Psychic detectives are people who claim to have special psychic powers, in order to assist, and have claimed to assist certain police and law enforcement agencies in theinvestigation and solving of crimes. The credibility of such claims cannot be ascertained since there is not much evidence to support them. However, the numerous stories regarding psychic detectives and psychic crime investigations circulating in newspapers, books, magazines and on the internet, have not failed to intrigue, and evoke the interests of both skeptics and enthusiasts of the paranormal.

Methods used:

Most of these people are self-proclaimed psychic detectives whose contribution to crime investigation is almost always voluntary. Their alleged abilities include postcognition - the supernatural perception of the past, psychometry - the paranormal divination of information based on reading the 'aura' of a place or object, and telepathy. They may also employ tarot reading, voodoo, numerology, sance and dowsing in their psychic investigations.

Responses from Law Enforcement Agencies:

Though there have been incidents where some police departments sought the help of psychics when all else fails, many law enforcement agencies, such as the LAPD, discard them and insist that they would never rely on frivolous activities like psychic readings when conducting routine crime investigations. This skepticism also extends to Scotland Yards official statements regarding psychics. An unfortunate psychic detective, who possesses information crucial to a crime investigation, may even be considered a suspect.

Other Responses:

Many supporters of psychic abilities believe that psychics do help solve crimes in many ways, and since psychic crime investigations have been performed for more than a century, credits should be given to them for their effort and achievements. However, majority of the people think otherwise. They consider psychic detectives and investigation only to be a form of trivial entertainment which should be never taken seriously. Vague evidences, self-promotion, and media hype have also furthered this skeptic opinion.

Famous Psychic Detectives and Cases:

The first documented case of a crime allegedly solved by a psychic detective was in 1845, when one clairvoyant brought to trail a suspect who consequently confessed to the crime. There is no proof that the clairvoyant had really solved the crime with her psychic abilities but this is the first official record to be documented.

One of the most well-known psychic detectives in the United States is Sylvia Browne of Kansas City, whos been guest to popular interview shows such as Larry King Live and the Montel Williams Show. Her many works include predictions such as the claim that Bill Bradley would win the 2000 U.S. presidential election with the Reform Party coming in second, the "hiding in caves" of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, September 11, 2001 attacks etc. She has written a number of books including Life on the Other Side, and is the founder of the Society of Novus Spiritus.

Outside of the United States, Chico Xavier (Brazil) is a famous psychic detective whose supposedly transcription of a statement from a murder victim, in 1979, leading to the release of an innocent man and arrest of the real murderer, sparked renewed interests in psychic investigations.