How to Make Life Difficult for a Surveillance Team?
Uncover 7 ways to challenge surveillance teams!
In the latest episode of Titan PI TV, host and Titan Private Investigation’s Managing Director, Simon Henson, sheds light on a subject that often causes both fascination and concern: surveillance and counter-surveillance. Recorded on a typically rainy Friday in Derby, Henson takes viewers behind the curtain into how professional surveillance teams operate, and more importantly, how those under observation might deliberately make life much more complicated for the people following them.
This episode focuses on practical examples – seven, to be precise – of tactics that can frustrate surveillance operatives. While Henson makes clear that Titan Private Investigation carries out lawful, professional surveillance for legitimate purposes, his candid exploration of the subject reveals just how dynamic and challenging field operations can become.
The Context: Surveillance in Everyday Life
Surveillance isn’t the stuff of Hollywood alone. Private investigators, corporate fraud teams, insurers, and even police forces rely on it to gather evidence discreetly. Whether monitoring a suspected fraudulent injury claim, gathering intelligence in corporate disputes, or unravelling cases of infidelity, surveillance is often the lynchpin of investigative work.
But what happens when the person under surveillance—knowingly or unknowingly—does things that complicate the process? According to Simon Henson, many of the tricks are “crude” but alarmingly effective, often resulting in expensive operational challenges or even an early stand-down from the field team.
Seven Ways to Make a Surveillance Operative Sweat
Simon outlines seven classic ways people can disrupt or complicate surveillance. Each method, while simple, places significant pressure on even highly skilled operatives.
1. Unusual Routes
Surveillance thrives on predictability. Operatives plot expected courses and position strategically in anticipation of the target’s movements. But if the subject suddenly chooses an obscure slip road or quiet parallel lane instead of a main arterial route, the team can be caught off-balance.
For operatives unfamiliar with the local geography, this requires frantic map-checking and recalibration before re-establishing contact. The tactic may be unsubtle, but it forces observers to work harder and risks exposing their presence if they are seen racing to catch up.
2. Circling Roundabouts
Perhaps one of the crudest yet most effective tricks, deliberately circling a roundabout can expose surveillance vehicles instantly. If the target vehicle goes full circle without exiting, any trailing car that mirrors the manoeuvre becomes conspicuous in rearview mirrors. Recognising this risk, surveillance operatives often peel off and attempt to re-join further ahead—creating gaps, delays, and uncertainty.
Though it may look absurd to an outsider, Simon confirms its effectiveness, remarking that “crude, but it works.”
3. Exploiting Traffic Lights
Traffic lights offer “opportunist moments.” If a target goes through just as the lights turn amber, anyone attempting to follow must make a split-second decision: risk running the light or stop and lose visual contact. Simon explains that the final car to slip through instantly recognises which vehicles behind managed to do the same, flagging them as suspicious.
If no GPS tracker is fitted to the target’s vehicle—a crucial piece of technology not always available in private operations—getting stuck at red lights can be catastrophic for the surveillance team.
4. Slow Driving on Motorways
Lorries in the UK are legally capped at 62 mph. Targets who stick below that threshold on the motorway become the slowest-moving vehicles on the road. This forces a natural overtaking flow—except for those pursuing them. If one car consistently refuses to overtake, it risks exposure as surveillance.
Again, while blunt, the tactic forces a decision between revealing one’s cover or dropping back and losing contact with the subject altogether.
5. Unnatural Exits at Motorway Services
One of the most ingenious strategies involves motorway service stations. Approximately 90% of these sites contain “unnatural exits” — routes not leading back to the carriageway but instead into side villages, alternative carriageways, or neighbouring roads.
To the average motorist, these exits are seldom used. But for someone testing whether they are being followed, taking such a route can be highly revealing. Henson uses Nottingham’s Trowell Services as a prime example, where drivers can divert suddenly into Trowell village. Any surveillance operative making the same move is immediately flagged as highly suspicious.
For professional teams, this can even become a calculated risk too far, prompting them to abandon the target for the remainder of the day.
6. Car Park Exits
Car parks present another headache. Open-air, multi-storey, and underground facilities often have multiple exits. If the subject deliberately chooses to leave via a different exit to the one they entered, poorly planned surveillance can be completely defeated.
