Information about the role of a marine tactical adviser, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A marine tactical adviser is a specialist operations position within the operational support sector of policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
The role of the marine tactical adviser (MTAC) is to provide timely, accurate and relevant advice to the lead responsible officer on the available tactical options and considerations to support command decision making and the effective policing of spontaneous and pre-planned marine policing operations.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Providing timely, accurate and up-to-date advice on maritime legislation, national and regional policy, and standards for operational practice, to support command decision making.
- Providing timely, accurate and up-to-date advice on jurisdiction, including the limitations to exercise policing powers within and outside of UK territorial seas under both UK and international law, and the additional nuanced considerations related to a vessel’s flag state, to support command decision making.
- Providing timely, accurate and up-to-date advice on tactical options and contingencies, including evaluating threat, risk and community impact assessments, to support command decision making.
- Providing timely, accurate and up-to-date advice on all relevant impact factors to a maritime operation, including the weather, wind, sea state, visibility and geography, to support command decision making.
- Providing timely, accurate and up-to-date advice on partner agencies, including capability, limitations, processes and mechanisms to access their support, to support command decision making.
- Liaising with the police commander to identify the role of the tactical adviser and the nature of the advice required, to ensure clarity of role purpose during a marine policing operation.
- Contributing to the planning and briefing processes, including liaison with other specialist tactical advisers across wider policing, to ensure shared understanding of aims, objectives and risk.
- Engaging in and contributing to any post-incident debriefing process to support shared learning and understanding.
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 standards, training and qualifications should be met.
Previous education, qualifications and experience
- Police constable (completed probationary period) or above.
- Qualified marine policing second crew or above, or suitable sector experience, including an understanding of marine policing capabilities, evidenced through an expression of interest, endorsed by the force operations lead and approved by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) maritime policing portfolio.
In-role education, qualifications and experience
- Successful completion of the MTAC qualification delivered by an NPCC-approved marine policing (MTAC) trainer.
- Within 12 months (365 days) of completing the MTAC qualification, be independently assessed on a minimum of two marine policing operations where there was a risk, or the potential of risk to the public, before being authorised to undertake the role of MTAC.
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
The following training and registration requirements should be met to maintain MTAC accreditation.
- Evidencing ongoing operational competence against the relevant national operating standards for tactical advisers, on at least two occasions within a 12-month (365-day) period, through advising different tiers of command during marine policing operations.
- Undertaking a minimum of eight hours of CPD every 12 months.
- Ensuring that no period of marine policing inactivity exceeds six months (183 days).
The following training should be met as part of the role.
- Supporting the NPCC maritime policing portfolio through brand promotion and at engagement events.
- Complete all core training and learning as required by the force.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable's discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- maintaining currency of knowledge and understanding regarding changes to legislation, national policy and guidance applicable to marine policing
- maintaining currency of knowledge and understanding regarding new and innovative approaches to marine policing as identified by evidence-based policing research and problem-solving
- maintaining a working knowledge and understanding of new and evolving crime threats and priorities, and current good practice to tackle these, to enable a proactive and preventative approach
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