Information about the role of an international liaison officer, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
An international liaison officer is an investigation position within the investigation sector of policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
The international liaison officer, working at times as part of a force intelligence bureau, is the gateway for local UK forces regarding incoming and outgoing international enquiries.
They work collaboratively with key agencies to address international enquiries using problem solving and integrated working. Within some forces they are also responsible for extradition and foreign national offenders.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Processing incoming and outgoing international requests, assessing threat, risk and harm in line with local, national and international guidance to ensure all enquiries and requests are dealt with appropriately. This includes enquires for mutual legal assistance and INTERPOL enquiries.
- Undertaking a range of approaches, including partnership working, with agencies such as the Joint International Crime Centre (JICC), National Crime Agency (NCA), Foreign Law Enforcement Community (FLEC), ACRO Criminal Records Office (ACRO), Immigration Enforcement, Border Force and other forces to manage international enquiries and requests.
- Advising and raising awareness of a range of approaches where an international element exists to support crime prevention, suspect apprehension, and safeguarding objectives.
- Providing training to officers and staff on the use of international tools to ensure that they are aware of all the tools and resources available when dealing with criminality with an international connection.
- Reviewing and processing all incoming extradition cases to ensure that risk assessments have been carried out and arrangements for the collection and/or handover of subjects with foreign law enforcement have been made.
- Advising on matters relating to foreign national offenders and joint operations to ensure that all options have been considered with criminality involving an international connection.
- Handling all checks and enquiries relating to foreign national offenders or crimes with international connections, to ensure tasks such as administration for supplementary information requests at the national entries (SIRENE), passport enquiries, quality assuring ACRO requests and assisting with automated ACRO custody processes are conducted in line with local, national and international guidelines.
- Providing a link between regional organised crime units for Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA) and Europol to ensure that information and intelligence can be shared.
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
To achieve effective performance in the role, the following training and learning requirements should be met.
Previous education, qualifications and experience
- Previous experience of partnership working with external agencies.
- Knowledge and awareness of international policing.
In-role education, qualifications and experience
- Successfully complete the College of Policing international enquiries: the essentials for international liaison officers e-learning.
- Successfully complete the international liaison officer (ILO) certification pathway.
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.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all core training and learning as required by the force.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- maintaining an up to date understanding of police regulations and College guidance, best practice and any local policy applicable to international enquiries
- maintaining and updating key knowledge understanding and skills relating to criminology, legislation, policy and practice for international enquiries
- maintaining knowledge and understanding of new approaches identified by evidence-based policing research and problem solving, testing and synthesising these into working practice, championing innovation and changes to practice
- maintaining a working knowledge and understanding of new and evolving crime threats and priorities and their impact on neighbourhood policing. Also identifying current best practice to tackle these, enabling a pro-active and preventative approach
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