How to Become a Detective
To become a detective, you have two main paths you can follow: either you start from being a patrol officer and work your way up or you choose a university degree that allows you to ignore some of the steps and become a detective faster. However, it is important to remember that even if you have a degree already, you won’t immediately become a detective. You’ll still have to match the entry requirements.
How to Become a Detective Entry Requirments
How to Become a Detective Entry Requirments: Be over 18 years old
How to Become a Detective Entry Requirments: Be in a good health condition, including fitness and eyesight
How to Become a Detective Entry Requirments: No criminal conviction.
How to Become a Detective Skills
How to Become a Detective Skills: An analytical mind
How to Become a Detective Skills: Attentiveness
How to Become a Detective Skills: Being Observant
How to Become a Detective Skills: Patience
How to Become a Detective Skills: Detail-oriented
How to Become a Detective Skills: Good communicator
How to Become a Detective: Traditional Route
This the IPLDP (Initial Police Learning and Development Programme) in which you will have to apply to become a police officer. When you make it through the rigorous and intense selection process, you’ll join as a uniformed PC and attend a training school.
When you finish training school, you’ll be sent as a student officer to a district where you’ll have a tutor assisting you for about 12 weeks period. In the two years following, you’ll be in a probationary period. In these 12 weeks, you’ll be requested to put into practice everything you learned at training school. You will complete a minimum standard of requirements, known as PAC or police action checklist. If you pass, it means that you are ready to move safely and lawful on independent patrol status.
You will then become a uniformed beat officer, working alone either on foot or in a vehicle, while you get some of the investigative skills. Your performance will be reviewed every 15 weeks. If it’s satisfactory, you can get more complex incidents to deal with. If not, you may be placed on a developmental action plan along with a mentor that will help you put together a portfolio of evidence to show you are competent to move on.
After you complete your probation period, you may apply to join the Criminal Investigation Department. But if you stay as a police constable, you might get selected for an attachment in a non-uniform investigative department but this way will take longer to get where you want to. One or another, you’ll get a caseload of more serious investigations. While working you’ll be continuing to create a portfolio that shows your experience and skills. This may include investigations, handling of forensic material and exhibits, interview techniques, pieces of evidence, etc.
If selected, you’ll take criminal law exams. If your grade and portfolio match the criteria, you earn the title of detective constable (DC). You can proceed and take further exams to get a promotion and someday become the detective chief-inspector and senior investigating officer that works in murders cases and other major jobs. Or you can choose to remain as a DC and have lots of fun!
Now, if you’re thinking that is too much work and want something faster, I have some bad and good news for you. The good ones are that it might be a way for you to get into a detective position faster. But, unfortunately, it’s not certain and you’ll still need to get experience and the needed skills to be a detective.
How to Become a Detective: Non Traditional Route
If you are thinking about attending university and are worried about not having experience, you can apply to be a VPC. In the UK all children from 13 to 18 years old can volunteer as a police cadet. This will help you develop skills in life, learning about British policing and participate in force-wide, UK-wide and even international opportunities. Many VPC (volunteer police cadet) units may also be rewarded with the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
If you already have an undergraduate degree in any subject, such as criminal justice, psychology or other, you can join and follow a work-based programme, supported by off-the-job learning. This route normally takes two years, and the learning you have undergone is recognised in a graduate diploma in professional policing practise when you complete your probation. Having a degree will shorter your time on probation. But you’ll still need to pass assessments.
There are also two other options to consider if you want to get a diploma before being police. You can either take a PCDA (Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship) or you can do a pre-join degree in professional policing before you start working.
The Police Constable Degree is a mixture of dynamic practical training underpinned by key knowledge and learning. This route into policing enables you to receive practical on-the-job learning alongside academic theory and knowledge while earning a wage. You will be a police officer from your first day on the job. It takes 3 years to complete, and you need a level 3 qualification to join (2 A-levels or equivalent). You will award a degree in professional policing practice. This professional degree covers a breadth, depth and range of professional education for the police constable. You’ll learn about evidence-based policing, supporting vulnerable people, dealing with cybercrime and crime prevention.
If you choose to do a pre-join degree in professional, you’ll have to do it before joining the police. This course is an academic knowledge-based degree, based upon the national curriculum for the police constable role. It will provide you with an entry route into policing. All the theory you’ll learn during the course will be put into practice and some universities even work with local forces to offer special complimentary constable opportunities, enabling students to gain practical experience alongside their degree.
If you want to become a detective one day, this course is a perfect opportunity as it offers an understanding of how society is policed and offers law enforcement units to enter the justice sector. But, once you finish your degree, you’ll need to take further practice-based learning and assessment in your force. Also, you need to apply to your chosen police force within 5 years of your graduation date and need, of course, to meet all of the recruitment criteria for the particular force.
