Police ranks and combat medical training requirements
Hi! I have a few questions about the London police department and the British Army.
1. If I have a character who investigates murders, he would be detective in the CID, yes? This particular character would have been on the force for at least two years, but probably not more than four. Is he more likely to be a Detective Sergeant or a Detective Inspector? What kind of power do sergeants and inspectors have? I was aiming for a middle-of-the-road rank, someone who interviews suspects, follows leads, makes arrests, etc. but isn't necessarily leading any investigations. Hopefully this makes sense.
I was also wondering how long training would last and where a detective would train. Wikipedia has not been extremely helpful on the subject. I'm basically trying to establish a timeline of when the character started training to become a police officer, when he became a police officer, and where he is now (including any promotions).
Additionally, this character was injured while serving in the military and sometimes walks with a limp, though he is very capable of physical activity. Would this prevent him from becoming a police officer in the first place?
2. This character was also a medic in the RAMC, discharged after he was injured in conflict, and I am looking into the requirements for becoming a combat medic in the RAMC. I checked the RAMC website and Army Jobs site, and I see that training takes about 44 months, with a minimum requirement of 4 years of service. So, for a man who starts training at age 18, he could conceivably see combat by age 19? If he is significantly injured before his 4 years of service are up, does he just get a medical discharge?
I ask all of these questions because I am trying to pin down how young the character can be after a) training to become a combat medical technician, b) serving in the Army for at least a couple of years before he is injured, c) training to become a police detective, and d) serving on the police force for 2-4 years.
I apologize for the rambling. I have tried to research this on my own, and I feel like I have it pinned down, but I want to make sure this doesn't sound completely ridiculous to someone with first-hand experience or knowledge. Thanks in advance!
1. If I have a character who investigates murders, he would be detective in the CID, yes? This particular character would have been on the force for at least two years, but probably not more than four. Is he more likely to be a Detective Sergeant or a Detective Inspector? What kind of power do sergeants and inspectors have? I was aiming for a middle-of-the-road rank, someone who interviews suspects, follows leads, makes arrests, etc. but isn't necessarily leading any investigations. Hopefully this makes sense.
I was also wondering how long training would last and where a detective would train. Wikipedia has not been extremely helpful on the subject. I'm basically trying to establish a timeline of when the character started training to become a police officer, when he became a police officer, and where he is now (including any promotions).
Additionally, this character was injured while serving in the military and sometimes walks with a limp, though he is very capable of physical activity. Would this prevent him from becoming a police officer in the first place?
2. This character was also a medic in the RAMC, discharged after he was injured in conflict, and I am looking into the requirements for becoming a combat medic in the RAMC. I checked the RAMC website and Army Jobs site, and I see that training takes about 44 months, with a minimum requirement of 4 years of service. So, for a man who starts training at age 18, he could conceivably see combat by age 19? If he is significantly injured before his 4 years of service are up, does he just get a medical discharge?
I ask all of these questions because I am trying to pin down how young the character can be after a) training to become a combat medical technician, b) serving in the Army for at least a couple of years before he is injured, c) training to become a police detective, and d) serving on the police force for 2-4 years.
I apologize for the rambling. I have tried to research this on my own, and I feel like I have it pinned down, but I want to make sure this doesn't sound completely ridiculous to someone with first-hand experience or knowledge. Thanks in advance!