List of fictional police detectives

Below is an alphabetical list of fictional police detectives and their creators (with, in many cases, the actor/actress most known for playing the character in a dramatisation).

A

• Detective Butch Ada — Saving Grace (played by Bailey Chase)
• Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg — Fred Vargas
• DCI Roderick Alleyn (later DCS) — Ngaio Marsh (played by Simon Williams and Patrick Malahide in The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries)

==B== One of the most famous detectives in history was Butch Blue, well known for his famous endevers to catch James McCawley. This pursuit was ended in an equally famous shoot out in Dorchester blues bar (finca). The peak of Butch Blue career was in the 1920's when law and order was established but; James McCawley and the James McCawley gang, known for cow rangling, stage coach robbery, violent acts, and murder most foul, where all still at play and Butch Blue took it upon himself to catch these animals, in his pursuit he lost everything; money, his wife and kids, and his keys.

• DS John Bacchus — Inspector George Gently
• Kriminalhauptkommissar Balko — Balko (German, played by Jochen Horst and Bruno Eyron)
• Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks — Peter Robinson (played by Stephen Tompkinson in DCI Banks)
• Detective Carolyn Barek — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (played by Annabella Sciorra)
• Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow — Troy Kennedy Martin and Allan Prior (played by Stratford Johns in Z-Cars and Softly, Softly)
• DCI John Barnaby — Midsomer Murders
• DCI Thomas "Tom" Barnaby — Caroline Graham (played by John Nettles in Midsomer Murders)
• Detective Martin Beck — Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo
• Detective Kate Beckett — Castle, Andrew W. Marlowe (played by Stana Katic)
• Detective Cal Beecher — Person of Interest (played by Sterling K. Brown)
• Detective Mick Belker — Hill Street Blues (played by Bruce Weitz)
• Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac — Robert Banks Stewart (played by John Nettles in Bergerac)
• Detective G. Lynn Bishop — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (played by Samantha Buck)
• Blacksad from the comics series Blacksad.
• Detective Sexton Blake
• Detective Inspector Mike Bolt — Simon Kernick
• Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte — Arthur Upfield (played by James Laurenson in Boney)
• Detective Stella Bonasera — CSI: NY (played by Melina Kanakaredes)
• DS Camille Bordey — Death in Paradise
• Detective Harry Bosch — Michael Connelly
• Detective Lennie Briscoe— Law & Order (played by Jerry Orbach)
• Detective Commissario Guido Brunetti — Donna Leon
• Inspector Bucket — Charles Dickens (played by Alun Armstrong in Bleak House)
• Detective Aiden Burn — CSI: NY (played by Vanessa Ferlito)
• Detective Lieutenant Peter Byrnes — Ed McBain

C

• Detective Inspector Jack Caffery — Mo Hayder
• Detective Christine Cagney — Cagney and Lacey (played by Sharon Gless)
• Inspector Harry Callahan — Harry Julian Fink and Rita M. Fink (played by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry film series)
• Chen Cao — Qiu Xiaolong
• Detective 2nd Grade Stephen Louis ("Steve") Carella — Ed McBain
• Detective Sergeant Ray Carling — Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes (played by Dean Andrews)
• Detective Sergeant George Carter — Ian Kennedy Martin (played by Dennis Waterman in The Sweeney)
• Detective Jocelyn "Joss" Carter — Person of Interest (played by Taraji P. Henson)
• Commissaire Henri Castang — Nicholas Freeling
• Detective Phil Cerreta — Law & Order (played by Paul Sorvino)
• Detective Inspector Hal Challis — Garry Disher
• Detective Elizabeth Childs — Orphan Black (played by Tatiana Maslany)
• Detective John Clark, Jr. — NYPD Blue (played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar)
• Inspector Clouseau — Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther (played by Peter Sellars)
• Detective Rustin Cohle — True Detective (played by Matthew McConaughey)
• Lieutenant Columbo — William Link (played by Peter Falk in Columbo)
• Sergeant Cork (played by John Barrie)
• Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe — Pie in the Sky (played by Richard Griffiths)
• DI Vincent Crane — Shaun Hutson
• DI Crawford in Dixon — Dock Green
• Sergeant Cribb — Peter Lovesey
• Detective James "Sonny" Crockett — Anthony Yerkovich (played by Don Johnson and Colin Farrell in Miami Vice)
• Sergeant Cuff — Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone
• Detective Rey Curtis — Law & Order (played by Benjamin Bratt)

