How can a private investigator help you gain evidence of Harassment?

Harassment comes in many forms and can be committed from either a known or unknown person.

What does harassment mean?

Harassment is subjecting someone to unwanted conduct which is either related to a relevant protected characteristics (race, sex etc), or is of a sexual nature, where the conduct has the purpose or effect of violating the victim’s dignity or creating an environment that is intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive. This must have occurred on more than two occasions.

Harassment may be committed by someone you know, like a neighbour or work colleague, or people from your local neighbourhood, or it could be an unknown person such as a stranger.

Harassment may include, however, not limited to the following examples:

• Bullying in the workplace or at school or university.
• Verbal abuse.
• Cyberstalking, utilising the internet or social media to harass someone.
• Antisocial behaviour.
• Threats.
• Sending of abusive messages using a mobile telephone.
• Sending unwanted gifts.
• Damage to a property.
• Unwanted phone calls, letters, emails or visits in person.
• Bodily harm or assault.

It’s harassment if the unwanted behaviour has happened on more than one occasion.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment is unlawful and is a form of discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

The Act says it’s sexual harassment if the unwanted behaviour:

• Violates your dignity.
• Creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

Some examples of sexual harassment would include:

• Unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances.
• Sexual comments, jokes or gestures.
• Staring or leering at your body inappropriately.
• Using words such as ’slut’ or ‘whore’.
• Unwanted sexual communications and or images contained within emails, texts, WhatsApp’s and DM’s.
• Sharing sexual images or videos.
• Groping and touching.
• Someone exposing themselves.
• Pressuring you to do sexual things or offering you something in exchange for sex.

Stalking Harassment

Stalking is like harassment, however it’s generally more aggressive. The stalker will have an obsession with the person they’re subjecting to their behaviour.

Someone you know could be stalking you, such as a former partner or a person you were friends with, or it may be a stranger. If it’s someone you know or knew, it doesn’t mean that it’s your fault.

Stalking may include:

• The regularly following someone.
• Repeatedly going uninvited to their home.
• Checking someone’s internet use, email or other electronic communication.
• Hanging around somewhere they know the person often visits.
• Interfering with their property.
• Watching or spying on someone.
• Identity theft.

It’s stalking if the unwanted behaviour has occurred more than once.

The four warning signs of stalking
If the behaviour you’re experiencing is:

• Fixated
• Obsessive
• Unwanted
• Repeated

How can Titan Investigations help you with harassment?

Titan can deploy two operatives to covertly follow the individual responsible if they are known. In the circumstance that the individual or individuals is not known and the harassment is committed in a known location, such as outside your home address or in a park on your way home then we can deploy one operative to gain imagery of the incident and to gain identification imagery of the individual responsible. This can then be passed to the Police who may be able to identify the person responsible and take appropriate action. It may be more advantageous to deploy two operatives who will not only be able to covertly gain footage of the incident but can also covertly follow them away from the location of the offence and gain evidence of where they live. Desktop research can then be conducted to identify the occupants of the address and pass all of our evidence over to the Police.

In the common occurrence of a neighbourly dispute, we can usually utilise just one surveillance operative to gain evidential footage of the harassment. Examples of this which we have successfully investigated previously are;

• Damage caused to vehicles
• Malicious mail posted through a door
• Theft from bins
• Anti-social behaviour
• Verbal abuse
• Graffiti sprayed onto a building

What if you have reported this to the Police and no action follows?

We hear this a lot. Our advice is to ring 999 if you feel that your personal safety is in imminent danger. If it is not of an emergency nature and is ongoing harassment, stalking or anti-social behaviour, then we advise that you keep a detailed log. The log should contain the time, day and date of the incident followed by a detailed description of what has occurred and by whom if they are known. If you have supporting imagery such as mobile phone footage, ring doorbell footage or that from home CCTV, then it needs to be saved and retained. Ideally, a still image taken from the footage should be added to your log. The log should be kept up to date and done as soon as practicably possible after the event so that it is accurate. The log is to be kept safe and updated for a period of approximately six months. This will show any escalations in frequency or severity in incidents and will form evidence for the local authority and Police and can be used to evict or arrest or convict.

Who do I call for more information about harassment?

For further advice and information in regard to harassment, stalking or neighbourly disputes, then feel free to speak to one of our professional team at one of the offices nearest to your dispute.

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