‘The role of the detective is very misunderstood’

13 January 2021

Barry Horton says working in CID brings its rewards and its challenges.

A trainee detective in reactive CID, Barry says there’s a real camaraderie in the team, and he enjoys helping people in need.

“The role of a detective is very misunderstood,” he said, “Officers think it’s not challenging or it’s boring. It certainly isn’t.

“You have the chance to play a part in every serious case that takes place on your area. There’s a great team ethos. You work as a team through the job rather than on your own constantly which is another reason not to be fearful of the role.”

Barry, speaking during a month-long national Federation focus on the role of detectives, added: “Being able to help those who are in need is a massive incentive to the role.”

A workplace representative for West Mercia Police Federation, Barry has been a police officer for 15 years.

“I joined, honestly, because I wanted to help others,” he said. “I enjoy talking to different people and being there.”

He became a detective because he saw it as a natural career progression.

“It was a way of putting my experience into more complex investigations,” he said.

But Barry said the role has changed during his time in CID.

“The role is very much now focussed on the threat and risk management as much as it is solving crimes,” he said, “The level of paperwork is immense. We’re doing the lion’s share of file building as CJSUs are under-staffed and under-funded. On top of that, our workloads due to the risk is huge.”

Barry added: “The biggest challenges in the role are managing expectations of the victim, dealing with delays in getting things done such as phone examinations and poor computer systems.

“How could these be overcome? More staff.”

Barry said that juggling the role and family life is another challenge.

“The pressure of needing to be there to complete my workload, ensure there are numbers within the office but at the same time I need to be there for my family pulls me in two,” he said.

And he pointed to the way the pandemic has altered the way CID has to work as another challenge.

“You have to be ready to work from home whenever someone in the family get a temperature,” he said, “It’s been a challenge, but with the help of our team it’s been manageable.” 

Barry said that he has no plans to return to a uniform role.

“There are countless roles within the CID arena I can do without going back to uniform,” he said, “I foresee a few years for me to be confident in the role of detective before seeking a new challenge elsewhere.”