What Does a Detective Do?
- Public Detectives – As their name suggests, they would work as enforcement personnel who investigates crime scenes and solve the cases that are handed to them by law. They will receive the salary via the government and would be responsible to the government as well.
- Private Detective – Another type of detective is the private type of detective, they are also called private investigators as well. They don’t work alongside the government and don’t follow the procedures by law as the public detectives. They work for private parties and private individuals. They would be engaged in many kinds of cases other than criminal cases, as someone may hire them to know more about their significant other and whether or not they are cheating. Private detectives are also known to offer security services as well.
How much does a detective earn?
Skills Required by a Detective?
- Problem Solving Skills: when the job of a detective is to solve a crime which means they have to have great problem-solving. This would help them to see solutions and clues at a crime scene.
- Critical Thinking: a detective must be able to think clearly and rationally so it is important that one has critical thinking if they wish to become a detective.
- Communication skills: another one of important skills that they need to have is communication skills as they would need to communicate with suspects, accused, and witnesses.
- Ethics: ethical skills are also important for a detective as they will come across many situations where they have to be clear about the rights and wrongs.
- Attention and awareness: detectives need to pay high attention to their surroundings as well as be aware of everything that is going on. This would help them to solve the crime and see things that others can’t see.
- Other requirements – Some of the other requirements include education, training, certification, and also legal requirements like one has to be a citizen of their country to serve as a detective. There may be an age limit or requirements too, according to your state or country.
How To Become A Detective
1. Earn a High School Diploma or GED
One of the first things that you need to do is to get a high school diploma or GED. This is a basic education requirement for a detective. Also, they need to have social skills as well as fundamental skills. They should also have scientific and mathematical understanding too.
2. Graduate Police Academy Training
The next step of becoming a detective involves getting police training. This process would include written tests that will test your thinking skills. There would be physical tests as well as interviews. Once you have passed your entrance test, you will go through the training. The curriculum would include self-defense, traffic control, and first aid. The programs usually last for about six months.
3. Build Experience as a Police Officer
To be a detective, first, you would have to have experience as a police officer. You will work 40-hours a week and most of the time through nights, holidays and weekends too. Your duty would include solving crimes, arresting criminals, and ensuring peace in your locality.
4. Apply for Promotion
After serving as a police officer for about 4-5 years, you can ask for a promotion and upgrade to a detective position. You may have to take additional exams and prove yourself worthy of being a detective. If you pass the exam with flying colors, you would be able to become a public detective. After that, you would need to get a certificate too.
Conclusion
There you would become a detective following the aforementioned steps. Make sure you don’t engage in illegal activities or get addicted to substances such as alcohol or drugs, as they can harm your reputation and may become an obstacle too.
That would be all that we have to offer now. We hope you got everything that you have been looking for.