Skills acquired during the course

What is a competency in the detective course?

A competency is understood as the set of attitudes, skills, and knowledge that the student acquires and incorporates, according to their personal characteristics and work experiences, to demonstrate in the performance of the professional activity of a private detective. Competencies are acquired throughout the training process of the detective course and are broken down into learning objectives proposed in each subject.

Elements of a competency

There are three elements that can be distinguished in every competency:

1. Attitudes: predispositions and behaviors in specific situations.
2. Skills: abilities to successfully perform tasks, use procedures, and carry out work. They are developed through practice and experience.
3. Knowledge: scientific, conceptual, and theoretical content, also known as academic learning.

Within this framework, in the Detective Course we have Transversal Competencies, which are common performances applicable to different occupations, meaning that the student can work in positions other than that of Private Detective; and we also have Specific Competencies, which are related to the technical aspects of the private detective profession itself.

Transversal Competencies of the course

• CT-001. Information management skills: basic handling of investigation requests and different sources of information.
• CT-002. Ability to apply basic knowledge of public security and risk management to the professional practice of private investigation.
• CT-003. Commit to ethical and professional performance of the service, based on confidentiality and the safe management of entrusted information.
• CT-004. Use analytical and synthesis capacity for decision-making and problem-solving in the field of private investigation.
• CT-005. Communicate and transmit ideas and results effectively in the professional environment through any necessary medium, including investigative reports and evidence resulting from an investigation.
• CT-006. Ability to work in inter-institutional and inter-professional networks related to security and information management.
• CT-007. Teamwork, interpersonal, organizational, and leadership skills.
• CT-008. Maintain an active and adaptive attitude toward new roles, fields of investigation, and be proactive with respect to new investigative situations.

Specific Competencies of the course

• CE-001. Ability to know and understand the principles, institutions, norms, and basic legal concepts of obtaining and managing information, including their origins and practical applications.
• CE-002. Ability to plan, develop, and apply systems and strategies for human resource management in security and investigation organizations; both in recruitment and incorporation processes of people as sources of information, as well as in the development of support personnel in security, in the effective application of information management models, in the analysis and evaluation of results, and in adapting to risk situations.
• CE-003. Ability to compare methodologies and apply tools and techniques that allow adequate and efficient interventions in criminal, aggressive, conflictive, risky, or emergency situations, as well as in response to public demand for security (real and perceived).
• CE-004. Ability to plan and coordinate human, technological, and infrastructure resources in a specific project to diagnose comprehensive security situations and guarantee security management by integrating all teams that may intervene.
• CE-005. Ability to handle socio-economic, activity-based, and demographic information and data of relevance.
• CE-006. Ability to interpret socio-economic spatial data, represent it at a significant scale, and relate it to specific problems in a private investigation.
• CE-007. Apply knowledge based on experiences of social conflicts, in managing sources of information, and in handling personal data with maturity and emotional balance; using acquired skills as basic tools for preventive security management and operational tactics in both normal and critical intervention situations, without undermining effectiveness and efficiency, but always in accordance with the principles of legality, impartiality, and objectivity.
• CE-008. Understand, analyze, and assess risk and security as products of spatial, cultural, and socio-demographic structures and processes that are individually and collectively perceived and interpreted, constantly developing and interrelated with the investigation’s objectives.
• CE-009. Ability to apply, in the professional environment with responsibility and ethical commitment, the knowledge and techniques acquired in new technologies, computing, communication systems, research methods, and analysis to process data as analytical and synthesis tools to assess risks and solve problems of individuals and companies through a particular private investigation.
• CE-010. Ability to identify the structure, technology, and resources necessary in secret and private investigation operations.
• CE-011. Ability to identify situations of individual and/or collective crisis and develop procedures for the assistance and protection of people and/or assets.
• CE-012. Ability to identify psychological and contextual principles that explain individual and collective behavior; recognizing cognitive, perceptual, learning, motivational, emotional, personality, or social influence aspects and processes that may be decisive in each situation presented in a private investigation.