D

• Commander Adam Dalgliesh — P. D. James (played by Roy Marsden)
• Lieutenant Eve Dallas — J. D. Robb
• Detective Chief Superintendent Andrew Dalziel — Reginald Hill (played by Warren Clarke in Dalziel and Pascoe)
• Detective Jo Danville — CSI: NY (played by Sela Ward)
• DI De Cock — A. C. Baantjer
• Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond — Peter Lovesey
• Detective Inspector Alex Drake — Ashes to Ashes (played by Keeley Hawes)
• Lt. Frank Drebin — Police Squad! (played by Leslie Nielsen)

E

• Detective Alexandra Eames (later Lieutenant) — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (played by Kathryn Erbe)
• Detective Javier Esposito — Andrew W. Marlowe (played by Jon Huertas in Castle)

F

• Inspector Jefe Javier Falcón — Robert Wilson
• Detective Nola Falacci — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (played by Alicia Witt)
• Detective Don Flack — CSI: NY (played by Eddie Cahill)
• Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes — Terence Feely (played by Jill Gascoine in The Gentle Touch)
• DCS Christopher Foyle — Anthony Horowitz (played by Michael Kitchen in Foyle's War)
• DI Stuart Fraser — Taggart
• Inspector Joseph French — Freeman Wills Crofts
• Detective Sergeant Joe Friday — Jack Webb (played by Jack Webb in Dragnet)
• Detective Inspector Jack Frost — R. D. Wingfield (played by David Jason in A Touch of Frost)
• Detective Bobby Fulbright — Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
• Detective Lionel Fusco — Person of Interest (played by Kevin Chapman)

G

• Detective Harry Garibaldi — Hill Street Blues (played by Ken Olin)
• Dirk Gently — Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
• Inspector George Gently — Inspector George Gently
• Inspector Ganesh V. Ghote — H. R. F. Keating (played by Naseeruddin Shah in The Perfect Murder)
• DSI Stella Gibson — The Fall (played by Gillian Anderson)
• Commander George Gideon — John Creasey (played by John Gregson in Gideon's Way)
• Detective James Gordon — Gotham (played by Benjamin McKenzie)
• Detective Sergeant Rinus de Gier — Janwillem van de Wetering
• DI Humphrey Goodman — Death in Paradise
• Inspector Goole — J. B. Priestley (An Inspector Calls; first played onstage by Ralph Richardson)
• Detective Robert Goren — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (played by Vincent D'Onofrio)
• Detective Superintendent Roy Grace — Peter James
• Inspector Alan Grant — Josephine Tey
• Detective Kima Greggs — The Wire (played by Sonja Sohn)
• Detective Ed Green — Law & Order (played by Jesse L. Martin)
• Adjutant Henk Grijpstra — Janwillem van de Wetering
• Inspector Grim — The Thin Blue Line
• Marshal Guarnaccia — Magdalen Nabb
• Detective Dick Gumshoe — Ace Attorney
• DI Gunnarstranda — Kjell Ola Dahl

H

• Detective Grace Hanadarko — Saving Grace (played by Holly Hunter)
• Inspector Hanaud — A. E. W. Mason
• DI John Handford — Lesley Horton
• DI Alec Hardy - Broadchurch (played by David Tennant)
• Detective Martin Hart — True Detective (played by Woody Harrelson)
• Detective Sergeant James Hathaway — (played by Laurence Fox in Lewis)
• DS Barbara Havers — Elizabeth George (played by Sharon Small in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries)
• Detective Cotton Hawes — Ed McBain
• Harry Hole – Jo Nesbø
• Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt — Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes (played by Philip Glenister)
• Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson — William Blinn and Ryan Blinn (played by David Soul in Starsky and Hutch)

I

• CBI Officer Sethurama Iyer — (played by Mammooty in the Indian CBI film series)

