How to become a police inspector or detective
Official title: Police inspectors and detectives
Also called: Police detective, Police inquiry agent, Police inspector
Police inspectors and detectives investigate facts and circumstances relating to crimes committed in order to identify suspected offenders and obtain information not readily available or apparent concerning establishments or the circumstances and behaviour of persons, mostly in order to prevent crimes.
Main tasks
- Establishing contacts and sources of information about crimes planned or committed, in order to prevent crimes or identify suspected offenders
- Obtaining and verifying evidence by examining crime and accident scenes for clues and physical evidence, interviewing witnesses and suspects and analysing documents and computer files
- Analysing evidence in order to solve crimes, identify criminal activity and gather information for court cases
- Establishing contacts and sources of information not readily available or apparent concerning establishments or the circumstances and behaviour of persons, usually with the aim of preventing a crime
- Making arrests
- Testifying in courts of law or reporting to superiors about circumstances and results of investigations
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$27,000 a month
- About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
Do you need a degree to become a police inspector or detective?
Not always. 50% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a police inspector or detective?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026