1.    Locating someone who does not want to be located is extremely difficult - and therefore also costly.  Someone living with friends, shared accommodation, in shelters, etc., can't be found by database searches alone.  It requires investigation time - either by phone and/or by physically going to talk to people. 

2.    These types of matters usually take a great deal of time and, unfortunately, there is no guarantee of success.  Someone constantly moving from place to place makes it even harder.

3.    If the missing person can be located, you might get some brief satisfaction knowing they are okay.  But, if they then move on again, you will be in exactly the same situation you were in originally. 

In such a case, you need to understand you might initially be spending a great deal of money (possibly up to several thousands of dollars) to locate him or her, then have to repeat this should they again go missing.  Obviously this would be an unsustainable situation.

4.    As concerned as you might be about the missing person's welfare, if they are an adult they can chose whether they wish to maintain contact with you are not.  As selfish as this might be, it is (unfortunately) their choice.  Police usually cannot take any action in this type of situation and the missing person cannot be forced to do something they don't want to do. 

Despite the above, whether a private investigator is enlisted to assist or not, it is important for you to give the missing person your unconditional support should they get in contact so that they know they have a safe and welcoming place to go should they need it - one free from recriminations.

PC and phone spyware can reveal:

1. Whether you are visiting any P.I. web sites.
2. If you are calling an investigation agency.
3. If you are using Google to find out what the signs of a cheating partner are.
4. Whether you might be emailing a friend and outlining your concerns about your partner.

How to protect yourself from possible spyware on your phone or PC.

1. Don't call a P.I. agency from your mobile phone.  Only call a P.I. on a local phone number from a landline phone.  Local calls usually are not itemised on your phone bill.  Yes, your phone line could be bugged, but it's a whole lot harder listening to potentially hours of phone conversations than it is to Google a phone number to see who that number belongs to. 
2. If you are concerned your mobile phone might have spyware, ask the agency to provide you with a number that isn't advertised anywhere - one that can't be traced.
3. Deleting your website browsing history is not enough.  Modern PC spyware will identify all websites visited.
4. Creating a new Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo email address that your partner isn't aware of also won't help.  If spyware is on the PC you are using, all the emails you send and receive will be recorded.

GPS tracking devices

Just as spyware can help your partner get away with being unfaithful, so can GPS tracking technology.

1. Where is my partner right now?
2. Are they on the way home? 
3. Are they still where they said they would be? 

GPS tracking devices are now plentiful and inexpensive.  They can very easily be hidden in or on a vehicle and can monitor your vehicle's every location.  Most people do not go too far from their cars and this can be used against you.  This too is another reason you shouldn't be a DIY investigator.

So, with all this spyware and GPS tracking technology, is all lost?  Not at all.  In fact, not in the slightest.  If you suspect your partner might be going to these length to hide their infidelity, their methods can actually make detecting their infidelity all the easier.  Just as "misinformation" worked extremely well in wartime and political / commercial spying operations, so too can your partner's behaviour be turned against him or her.

But, you will need professional advice.  Contact me (see the safety tips above) and I would be happy to discuss your particular situation with you.

Over the past 23 years, I’ve lectured on surveillance techniques to a lot of aspiring investigators.  Based on that experience, I’ve found that, of ten people who have gone to the trouble and expense of taking a course on surveillance, only one person will still be working as a surveillance investigator after 12 months.

Why is that?  For one thing, surveillance work can be extremely demanding physically.  For example, spending 10 hours in a car in one spot in the middle of summer isn’t the average person’s idea of fun.  

Then there is a very large skill-set that needs to be leaned and perfected.  Despite only one in ten people actually staying in this industry, there seems to be no shortage of people who still want to become surveillance investigators and the competition is usually fierce.  

Most surveillance investigators work on a sub-contract basis, which usually means the better you are, the more work you will get and the more money you earn.  

The skills required to become a good surveillance investigator

Driving skills

Your driving skills need to be top notch.  This doesn’t just mean being prepared to drive fast, far from it.  You need to be able to “read” the traffic around you and the surveillance subject, ideally place at least one vehicle between you and the subject whenever possible, yet still be able to stay with the subject if he decides to go through a yellow traffic light and the driver between you and the subject wants to stop.  

