Are you trying to track down a long lost family member? Do you suspect someone in your business is up to no good? Or, perhaps you want to discover whether your partner is staying faithful? There are many reasons why you may need to hire a private investigator.
The exact work undertaken by a private detective will depend on what they have been hired to do. However, with changes in regulation, you can firstly expect the agency or individual you approach to hold a license. You can also expect them to be familiar with privacy laws and how best to approach your case within all current legal guidelines and legislation.
Apart from these elements, those wishing to hire a private detective should also expect to have to pay a fair amount for the service that is being provided and to allow them access to necessary information. You cannot expect a private investigator to undertake a security assessment of your personal or business computer system without allowing them to try and compromise that system. Similarly, if you want an investigator to look into the background of an individual or company, you will need to identify that individual and explain your concerns.
Finally, once the work of the private detective has been completed, you must expect to hear uncomfortable news. It is the niggling doubt that you had in the first place that set the wheels in motion and the majority of the time that doubt tends to be well-founded. When it turns out not to be that’s great, but it is always better to be prepared.
Private Detective Rules and Regulations
The primary role of a private detective, to investigate and detect, hasn’t changed since the days of Vidocq, Pinkerton, and Field. How these roles are carried out has, however, undergone considerable change, particularly in the past two years.
Prior to 2013, anyone could work as a private detective without any specific skills or experience, and with no checks carried out on their background. While the vast majority of individuals working for detective agencies were suitably qualified, the minority of ‘rogue investigators’ were overshadowing the work of the more discerning majority.
The new regulations included the need for private detective agencies, whether agencies offering skiptracing services or those looking into identity fraud, to hold a license. This only granted to private investigators that have undergone government recognized training, had their identity checked, and been through a thorough criminality check.
The rules regarding the actions of private investigators have also been tightened and made clearer, and licenses can be revoked if private investigators take part in activities such as phone hacking, unlawfully accessing information, bribery, or gathering information under false pretenses. The new rules have been welcomed by those who already operate within legal parameters.
Hopefully, this has helped you to get a better understanding of detective work and the industry. Detectives partake in a wealth of work for different purposes, and so it is vital to choose with care.
Categories: Tips And Advice Stuff
