Heather

Tell us a bit about yourself  

Heather

Originally from the North East and now living in South West, I’ve spent the last 11 years working across three police forces. When I’m not at work you will see me either at the gym, rowing on the water or tending to my vegetable plot. Despite my Northern roots, I’m happiest in temperatures above 21 degrees, so not a fan of the British winter and you’ll often see me dressed for the arctic.  

Can you tell us about your role?  

I’m Head of Professional Capability for the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO). It’s a role I’ve fortunately held for almost two years. I hold primary responsibility of the national training and professional development of the UK network of Counter Terrorism Security Advisors (CTSA’s) and Counter Terrorism Prepare Officers (CTPO). This means ensuring officers and staff remain occupationally competent in order to perform their role under the Protect and Prepare strand of CONTEST. 

I’m also the responsible person and project lead for a Home Office funded project, the Competent Persons Scheme (CPS). This project has two facets:  

• Developing an OfQual-certified qualification in Counter Terrorism Protective Security and Preparedness for those working as security managers within the private sector, and 

• Creating a NaCTSO-endorsed register of CT Security Specialists. This will help to provide organisations with assurance that the CT Specialist they procure have the relevant skills and experience to appropriately advise on how to protect against the terrorist threat.  

The final part of my portfolio area is holding responsibility for the National Disruptive Effects Unit – a City of London Police hosted unit, who are part of NaCTSO. They have overall responsibility for See, Check and Notify (SCaN) and Project Servator, which are two programmes that seek to identify suspicious behaviour and detect and disrupt hostile reconnaissance. My role primarily involves ensuring that operational direction setting and deliverables align to the wider CT strategic priorities. 

What does a typical day look like for you? 

Every day is different, and it is very much diary dependant. One day it could be finance and governance meetings, welfare and staff 1-1’s, another it could be providing inputs or injects at our national training courses or it could be working with government partners on specific pieces of work or projects. I also hold a Protect and Prepare national on-call role. These on-call weeks tend to be the busiest for me and often means my diary needs a bit of a re-jig as priorities change.  

What has your career path been to this role?  

Not one I ever saw coming! It started nine years ago when I joined the North East Counter Terrorism Unit as a CTSA and later the CTSA Supervisor. It was a leap of faith from my days in local force intelligence, but a leap that was career changing one. The CTSA role required me to provide protective security and preparedness advice and guidance to businesses on how protect their organisation against the terrorist threat. In 2019, a secondment opportunity came up in International Protect and Prepare (IPP) for a CTSA with training experience. I’d been fortunate to do some work in this area previously so I applied and got it. It was a hugely valuable role and a career highlight for me.  

The role involved working with government and police partners overseas to collaborate, share experiences and develop expertise in protective security and preparedness through information sharing and training. Following my time in IPP, I took the opportunity to move into NaCTSO to lead a team responsible for the delivery of a Home Office funded project which looked at developing a qualification in protective security and preparedness for the private sector, which later developed into the CPS. This was a role combined everything I enjoyed at work: training, protective security and preparedness and working in CTPHQ. It was the stepping stone for my current role as the department head for NaCTSO’s Professional Capability Unit, where I still hold responsibility for the CPS project.  

The ‘me’ that started in the world of policing in 2014 as a master’s graduate, who had dabbled in other professional roles but had no exposure to counter terrorism would never have dreamed of the career I have had so far. It certainly makes me excited for future experiences and opportunities, but I also hope it shows to other police staff members the breadth of opportunity there is to pursue diverse careers within CTP.  

What has been your proudest achievement?  

Undoubtedly the development of the Competent Persons Scheme (CPS). It not often you are given a brief and told to create a solution on a national scale, but that is exactly the opportunity that was given to me with the CPS. To see a project go from a proof of concept I created back in 2021, through project planning, business cases, funding agreements and the recruitment of a dedicated team to being something that is now being developed at pace is a very proud moment for me. Although I’ve moved roles since creating it, I still maintain overall responsibility for the project which means I get to see first-hand the incredible work the team do to push the project forward and overcome the barriers placed in their way. I couldn’t be prouder of them and the work they do. Whilst we are not yet over the finish line yet even where we have got to today has been my greatest achievement to date.  

What do you find most rewarding in your job? 

Working with likeminded people, both within NaCTSO, across our CT Protect and Prepare Network and across wider government. There is an overarching camaraderie which is underpinned by collectively seeking to do the right thing for the right reasons.  

I also find the opportunities to share good practices and develop policy and guidance really rewarding. I have been fortunate to work with the Home Office on developing guidance and processes which will help to embed legislation. Seeing the impact this element of work will have on national practices is something I really value. Likewise, the UK are a part of the European Union’s High Risk Security Network which gives us the opportunity to share good practices with our European neighbours and learn from their approaches. Being involved in this network and the partnership and collaboration that comes from it is something I find both energising and rewarding in my role.