What’s inside the professional tool kit of a private investigation agency?

The professional tool kit a private investigator can call upon to assist in surveillance and research to provide information, data and evidence for a client is many and varied and it is why they are called upon for a variety of circumstances and scenarios.

Private investigation agencies have acquired proficiency in many areas of research, recording and obtaining data. Some origins of rich and substantial information can be retrieved online through the internet but specialist access to software and databases to carry out legal searches and provide personal searches are where the private investigator can really assist. Sometimes software is used to bring a case to a close or in some cases the way professional surveillance or questioning has taken place can retrieve the necessary.

Social media surveillance can be used to obtain vital information for a client. There have been cases where individuals have inadvertently posted incriminating evidence whilst sharing opinion on chats and platforms.

Tool Kit – Internet access to rich data

Facebook provides rich information that can be used in court to refute or contradict information filed as a claim. Private investigators are hired by solicitors and legal practices to research and provide information on an individual or subject collating for and against for court procedures.

Web platform search engines such as the mighty Google provides a plethora of information. Private investigators that are trained to retrieve information that is thought to be hidden or lost on the world wide web. There are various advanced features that can be utilised such as note keeping and access to monitors cases are being worked on or alerts to be notified of changes or keywords being used on the internet.

Tool Kit – Smartphone and Electronic Devices

Smartphones put the world literally at your fingertips and is quite possibly the most important tool in the private investigation tool kit. These devices provide the following for an investigation:

• Take images
• Record live feed
• Date and times are recorded on images and videos
• Conversations are recorded
• Locations can be mapped out by inbuilt GPS technology
• Applications can assist with scanning, copying and sharing documents etc.

Tool Kit – Access to public records and information

Public records and information can often be dismissed as individuals don’t know how to use them for research. However, the private investigator will use such information for all manner of legal requirements to assess:

Litigation cases – who bought what from where and for how much and does it attached to another property, what permits are present and has any charges or actions been filed

Personal cases – bankruptcy, back taxes and money that may have been inherited or if they need to find someone who is missing.