John Reginald "Jack" Spratt, Detective Inspector, Nursery Crime Division, Oxford and Berkshire Constabulary, Officer Number 8216.
Whereas famous detectives such as Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe and Sherlock Holmes have been portrayed as confident, successful, substance-abusing loners, Spratt does not have a substance abuse problem, and is happily married with five children.
In addition, he is shown in the beginning of The Big Over Easy to be an experienced and accomplished police detective, but low on self-confidence, virtually incapable of securing convictions and never recognized for the ones he does make.
The reason for this is that police funding is based on public approval, which is in turn influenced by the news magazine Amazing Crime Stories.
It is revealed that early on in Spratt's career, his ambitious and self-obsessed partner Friedland Chymes stole most of the credit for their greatest cases, thereby rising to the top to become one of the most popular detectives in England.