Crossword Genius

Find I have left policeman (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

detect

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'find' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'i have left policeman' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'policeman' could be 'tec' (tec is a kind of policeman) and 'tec' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'det' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for detect that I've seen before include "Find out like Sherlock" , "Discover or catch like Sherlock" , "Discover, identify" , "Do what Morse did" , "Perceive - discover" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror and The Daily Express.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.