Digital Forensics Technicians, Cyber Security Advisors.

Including Economic Crime Manager, Financial Investigators, Anti-Money Laundering Supervisor, Intelligence Development Assessment Officers, Economic Crime Protect & Prevent Security Advisors, Crypto Currency Advisor.

Including Vulnerability Co-Ordinators. 

Including Regional Change Unit General Manager, Clerical Officer, Communications Officer and Administrative Assistants

Including Unit Managers, Regional Covert Telecommunications Investigations System Managers.

Including Head of Analysis, Senior Intelligence Analysts, Intelligence Analysts, Researchers, Performance Analyst.

A day in the life of a Financial Investigator in the Asset Confiscation Enforcement (ACE) Team can vary as every day is different, especially working on different cases.

The team revisit confiscation orders (orders made by the court against a convicted defendant which order them to pay the amount they benefited from their crime) to see if the subject has any further assets that could go towards their order. We get workload in numerous ways which can include:

• Intelligence via email sent by other forces.
• We attend the Enforcement court fortnightly and cases may be referred to us for assistance.
• Nominal case list (this is a list we update annually with confiscation orders that only had an available amount of £1.00 to the subject at that point, meaning we would have to revisit later down the line to see if the subject has any further assets to pay off their order).
• Life enforcement – we don’t only just work on older cases; we also are asked to help with live cases in which the subjects confiscation order is being made and we must help to locate any assets they may have.

Day-to-day routine:

• When having a case to review, you’ll start it off by creating an intelligence log to keep every bit of information I find in once place to refer to.
• The checks you do will consist of Experian, Equifax, Land Registry etc. to see if the subject has any accounts we should know about. For example, if we find a car insurance account on Experian, this may indicate that the subject has a vehicle which can be considered as an asset depending on the value.
• You will also use a number of police databases such as Niche, PNC (Police National Computer) and JARD (Joint Asset Recovery Database). This is simply to note the confiscation details, check for warning markers or for any other intelligence of assets.
• Once the information is gathered, you can request information from external institutions such as Banks, Department of Work Pensions, HM Revenue & Customs etc.
• If any assets are located, you go through the process of creating a production order and to go for a Section 22 in court.
• If no assets are found, you will simply close the case and would review at a later time to see if the subjects circumstances have changed.

Everyday can be different as some days you will have to attend court, attend different courses to keep well informed and develop further skills and assist other teams which could potentially mean going on warrants for an extra hand or taking statements. The list is endless of what this job entails, which is what makes it so exciting!

Not many people know that teams like this exist and are surprised to find that in an office in Tarian is a tight-knit team of inter-disciplinary software and hardware engineers, working on developing and deploying some of policing's newest and most exciting technical capabilities.

The team work alongside intelligence collection and investigative teams from all over from Tarian and its three constituent forces, identifying and solving technical problems in the most innovative, tactical, and covert ways possible. Technology is intertwined with modern life and is always advancing at a rapid pace, and we must stay ahead of the game to help in identifying and combatting serious and organised crime in Wales.

A day in the life of a Technical Capability Developer is never the same. Every project and operation we work on is different from the last and we’re always researching and learning new skills and technologies, working with, and learning from experts from other ROCUs and partner agencies across the UK.

Each week we review upcoming work and discuss any technical and developmental issues as a team, and work collaboratively to build these capabilities using different skills as no team member has the exact skills; this works well as we can solve operational problems without being restricted. Skills range from multiple disciplines in programming languages, hardware manufacturing and networking communication.

Working in this world, opens your eyes to the capabilities of computing and related technologies.

There is fantastic job satisfaction knowing that your knowledge in computing and cyber security can have a positive impact on helping communities and prevent harm from serious and organised crime to both individuals and to the wider community.

If you want to combine a love of technology and the world of policing, I don’t think there’s a more exciting and fulfilling job out there.

You will be tasked with supporting ongoing investigations by gathering evidence from both open and closed sources, developing intelligence, and producing reports based upon my findings.

A typical day will consist of researching identifiers for a subject of interest across both police systems and open sources, such as websites, social media platforms, online forums, and the dark web, to try and paint a background picture. People are often surprised to learn that the police systems that are used are just one source of information and that the majority of the tools used are freely open to anyone. You will then present your findings in a report which will include an assessment and some recommended lines of enquiry for the investigation team.

“Prior to joining the region, I worked in a variety of police staff positions at force level. I was drawn to research due to the key role it plays in investigations, and the fact that the discovery of a key piece of intelligence can lead to significant developments in a case, which is incredibly rewarding.

“Working for the region is always exciting and even though I’m based in the cybercrime unit, I have had the opportunity to support several other highly specialised departments across Tarian.

