Developing Skills and Knowledge for a Career in Criminology: A Personal Portfolio

This portfolio discusses the skills and knowledge required for a career in criminology, including job description and specification, personal development plan, and challenges faced by professionals. It also includes a cover letter and references.

The Portfolio

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Role analysis..........................................................................................................................3
Job Description.....................................................................................................................4
Person specification..............................................................................................................5
Reflection...............................................................................................................................5
Personal Development Plan.................................................................................................6
Cover Letter..........................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES:...............................................................................................................................9
Books and Journals.................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
The individual needs to develop various skills and knowledge in order to achieve an efficient
growth in the future. There are various career opportunities on which the candidate can
capitalised (McGee, and et.al 2021). By planning all these details for future a candidate can find
a bet job position according to the skills. On the other hand, in this report there will be brief
discussion about various skills and knowledge which the individual must inherent to gain
maximum experience and growth in the workplace. Along with that, there will be brief about
personal development plan. It helps the individual to achieve different skills and achieve a
systematic growth in the future. For further instance, in this report there will be preparation of
job description and specification which is a well written document. It helps to attract various
people for the suited job position in the organisation.
MAIN BODY
After completing my graduation from university of Bedfordshire I have studied criminology.
The main purpose of this course is to achieve the position of crime investigator. To achieve this
job position I have to develop different skills and enhance my knowledge in various factors. It is
a tough job which requires a lot of skill like problem solving, effective communication etc. It is
one of the most challenging field. Due to the crimes which is increasing day by day in every
country. It is one of the best career in several regions. The skills play a vital role to achieve
greater results in the job position of crime investigator. The main motive is to observe the crime
scenes carefully and I had to give my views on the particular crime scene. This is one of the most
qualified role for me. As a career I chose this job because it will enhance my knowledge and help
to achieve an overall growth in the future. I have also uses various software in the graduation and
learned them properly. This has given me an advantage over other individuals I have become
more suitable for this job position. I personally follow good ethics and studied all the laws
effectively which will make me understand the job position better. Crime investigator can solve
various problems depending upon the situation. With the changing scenario this job role has been
evolving continuously (Stockdale, and Sweeney, 2019).
Role analysis
The main duty of the crime investigator is to follow all the laws and investigate various
crime scenes in a systematic manner (Posick, and Rocque, 2018). There are various evidences

which are collected and needs to screened properly (Nguyen, and Loughran, 2018). There are
various trends which are changing. On the other hand, there are different challenges which are
faced by the crime investigators. The main problem is that the professionals needs to comply
with all the laws and regulations. They had to perform their duty by fulfilling all the laws in a
respective manner. The valuable concern is law enforcement staffing shortages. There is lack of
staffing in various agencies the police officers are not proactive. There are limited resources and
it is a vital necessity for indulge extra workforce in the agencies. On the other hand, another
challenge which the professional face is the accuracy of the crime reports. The professional has
to evaluate all the documents properly and solve various cases in an effective manner. the data
which is collected by the officers is not proper which is a big challenge for the crime investigator
(Sparks, 2020). Another challenge with the new trends in the technology which is enforced in the
current laws. This is one of the major reason this job position is changing with the new trends.
The officers have to assess various details of the individuals which are involved in the criminal
activities. The use of artificial intelligence technology is generally increasing and it helps to
analyse personal collections and details of the individuals. The success rate of this technology is
increased. The professionals had to use the technology effectively in order to prevent various
crimes and investigate the details of various person in an effective manner.
Job Description
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title: Crime Investigator
Reporting to: Officer
Job description: Collect, analyse the evidence and solve various complex criminal activities
Duties and Obligations:
 Collect and analyse the evidence effectively
 Use various modern scientific techniques to know the truth of the crimes occurred
 Use various strategies and innovate ideas to solve the problems
 Interrogate all the individuals which are involved in the crime
 Use the artificial intelligence technology to analyse the criminal data and activities
systematically Develop different skills like problem solving, effective communication etc.

Qualifications:
 Bachelors degree in Criminology
 Special courses to grow effective investigation skills
 Understanding the environment better
 Expert knowledge of using the software to analyse the data
 Helps the officers and develop a cordial relationship with them
Person specification
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Significant Skills:
 Good Communication Skills to instigate various situations
 Coordinating with the officers
 Multi-tasking to assess various difficult situation and overcome different challenges in
the job position.
 Persuading to do right things Knowledge of software’s and tools
Required Skills:
 Flexible and understanding
 Good understanding skills
 Should enhance knowledge to solve various crimes
 Should be patient
Reflection
I had various skills which will sill help me to perform better in the job position. After,
completing my graduation I lack in several areas and this has could create a negative impact of
my working position. It includes various skills like problem solving, effective communication
etc. To grow this skill, I will have to enhance my knowledge in an effective manner. Critical
evaluation of all the factors are necessary in order to achieve and efficient growth. With the new
trends the job position of crime investigator is also changing. I know the new software which are
used to analyse and collect data. It will be plus point for me through this I can get further leaders

