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Psychic detective

A psychic detective is defined as a person who investigates crimes by using paranormal psychic abilities.

A number of people say they have psychic abilities that have allowed them to assist police in solving kidnapping and murder cases, or locating a corpse. Many police departments claim that this never occurs.

Psychic Abilities

Frequently abilities claimed by psychic detectives include postcognition (the paranormal perception of the past), psychometry (information psychically gained from objects), and telepathy. Psychic detectives also use tarot reading, voodoo, numerology and dowsing. In murder cases, psychic detectives will often claim to communicate with the spirits of the murder victims.

Official Police Responses

Many police departments around the world have released official statements saying that they do not regard psychics as credible or useful on cases.

In Australia

Australian police have said that they do not accept assistance from psychics. This was in response to an Australian TV show Sensing Murder in which self-professed psychics attempt to crack unsolved murders.

Additionally, an unnamed Australian federal police officer was suspended following his seeking the aid of a "clairvoyant" in regards to death threats made against Prime Minister John Howard. A federal police spokesman said they do "not condone the use of psychics in security matters."

In New Zealand

New Zealand police have said "spiritual communications were not considered a creditable foundation for investigation"

In England

Twenty-eight police forces responded to a query from the UK Skeptics to say that they did not use psychics.

Specific Techniques

Scott Russell-Hill appeared on Australian TV show Sensing Murder, using numerology calculations to try to solve a mysterious murder. He was unable to produce substantiated leads.

Critical commentary

No psychic detective has ever been praised or given official recognition by the F.B.I. or US national news for solving a crime, preventing a crime, or finding a kidnap victim or corpse.

The Australian Institute of Criminology, Australia's official crime research agency, advises parents of missing children not resort to psychics who approach them. Former FBI analyst and profiler Clint Van Zandt has criticized the notion of psychic detectives and has stated that "What happens many times is that professed psychics allow themselves the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. After the case is solved, they make their previously vague predictions somehow fit the crime and the criminal."

In fiction

There is a long history of psychic detectives in horror and crime fiction, and in other genres as well. Examples include Jules de Grandin (created by Seabury Quinn), Doctor Occult (created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster) and Agent Jasi McLellan created by Cheryl Kaye Tardif.

The popular T.V show, Psych features a charlatan psychic detective helping the Santa Barbara police with crimes that range from robberies to kidnappings to murders. However, the man actually uses an acute sense of observation, deduction and reasoning to find out who did what. In fact, it's a bit of a running gag that he's a paranormal skeptic.