“For anyone looking to become a researcher I would recommend practising your research skills at home by exploring the tools and techniques available free to the public, since learning how to use the internet as an effective investigative research tool is invaluable in this role. In addition, strong communication skills are essential, along with good computer literacy and an inquisitive, analytical nature.” 

There’s no such thing as a typical day when you work as an analyst, but it usually involves attending team meetings, gathering and analysing data using specialist software, building a picture of activities and patterns, and presenting the resulting intelligence to investigative officers and management.

It is common to be working on multiple projects at once, so it is vital that an analyst can multitask and manage their time well. Attention to detail and persistence is also key. But it is rewarding role and is well suited to someone who enjoys solving puzzles and being a key member of a team.

Working for the region has had multiple benefits. The organisation as a whole is incredibly welcoming, filled with highly skilled yet approachable people. You also get to work on complex cases involving international partners and agencies, which is very exciting.

“This week, for instance, I’m assisting with three ongoing investigations. I’m looking at communications’ data for one of them. I’ll need to create two visual analysis charts, export and map the data, and look for the key words that have been provided by the investigators. This will allow me to pull together a communications’ timeline to try and prove criminality. I will then put this into a formal collection plan for disclosure purposes.

“It’s a very accessible profession for those with the right mindset; my background was in administration, followed by research, and then a natural progression into analysis”. 

As a Senior Intelligence Analyst, you will have oversight of all the research and operational analysts working for the region. You will be responsible for quality checking their work, communicating with their department leads, and managing the demands upon their time.

“I worked as an analyst in the Metropolitan Police for several years before joining South Wales and coming to Tarian. The move meant that I could tackle both operational and strategic work, in a cutting-edge environment, with highly skilled officers and staff.

“A typical day could see me attending case meetings, conducting work on reactive case files, addressing departmental requests for work, checking in with the regional analysts, or prepping for court proceedings via meeting with barristers and the CPS.”

“The most rewarding part of my job is seeing my team members grow and advance.

Tarian is a great environment in which to further your career since there is an organisation-wide appreciation for continual learning and development”.

A senior intelligence analyst needs to have excellent communication skills since you are required to engage with individuals of different ranks, across different departments, on a daily basis. You must be able to confidently convey crucial information, and to ensure that it has been understood. Strong attention to detail and multi-tasking abilities are also essential.

For those interested in reaching a similar role, we would recommend joining a local force as a researcher or analyst to gain experience and expand your knowledge base. Analysts can specialise in operational, strategic or analytical strands of work, but there are baseline skills which are common to all three.

A day in the life of a Regional Covert Telecommunications Investigations System Manager (Regional Telecom SPOC) is an interesting and involved role.

Our Telecom SPOCs work as a pod of four. Their working life is governed predominantly by the Investigatory Powers Act and by the utilisation of CHARTER (the system we use). They are the subject experts for the Regional Organised Crime Unit for all matters relating to the lawful acquisition of Communication data in its many forms.

As Regional SPOCs you work on behalf of the Regional Units to advise, support, and obtain communications data required for both evidential and intelligence purposes. These duties require a strong working link with the majority of the Regional capabilities. Most of the Regional capabilities now have ‘professional applicants’ in post who are proficient in the preparation and application for communication data required for the prevention and detection of serious crime.

Our day-to-day applications mainly originate from the Regional Task Force (RTF), Regional Economic Crime Unit (RECU), Regional Cyber Crime Unit (RCCU), Regional Disruption Team (RDT), Multi-Agency Response to Serious and Organised Crime (MARSOC), Regional Intelligence Unit (RIU), Undercover On-Line (UCOL) and Sensitive Intelligence Unit (SIU). The increase in capabilities within the ROCU, the uplift of further staff and the advances in technology have made the field of Communications Data an ever more challenging and interesting area of business.

These applications cover the whole spectrum of serious and organised crime offences. The involvement throughout the whole history of these investigations makes our role an interesting and satisfying one. They are involved in the operational development stage, through the investigation and then providing evidence for the prosecution.

The work of a Regional Telecom SPOC involves a close relationship with the Telecommunication Operators (TO), previously known as Communication Service Providers (CSP). Applicants will apply for the data they require, they will then quality assure these applications and offer suggestions as to suitability of request, prepare the necessary applications, obtain authorisation (under Investigatory Powers Act) from the appropriate Authority, process the authority and application, submit to the holder of the data, manage its return and then provide it to the original applicant. The SPOC Unit are the only accredited unit, within the ROCU, able to complete this. As part of this they are expected to attend a Nationally accredited course followed by Continuous Development Programmes in order to keep up with changes in legislation and advances in technology.

The Unit is subject to regular inspections from the Communications Inspectors and other Agencies. Preparation for these and returns to the Home Office for budgetary reasons are also a daily function. In addition to our office day role we also provide an ‘on-call’ facility for urgent ‘out-of-hours’ requests.