Investigation Branch

[smokerjim]

How does someone join the IB? Is there anyway to register an interest with RM? Do you need to have any experience of investigations ( ie police work )? Is it a job with "dead man's shoes" recuitment? Any info would be appreciated, cheers.

[fmrPOSTIE]

IB? you mean Royal Mail Security (RMS) as its now called?

...Most of the officers come from Management, some are ex-police officers too. I have no idea how you join but i was tempted once to "go upstairs" and have a chat to them.

[billyhayes]

Null and void would be a better description. We had one come to our office to 'help out' on the counter a couple of weeks ago. Apparently they are without a position at the moment as they are cutting back their lot. I said "Not enough posties nicking money out of christmas cards and counter staff tickling the tills to go round then?" They were not amused. I was. Tinpot coppers.

[andy2007]

How does someone join the IB? Is there anyway to register an interest with RM? Do you need to have any experience of investigations ( ie police work )? Is it a job with "dead man's shoes" recuitment? Any info would be appreciated, cheers.

Why not try Emailing them at: securityhelpdesk@royalmail.com ?

I don't know what qualifications or experience they ask for. But I would assume, that as it's much more specialised than Police work. That they will provide the training for you.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Billyhayes. Just because you had a bad experience of them. It doesn't mean that they are all like that. A small team of them, pretended to be Agency Staff, at our place. They were there for quite a while, before they completed their investigation. But they were very efficient. Not just in what they were meant to be doing. But also in their investigation.

[fmrPOSTIE]

my tutor said that posties can apply direct to IB, not sure how though. Its the oldest criminal authority in the world according to Wiki; they carry warrant cards too.

I put in a FOI request a while back and got some basic facts on Royal Mail Security but seem to have lost it! Think there are 200 officers UK wide.

Just found some info on them:-

Former titles of IB:

POID, POSIS Post Office Security Investigation Service(my fav!), RMCS Royal Mail Corporate Security, RMS Royal Mail Security (present name).

Founded in 1793 by Anthony Parkin.

Has a unit called "The Mailbag Squad" - deals with theft from mailbags, and assualts on delivery staff (inc. surviellance) they undertake citizens arrests of offenders!! They also have routine access to handcuffs unlike other similar policing bodies. RMS also have access to the Police/emergency service AIRWAVE TETRA radio system.

Certainly sounds like an exciting organisation, why not ask your MCM about how to join?

[norbert]

How does someone join the IB? Is there anyway to register an interest with RM? Do you need to have any experience of investigations ( ie police work )? Is it a job with "dead man's shoes" recuitment? Any info would be appreciated, cheers.

Why not try Emailing them at: securityhelpdesk@royalmail.com ?

I don't know what qualifications or experience they ask for. But I would assume, that as it's much more specialised than Police work. That they will provide the training for you.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Billyhayes. Just because you had a bad experience of them. It doesn't mean that they are all like that. A small team of them, pretended to be Agency Staff, at our place. They were there for quite a while, before they completed their investigation. But they were very efficient. Not just in what they were meant to be doing. But also in their investigation.

I've read the posts on the IB - on the negative side - the word is that they are very beleaguered with cases , lack manpower but that might be the fault of short - sighted idiotic senior & middle management - they also are thought to be old school RM ( which wasn't necessarily that good - not everything is the fault of L&C , though there is a long line of cause and effect ! ) - there has been cases that they have been caught with their pants down and it's been embarrassing for RM .

they can be very efficient at catching cassies , I've even seen them posing as them , one younger one was even was dressed up as a schoolgirl to catch a postman that was dumping - down boy !

they tend to go on patterns , the Police can be scathing about them calling RM security abysmal , so I can understand the tin-pot coppers one a bit , I've actually worked in a Industry full of tin- pot wannabe coppers - but that's not to say all of them are ! or to underestimate them .

My objection is how they let bent acting managers who have crossed the line to the other side or just bent managers off the hook , i.e. be a good boy and resign without prosecuting them .

Needless to say that causes a lot of resentment - sometimes bent managers have only been prosecuted because the papers have been tipped off and/or the manager has refused to resign thinking RM will protect them , but that's their problem .

[scooterboy1970]

I worked with them for some time and can say that they are NOT 'tin-pot wannbe coppers'!!! The staff are generally RM Managers and also people with previous military and police experience.
Given their staffing levels they are highly professional in the way that investigations are conducted and the percentage of cases resulting in a successful prosecution is extremely high. All investigations are conducted under the same rules and regulations as the police, The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE).

As for the comments about 'bent managers being let off the hook by resigning'....I can only say that every case is dealt with on it's own merits.
To the user who is interested in joining RM Corporate Security (or whatever it's called this week!), I would suggest you speak to your line manager first who should be able to guide you from there by possibly providing you with a contact number or maybe even ask them to make some enquiries on your behalf.

Also there is specialist training involved in this job which is very intensive and a probation period which follows afterwards, during which you are closely mentored.

I hope this helps.

[Lounge Lizard]

IB? you mean Royal Mail Security (RMS) as its now called?

...Most of the officers come from Management, some are ex-police officers too. I have no idea how you join but i was tempted once to "go upstairs" and have a chat to them.

but i was tempted once to "go upstairs" and have a chat to them - are you sure that wasn't the funny handshake lot ?

[DGP1]

IB? you mean Royal Mail Security (RMS) as its now called?

...Most of the officers come from Management, some are ex-police officers too. I have no idea how you join but i was tempted once to "go upstairs" and have a chat to them.

but i was tempted once to "go upstairs" and have a chat to them - are you sure that wasn't the funny handshake lot ?

[smokerjim]

To the user who is interested in joining RM Corporate Security (or whatever it's called this week!), I would suggest you speak to your line manager first who should be able to guide you from there by possibly providing you with a contact number or maybe even ask them to make some enquiries on your behalf.

Also there is specialist training involved in this job which is very intensive and a probation period which follows afterwards, during which you are closely mentored.

I hope this helps.

Cheers for that - I did mention it to one of my lineos, and all I got was "I don't know, and I don't know how you'd find out!"

[fmrPOSTIE]

there are no jobs going in this area, its pretty much closed off to recruitment as there so few officers throughout the UK . Unfortunately not something that will change soon...

[roger]

How does someone join the IB? Is there anyway to register an interest with RM? Do you need to have any experience of investigations ( ie police work )? Is it a job with "dead man's shoes" recuitment? Any info would be appreciated, cheers.

They advertise on the internal Royal Mail intranet jobs site the same as any other vacant non opg job.