What made you apply for the role?

It was a great opportunity to become a Detective without becoming a police officer through the traditional channels.

Why did you choose being a Detective Staff Investigator over a Detective Constable?

The Detective Staff Investigator (DSI) role was more suitable to my personal circumstances and offered the chance to investigate serious and complex crimes, without the need to spend several months on section first. I had some experience of life on section due to having spent three years as a Special Constable.

What is your favourite thing about the role?

I think it is the satisfaction of helping victims to get justice. For example, last year I became the officer in charge (OIC) for a rape investigation after my colleague who was originally OIC, went on maternity leave. The positive impact on the victim, once the case was dealt with and the offender sent to prison, is hard to quantify but I could see the difference in her after the case was finished. A sense of relief that she had been believed, the suspect brought to justice and that she could now move on and find closure.

What are the challenges/restrictions of the role?

The main challenges can be the heavy workloads, unsociable hours and being late off on several occasions. There are certain restrictions on the role of DSI, for example you cannot further arrest suspects during interview and you cannot search people unlike a Detective Constable.

If you have any words of advice for new starters, what would they be?

I would say to be aware that you aren’t expected to know everything and do everything straight out of training school. You will receive support from colleagues on how to go about things and it is vital that you speak up and ask for help if you are struggling with anything with your work or if there are any personal circumstances impacting upon your work.