Police detective to private detective
A police detective already meets 39% of what the private detective role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
61.2/ 100
1 How much of what a private detective is expected to do is already part of a police detective’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 private detective role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A private detective role treats 7 of its required skills as things a police detective already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse legal evidence
- conduct research interview
- criminal law
- develop investigation strategy
- handle case evidence
- law enforcement
What stands in the way is 12 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A private detective role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a police detective background worth leading with.
- already held develop investigation strategy information skills
- already held examine crime scenes information skills
- already held hear witness accounts communication, collaboration and creativity
- 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 13 carried skills, including the 7 the private detective role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 7 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 check request legitimacy required
- still to learn check subjects required
- still to learn document evidence required
- optional, not held acquire licences for the use of weapons optional
- optional, not held develop criminology theories optional
- optional, not held trace people optional
- still to learn identify suspicious behaviour required
- still to learn provide information required
- still to learn screen clients required
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn manage contracts required
- optional, not held assist police investigations optional
- optional, not held liaise with security authorities optional
- still to learn check methods required
- still to learn interview techniques required
- still to learn civil law required
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- still to learn surveillance methods required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a private detective role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 check request legitimacy practise this
- 02 identify customer's needs practise this
- 03 check methods 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held analyse legal evidence skill
- already held conduct research interview skill
- already held criminal law knowledge
- already held develop investigation strategy skill
- already held handle case evidence skill
- already held law enforcement knowledge
- already held practice vigilance skill
- already held criminology knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- already held ensure law application skill
- already held examine crime scenes skill
- already held hear witness accounts skill
- already held present evidence skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held take pictures optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held acquire licences for the use of weapons optional
- optional, not held take pictures optional
- optional, not held assist police investigations optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- optional, not held develop criminology theories optional
- optional, not held liaise with security authorities optional
- optional, not held trace people optional
20 held skills the private detective role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply first response skill
- not needed by the target role apply knowledge of human behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role control crowd skill
- not needed by the target role detain offenders skill
- not needed by the target role ensure information security skill
- not needed by the target role first response knowledge
- not needed by the target role form operational strategies for law enforcement skill
- not needed by the target role identify security threats skill
- not needed by the target role investigate forgery cases skill
- not needed by the target role investigation research methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role lead police investigations skill
- not needed by the target role legal requirements related to ammunition knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal research knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal use-of-force knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain operational communications skill
- not needed by the target role perform drug investigations skill
- not needed by the target role restrain individuals skill
- not needed by the target role use personal protection equipment skill
- not needed by the target role write situation reports skill
5 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 check methods required
- still to learn civil law required
- still to learn interview techniques required
- still to learn surveillance methods required
- optional, not held court procedures optional
Common questions about this move
Can a police detective become a private detective?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A police detective already covers 39% of what a private detective is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the private detective role treats as required.
What skills does a police detective need to become a private detective?
12 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is check request legitimacy.
How hard is the move from police detective to private detective?
Its learning distance is 61.2 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.