in the difficult cases (Bates, and et.al 2020). The main focus is to enhance the knowledge and
evaluating the factors effectively in order to grow these skills and achieve an efficient growth in
the future. I can perform better and develop a cordial relationship with the officers. The scientific
knowledge is also necessary in which I am lacking. I need to growth this skill and It will be
developed involving in various projects. This will help me to perform in a better way.
Personal Development Plan
Objectives Importance Action Time Taken
To enhance my
Communication skill
This skill will help to
communicate
effectively with other
individuals and the
officers (Refugia,
2021). It plays a vital
role to make
understand the details
about the particular
situation.
Communicating
effectively with other
individuals in the
agency.
It will take two
months to develop
To enhance my
Investigative skill
This skill plays a vital
role to assess the
situations effectively
and do various
relevant conclusions
on various crime
scenes (Farrington,
Kazemian, and
Piquero, eds., 2018).
To develop this skill, I
had to assess the
situation
systematically and
enhance my
knowledge to pass on
necessary judgements
on the crime scenes.
It will take 3 months
to develop this
particular skill
To enhance my
Analytical skill
This is one of the
most crucial skill it is
an ability to critically
and analyse and
collect the data to
In order to develop
this skill, I had to
assess the crime
scenarios effectively
and working in an
This skill will be
developed within 4
months

found the further
leads on the case.
effective manner.
To enhance my
problem solving skill
This skill will help to
solve various
problems and
overcome different
challenges in the job
position (Farrington,
Kazemian, and
Piquero, 2018).
To develop this skill, I
had to assess various
factor effectively and
enhance my
knowledge to solve
different problems.
It will take 2 months
to develop this skill
To enhance my
Critical thinking
skill
This is one of the
most important skill
which will help to
solve various crime
scenes by using
various technological
aspects (Fleetwood,
and et,al 2019).
To develop this skill, I
had to evaluate the
situations critically.
It will be developed in
3 months
Cover Letter
ABC
To officer
XYZ
Dear XYZ,
I have just completed my graduation in criminology and choose a career of crime investigators. I
am looking forward for this job position. There are various skill which I possess in order to fulfil
the work duties and responsibilities in an effective manner.
I have the proper knowledge of the software’s which are used to analyse and collect data. this
helps me to enhance my critical thinking skill which is the most crucial factor for this job

position. These skills helped me to grow my personality in a systematic manner.
I already had a job experience of a dog handler and helps in assisting and preventing the crimes.
Having use to protect the property and finding the missing and wanted people is the main motive
of the job. Through this had achieved an effective growth and knowledge and I will fit perfectly
for this job position.
I am confident about my key skills which includes problem solving, analytical etc. this will help
me to assess the various factors systematically. The main focus is to fulfil my job responsibility
in a systematic manner. I will be perfect candidate for this job I have a perfect knowledge of the
new trends in this profession.
Thank You for the consideration
Your sincerely
XYZ
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has concluded that the individual needs to develop different skills
to perform best in the job position. On the other hand, in this report there will be brief discussion
about personal development plan it helps the individual to develop different skills for the
workplace. Along with that, there will be preparation of the job description and specification it is
a well written document in which the individual can understand about work duties and
responsibilities in a better way. For further instance, there will be evaluation of the changing
trends which are faced by the professionals in the job position. It has also analysed that the job
position needs proper skills and knowledge.

REFERENCES:
Books and Journals
McGee, and et.al 2021. Classification of patterns of offending in developmental and life-course
criminology, with special reference to persistence. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 59,
p.101460.
Refugia, J.N., 2021. Employment Status and the Challenges Encountered by Criminology
Graduates. Studies, 2(3), pp.101-120.
Farrington, D.P., Kazemian, L. and Piquero, A.R., 2018. Conclusions and implications for
developmental and life-course criminology. In The Oxford handbook of developmental
and life-course criminology (pp. 749-756). Oxford University Press, USA.
Posick, C. and Rocque, M., 2018. Great debates in criminology. Routledge.
Sparks, R., 2020. What are we going to do now? Criminology and democratic politics all over
again. In Criminology and Democratic Politics (pp. 275-288). Routledge.
Farrington, D.P., Kazemian, L. and Piquero, A.R. eds., 2018. The Oxford handbook of
developmental and life-course criminology. Oxford Handbooks.
Fleetwood, and et,al 2019. The Emerald handbook of narrative criminology. Emerald Group
Publishing.
Bates, and et.al 2020. Scaffolding employability throughout undergraduate degrees: A case study
in criminology. In The Gold Sponsor of the ACEN 2016 Conference was Intersective,
supporting work-integrated learning in Australia (p. 37).
Stockdale, K. and Sweeney, R., 2019, April. Exploring the criminology curriculum. In British
Criminology Conference (Vol. 19, pp. 84-105).
Nguyen, H. and Loughran, T.A., 2018. On the measurement and identification of turning points
in criminology. Annual review of criminology, 1, pp.335-358.