DIFFERENT SITUATIONS - DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS
Not all private investigations are the same
Legal restraints may impede the investigative activities engaged in under different circumstances. Most investigators are unaware of these legal difficulties. We will let you know when such concerns arise.
Covert Surveillance
Surveillance includes monitoring and recording the activities of individuals, and activities carried out at any given location. These services are performed for personal and business matters. A variety of cameras are used. Surveillance can be done in-car, either stationary or following, on foot, or face-to-face under pretext, with hidden cameras and listening devices. There are strict laws governing these activities, which we do not breach. It must also be noted that at no time does an investigator deliberately make their presence known to a subject as to do so may amount to harassment, and will definitely eliminate the subject's candour.
Online Data Analysis
It is easy to do an online search for anything, and to get company and personal information. But the information is not sitting there waving at you. It takes skill and a disciplined approach to get the most possible out of an online inquiry. It takes skill and broad experience to understand some kinds of technical information that can come up in an investigation. It is also beneficial to combine those findings with other information in deep analysis and so to direct further enquiries.
Confidential Interviewing and Discovery
In the industry we call such an inquiry a circumstance or factual investigation. Formal statements taken down, recorded interviews, document discovery and incident scene photographs and measurements, following all established laws of privacy, confidentiality and consent. Ethical, yet very thorough questioning covering all relevant and admissible facts. As a disinterested third party we remove all bias and conflicts of interest so that the evidence is untainted.
Pretext and Undercover
A person approached overtly may provide information if they trust the questioner and do not perceive a need for secrecy. If not, they may alert the subject and discretion will be lost. It may be hard to predict when this will occur. Using pretext-based enquiries is a valuable tool. Likewise are first hand observations when it is practicable to take the time to enter a situation inconspicuously rather than relying on questioning third parties.
Network Theory
Network theory is a branch of mathematics which tells us something very simple, yet quite useful when trying to locate a person. Almost everyone is connected to other people, some more than others. And they are connected, and so are their connections. On average there are five people who stand between you and any other person on the planet. In cases where it's approriate, the more one knows about a subject, the easier it is to get introduced.