Detective (Detective)
Information on this skill...
A detective is a private investigator, who can be engaged by individuals, companies and governments to carry out various investigations. As a detective, you may have to deal with different types of assignments, depending on the client. Think, for example, of tracing missing persons, spying on people and asset investigations, such as investigations into insurance fraud, benefit fraud or embezzlement cases. Another name for a detective is sometimes also called a private detective. Within the Netherlands there are quite a lot of detectives working, who may have to deal with different types of assignments. In many cases, these are investigations that are not investigated by the police by default, because there is too little evidence, for example, or because the investigations have nothing to do with the general security interest. It is possible that the police will be called in at a later time, if sufficient leads or evidence have been found by the detective. A detective generally has a lot to do with civil and criminal investigations. When most people think of the detective profession, they quickly think of exciting action, such as spying on adulterous wives and chasing crooks. Yet this is not entirely the reality, because most detectives are more likely to be called in for more normal matters, such as tracking down people or to uncover fraud. A detective is a private investigator, who may only work as a private detective in the Netherlands if the detective has a license. The profession of detective has no further professional protection, but not everyone can just work as a detective. A detective must have a license and comply with the law private security organizations and detective agencies to be allowed to work as a detective.
A detective is therefore a private investigator who can work for different clients. As a private investigator, you do not have the same powers as detectives who work for the police. Most people and companies use a detective, because the police will not take care of all cases. For example, a company may have a suspicion that someone is stealing, or has called in sick without this being the case. For this type of case, it is perfectly possible to call in a detective to collect the necessary evidence. A detective has his own ways of spying on people, such as taking pictures or placing hidden cameras in a room. A big advantage of cameras is that the images are recorded and that the images can be viewed afterwards. In this way, there is no need to deploy too much manpower, which saves on costs. Catching someone cheating can sometimes take a longer period of time. Regular consultation with the client is therefore important. Sometimes it may also be necessary to gather more evidence to make the case stronger. If there is sufficient evidence, the client can approach the suspect directly, or file a lawsuit with the evidence. In order to be able to use certain evidence, it is important that a judge will accept the evidence. A good detective knows exactly what is and is not allowed while observing.
THEFT AND FRAUD IN THE WORKPLACE
Theft by staff in the workplace is fairly common, and even more common than shoplifting by visitors. The theft does not only have to consist of goods, but can also consist of theft of company information. The company information can be worth a lot of money to another company, such as information about a possible tender. Because of the stolen information, another company can offer a tender just a little sharper. The financial consequences of these types of thefts can be large in some cases. Because these types of fraud cases can be investigated, it can also be important to conduct digital investigations or to use an infiltrator. But also in burglaries where valuable goods have been stolen, a detective can be called in by the director or insurance company to find out who the perpetrators are. Especially in cases where the financial consequences are large, a detective can offer a solution. Even in case of a suspicion of arson to defraud the insurance, a step to a detective agency is often made quickly. The detective agency can then investigate in its own way and approach people who may know things, in order to solve the case. Especially in matters that attract a lot of attention, there is almost always someone who cannot keep his mouth shut.
WHAT DOES A DETECTIVE DO
It's not that detectives are solely responsible for investigating extramarital relationships. A detective is much more concerned with fraud cases and the detection of stolen goods. Think, for example, of a detective who is commissioned to track down a stolen painting or a detective who conducts research into missing persons. Other examples include tracking down stolen vehicles, such as cars and boats. Another specialization, which is also fairly common nowadays, is conducting antecents surveys to investigate whether someone has not lied during an application procedure. In some cases, a detective can also be considered a forensic investigator. In that case, a detective will try to collect DNA in order to obtain evidence. Depending on the type of investigation, a detective may also be responsible for interrogating and/or interviewing people.
WHAT DOES A DETECTIVE DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A DETECTIVE
There are no national training opportunities for the detective profession in schools. However, there are courses and training opportunities at private educational institutions for the profession of detective. This is the private investigator training, which will usually take one year. In order to be able to participate in the training, there are requirements in terms of prior education. However, career or experience in security can help when it comes to prior education. If you want to follow a training to become a detective, it is wise to see what exactly you can do with the training after your studies. It is important that the professional training is aligned with the examination requirements of the Stichting Vakexamens voor de Particuliere Beveiligingsorganisaties (SVPB). As a detective, you don't have investigative powers, like the police do. During the course, attention is paid to the basic knowledge, legal frameworks and research methods. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A DETECTIVE CAN WORK
A detective generally works for a detective agency or works as an entrepreneur within his own detective agency. Among the detectives there are quite a lot of independent entrepreneurs working. There is an essential difference between a detective and a company detective agency. A detective usually works for private individuals and a company detective agency for the business market. In addition, a detective can work internally for large companies and organizations that have their own legal department. Consider, for example, an insurance company, which also uses insurance doctors. A detective can also work for a claims investigation agency.
COMPETENCES DETECTIVE
The most important competence of a detective is integrity and independence. In addition, you must be a real sleuth and inspector, who has the right research skills. Communication is also an important competence, because you usually have to deal with many different people during investigations. Another important competence is legislation and regulations, because detectives may have to deal with supervisors and lawyers. In other words, a detective may only conduct lawful investigations to avoid potential problems during a later procedure. Generally important words are investigating, observing, interviewing, flexibility, planning, creativity, passion, motivation, stress resistance and conflict management. If you work as an entrepreneur, you must also be able to be regarded as a networker. Networking is important to be able to get in touch with the right people.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A DETECTIVE
As a detective, your chances of employment are usually limited. There are many companies active in this area, but these are mainly small detective agencies, which are usually not likely to hire staff quickly. There are large companies that employ staff and also want to hire, but they can set high standards in terms of training and experience. Most detectives start as independent entrepreneurs. There is still a growing demand for detective agencies from society. Growing as a detective should be seen in starting your own business or following extra training to increase your employment opportunities.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY DETECTIVE
There are no specific employment conditions for the profession of detective, because the differences are too great in terms of company types and because most detectives work as self-employed and will therefore determine their own employment conditions. A detective in paid employment will usually earn between 2500 to 3500 euros gross per month, depending on age, education and responsibilities. There are big differences possible in this profession, because a low-trained detective will usually earn much less than a highly trained detective, such as when it comes to an old detective from the police. As an independent entrepreneur, there is no salary indication to give for the profession of detective because the income will depend entirely on the number and type of assignments you know how to collect.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
Lesen Sie diese Informationen auf Detektiv auf Deutsch.
Lea esta información sobre Detective en español.
Lees deze informatie over Detective in het Nederlands.
Mijnzzp.nl