Editing Detective (section)

{{Other uses|Detective (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2016}}
{{short description|Investigator in law enforcement}}
{{Infobox occupation
| name               = Detective
| synonyms           = 
| pronounce          = 
| image              = 
| imagesize          = 
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| official_names     = 
| type               = 
| activity_sector    = [[Criminal investigation]]
| competencies       = Criminological knowledge, knowledge of the law, literacy and numeracy, reasoning skills and social skills
| formation          = Secondary or tertiary education
| employment_field   =  [[Law enforcement]] or [[Private investigator|private investigation]]
| related_occupation = [[Police officer]], [[private investigator]], [[bounty hunter]]
}}
[[File:Oklahoma City Police Homicide Detectives.jpeg|thumb|Police detectives investigating a [[homicide]] in [[Oklahoma City]], [[Oklahoma]], United States]]
A '''detective''' is an investigator, usually a member of a [[law enforcement agency]]. They often collect information to solve [[crime]]s by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads them to arrest criminals and enable them to be convicted in court.<ref name="NYPD">{{cite web|url= https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/investigative/detectives.page|title= Detective (Bureaus) - NYPDS|last= Bryce|first= Robert|website= New York Police Department|publisher= City of New York|access-date= 25 January 2018|quote= Detective work is highly specialized, usually encompassing the examination and evaluation of evidence to apprehend suspects and to build solid cases against them.|archive-date= 25 January 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015341/https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/investigative/detectives.page|url-status= live}}</ref> A detective may work for the [[police]] or [[Private investigator|privately]].