Becoming a detective in Ireland is similar to officer training in the United States and other parts of the world. The desire to help people, fight crime and assist victims in finding justice should be the chief motivators for potential officers. Detectives in Ireland are more management-focused, spending a great deal of time on supervisory and administrative tasks, but they are involved on high profile cases when a more experienced detective's skills are required rather than just the skills set of a police officer.

Process To Follow

Become a Police Officer. To become a police officer, the applicant must apply for admission into the police training program. Some of the qualifications potential police officers must possess are effective communication skills, show tact and diplomacy skills, show an acute focus on the community, possess a sense of personal responsibility, show integrity and resilience, demonstrate effective problem-solving skills and have a calm and confident manner. Candidates should also be literate, have the ability to work with a diverse group of people along with the skills to work independently. Once admission has been granted, candidates complete basic police training and upon graduation become a constable (the basic rank of a police officer).

To be considered for promotion, police officers have to demonstrate effective policing skills, the ability to work with other officers and a track record of solving cases and crime prevention. After one to two years as a constable, officers are eligible to apply for the sergeants examination. After becoming a sergeant and demonstrating competency and ability to handle this position, officers can apply to advance into management positions in the department.

Take the Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP). This program is targeted for officers who will be investigating crimes, questioning suspects and interviewing witnesses. The program enables the officer to hone their investigative skills. The training has three stages: the Learning and Development Project, the Proof of Concept National Register and the Assisted Implementation Project. Learning and development includes courses in investigation techniques and intelligence gathering. The Proof of Concept is training in using the registry for investigations. The Assisted Implementation project teaches the officer to implement investigative plans and effectively manage subordinate officers while they investigate crimes.