There is a real art in being able to follow someone undetected, particularly over long distances.  Training and practice will go a long way to getting there, but I believe there is also some innate skill involved and some people just never acquire that skill.  Losing a surveillance subject will cost you money and work.  Lose then too often and you will need to look for another line of work.

Video

Being able to take good, clear and steady video that targets the subject matter appropriately is another critical skill.   Again, it can be learned but the really good investigators I’ve seen seem to have a knack for getting good video.

Video isn’t just taken from behind tinted windows whilst sitting in a car.  If your surveillance subject is out and about say, attending a shopping centre, you also need to be able to take good covert video and remain totally undetected.  

You will be rated on the amount of video you are able to take.

PC and writing skills

Every investigator I know hates paperwork.  But, it is an essential part of this profession.  

If you don’t know how to use MS Word and Excel, you will need to learn first.  Being able to receive instructions and send your reports via email is also essential.

If you can’t string a grammatically correct sentence together (with correct spelling), you will also need to learn this skill.  Many investigation agencies include the surveillance operative’s field notes with their covering reports when they report to their client.  

You will be judged on the quality of your surveillance notes.  

Droughts and floods

Working as a sub-contractor usually means there will be times when you just can’t handle all the work you are offered.  There will also be times when you simply aren’t getting all the work you would like.  This does tend to be a cyclic industry and you will need to be able to cope with that, both emotionally and financially.

Availability

The more available you make yourself, the more work you will get.  This means sometime starting very early and finishing very late.  Being prepared to work nights, weekends and public holidays is essential.  

Your domestic life will definitely suffer.

Operating a business

As a sub-contractor, you will also need to learn how to run a small business.  This means making sure all your licensing and insurance cover is up to date, you are fully tax compliant, have an ABN (registering the GST is up to you) and have at least some basic bookkeeping skills – unless you want to pay a professional to do that for you.     

Background and training

A lot of private investigators come from a police background, but this is by no means a requirement.  Yes, it is an advantage to some degree, but a lot of the methods and practices used by police will need to be re-learned to accommodate a commercial environment.  Government services are run very differently to private enterprise.

A lot of investigation work is done on behalf of the legal profession and the insurance industry, so a background in law or insurance would also be an advantage.  But, again, it isn’t a requirement.   Some of the best surveillance investigators I know don’t have a police, legal or insurance background.

Undertaking an approved training course is now a prerequisite to becoming licensed as a private investigator in Australia.  However, whilst many training organisation do a fair job of teaching skills associated with doing certain tasks within this industry, they usually don’t teach the skills associated with being successful in this industry.  

There is a vast array of information you will need to learn to be successful in this profession and it is the sum of this information that will define your level of professionalism.  No training organisation will teach you this.  You must learn it through experience, experimentation and self-study.

Specialising in one field

Whilst surveillance work is usually part and parcel of most investigation agency workloads, there are numerous other areas of specialisation an investigator might branch out into.  

Insurance related work can encompass a myriad of different areas and specialities.  Some investigators specialise exclusively on conducting only accident investigations.  This might involve attending the location of an accident (usually well after it has happened) taking photographs, measurements (and later preparing a scale plan of the area), as well as interviewing witnesses, taking formal statements, obtaining relevant documentation and preparing a final report.  

Other investigators take on a more general role as a “Factual Investigator”.  This might mean they don’t limit themselves to just one type of insurance matter, but take on a number of different types of claim types, such as liability claims, workplace accident investigations, general insurance claims (burglaries, stolen motor vehicles, etc.) or income protection claims.  Then there are fire claims, marine accidents, product liabilities matters... the list goes on and on.

Good analytical, interviewing and report writing skills are all critical.  This is definitely an area of work where a legal or police background will be of great assistance.  

Factual investigators might also take on criminal defence work – again a legal or police background is almost essential.

