How to become a detective

In England and Wales a detective is a police constable who has qualified as an investigator, usually by passing the National Investigators’ Exam and completing a workplace programme accredited at level 2 of the Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP2). There are two ways in. You can join a force on a direct entry detective programme and train as a detective from the start, or become a uniformed constable first and move into the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) later. Detective is a role, not a rank, so a detective constable is paid on the same scale as any other constable.

What detectives do

Detectives investigate crimes that are too serious or complex for uniformed officers to deal with in the course of response work. That includes serious assaults, robbery, burglary series, sexual offences, fraud, and crimes against children and vulnerable adults. A detective constable will typically:

• interview suspects, victims and witnesses, including recorded interviews under caution
• gather and manage evidence, including digital evidence from phones and computers
• build case files and work with the Crown Prosecution Service on charging decisions
• give evidence in court
• work with partner agencies such as social services in safeguarding cases

Most detectives work in CID, public protection units (dealing with domestic abuse, child abuse and sexual offences) or specialist teams like economic crime or major investigation teams. The workload is heavy and cases can run for months. Much of the job is desk-based: reviewing material, writing statements and preparing files.

PIP levels in brief

The Professionalising Investigation Programme sets out levels of investigative skill:

• PIP1 covers priority and volume crime, the level all constables work to
• PIP2 covers serious and complex investigations, the level a detective constable is accredited at
• PIP3 covers major crime, such as homicide, and applies to senior investigating officers

To reach PIP2 you normally pass the National Investigators’ Exam (NIE), a multiple-choice paper on criminal law, evidence and procedure. Then you complete a development programme such as the Initial Crime Investigators’ Development Programme, with a portfolio of evidence from real investigations, and finish with a workplace assessment before you are signed off.

Direct entry detective

Several forces recruit people straight into detective training through a detective version of the Degree Holder Entry Programme or their own detective constable programmes. You still train as a constable first, with the same powers and the core police learning, but your workplace experience is mostly in investigation and you work towards PIP2 during or shortly after your probation. Police Now also runs a national detective programme with partner forces for graduates, described in Police Now.

Direct entry suits people who are sure they want investigative work. Uniform experience is limited, which some detectives see as a gap, and forces usually require some time on patrol or response during training.

Selection matches other police recruitment: an online assessment based on the Competency and Values Framework, often including a situational judgement test, then a fitness test, medical and vetting. Some forces add an investigation exercise or a written task.

The NIE takes serious preparation. The syllabus covers a large body of criminal law and procedure, and most candidates study for months alongside their work. Forces provide study materials and some give study time, but you will use your own time too.

Moving across from uniform

The more traditional route is to join as a constable through any of the entry programmes in how to become a police constable, complete probation, then apply for a trainee detective constable post. Forces advertise these internally. You sit the NIE and complete the development programme while working in CID. This route gives you uniform experience first and shows you what investigation is like before you commit. Some forces use temporary attachments to CID so constables can try the work, and an attachment is a good way to find out whether the pace and caseload suit you.

Pay

Detective constables are paid on the constable scale. For officers appointed on or after 1 April 2013, the scale from 1 September 2026 is:

Pay point	Annual salary
PP1	£32,255
PP2	£33,609
PP3	£34,972
PP4	£36,335
PP5	£39,058
PP6	£44,544
PP7	£52,015

These include the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026, confirmed by ministers on 15 July 2026. London weighting and allowances rose by the same percentage. Detectives often work overtime and may be on call, which adds to earnings, but rest days can be cancelled at short notice during major investigations. Police pay scales covers sergeant and inspector pay for detectives who go on to promotion, and the take-home pay calculator works out monthly pay at each point.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Police Scotland and the PSNI have their own detective training and accreditation, and their own pay scales. Officers there usually serve in uniform before applying for CID, and their recruitment pages set out any direct routes currently running.