THE REALITY
The first few days of a murder are manic and, depending on the role allocated to me, I may finish work after 18 hours, get four hours’ sleep and then do it all again. Interviewing prisoners is always days of work with very late finishes. The reality is 20 minutes of heart-racing, adrenalin-filled action, followed by weeks of paperwork.
Mostly, I work on murders and rapes, although the department also deals with kidnaps, blackmail and large-scale, protracted investigations. It can include arresting and interviewing suspects, taking witness statements, travelling the county – or the country – to make enquiries and, of course, months of paperwork.
Many of my colleagues have bought my books, some have even read them. I’ve had a great deal of support from work, although…
