Investigator: duties and differences from the investigator

An investigator is a member of the law enforcement investigation department who investigates crimes. We will talk about the duties of an investigator, the basic requirements for his professional skills and personal qualities in our article.

Crime is not a new phenomenon; it has existed exactly as long as humanity itself. Written sources have reached us indicating that in ancient China, Greece and Rome, people who were suspected of committing crimes were identified and interrogated. During the Roman Empire, there were even specially trained people who conducted surveillance and searches, collected evidence of guilt and systematized them so that later the information obtained could be used at court sessions.

Since the 17th century, increased demands have been made on the profession of an investigator. This person had to possess knowledge in the field of medicine, handwriting recognition, as well as an understanding of the mechanism of action of poisons on the body. By the end of the XIX century. the newest methods of solving crimes arose - fingerprinting, physiognomy, and forensic science became a separate scientific direction.

Nowadays, from the standpoint of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code, the investigator is the prosecutor, his powers include conducting investigative actions.

This specialist has the right to:

• to initiate criminal cases in strict accordance with the procedure established by law;
• work on them;
• resolve operational issues that have arisen during the investigation of a crime, except for those cases when it is necessary to obtain a court decision;
• engage in the appeal of court cases with a view to their further review;
• to act as a prosecutor in a trial.

The profession of an investigator today is very important, it is distinguished by high moral responsibility, when a specialist has no right to make a mistake. That is why he must approach each investigation with the utmost care. A frivolous attitude to work can lead to the fact that innocent people will be punished, and the real criminals will remain at large and continue their dark deeds.

The profession of an investigator has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, this is a demanded specialty that is relevant at all times, and good specialists are worth their weight in gold. The work of an investigator is well paid by the state and representatives of this profession are respected and honored in society. The salary level of the investigator depends on the organization in which he works... The highest wages are among the employees of the Investigative Committee - here investigators are paid from 45 to 80 thousand rubles, a little less the level of payment in the prosecutor's office - there they receive 40-70 thousand, the work of an FSB and police investigator is paid the least - their salaries vary from 30 to 45 thousand rubles.

However, these values ​​can be called rather arbitrary, since the total amounts depend on professional experience. So, young specialists receive about 25-30 thousand rubles, and additional payments for seniority reach 70%. Holders of high ranks are added from 15 to 30% to their salaries, incentive bonuses are applied to specialists working in special conditions or with closed documents.

Investigators enjoy a number of privileges from the state:

• additional vacation period;
• early retirement with mandatory benefits;
• the opportunity to undergo treatment in sanatoriums and health resorts at the expense of the state budget;
• free travel by transport;
• additional medical insurance;
• enrollment of children in kindergarten bypassing the queue;
• reimbursement of cash costs for rental housing.

Within the framework of the specialty, the employee has the opportunity to help people in trouble and to develop comprehensively as a specialist. In the course of working with various databases, related experts and documentation, the investigator improves his professionalism and hones his skills on a daily basis.

However, this profession also has significant limitations. First of all, this is an irregular work schedule, as well as strong moral and physical stress.... This leads to the fact that there is a rather high turnover of personnel in law enforcement agencies, and not everyone who becomes an investigator lingers in this position for a long time.

Not only ordinary Russians, far from the law, but even novice lawyers often confuse the work of an investigator and an interrogator. Let's take a closer look at what are the similarities and differences between these professions. An interrogator is an employee who belongs to the bodies of inquiry. In the overwhelming majority of cases, these are employees of the internal affairs bodies, that is, police officers. This category also includes employees of the border service, the FSB, the tax police, as well as fire supervision, commanders of military units and other structures.

An investigator is a specialist in charge of the preliminary investigation of a criminal case. The terms of reference for this person are much larger than that of the interrogator, among them can be designated:

• the right to initiate proceedings;
• conducting search and other measures necessary for the interests of the investigation;
• the formation of special instructions for the bodies of inquiry, which they must be sure to take to work.

Based on the above definitions, one might get the impression that the interrogator in the service hierarchy is slightly lower than the investigator - but this is not so. Investigators, in accordance with the law of the Russian Federation, have the right to investigate 68 offenses, and this is a fairly large range of work. It is these specialists who undertake basic work with the population, carry out explanatory actions and collect data within the framework of the current legislation.... In many ways, they relieve investigators from having to deal with such "small" cases as theft of bags and mobile phones, so that investigators can calmly deal with more serious problems that may pose a threat to the safety of citizens' lives.

But this does not mean at all that the interrogator is subordinate to the investigator, since the interrogator has the right to deal with cases independently, without involving the Investigative Committee. In fact, both of these specialists have the right to conduct comprehensive inspections, collect evidence and obtain expert data.

