Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Detectives and criminal investigators conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
Detectives and criminal investigators’ primary responsibility is to protect life and property.
Criminal investigator jobs involve being alert for threats to public safety, ready to respond to emergencies, and patrolling their assigned area for signs of illegal activity. Criminal investigators gather facts, thoroughly analyze crime scenes, gather related evidence and information, conduct interviews, observe suspects, participate in raids and ensure the apprehension of the correct suspects.
The detective jobs in India play an integral role in law enforcement and criminal justice, working diligently to solve time-consuming open cases.
Criminal investigators need a high school diploma or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, forensic science, or a related field. Training at a law enforcement agency’s training academy and extensive on-the-job training are required.
Skills required to become a criminal investigator include patience, communications, leadership, judgment, physical fitness, empathy and ethical standards. Criminal investigator jobs involve paperwork as officers document every incident and may testify in court. Criminal investigator jobs are physically demanding, stressful, and dangerous, and shifts are around the clock. Dealing with life-threatening situations and injuries is common. Officers must stay calm, think clearly, and use good judgment. They cannot have any felony convictions.
The detectives in India carry law enforcement tools like radios, handcuffs, and licensed firearms.
Criminal investigators work at the local, state, and federal levels. Their responsibilities and wages grow with experience, and experienced criminal investigators with a successful track record work on the toughest cases. The detective's salary depends on the case and job profile.
Successful criminal investigators combine intuition with education and experience.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- Bachelor's Any Subject
Tasks
- Check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse.
- Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.
- Secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival.
- Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants.
- Prepare charges or responses to charges, or information for court cases, according to formalized procedures.
- Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed.
- Obtain summary of incident from officer in charge at crime scene, taking care to avoid disturbing evidence.
- Note, mark, and photograph location of objects found, such as footprints, tire tracks, bullets and bloodstains, and take measurements of the scene.
- Prepare reports that detail investigation findings.
- Examine records and governmental agency files to find identifying data about suspects.
Progression Routes
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