11.07.2015 Views

Effective Detective

Effective Detective

Effective Detective

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Executive summaryThe Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) plays a pivotal role within all serious crimeinvestigations. Concerns have been expressed, however, that there is a shortage ofinvestigators with the appropriate qualities to perform this role effectively. Theconsequences of such a shortage could be severe. Not only might it threaten theeffective workings of the judicial process, it can also waste resources, undermineintegrity and reduce public confidence in the police service. The principal aim ofthe research was to establish what skills, abilities and personal characteristics anSIO ought to possess to be effective in the investigation of low-volume seriouscrimes (stranger rape, murder and abduction).Interviews were conducted with 40 officers from ten forces. These were selected toreflect a range of roles and experience within Criminal Investigation Departments(CID). Ten of these officers were nominated by their peers as examples ofparticularly ‘effective’ SIOs.Although the debate around SIO competencies has often polarised into argumentsfor and against specialist or generalist skills, the research highlighted the fact thatthe role of an SIO is extremely complex and the skills required wide-ranging. Byapplying a variety of analytical techniques, a total of 22 core skills were identifiedfor an SIO to perform effectively in the role. The 22 skills were organised intothree clusters:●●●investigative ability: this includes the skills associated with the assimilation andassessment of incoming information into an enquiry and the process by whichlines of enquiry are generated and prioritised;knowledge levels: this relates to the different types of underpinning knowledge anSIO should possess; and,management skills: these encompass a broad range of skill types that were furthersub-divided between ‘people management’, ‘general management’ and‘investigative management’.The research revealed that the ‘effective’ SIO is dependent upon a combination ofmanagement skill, investigative ability and relevant knowledge across the entireinvestigative process , from initial crime scene assessment through to post-chargecase management.Ideally, an SIO should possess a high level of competency across each of the threeclusters. In reality this is not always possible and, when this happens, there is anincreased risk that the investigation will be inefficient or, in the worst case, will fail.(v)

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