Introduction:

Sherlock Holmes and his numerous escapades has given a glorious sheen to a Private Detective's career profile. But, though this is a field with a lot of thrill and adventure, it is a dangerous profession as well. If you love investigative work and is ready to take up its inevitable challenges, its the career of your choice.

A detective is one who investigate a committed crime or any other fact to find out the truth behind it. In other words, a Detective investigates events, and suspicious activities on the request of the client or a company. A detective's work mainly involves finding facts by making enquiries and investigating using various techniques, without the knowledge of the person or people he is pursuing. Detectives or private investigators are now part of our society life. Private detectives and investigators assist lawyers, businesses, insurance companies, investors and the public with a variety of cases. Detectives not only lighten the burden of law and order enforcement agencies, they are even employed for verifying the credentials of prospective marriage partner or to find evidence to establish grounds for a divorce, child custody etc. Detectives investigate, prevent, and solve crimes against people and property.

The detective's job is very similar to that of a policeman and those in intelligence service, but the difference is that the detective works privately for people who employ them, and does not have the powers to arrest or detain people for questioning. A detective is not a law keeper, they investigate the case for the benefit of his or her own client. Most detectives or private investigators are those who retire from government services such as the military, law enforcement agencies, police force or former security guards. After retirement they start their own detective agency or work for other private parties as agents.

Detective handle cases like, burglary, extortion, theft, suicide, kidnapping, fraud, murder, rape, forgery, molestation, eve teasing, family cases, undercover operations, copyright infringement cases, cyber crime and so on. There are also industrial and corporate cases such as investigating industrial espionage and taking countermeasures for the same; protecting intellectual property rights etc. Techniques used by detectives for investigation include fingerprint collection, photography, voice and video recording, shadowing and application of Forensic science.

Detectives often work irregular hours, including nights and weekends. They may have to work even more than forty hours a week on certain cases. Work time depends upon the case they are in charge of. While working, they should also take care to remain within the scope of the law as they can be susceptible to criminal charges.

How is Life of Detectives:

Detectives' work falls between two extremes; it may be thrilling & dangerous, or routine and harmless, depending on the nature of their work. For example, police may be exposed to physical violence or other perilous situations that can culminate in death. On the other hand, private may handle simple routine work such as dealing with legal matters or complaints.

Detectives and criminal investigators who work for law enforcement often have to work erratic hours, including nights, public holidays and weekends. They often work more than forty hours a week on particular cases, although most are generally given time off and paid extra to compensate for their overtime.

Criminal investigators may work 5 days a week depending on their employing agency. However, because crime happens at all hours, crime scene investigators are expected to respond to crime scenes and emergency calls at odd hours during the day and night. A criminal investigator can expect to work long hours, up to 20 hours straight, when first called to investigate a crime scene, because it is vital to collect as much fresh evidence as possible.

Typical detective & investigators are often expected to do some amount physical work, such as kneeling, running, stooping, or climbing. Many types of & investigators are obligated to carry firearm weapons and are licensed & authorized to use them in accordance to their duties.

Eligibility:

Educational: In some countries, private detectives should participate in specially designed training programs, and must have a license to practice. At present a detective does not require a license to operate within India. In 2007, though a Private Investigator Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, it is still pending for approval.

Now there is no particular educational qualification necessary to enter this profession. The minimum qualification desirable is graduation, or an MBA for corporate investigations and a computer degree for computer forensics. A course in forensic/criminology or law is an added advantage.

Personal attributes:

An aspiring detective should have excellent communication skills and an eye for detail. As a detective, you must be skeptical and not take anything at face value, must be a bold and adventurous person with an alert and inquisitive mind. He/She should have a tremendous presence of mind and be very tactful. The detective should be a person who works with precision and expect the unexpected. Detectives also learn skills on the job from experienced private detectives.

Detectives and criminal investigators who work for law enforcement often have to work erratic hours, including nights, public holidays and weekends. They often work more than forty hours a week on particular cases, although most are generally given time off and paid extra to compensate for their overtime.

Criminal investigators may work 5 days a week depending on their employing agency. However, because crime happens at all hours, crime scene investigators are expected to respond to crime scenes and emergency calls at odd hours during the day and night. A criminal investigator can expect to work long hours, up to 20 hours straight, when first called to investigate a crime scene, because it is vital to collect as much fresh evidence as possible.

Typical detective & investigators are often expected to do some amount physical work, such as kneeling, running, stooping, or climbing. Many types of & investigators are obligated to carry firearm weapons and are licensed & authorised to use them in accordance to their duties.

