Investigating skills

INVESTIGATING SKILLS

What are investigation skills?

Investigators are hired to gather information and use the data available to them to discover the truth (or the culprit). But knowing how to use that information is key.

Nicky Smith and Conor Flanagan (of the Home Office and Reducing Crime Unit,) define “investigative ability” as that which requires the skills to assimilate (to learn and comprehend), assess and prioritise incoming information, and draw inferences from that information that will inform a line of enquiry. The aim being to gain further relevant (more detailed or valuable) knowledge on the matter.

In short, investigators use various investigative techniques to gather information and then use their critical judgement to aid them in prioritising what is relevant and what isn’t when contradictory data or multiple lines of enquiry arise.