Job Description

***Previous unsuccessful applicants who have applied or interviewed for this role within the last 6 months are not eligible to apply on this occasion***

Prospective officers and staff must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold.

About the Role

Design Out Crime Officer - (Crime Prevention & Community Safety)

As a Design Out Crime Officer, you'll use specialist crime prevention techniques to influence how neighbourhoods, schools, retail spaces, public buildings and major developments are designed across the West Midlands. Rather than responding to crime after it happens, you'll work proactively with planners, architects, developers and partner agencies to reduce opportunities for crime before they exist.

Every development creates an opportunity to design safer places for people to live, work and visit. In this role you'll influence planning decisions from the earliest stages, working with architects, developers, local authorities and policing colleagues to embed crime prevention into the built environment.

You'll combine problem-solving, partnership working and specialist knowledge to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and vulnerability across communities before issues arise. From advising on major developments to supporting national crime prevention initiatives, you'll help shape environments that are safer for everyone.

Key Responsibilities

• Influence the design of new developments by providing specialist crime preventions advice from the earliest planning stages.
• Build strong partnerships with planners, architects, developers, local authorities and external agencies to create safer communities.
• Lead on crime prevention initiatives, applying evidence based approaches to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and vulnerability.
• Deliver specialist advice, presentations and training to internal colleagues and external partners.
• Support nationally recognised initiatives including Secured by Design and Park Mark accreditation.
• Represent West Midlands Police within planning consultations and multi-agency forums, helping shape long-term community safety.
• Use intelligence, data and problem-solving techniques to identify emerging risks and develop innovative crime prevention solutions.

Who We're Looking For

You'll be someone who enjoys building relationships, influencing others and solving complex problems. You'll be confident communicating with people from a wide range of professional backgrounds and passionate about improving community safety through innovation and partnership working.

You'll have experience of:

• Providing specialist advice and influencing decisions across a range of stakeholders and partner organisations.
• Building effective partnerships to deliver positive outcomes for communities, customers or organisations.
• Applying problem-solving and analytical skills to identify risks, develop solutions and drive continuous improvement.
• Working within community safety, policing, crime prevention, planning, security or related professional environment.
• Communicating complex information confidently through reports, presentations and engagement with a variety of audiences.

We recognise that relevant experience can come from a variety of backgrounds, and we welcome applications from candidates with transferable skills and experience.

Click here to view the full details of the role including the Essential, Desirable and any educational requirements for the role.

Why Join us?

Join a nationally recognised specialist policing function where your expertise will influence how communities are designed across the West Midlands. Working alongside architects, planners, developers and partner agencies, you'll help prevent crime before it happens and make a lasting difference to the places people live, work and visit.

If you're looking for a role where you can use your knowledge in a different way, continue making a meaningful contribution to policing and see the long-term impact of your work, we'd love to hear from you.

Probationary Policy (Current WMP Staff):

Under the Probation Policy, if you are currently in your probation period, “during your probationary period you will not be permitted to apply for alternative police staff roles within the Force unless there are exceptional circumstances. In such cases, you would require the support of your line manager prior to applying for alternative roles, and if successful, your probationary period will start over.”-Policies - Probation Period (Police Staff) (wmpad.local)

Selection Process

The selection process for this role will consist of the following elements:

• Initial application
• Shortlisting
• In-person interview

Closing date: Monday 3rd August 2026 (Subject to change dependant on the volume of applications)
Interview date: TBC

Important Information

Vetting: Successful applicants will be required to pass Management Vetting and Security Clearance scrutiny prior to commencing their role, this will include a full background & financial disclosure as part of the vetting process.

Medical: Appointment to this role will be dependent upon you successfully passing medical checks, which may if required include a drugs and hearing test.

Additional Information

Location: Lloyd House (Inc. travel when required)

Hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 - 16:00, Onsite.

Contact: For any further information please contact Careers@westmidlands.police.uk

Benefits Statement

By choosing to join West Midlands Police you will receive an enhanced benefits package including:

• Fair remuneration with progression opportunities and access to a very competitive pension scheme.
• Enhanced annual leave in addition to public holiday entitlements.
• Discounts across travel, parking, daily costs of living and leisure activities.
• A comprehensive wellbeing package including 24/7 support, free eye tests and flu jabs
• Comprehensive benefits including pension, Blue Light Card, and employee assistance programme.
  

West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader - the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions. As part of our commitment, we operate a ‘Disability Confident Interview Scheme’ - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview. 
It is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example: in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, the employer could select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job, as they would do for non-disabled applicants.

"Diversity and Inclusion Vision: Maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities"

West Midlands Police is the second-largest police force in the country, serving the three major cities of Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton, alongside the districts of Sandwell, Walsall, Solihull, and Dudley.

Against this backdrop, the force handles more than 2,000 emergency calls every day, while patrolling the streets and responding to incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We have made significant improvements in reducing overall crime, improving call response times, and increasing arrest rates. This work can only continue with the right people, therefore as an employer of choice, we are looking for the right people who can serve and protect our communities.