Job Prospects & Career Options:-

As crime and corruption can never be entirely wiped out job prospects in this career is burgeoning. In recent years, a large number of private detective agencies have come up all over the country, whose services are being availed by the private establishments and individuals for private investigation.

Detective career or private investigator is most suited profession for those who love challenges and adventure. It is a field with lot of research and investigation work. Detectives mainly offers services related to matrimonial enquiries, corporate affairs, governmental and financial matters, business dealings, and even personal household investigations, while offering a winning edge over competitors. They work for both international and national clients. They operate in tandem with clients' needs and requirements. Many-a-times the detectives are hired to work for insurance companies to scrutinize apprehensive claims. Detectives also handle industrial and corporate cases such as industrial espionage, theft of patent rights, infringement of trademarks and copyrights, passing out confidential company information, falsifying company accounts by senior executives.

Investigative journalism is another avenue which has recently opened for private detectives. An emerging area for private investigators is internet security, where investigators deal with computer hackers like downloading of copyrighted materials, harassing e-mails and strive to prevent identity theft and unauthorized fund transfers.

Most detectives specialise in a field like homicide or fraud. Various investigators or detectives include computer forensic investigators/detectives, legal detectives, corporate investigators,financial investigators etc.

Computer forensic investigators facilitates the organised and careful detection of computer related crime and abuse cases. Computer forensic investigators specialize in recovering, analyzing, and presenting data from computers for use in investigations or as evidence. A computer forensics investigator determine the details of intrusions into computer systems, recover data from encrypted or erased files, and recover e-mails and deleted passwords. They can work on any form of digital media, examples of which include computers and cell phones.

Legal investigators assist in preparing criminal defenses, locating witnesses, serving legal documents, interviewing police and prospective witnesses, and gathering and reviewing evidence. Legal investigators also may collect information on the parties to a litigation, take photographs, testify in court, and assemble evidence and reports for trials. They often work for law firms or lawyers.

Corporate investigation is an essential practice in the business world that investigates allegations of civil and criminal activities related to a company or organisation. Corporate investigators investigate a variety of allegations such civil and criminal fraud, embezzlement, irregularities in accounting, information leaks, electronic crime, and many other activities. Corporate investigators conduct internal and external investigations for companies and organisations. In internal investigations, they may investigate drug use in the workplace, ensure that expense accounts are not abused, or determine whether employees are stealing assets, merchandise, or information. External investigations examine criminal activity from outside the organization such as fraudulent billing from vendors or suppliers

Financial investigators may be hired to find different types of financial problems within the organisation, business or any type of agency. They are experts in the field of financial audits, employee investigation, fraud investigation and loss prevention. These investigators often are certified public accountants (CPAs) who work closely with investment bankers and other accountants. They also might search for assets in order to recover damages awarded by a court in fraud or theft cases.

Work of Detectives are much similar to that of those employed in intelligence bureau, RAW and Police force. In most cases those who retire from the above services start their own private investigative agency or join these type of agencies.

Challenges:

• The hours that private investigators work often tend to be odd hours, late-night hours and other inconvenient times.
• Private investigation work, including surveillance, carries inherent risks. Investigators are often reported for suspicious activity while on surveillance activities and risk being arrested.
• Occasions arise where the investigator has to change appearance or vehicles quickly, or the investigator has to react immediately to unforeseen circumstances. The job can become especially dangerous if a criminal suspect notices the private investigator during surveillance.
• Even though the job sounds glamorous, a crime scene investigator is usually on call 24 hours a day. The work can be irregular and extremely dangerous.

Remuneration

Salaries may vary, depending upon the nature of the job and type of client. To be more specific, this depends upon the sensitivity of the information required and the difficulty and risk involved in getting that work done. A well established firm that has deals with big shots in the industry will definitely roll in money.

Salaries for detectives & criminal investigators vary extensively and depend on experience, employer, location, and the responsibilities of the job.

Private detectives earn considerably more. The average salary of private detectives was Rs 1,25,000 to 2,50,000 per year. Experienced and successful private detectives earned more than 5,00,000 to 10,00,000 per year.

Bibliography: "Education In India, Career Website For Higher Studies - India/ Abroad." Career.webindia123.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 1 Sept. 2017.

12th, Career. "Career Options After 12Th| Courses After 12Th Science|Courses After 12Th Commerce." Indiaeducation.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 1 Sept. 2017.