The difference in the activities of an investigator and an inquiry officer is as follows:

• the circle of cases they conduct is different - interrogators are engaged in administrative and inter-criminal matters, and investigators - only those who have an important role in ensuring the safety of citizens;
• the investigator has the right to transfer to the investigators the preparation and implementation of certain activities that require too much time, including the collection of data on certain areas of the investigation;
• the investigator is not able to deal with the investigator's case and vice versa, but they can work in tandem on the same crime;
• the investigator acts independently, he can initiate the case himself, the interrogator must apply for permission from higher authorities;
• the investigator can close or suspend the case on his own, the investigator does not have such an opportunity.

Obviously, the differences between the functional duties and powers of the investigator and the interrogator are great, but at the same time, they do a very difficult job together. If everything that an interrogator usually does is given to the investigator for development, then he will simply waste a lot of time solving minor issues and, as a result, lose the thread of his own business, which is of great importance for public order.

In the modern Russian Federation, the profession of an investigator is represented in several state structures: in the Investigative Committee, in the FSB, as well as in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the prosecutor's office, including the military, in the State Directorate for the control of drug trafficking within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Their powers may differ depending on the specifics of the case under investigation.

According to the nature of the work performed, the functions of the employee vary. Accordingly, investigators can deal with different issues.

• Investigation of a crime... This specialist is mainly engaged in analytical activities. He carefully examines the protocols of the interviews of eyewitnesses, the collected evidence, the data of forensic examinations. In addition, he takes an active part in the interrogation of persons suspected of committing a crime. The specialist opens a criminal case and transfers it to the court after collecting the evidence base.
• Operations management... Usually this investigator acts in the office, his subordinates - operatives - carry out field visits.They account for all the chases, as well as shootings and other types of activity that are so familiar to us from the TV series about the everyday life of the police.

All work of the investigator is subject to a single goal - the disclosure of the crimes committed. Based on this task and job description, an employee of the investigative unit performs the following duties:

• accepts a statement about the committed crime;
• initiates a criminal case in strict accordance with the procedure established by law;
• performs investigative actions: interrogates witnesses, examines the crime scene, collects evidence, analyzes the collected data;
• puts forward versions of what happened;
• determines the circle of suspects and conducts their development;
• looking for evidence of guilt;
• conducts interrogations;
• works with documentary evidence and expertise;
• draws up investigation reports;
• transfers information to the judiciary.

An investigator is a person who is at the head of an investigative-operational group, directs and coordinates its activities. Investigators interact with other specialists (criminologists, auditors, doctors) and organize their activities. The job of the investigator is to prove the guilt of the suspect or to decide on his innocence. This specialist must be well versed in the legal legislation of the Russian Federation, while possessing comprehensive knowledge and skills. If, for example, a company's legal adviser can only understand civil, banking or stock law, then the investigator must have knowledge in all areas.

Productive activity is impossible without knowledge of psychology and logic... It happens that suspects and witnesses give conflicting testimony, get confused in descriptions, so the investigator has to build a chain of reasoning in order to reveal the truth. The investigator must have the skills of a forensic expert for the purpose of seizing evidence and collecting prints.

Many believe that the investigator is an exclusively male profession. But this is not so: girls, like young people, have every chance of becoming a good investigator if they have a “clean” biography and the necessary personal qualities. For a candidate for the position, it is important that there is no criminal record or mental illness, as well as good health.

Among the most important personal qualities that are required in work, there are:

• complete self-control;
• emotional stability;
• mental and psychological composure;
• erudition;
• attentiveness;
• scrupulousness;
• patience;
• the skill of communicating with people;
• knowledge of human behavioral psychology;
• the ability to quickly assess the situation and make instant decisions;
• analytical thinking, the ability to compare data and draw conclusions based on them;
• mental and physical endurance;
• readiness for irregular and hard work.

An investigator is a specialist necessarily with a higher legal education. To get this profession, it is necessary to enter the investigative and forensic faculty and successfully complete the training. Depending on the specialty and major subjects, the investigator will investigate criminal cases or work in the field of copyright and intellectual property protection.

It should be noted that graduation from a university does not mean that the verification of suitability for the position held by passing the final exams will end.Each year, this employee must pass exams in firearms shooting, hand-to-hand fighting and physical training (running, pull-ups, and push-ups). Therefore, throughout the year, the investigator must keep himself in good shape - otherwise, serious problems may appear during the re-examination.

If we talk about the career ladder, then in the state structure it has a typical form:

• assistant investigator;
• investigator;
• senior investigator;
• investigator for particularly important cases;
• the head of the department.

Further career advancement provides for the transfer to leadership positions. In addition, in large cities these days, private investigation is developing everywhere, therefore any investigator can, if desired, become a detective. In order to work in a more relaxed mode, the investigator can always go to the bar or become a lawyer of the enterprise... A qualified specialist will always find application of the acquired knowledge and skills in public and private spheres.