“That decision about when to arrest them – a day too soon, a day too late – it can be down to the wire..”
In the latest episode of the chart chopping Inside Counter Terrorism Policing podcast hear about the gruelling and intense life of a senior investigating officer (SIO).
‘Jess’, whose identity has been protected, is a Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) SIO who shares what it’s like to lead high-profile terrorism investigations.
“It’s a judgment call on a weekly basis, sometimes daily basis, as to how you’re going to mitigate the threat that they pose.”
Before joining CTP, ‘Jess’ started her policing career as a response officer where she admits it took her six months to ‘toughen up’.
She then became a detective in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at Charing Cross where she experienced a whole range of jobs from pickpockets, bar brawls, ‘smash and grabs’ at high-end luxury stores, and she even dealt with a few celebrities in her time there.
‘Jess’ then made the switch to CTP and put her investigative experience to good use by becoming a senior investigating officer.
In the episode she explains the weight of responsibility she feels from the job;
“Sometimes when I get work phone calls out of hours and you’re really worried before you answer it, ‘Is someone going to tell me that one of my people that I have under investigation, one of my subjects of interest, has done something?’”
In July 2024, Anjem Choudary – a prominent radicaliser – was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years for directing a terrorist organisation.
The scale and collaboration of this investigation was a milestone which ‘Jess’ describes as her proudest moment.
Inside Counter Terrorism Policing is a brand-new podcast sharing the unheard stories of women working in Counter Terrorism Policing.
You can listen to Inside Counter Terrorism Policing wherever you get your podcasts.