The OP's asking about detectives, not uniformed plod. There's a small number of detectives in the regions, but if it's a major crime they'll usually hand over to specialist Ds from Brisbane.
Not sure about NSW, but in Queensland there are women in the police service too.
Hello Helix,
Yep we have female police officers down here as well, it's just that my examples applied to the male ones I know about. What you say is true regarding the availability of detectives in each area, but it raises two points:
1. They are sourced from the same pool that their less motivated colleagues come from, which is not to say that they are made in the same way but if enough of the garden variety are too lazy then are selection standards lowered in order to fill vacancies that occur or do more Ds just have to shoulder a greater workload? (I am only speculating here - I knew a Det Sr Const a long time ago and he was OK, but then again he was my friend so I would say that, hey?)
2. Regardless of the qualifications of individual detectives, surely their job is more difficult to perform if the first responders to call-outs are failing to take down basic information, e.g. witness statements and so forth. Surely that would be compounded if they simply file a report (or not!) and fail to inform a higher authority? Again, not being part of the set-up I am not sure what police procedure is when it comes to prioritising action, though local anecdotal evidence (i.e. hearsay) seems to paint a pretty poor picture of our mob. Can so many opinions be wrong? Maybe!
Either way, at least I hope it gives meg_b heaps of food for thought for some plot development.
Are there any police looking at this thread? They would probably be a more reliable source of information than the rest of us. They could also show everyone how much of a goose I am!