Private detective to police detective
A private detective already meets 50% of what the police detective role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
49.6/ 100
1 How much of what a police detective is expected to do is already part of a private 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 police detective role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A police detective role treats 9 of its required skills as things a private detective already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse legal evidence
- conduct research interview
- criminology
- develop investigation strategy
- ensure law application
- examine crime scenes
What stands in the way is 5 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 police detective role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a private 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 9 the police detective role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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 form operational strategies for law enforcement required
- optional, not held apply first response optional
- optional, not held control crowd optional
- optional, not held detain offenders optional
- optional, not held ensure information security optional
- optional, not held identify security threats optional
- optional, not held restrain individuals optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- still to learn maintain operational communications 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 legal use-of-force required
- optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- still to learn lead police investigations required
- optional, not held investigate forgery cases optional
- optional, not held perform drug investigations optional
- still to learn investigation research methods required
- 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 investigation research 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 criminology knowledge
- already held develop investigation strategy skill
- already held ensure law application skill
- already held examine crime scenes skill
- already held handle case evidence skill
- already held hear witness accounts skill
- already held law enforcement knowledge
- already held criminal law knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- already held practice vigilance skill
- already held present evidence skill
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held first response optional
- optional, not held investigate forgery cases optional
- optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
- optional, not held perform drug investigations 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 information security optional
- optional, not held identify security threats optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held restrain individuals optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
19 held skills the police detective role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role acquire licences for the use of weapons skill
- not needed by the target role assist police investigations skill
- not needed by the target role check methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role check request legitimacy skill
- not needed by the target role check subjects skill
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- not needed by the target role court procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop criminology theories skill
- not needed by the target role document evidence skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role identify suspicious behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role interview techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with security authorities skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role provide information skill
- not needed by the target role screen clients skill
- not needed by the target role surveillance methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role take pictures skill
- not needed by the target role trace people 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 investigation research methods 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 private detective become a police detective?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A private detective already covers 50% of what a police detective is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 9 of which the police detective role treats as required.
What skills does a private detective need to become a police detective?
5 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is form operational strategies for law enforcement.
How hard is the move from private detective to police detective?
Its learning distance is 49.6 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.