J

• Inspector Jacobson — Iain McDowall
• DCI James Japp (later Assistant Commissioner) — Agatha Christie (played by Philip Jackson in the British TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot)
• Inspector Javert — Les Miserables
• Detective Baldwin Jones — NYPD Blue (played by Henry Simmons)
• Detective Chief Inspector Richard Jury (later Superintendent) — Martha Grimes

K

• Detective Kane — Person of Interest (played by Anthony Mangano)
• Detective John Kelly — NYPD Blue (played by David Caruso)
• Detective Jill Kirkendall — NYPD Blue (played by Andrea Thompson)
• Detective Bert Kling — Ed McBain
• Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak — Abby Mann (played by Telly Savalas in Kojak)

L

• Detective Mary Beth Lacey — Cagney and Lacey (played by Tyne Daly)
• Detective Meyer Landsman — Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union
• Detective Chief Inspector James Langton — Lynda La Plante (played by Ciarán Hinds in Above Suspicion)
• Detective J.D. LaRue — Hill Street Blues (played by Kiel Martin)
• Detective Carlton Lassiter — Psych (played by Timothy Omundson)
• Commissaire Claude Lebel — Frederick Forsyth (played by Michael Lonsdale in The Day of the Jackal)
• Inspector Lestrade — Arthur Conan Doyle (played by Dennis Hoey and Colin Jeavons in adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories)
• Detective Inspector Mike Lewis — Lynda La Plante (played by Shaun Dingwall in Above Suspicion)
• Detective Sergeant Lewis (later Inspector) — Colin Dexter (played by Kevin Whately in Inspector Morse and Lewis)
• Detective Superintendent Tom Lockhart (later Detective Chief Superintendent) — (played by Raymond Francis in No Hiding Place)
• Detective Mike Logan — Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (played by Chris Noth)
• Detective Inspector Sarah Lund — Søren Sveistrup (played by Sofie Gråbøl in The Killing)
• DI Thomas Lynley — Elizabeth George (played by Nathaniel Parker in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries)

M

• Detective Vic Mackey — Shawn Ryan (played by Michael Chiklis in The Shield)
• Commissaire Jules Maigret — Georges Simenon (played by Jean Gabin, Gino Cervi and Rupert Davies)
• Detective Patsy Mayo — Hill Street Blues (played by Mimi Kuzyk)
• Detective Lieutenant John McClane — (played by Bruce Willis in the Die Hard film series)
• Detective Connie McDowell — NYPD Blue (played by Charlotte Ross)
• Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett — Leonard Freeman (played by Jack Lord in Hawaii Five-O)
• Detective James "Jimmy" McNulty — The Wire (played by Dominic West)
• Detective Danny Messer — CSI: NY (played by Carmine Giovinazzo)
• Detective Meyer Meyer — Ed McBain
• Ellie Miller — Broadchurch
• Detective Robert Monday — Premium Rush
• Detective Lindsay Monroe — CSI: NY (played by Anna Belknap)
• Comisario Salvo Montalbano — Andrea Camilleri (played by Luca Zingaretti in Inspector Montalbano)
• Detective William "Bunk" Moreland — The Wire (played by Wendell Pierce)
• Detective Inspector Morse — Colin Dexter (played by John Thaw in Inspector Morse)
• Detective William Murdoch — Murdoch Mysteries (played by Yannick Bisson)

N

• Detective Zack Nichols — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (played by Jeff Goldblum)
• Detective Inspector Saga Norén — Hans Rosenfeldt (played by Sofia Helin in The Bridge)

O

• Detective Juliet O'Hara — Psych (played by Maggie Lawson)
• Inspector Michael Ohayon — Batya Gur
• Detective Rita Ortiz — NYPD Blue (played by Jacqueline Obradors)
• Superintendent Otani — James Melville (pseudonym of Roy Peter Martin)

P

• Detective Inspector Charles Parker — Dorothy L. Sayers
• Detective Inspector Peter Pascoe — Reginald Hill (played by Colin Buchanan in Dalziel and Pascoe)
• Detective Inspector Charlie Peace — Robert Barnard
• Comisario Achille Peroni — Timothy Holme
• Detective Lucky Piquel — Disney Television Animation production Bonkers
• DI Richard Poole — Death in Paradise
• Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman — Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell (played by Amanda Redman in New Tricks)
• Detective Inspector Walter Purbright — Colin Watson

