Surveillance Planning & Briefing Officer - Counter Terrorism Policing

Overview

Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) is a collaboration of UK police forces working with the UK intelligence community to help protect the public and our national security by preventing, deterring and investigating terrorist activity.

The CTP West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit (WMCTU) Surveillance department sits within the Pursue section of the 4 P’s. Our teams are ready to deploy a wide range of skills, including expertise in Surveillance, to respond to both highly sophisticated international plots and individuals preparing attacks.

Closing date: 18/01/2026 11:59pm

Salary: £38,169 - £44,700

Grade: 6

Type: Full time

Location: Based in modern offices near Birmingham Airport

As a Surveillance Planning and Briefing Officer, you’ll be the interface between CTU departments and the Surveillance teams, producing necessary documentation required for deployments. You’ll liaise with Senior Investigating Officers and partners and develop sufficient understanding of the intelligence picture to ensure the operational briefing document is current and relevant. You’ll deliver Operational briefings to surveillance operatives, work alongside the Operational Intelligence Management Unit (OIMU) to assess threat, harm and risk matters, community impact and operational awareness, and communicate these in support of briefing and information sharing protocols.

You’ll evidentially process, list and store all product obtained from the deployment, summarise material to support the investigation and meet disclosure obligations, proofreading surveillance records and processing imagery, and disseminating material obtained during deployments to support other evidential and identification objectives.

• Liaising with intelligence departments to request, collate and research all documentation required prior to a covert deployment.
• Preparing and delivering operational briefings, ensuring sensitive information is handled in accordance with Departmental, Force and National Guidelines, including importing images from various overt and covert sources, editing, enhancing and annotating images to populate any operational briefing.
• Reviewing and processing all surveillance evidence produced daily, ensuring accuracy and evidential standards as required by Investigating Officers.
• Proof reading all surveillance logs and viewing records to ensure accuracy and offer surveillance planning comments within the current National Security Surveillance Report (NSSR).
• Viewing and providing first-line assessment of all covert imagery obtained during a surveillance deployment.
• Creating accurate records of all accountable evidential surveillance documents within departmental spreadsheets, managing retention and destruction of surveillance product in line with national guidelines.
• Ensuring all physical exhibits are processed in accordance with national policy.
• Ensuring compliance with Force Policy on Equality and Diversity matters and exploring best practices in covert criminal investigations.

• Experience in the production and delivery of briefings at a variety of levels.
• Ability to condense, analyse and select relevant information from a large amount of research material.
• Proven negotiation and communication skills to converse with and brief officers/staff of all ranks.
• IT skills including PowerPoint, Excel and Word and the ability to adapt to various software packages.
• Ability to prioritise, manage competing demands and respond effectively to work streams with a quick turnaround.
• Working on own initiative, demonstrating the ability to meet deadlines.
• Experience in working with intelligence with the ability to recognise sensitive information and maintain discretion and confidentiality.
• Commitment, dedication and flexibility.
• Hold a full UK driving licence.

• Previous experience of working within covert investigations, including where surveillance has been utilised.
• Investigatory experience.
• Experience or working knowledge of Exhibits and/or Disclosure.
• Knowledge of current developments/advancements in surveillance technology and techniques.

⚠ This role requires British…