Criminal investigator to police detective
A criminal investigator already meets 26% of what the police detective role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.9/ 100
1 How much of what a police detective 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 police detective role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A police detective role treats 4 of its required skills as things a criminal investigator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- criminology
- examine crime scenes
- handle case evidence
- maintain operational communications
What stands in the way is 10 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. A police detective 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 investigate forgery cases information skills
- already held perform drug investigations information skills
- already held examine crime scenes information skills
- already held handle case evidence communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held criminology social sciences, journalism and information
- already held present evidence communication, collaboration and creativity
All 8 carried skills, including the 4 the police detective role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 6 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 lead police investigations required
- still to learn analyse legal evidence required
- still to learn develop investigation strategy required
- still to learn form operational strategies for law enforcement required
- still to learn ensure law application required
- optional, not held apply first response optional
- optional, not held control crowd optional
- optional, not held detain offenders optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with types of weapons optional
- optional, not held ensure information security optional
- optional, not held identify security threats optional
- optional, not held practice vigilance optional
- optional, not held restrain individuals optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- still to learn conduct research interview required
- still to learn hear witness accounts required
- optional, not held apply knowledge of human behaviour optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
- still to learn investigation research methods required
- still to learn law enforcement required
- still to learn legal use-of-force required
- optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held first response optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a police detective role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 form operational strategies for law enforcement practise this
- 02 lead police investigations practise this
- 03 analyse legal evidence 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 criminology knowledge
- already held examine crime scenes skill
- already held handle case evidence skill
- already held maintain operational communications skill
- already held criminal law knowledge
- already held investigate forgery cases skill
- already held perform drug investigations skill
- already held present evidence skill
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held first response optional
- optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
- optional, not held apply first response optional
- optional, not held apply knowledge of human behaviour optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held control crowd optional
- optional, not held detain offenders optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with types of weapons optional
- optional, not held ensure information security optional
- optional, not held identify security threats optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held practice vigilance optional
- optional, not held restrain individuals optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
18 held skills the police detective 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 detect finger prints skill
- not needed by the target role document evidence 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 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 promote human rights skill
- not needed by the target role restrict access to crime scene skill
- not needed by the target role undertake inspections skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels 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 law enforcement required
- still to learn legal use-of-force required
- optional, not held first response optional
- optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
Common questions about this move
Can a criminal investigator become a police detective?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A criminal investigator already covers 26% of what a police detective is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 4 of which the police detective role treats as required.
What skills does a criminal investigator need to become a police detective?
10 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is form operational strategies for law enforcement.
How hard is the move from criminal investigator to police detective?
Its learning distance is 68.9 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.