Starting your own agency

My advice is, if you don’t already have a minimum of three years of investigation experience in at least one particular field, do not put yourself out there and market that service/s to the public.   Personally, I believe this should be a legislated requirement.  But, in Queensland at least, it isn’t.

Starting your own private investigation agency sounds great doesn’t it?  Do a few courses, get licensed, set up a web site, get some business cards printed and go make some money.  Great in theory, but I have a huge problem with inexperienced people doing that.  You are not only doing yourself a huge personal disservice, but you are also inflicting your inexperience onto the general public.  It certainly won’t enhance the public’s perception of this industry.

Unless you’ve worked very closely with an experienced agency owner during those initial three years (and also learned all you can about the various facets of running an agency), you will definitely flounder.  You might not fail in the long run, but you will hit a lot of hurdles.  I did, but things were a lot different 23 years ago.  It’s even harder these days.

At the very least, you will need a mentor prepared to be on call and provide advice on an as needed basis.  

Being a good investigator doesn’t mean you can run a successful investigation agency.  Running a successful business requires a completely different skill-set.
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Video #1 - Anyone looking at getting into the investigation industry should definitely watch the following video.  Whilst it is from an American source, it does provide some extremely valuable insights.  Length - 10 minutes.

Video #2 - Here's another video you should watch.  Again, it's American but the speaker does make some good point about the realities of becoming a PI.  Length - 9 minutes.

More information on obtaining a Private Investigator licence in Qld is available from the following website

http://www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au/private-investigator.htm


Still with me at this point?  Congratulations!  I’d be very happy to answer any questions you might have.

Send me an email

Due-by dates!

Due-by dates that are set at a ridiculously short turn-around times are designed by their very nature to produce unsuccessful outcomes. We have a situation here in Queensland where one of the state’s biggest insurers has set a report-by time of 14 days from when the instructions are first issued. This includes matters in regional areas where there is often a severe lack of experienced and capable surveillance operators. To put the size of Queensland into perspective for overseas readers, Texas in the US can fit into Queensland two and a half times.

It will take at least one or two days to initially process the matter (database entry, open/create files, etc.) and conduct the preliminary searches necessary before a surveillance request can even be sent to a surveillance operator. Then there is the reporting on the other end, firstly by the surveillance operator and then the agency who will submit the final report. At best, this leaves around 10 days for the operator to complete the entire assignment.

An operator in a regional area (good ones are few and far between) might not be able to commence the matter straight away due to other job commitments, illness or a number of other reasons. This then starts to decrease the viable time-frame in which the matter can be completed even further. Weekends are often particularly worthwhile surveillance periods, but with a 14 day turn-around, there is now only one weekend available to use – that is if another matter does not specifically require weekend surveillance. The surveillance operator has no choice but to conduct surveillance on a matter with a short turn-around time simply when he can fit it in – not when surveillance should be conducted. If he has a two or three day window of opportunity to complete the assignment, then those are the only days he can work on the matter. If the surveillance budget is for 20 hours of observations and there are two days to complete the matter, then the surveillance operator simply has to put in around two ten-hour days, whether the matter requires it or not.

Imagine a scenario where the surveillance operative learns the surveillance subject is ill – and therefore unlikely to be active. Too bad. He simply has to put the hours in during the days that are available, regardless of whether this is the correct thing to do as far as a surveillance strategy is concerned.

You might be asking, “But surely an extension of the due-by date can be requested to better accommodate a successful result.” Well, this particular insurer does allow extensions to the due-by date, but here’s the rub. One of their statistic figures, whereby they determine who is and who isn’t performing to their expectations, is (you guessed it) how well that agency complies with their due-by dates. Compliance with due-by dates is, of and by itself, an extremely poor measure of quality when it comes to surveillance matters. Surveillance by its very nature is (or should be) a fluid investigation that should always properly target only the most likely times a surveillance subject will be engaged in activity of potential worth. If this means delaying the commencement or completion of a surveillance matter, then so be it.

This insurer has now created a situation whereby claims are being time-managed rather than actually being “investigated” as they should be.

Jarris Fuller