Coroner to criminal investigator
A coroner already meets 35% of what the criminal investigator role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.8/ 100
1 How much of what a criminal investigator is expected to do is already part of a coroner’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the criminal investigator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A criminal investigator role treats 4 of its required skills as things a coroner already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- crime scene preservation
- document evidence
- examine crime scenes
- write work-related reports
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A criminal investigator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a coroner background worth leading with.
- already held crime scene preservation services
- already held perform forensic examinations information skills
- already held examine crime scenes information skills
- already held document evidence information skills
- already held maintain operational communications communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held comply with legal regulations assisting and caring
All 7 carried skills, including the 4 the criminal investigator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn handle case evidence required
- optional, not held present evidence optional
- optional, not held promote human rights optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn photograph crime scenes required
- optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
- still to learn restrict access to crime scene required
- still to learn forensic intelligence required
- optional, not held analyse blood patterns optional
- optional, not held detect finger prints optional
- optional, not held evaluate forensic data optional
- optional, not held investigate forgery cases optional
- optional, not held perform drug investigations optional
- optional, not held assess contamination optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held undertake inspections optional
- optional, not held criminal law optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a criminal investigator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 photograph crime scenes practise this
- 02 restrict access to crime scene practise this
- 03 forensic intelligence study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held crime scene preservation knowledge
- already held document evidence skill
- already held examine crime scenes skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held comply with legal regulations skill
- already held maintain operational communications skill
- already held perform forensic examinations skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held clean crime scenes optional
- optional, not held criminology optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse blood patterns optional
- optional, not held clean crime scenes optional
- optional, not held detect finger prints optional
- optional, not held evaluate forensic data optional
- optional, not held investigate forgery cases optional
- optional, not held perform drug investigations optional
- optional, not held assess contamination optional
- optional, not held criminal law optional
- optional, not held criminology optional
- optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held present evidence optional
- optional, not held promote human rights optional
- optional, not held undertake inspections optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
19 held skills the criminal investigator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on legal decisions skill
- not needed by the target role analyse legal evidence skill
- not needed by the target role apply scientific methods skill
- not needed by the target role assist police investigations skill
- not needed by the target role carry out an autopsy skill
- not needed by the target role compile legal documents skill
- not needed by the target role conduct health related research skill
- not needed by the target role court procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role determine cause of death skill
- not needed by the target role diagnostic methods in medical laboratory knowledge
- not needed by the target role evidence-based approach in general practice knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow clinical guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role human anatomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role investigation research methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep up to date with diagnostic innovations skill
- not needed by the target role maintain work area cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role pathology knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform toxicological studies skill
- not needed by the target role provide testimony in court hearings skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn forensic intelligence required
- optional, not held criminal law optional
- optional, not held criminology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a coroner become a criminal investigator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A coroner already covers 35% of what a criminal investigator is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 4 of which the criminal investigator role treats as required.
What skills does a coroner need to become a criminal investigator?
4 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is photograph crime scenes.
How hard is the move from coroner to criminal investigator?
Its learning distance is 59.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.