R

• Detective Inspector John Rebus — Ian Rankin (played by John Hannah and Ken Stott in Rebus)
• Detective Danny Reagan — Mitchell Burgess & Robin Green (played by Donnie Wahlberg in Blue Bloods)
• Detective Inspector Jack Regan — Ian Kennedy Martin (played by John Thaw in The Sweeney)
• Detective Jane Rizzoli — Tess Gerritsen (played by Angie Harmon in Rizzoli & Isles)
• Commissioner Mihai Roman (played by Ilarion Ciobanu in five Romanian films)
• Sub-inspector Max Romero — P.J. Brooke
• Detective Lilly Rush — Meredith Stiehm (played by Kathryn Morris in Cold Case)
• Detective Diane Russell – NYPD Blue (played by Kim Delaney)
• Detective Kevin Ryan — Andrew W. Marlowe (played by Seamus Dever in Castle)

S

• Detective Gloria Shepherd — The Protector (played by Ally Walker)
• Detective Bobby Simone — NYPD Blue (played by Jimmy Smits)
• Detective Andy Sipowicz (later Detective Sergeant) — NYPD Blue (played by Dennis Franz)
• Detective Constable Chris Skelton — Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes (played by Marshall Lancaster)
• Inspector Slack — Agatha Christie
• Detective Danny Sorenson — NYPD Blue (played by Rick Schroder)
• Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope — Ann Cleeves (played by Brenda Blethyn in Vera)
• Detective David Starsky — William Blinn and Ryan Blinn (played by Paul Michael Glaser in Starsky and Hutch)
• Detective Serena Stevens — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (played by Saffron Burrows)
• Police Chief Jesse Stone — Robert B. Parker (played by Tom Selleck)
• Detective Milo Sturgis (later Lieutenant) — Jonathan Kellerman
• Chief Inspector Ukyō Sugishita — Aibō (played by Yutaka Mizutani)
• Detective Sunday — American Gigolo
• Detective Bill Szymanski — Person of Interest (played by Mike McGlone)

T

• Detective Chief Inspector Jim Taggart - Taggart
• Detective Mac Taylor — CSI: NY (played by Gary Sinise)
• DCI Jane Tennison — Lynda La Plante (played by Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect)
• Detective Raymond Terney — Person of Interest (played by Al Sapienza)
• Detective Inspectors Thomson and Thompson (original French: Dupont et Dupond) — Hergé (played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn)
• Detective Inspector Tom Thorne — Mark Billingham (played by David Morrissey in the Sky One series Thorne)
• DI Fred Thursday — Endeavour
• Detective Inspector Anna Travis — Lynda La Plante (played by Kelly Reilly in Above Suspicion)
• Inspector Frederick Troy — John Lawton
• Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs — Anthony Yerkovich (played by Philip Michael Thomas and Jamie Foxx in Miami Vice)
• Detective Inspector Sam Tyler — Life on Mars (played by John Simm)

V

• Commissaris Piet van der Valk — Nicolas Freeling (played by Barry Foster in Van der Valk)
• DCI Van Veeteren — Håkan Nesser
• Detective Van Zwam from the comics series The Adventures of Nero.

W

• Kriminalkommissarie Kurt Wallander — Henning Mankell (played by Krister Henriksson and Kenneth Branagh)
• Detective Neal Washington — Hill Street Blues (played by Taurean Blacque)
• Detective Sergeant John Watt — Troy Kennedy Martin and Allan Prior (played by Frank Windsor in Z-Cars and Softly, Softly )
• Inspector Roger West - John Creasey
• Detective Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford — Ruth Rendell (played by George Baker in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries)
• Detective Megan Wheeler — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (played by Julianne Nicholson)
• Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe — W. J. Burley (played by Jack Shepherd in Wycliffe)

Z

• Comisario Aurelio Zen — Michael Dibdin (played by Rufus Sewell in Zen)