As a parent, one of the important jobs we need to do is help our children figure out what they want to do with their lives and help them plot the route to be successful. With that being said, in this blog post, we are going to take a look at becoming a detective. If your child has the ambition to catch the bad guys in life, here is what you both need to know…
Basic details
A detective is an accredited police officer who will work on specialist investigations and complex crime investigations. They are responsible for handling the most serious of crimes, including counter-terrorism, homicide, cyber crime, company fraud, child and public protection, domestic violence, drugs, and robbery. Such a role is suitable for someone who has a strong desire to keep people safe, is effective at solving problems, and thrives on challenges. While any dad may be worried about their child going down this career path, you are bound to be proud too!
Work options
There are a number of different types of detective work, and most people will specialize in a certain area. This includes the likes of…
- Special Branch – Investigates incidents with regards to international terrorism and national security.
- Child Protection Department – Deals with offences against children.
- Firm Arms Squad – Investigates any offences in relation to firearms, for example, potential hostage situations.
- Drugs Squad – Deals with investigations regarding drug trafficking.
- Fraud Squad – Deals with financial and company fraud.
- Criminal Investigations Department (CID) – Handles incidents including racist abuse, domestic abuse, thefts, robbery, serious assaults, and suspicious deaths.
If you are to work in any of these specialist units, your standard police course is needed as a basis and the you will need to do further professional training too, so this is something your child needs to keep in mind when plotting their career path.
Responsibilities
There are a number of different responsibilities your child will have if they become a detective. This includes…
- Managing and leading police staff teams.
- Keeping up to date with the latest laws and legislation.
- Working as part of a team.
- Liasing with external and internal agencies that are relevant to your area of specialism, for example, schools or courts.
- Assessing and reporting the potential for recruiting informants
- Identifying witnesses that are appropriate and getting their statements
- Conducting and participating in arrests, searches, and raids
- Conducting interrogations and interviews
- Dealing with forensic material
- Handling and documenting exhibits
- Preparing, completing and submitting accurate case papers
- Analysing and interpreting data, examining records and documents
- Using cutting-edge technology to aid investigations
- Developing and evaluating strategies for investigation management
- Gathering, verifying, and assessing all information
- Managing and conducting a range of complicated investigations in your specialism
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding regarding the steps that need to be taken in order for your child to become a detective. Hopefully, the information that has been provided above will help to solidify that this is the perfect job role for your child.
