Once upon a time, hiring a Private Investigation firm seemed to be something that featured more often in Hollywood movies than it did in real life. This meant that the idea would conjure images of gumshoe detectives tracking down clues to mysteries brought to their attention by a series of femme fatales. Today, Private Investigation is an increasingly common and highly effective solution to a wide range of issues and concerns.
Modern Private Investigation for the modern world
The Private Investigator of today is a highly skilled covert operative. Most Private Investigation firms – like OpSec Solutions – draw personnel from military, police, and corporate backgrounds, which means that investigative teams are able to utilise a wealth of experience gained in a variety of scenarios and industries. The tools of the modern Private Investigation trade include cutting edge technology in surveillance and recording equipment, tracking methods, and digital detection. All of these factors allow Private Investigators of today to deliver actionable results quickly, using methods that are entirely legal and ethical.
Modern Private Investigation evolves to meet the needs of clients, which means that the current methods, strategies and technologies are designed to handle the type of cases that are generated by our 21st century lifestyles. It also ensures that Private Investigation firms can provide the kind of flexibility that is also demanded of today’s ways of living and working.
Infidelity
Though the hiring of Private Investigators to confirm suspicions of infidelity is a practice as old as the job of Private Investigation itself, the modern version of this looks quite different than that depicted on the covers of pulp fiction novels. Today, it doesn’t always involve marriage, because many long-term relationships in today’s society do not involve nuptials. Suspicions of infidelity leading to the hiring of a Private Investigator today do often involve agreements or contracts of some kind, however – including shared mortgage agreements, shared tenancy agreements, or cohabitation agreements.
The aim of the Private Investigator in these types of cases is therefore to uncover the truth of the situation. This is then delivered in the form of unbiased, documented evidence that can be used to resolve related contractual disputes. Surveillance evidence is most often used in these cases, along with digital tracking of information.
Family
Disputes within families can be very complicated and highly sensitive, and the use of Private Investigators can help to resolve a number of scenarios.
- Divorce – Divorce proceedings can be deeply contentious. Outside of those cases that involve suspicions of infidelity, Private Investigators can help with financial negotiations in order to achieve fair settlements. Operatives can conduct detailed research to uncover accurate information about assets held, and can also use surveillance to prove or disprove the veracity of claims around cohabitation.
- Child custody – When families breakdown, the issue of child custody can be a major factor in negotiations. This is especially true when one or other of the parents has a new partner, or wishes to move to a different region. Private Investigators can perform comprehensive background checks, in addition to conducting covert surveillance, in order to provide peace of mind around child safety and welfare.
- Probate issues – When a Last Will and Testament is disputed or unclear, a Private Investigator can help resolve the case by verifying the circumstances of drafting and signature, and locating any parties connected to the contract.
Fraud
There are many different types of fraud, and Private Investigators can be hired to deal with many of them. For example:
- Employment – When employees are suspected of sabotage, moonlighting, or claiming illness benefits while healthy and able to work, Private Investigators can provide the evidence needed to pursue action, through surveillance, witness interviews, and historical research.
- Cyber-crime – When cyber-crime is suspected in a workplace or a home, Private Investigators can deploy specialised software to halt the attack and trace the origin, providing actionable evidence as a result. This type of crime might include theft of corporate data, hacking of professional or private networks, or blackmail and extortion attempts.
- Dating scams – When a person claims to be something they are not for the purpose of extorting money or property, then they are committing the crime of fraud. Online dating is rife with this type of offence, but it can happen off-line, too. Private Investigators can provide peace of mind by confirming identities during the dating process, but can also help to resolve fraud that is in progress, or has already happened. This is achieved by tracing the perpetrator through digital footprints and witness reports.
Background checks
The performance of background checks is one of the most common reasons for hiring a Private Investigator – and this is true for businesses, public authorities, and private citizens alike.
- Employment – When a person applies for employment in any situation, a background check can not only confirm their identity, but can also provide unbiased information about conduct in previous jobs held, and the truth about any historical legal proceedings.
- Tenancies – Owners of residential and commercial properties need to know that the individuals renting those properties are who they say they are. It is also important to establish whether those individuals have any history of causing damage to locations or reputations through their actions as tenants, what their employment history is like, and whether they have ever been unable to pay their bills.
- Relationships – People embarking on new relationships, or even navigating long-established relationships, can often need the reassurance of a background check. For new and prospective partners, this can provide peace of mind about their identity and the stories they tell about themselves. For established relationships, this can help to prove or disprove suspicions about strange financial activity, employment situations, or general dishonesty.
- Debts – Where a debt has been accrued, Private Investigators can help to trace the person that is liable, and can help to establish their ability to pay through the running of a background check.
Missing persons
When a loved one has gone missing, the situation can be incredibly worrying and delicate. Police reports should always be made, but the circumstances of the situation may result in people being dissatisfied with the level of police resources being assigned. Alternatively, the case may have been investigated by police without resolution, or the police may have categorised it as a lower priority. Whichever is the case, a Private Investigator can help to try and find the missing person through all legal and ethical means. That includes digital tracking, surveillance, and witness interviews both domestically and abroad, if necessary.
Stalking
Where stalking is suspected, Private Investigators can deploy counter-surveillance tactics to determine whether or not a person is being watched or recorded. This can help to gather actionable evidence regarding the identity of the stalker, in order to pursue prosecution. In addition, digital tracking and background checks can provide supporting evidence of stalking activity, where needed.
Protective services
The types of skills required for modern day Private Investigation means that operatives are also highly skilled in the risk management and protection arena.
- Close protection – Private Investigators are trained to spot suspicious activity, so the provision of close protection services is a common reason for hiring such a team. This may include long-term assignments across general movements, or specific dates and locations for escorting a person who may be at risk or under threat. Close protection services may also involve valuable asset escort as well as the escort of individuals.
- Site protection – When a specific location requires professional risk or threat management, Private Investigators can be hired to provide site protection. This can involve the deployment of covert surveillance as well as a visible presence.
- Event protection – In the same way that Private Investigators can be hired to provide site protection, so they can also be hired to provide event protection – the difference being that the event need not be tied to a single site. Event protection can involve a combination of mobile and static surveillance, as well as a combination of site protection and close protection for individuals and valuable assets.
Modern investigation with global reach
The world feels a lot smaller in this modern era, as digital and commercial innovation make everywhere much more accessible. Private Investigation has evolved to meet this challenge and firms including OpSec Solutions have developed a global reach. By incorporating specialised training and recruiting operatives with a wealth of international experience, these Private Investigators are able to undertake and complete covert assignments that span multiple territories, regions and jurisdictions.
The key to success in this level of service is expertise in international law and data regulations. This ensures that, wherever in the world a client’s case takes a Private Investigator, the evidence gathered is legal, ethical, and admissible in court in either the country of origin, or the U.K. In striving for this gold standard of operation, OpSec Solutions is able to hold accreditations from the Association of British Investigators, the U.K Private Investigator Network, and the Institute of Professional Investigators, along with full registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Contact OpSec Solutions today to learn more about how your case can be resolved.