About the qualification
Qualification Number: 603/4202/X
SFJ Awards Level 4 Award in Covert Surveillance Operations (Advanced)
The Level 4 Award in Covert Surveillance Operations (Advanced) is a qualification designed to develop and provide formal recognition of learners’ knowledge, understanding and competence of surveillance techniques. Surveillance is the monitoring of the behaviour, activities or other changing information, usually of people for the purpose of intelligence gathering as part of an investigation into unlawful or illegal activity, or for enforcement activities. The qualification provides learners with a progression from the smaller Intermediate Award by expanding further on their knowledge and skills and prepares them to progress to the larger Certificate sized surveillance sector qualification, which in turn covers additional aspects of covert surveillance.
This qualification is aimed at those who wish to gain a recognised qualification, whether they are new to the investigative or enforcement sectors or they have a professional background in a related field and intend to engage in continuing professional development. The skills developed in the qualification will be relevant to the private investigation sector and to individuals with a military background carrying out resettlement training prior to civilian life.
All learners will cover the mandatory topics including the principles of types of surveillance, log keeping, third party awareness, radio communication, managing dynamic changes, planning and debriefing, legal issues, organising foot and mobile surveillance, advanced foot and mobile surveillance, public transport surveillance and organising counter surveillance operations.
Progression:
Learners can progress to this qualification from the Level 4 Award in Covert Surveillance Operations (Intermediate) and upon completion of this qualification they can progress to the Level 4 Certificate in Covert Surveillance Operations. These similarly named qualifications form a suite and learners can use units already achieved towards the relevant progression qualification. Learners will be able to progress in their career as a surveillance operative or can choose to take a variety of related qualifications including in rural surveillance, private investigation, technical counter surveillance, photography and store detection.
If learners are progressing to this qualification from the Level 4 Award in Covert Surveillance Operations (Intermediate), they must register within 6-12 months of certification if they intend to use units already taken towards this qualification (via the process of RPL). Similarly, if they wish to progress from this qualification to the Level 4 Certificate in Covert Surveillance Operations, the same rule applies if they intend to use units already achieved. This suite of qualifications has been designed to offer a path of progression and a longer period of time between them would pose the risk of skills lapsing. If 12 months have elapsed since certification, then learners will be required to take all the necessary units again as required to meet the rules of combination. During this period of time learners must also have been actively engaged in the surveillance industry.
Qualification Withdrawal
This qualification is being withdrawn and therefore no further learners can be registered after 30th November 2023. All certifications of learners already registered on the qualification must be complete by 30th November 2024. A revised qualification will be available from 1st December 2023.
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