Do Private Investigators Investigate Criminal Investigation Cases?

Yes, private investigators do conduct Criminal Investigations.

Private Investigators do investigate criminal cases, however they are generally instructed by the defence as opposed to the prosecution. A criminal investigation is very different to a private or corporate investigation. There are many pieces of legislation and guidance which are required to be adhered to, to ensure that the evidence gained is admissible in court. It is important to ensure that your chosen investigator has the correct expertise to be able to handle such a case. For example, in the way that it is gathered and then how it is exhibited and stored. A contemporaneous log will need to be written during a surveillance and also a surveillance management log which records the operational commander’s decisions.

Criminal investigations generally require a larger budget due to the need for increased resources to remain covert. An example of this would be an investigation into drug dealing. The individuals involved will no doubt be looking out for the Police or other law enforcement agencies as what they are doing is illegal, and they don’t want to be apprehended. Therefore, conducting a two-person surveillance is likely to be futile as the operatives will become overexposed very quickly and are at risk of being compromised or worse still. I’m not for one minute suggesting utilising the Police resourcing levels of 5 double crewed vehicles and a motorbike; however resourcing will probably require three to four operatives depending on the geographic location.

Titan have been involved in the investigation of multiple murder investigations working on behalf of the defence to counter the prosecution’s evidence. This has been in regard to CCTV evidence when the Police have stated that anyone leaving a location would be captured on CCTV and also photographing what could be seen by an individual from a certain location. We have had a 100% success rate in countering Police evidence to date.

Titan’s lead criminal investigator has 17 years’ experience as a former Detective Sergeant leading investigations into serious organised crime (SOC) and latterly Counterterrorisms (CT).

Can any Private Investigator Investigate Criminal Investigations?

Legally, yes, they can. This is an unlicensed industry unfortunately with no minimum entry level meaning that anyone can set up a company, have a glossy website that ranks well on Google and state that they are an experienced Private Investigator. Crazy right! And that is why it is such a minefield choosing a Private Investigator that has the correct skills and experience and won’t just take your money and provide poor product. Ideally, you will require an investigation agency or Private Investigator with an experienced background in Policing to ensure they possess the required skill set and expertise.

1. Is the Private Investigator experienced in;

• The Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996,
• The police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984,
• The Data Protection Act 2018,
• The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

• Research the investigation agency on Companies House to identify whether they are a limited company. This will give you the names of the Directors and the date the company was incorporated or set up. You can navigate to Companies House on the below link.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house

• Ensure that the investigation agency is a full member of one of the few two recognised professional bodies, the Institute of Private Investigators (IPI) or the Association of British Investigators (ABI). These professional bodies are the only two which have a stringent application process unlike others which allow members to join by merely paying a yearly subscription.

• Check their reviews on Google to make sure they don’t have adverse reviews from former clients and that they have a Google Business Page with a registered and verified address.

• Are they registered on the Information Commissioner’s Office Data Protection Register? All companies or individuals who handle personal information should be registered on here, definitely an investigation agency! You can check by following the link below.

https://ico.org.uk/ESDWebPages/Search

• Do they have a physical office which you can visit or a virtual address? This is important as if you do have any issues with the investigation agency you need a point of call for any letters or legal documents to be sent to. Most Private Investigation firms have a virtual address or use their home address. I can only think of a number of investigation agencies that have a physical office or offices like Titan.

Criminal Investigations, Who do I contact for further advice?

For further advice and information in regard to criminal investigations, please feel free to speak to one of our case handlers and advisors in complete confidence via an online chat, email, telephone or at one of the offices nearest to you.

London Criminal Investigations – Call the Titan Investigations London Office 020 39046622
Birmingham Criminal Investigations – Call the Titan Investigations Birmingham Office 0121 7162442
Cambridge Criminal Investigations – Call the Titan Investigations Cambridge Office 01223 662022
Derby Criminal Investigations – Call the Titan Investigations Derby (Head Office) 01332 504256
Leeds Criminal Investigations – Call the Titan Investigations Leeds Office 0113 4574066
Leicester Criminal Investigations – Call the Titan Investigations Leicester Office 0116 2436520
Nottingham Criminal Investigations – Call the Titan Investigations Nottingham Office 0115 9646950
Manchester Criminal Investigations – Call the Titan Investigations Office 0161 3023008
Sheffield Criminal Investigations – Call the Titan Investigations Sheffield Office 0114 3499400

Alternatively, you can contact us directly using our fully confidential contact form at enquiries@titaninvestigations.co.uk or chat directly using our Live Chat facility and one of our private investigations team will get right back to you.