Criminal investigator to intelligence officer
A criminal investigator already meets 24% of what the intelligence officer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.7/ 100
1 How much of what an intelligence officer is expected to do is already part of a criminal investigator’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 intelligence officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An intelligence officer role treats 2 of its required skills as things a criminal investigator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- document evidence
- undertake inspections
What stands in the way is 9 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An intelligence officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a criminal investigator background worth leading with.
- already held examine crime scenes information skills
- already held document evidence information skills
- already held handle case evidence communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held present evidence communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held promote human rights communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain operational communications communication, collaboration and creativity
All 8 carried skills, including the 2 the intelligence officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 9 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 apply knowledge of human behaviour required
- still to learn conduct research interview required
- optional, not held hear witness accounts optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
- still to learn develop investigation strategy required
- still to learn maintain professional records required
- optional, not held perform covert investigations optional
- still to learn ensure information security required
- optional, not held ensure adherence to the constitution optional
- optional, not held apply information security policies optional
- optional, not held check official documents optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held identify security threats optional
- still to learn operational research required
- optional, not held constitutional law optional
- still to learn investigation research methods required
- optional, not held law enforcement optional
- still to learn surveillance methods required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an intelligence officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 conduct threat intelligence practise this
- 02 apply knowledge of human behaviour practise this
- 03 conduct research interview practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held document evidence skill
- already held undertake inspections skill
- already held examine crime scenes skill
- already held handle case evidence skill
- already held maintain operational communications skill
- already held present evidence skill
- already held promote human rights skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn conduct threat intelligence required
- optional, not held ensure compliance with policies optional
- optional, not held international security studies optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ensure adherence to the constitution optional
- optional, not held international security studies optional
- optional, not held apply information security policies optional
- optional, not held perform covert investigations optional
- optional, not held check official documents optional
- optional, not held constitutional law optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with policies optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held hear witness accounts optional
- optional, not held identify security threats optional
- optional, not held law enforcement optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
18 held skills the intelligence officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse blood patterns skill
- not needed by the target role assess contamination skill
- not needed by the target role clean crime scenes skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role crime scene preservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role criminal law knowledge
- not needed by the target role criminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role detect finger prints skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate forensic data skill
- not needed by the target role forensic intelligence knowledge
- not needed by the target role investigate forgery cases skill
- not needed by the target role perform drug investigations skill
- not needed by the target role perform forensic examinations skill
- not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role photograph crime scenes skill
- not needed by the target role restrict access to crime scene skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
6 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 investigation research methods required
- still to learn operational research required
- still to learn surveillance methods required
- optional, not held international security studies optional
- optional, not held constitutional law optional
- optional, not held law enforcement optional
Other moves recorded from criminal investigator
Common questions about this move
Can a criminal investigator become an intelligence officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A criminal investigator already covers 24% of what an intelligence officer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 2 of which the intelligence officer role treats as required.
What skills does a criminal investigator need to become an intelligence officer?
9 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is conduct threat intelligence.
How hard is the move from criminal investigator to intelligence officer?
Its learning distance is 68.7 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.