City detectives could be seeking them, we hear (5)
I believe the answer is:
leeds
'city' is the definition.
(Leeds is an example)
'detectives could be seeking them we hear' is the wordplay.
'detectives could be seeking them' becomes 'leads'.
'we hear' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'leads' sounds like 'LEEDS'.
(Other definitions for leeds that I've seen before include "W Yorkshire city" , "Yorks city" , "Northern town" , "22 [FA CUP] runners-up" , "Soccer team" .)