Specialist services for law enforcement
Many police forces will conduct relatively few major crime investigations. As a result it's often not cost effective or appropriate for them to retain the niche, specialist skills necessary to investigate them on a permanent basis in-house.
Our Major Crime investigative Support (MCIS) unit provides front line policing with information, advice and support in relation to major crime and vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. Made up of a number of specialised teams, MCIS comprises a mixture of NCA and police officers and provides a single point of contact for police forces and law enforcement agencies.
Specialist Research Team
The Specialist Research Team utilises a wide-ranging knowledge of policies, good practice, NPCC guidance, relevant law enforcement and government documentation to deliver consistent, up-to-date information to assist forces in their decision making.
Example enquiry: Is there any guidance, best practice or known cases where sleepwalking has been used as a defence in court.
document View text version of MCIS word cloud. (12 KB)
Witness Intermediary Team
The Witness Intermediary Team provides support to police officers and prosecutors in the use of Registered Intermediaries and offers advice on interview strategies for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. The dedicated team matches Registered Intermediaries to the needs of vulnerable victims and witnesses in order to achieve best evidence.
Example enquiry: A vulnerable child with learning disabilities has witnessed a murder, they need advice on how to get the child’s best evidence and how to appoint an intermediary.
National Injuries Database
The National Injuries Database (NID) team is a unique resource and provides support and advice for serious crime investigations involving all forensic medical issues. It is available to the police and to forensic and medical practitioners both in the UK and internationally.
The NID team:
- assists with the identification of unknown injuries
- provides case examples of known injuries and weapons for comparisons
- sources and facilitate independent expert medical and forensic opinions
- manages the National Operation Marshall database for all intrafamilial child deaths within the UK
- facilitates the technique of image overlay/superimposition for the comparison of weapons and wounds
Examples of enquiries: rapes, sexual offences, murder/manslaughters, child abuse, deaths in a medical setting, care home abuse, neglect and gross manslaughter, dog bites, body recovery, exhumations, dismemberments,imaging using UV/IR/Cross Polarised Lighting, child homicide including National guidance, training, good practice and legislation to name but a few.
Crime Team
The Crime Team provides written and verbal advice, including investigative suggestions regarding the investigation of murder, no body murder, rape, abduction, suspicious missing persons, and series and serious sexual offences. The team also endeavour to support less serious crimes, resources dependant.
Experts Advisers Database
The Experts Advisers Database (EAD) is used to identify and source experts who can add value to law enforcement investigations. The EAD covers a broad range of expertise from Accountants, Forensic Artists, Anthropology, Archaeology, Entomology, Soil Analysis, Diatoms, Carbon Fraud, CCTV, Vehicle ID, Cellsite Analysis , Fire investigation, Forensic Linguists, Languages, Psychiatrists and Psychologists, Gait, Firearms, knots, Search, Satellite Navigation, Toxicology, Psychopharmacology, Odontology, vast range of medical experts including equipment tampering, Wildlife, Animal Pathology including behaviour and Use of Force to name but a few.
Example enquiry: A body part (leg) has been identified in a park, they are looking for an expert who can comment on injuries which are present on the body part. They are also looking for advice and support in relation to searching for the rest of the body.
The Crime Team, where required, will also provide access to the deployable expert and specialist advisers who are managed through a regional structure.
Crime Advisers & Digital Media Specialists
Crime Advisers & Digital Media Specialists can provide detailed strategic and tactical advice to an investigation. They can deploy when necessary, and can also facilitate contact with external experts, national working groups and other specialised resources within UK Law Enforcement.
National SIO Advisers
National SIO Advisers (NSIOA) lead the North, South-West and South-East teams and have broad experience in serious crime investigation as Senior Investigating Officers. They can, at a SIO’s request, offer strategic advice and practical support to investigators of serious and series crimes and other complex enquiries including cross-border and high profile cases.
Crime Investigation Support Officers
Crime Investigation Support Officers (seconded Detective Sergeant with extensive experience in serious crime investigation) are also available in each region. Their role is to provide a resource for tactical advice and guidance, underpinned by knowledge of and access to the whole range of NCA support services and products.
The National SIO Adviser or Crime Investigation Support Officer will also facilitate the deployment of a support team consisting of a range of specialists, as required by the investigation. The specialists available are:
National Search Adviser
The National Search Adviser provides operational support to forces in relation to all search matters, is the subject matter adviser for search to NPoCC and acts as
liaison officer with the Police National Search Centre on crime, missing person and Counter Terrorism search issues.
National Interview Adviser
The National Interview Adviser is able to provide advice and guidance on the
interviewing of suspects, victims and witnesses across a broad range of criminality, with particular reference to PACE Codes and National Standards.
National Family Liaison Adviser
The National Family Liaison Adviser provides advice on all family liaison matters as well as assistance with complex investigations where there are suspects within the family or other sensitivities. The Adviser advises and assists UK Police Forces, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, ACPO UK DVI and Interpol.
Behavioural Investigative Advisers
Behavioural Investigative Advisers (BIA), historically referred to as ‘offender profilers’, provide investigative advice by evaluating the actions of an unknown offender from a behavioural science perspective. Their services include, but are not limited to crime scene assessment, offence linkage analysis, predictive profiling and prioritisation matrices.
Geographic Profiler
The Geographic Profiler provides advice on the most probable location of an unknown offender’s anchor point based on their crime locations and associated geographic data. This can assist in prioritising lines of enquiry and investigative activity.
National Forensic Specialist Adviser
The National Forensic Specialist Adviser (NFSA) provides operational support by helping bridge the gap between science and investigation and providing independent forensic science support. They also have close working relationships with Forensic Science Providers, Regulators and academia.
National Missing Persons Adviser
The National Missing Person Adviser provides investigative support in cases of complex and suspicious missing persons and unidentified bodies, often working closely with the NCA Missing Persons Bureau (MPB) and NCA Missing Children's Team (MCT).
The Adviser is also custodian of the CATCHEM database which is concerned with child homicide in the UK since 1960.
Forensic Clinical Psychologist
The Forensic Clinical Psychologist (FCP) provides specialist advice regarding an offender or suspect through the application of their substantial clinical experience in the assessment and evaluation of serious crime and mentally ill offenders. Their advice includes risk assessment, interview strategy, advice on media appeals, and the evaluation of an unknown offender’s behaviour in conjunction with BIAs.
The National Vulnerable Witness Adviser
The National Vulnerable Witness Adviser regularly deploys to major crime investigations to assist in the development of interview and witness management strategies in cases that involve particularly challenging vulnerable or intimidated witnesses.
Request support with an investigation
To request support from the NCA for a major crime investigation please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
