Effective Detective

SKILLS AND THE INVESTIGATIVE PROCESSskills resident in the team and in the long-term through experience anddevelopment, it is difficult to conceive of an ‘effective’ SIO operating without someskills in this area.In conclusion, ‘effective’ SIOs require a combination of management skill,investigative ability and knowledge that need to be applied across all elements ofthe investigative process. We know, however, that some ‘effective’ SIOs havesucceeded with some gaps in their skill portfolio. The findings suggest that,providing appropriate skills reside in the investigative team and that the SIO hasan understanding of the potential application of those skills and knows how toaccess them, these gaps can be overcome. However, the process of investigativemanagement cannot be delegated down within the investigative team; these skillsmust reside with the SIO. The critical nature of investigative management skillsmeans that while an SIO may be dependent on specialist skills and experienceassociated with serious crime enquiries, an ‘effective’ SIO is one who also possessesabilities in this management arena.44