According to Simon, unless the team has established a “sterile area” around all exits and plotted accordingly, the operative risks losing sight of the subject entirely—a costly and avoidable operational failure.
7. Stopping in Laybys
Few measures exert psychological pressure on a surveillance operative quite like a random stop in a layby. Forced into a dilemma, the follower must either:
- pull in behind and risk immediate exposure, or
- continue driving and attempt to re-approach covertly.
Often, they opt for the latter—with one operative driving past and another looping back to maintain coverage. But either way, the manoeuvre forces movement and increases the likelihood of the subject positively identifying surveillance vehicles.
Why These Tactics Matter
While some readers might treat Simon’s advice as a “how-to” guide, the underlying message is more nuanced. Surveillance operations often involve legal, sensitive, and high-stakes matters. If a subject persistently behaves in a way that screams “anti-surveillance,” professional teams may suspend operations rather than risk exposure.
From the investigator’s perspective, these delays are frustrating, costly, and sometimes render the operation ineffective. From the subject’s point of view, however, a confirmed sighting of surveillance can have profound consequences—ranging from personal behavioural changes to halting illicit activity for that day.
As Simon dryly notes at the programme’s close: “If you are up to something, whether that’s being a cheating partner or something like criminality, then once you have a confirmed sighting, you just need to behave yourself for the day.”
A Balancing Act Between Skill and Patience
Surveillance is frequently described as a game of patience. For operatives, blending into the background is paramount. For subjects, intuition and subtle suspicion can turn the tables quickly.
These seven tactics vividly illustrate the constant cat-and-mouse nature of surveillance. Successful field operatives must therefore demonstrate:
- Local knowledge: anticipating unusual slip roads or service exits.
- Split-second judgement: handling traffic lights or roundabouts without drawing attention.
- Multi-vehicle coordination: ensuring car parks and laybys are covered by diverse team positions.
Without this expertise, the operation risks not only exposure but expensive stand-downs.
The Titan PI TV Edge
Episodes like this underline what sets Titan PI TV apart in the crowded world of online investigative content. Viewers are offered a rare insider’s perspective, grounded in authenticity rather than glamourised fiction.
Simon Henson’s credentials add weight. As managing director of Titan Private Investigation, his on-the-ground experience conveys authority. At the same time, his approachable style ensures complex operational insights remain accessible to the everyday viewer.
Combining professional investigative practice with engaging storytelling, Titan PI TV has built a dedicated audience eager to understand the reality of private investigations—without the over-dramatisation that film and television so often impose.
Public Interest and Practical Awareness
While some might be tempted to test these strategies themselves, Simon’s presentation serves primarily as an educational tool—a reminder that surveillance does exist in everyday Britain, and that it is more fragile and more resource-intensive than many assume.
For anyone ever curious about whether “somebody’s watching,” this episode lays bare the vulnerabilities on both sides. Surveillance is not fool-proof. It is not invincible. And for those who believe they can endlessly outwit the professionals, Henson’s calm confidence suggests otherwise: crude tactics may cause problems, but ultimately, well-trained teams adapt.
Final Thoughts: Making the Invisible Visible
The episode closes with Simon encouraging viewers to subscribe to the channel and continue learning more about the world of private investigation. With each broadcast, Titan PI TV not only educates but demystifies a profession that has long been obscured by stereotype.
In this instalment, the takeaway is clear: if you truly want to make life difficult for a surveillance team, you can—but be aware, the professionals expect it, adapt to it, and ultimately, learn from it.
For Titan Private Investigation Ltd, it is yet another demonstration of their professionalism in an arena where discretion usually removes headlines, and where success is judged not by fanfare but by quiet, unobserved accuracy.
What’s Next on Titan PI TV?
Thank you for reading, watching, or listening to this week’s blog post on Titan PI TV. For more expert advice and behind-the-scenes insights, subscribe to Titan PI TV on YouTube or download the Titan PI TV podcast wherever you get your podcasts. If you found this information helpful, please give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel. Stay tuned for more insights into the world of private investigations. Until next time, stay safe and keep learning!
Titan PI TV: Uncovering the Truth, One Investigation at a Time.
