Top 5 attributes of a Covert Surveillance Operative?
Titan’s covert surveillance operatives come from all walks of life; some from a former police or military background; plumbers; HR assistants; veterinary nurses and medical sales to name a few.
Titan’s experienced former police training team will ensure that you perform the best you can buy the completion of our RQF Level 4 five – day surveillance course. We don’t stop there! Due to Titan being a predominantly operational surveillance provider we will then develop course graduates post course by offering operational deployments Nationwide.
Titan’s operatives all have the top 5 attributes expected for a professional surveillance operative and if you attend our course then these are hammered home as you will be representing Titan Investigations.
So what are the top 5 attributes of a covert surveillance operative?
- Flexibility
Surveillance is rarely nine till five. It requires flexibility by the covert surveillance operative as start times may change, working finish time may extend, locations may change. An operative may be required to deploy at short notice if available. During surveillance there may be a requirement to follow a person of interest who features in the operation and therefore swap subjects or vehicles follows. A good surveillance operative will be able to take all of the above in their stride and not become flustered or question direction.
- Patience
There generally tends to be a lot of downtime during an operational surveillance deployment. This is just the nature of the beast. How an operative deals with this and remains a “coiled spring” ready to jump into action at the drop of a hat is an important trait. It is imperative that a surveillance operative is able to occupy themselves if they don’t have a key role such as watching an address and is able to react to a “standby, stand by, stand by” and be in a position to react and perform.
- Professionalism
There’s nothing worse than a surveillance operative that just turns up and has no vested interest in the outcome. If surveillance is your profession, you are a surveillance professional, so act like it!
Arrive in good time! If the commencement time is 0700 hours then the opening shot should be at this time or before, certainly not after. If the observations are due to terminate at 1500 hours then the closing shot should be at this time or after and not before. Don’t frame any of the inside of your vehicle or wing mirrors when gaining imagery of a subject. Practice, practice, practice your imagery taking, so you are proficient with a DSLR, camcorder and a covert camera. You can be the best surveillance team in the world, however the client will judge you on your product. If your product is poor, the client will form the opinion you are poor.
- Think outside the box
Prior to deploying on a surveillance task, you should and will receive from Titan a detailed Operational Order or Briefing Sheet. This contains Information, Intent, Method, Administration, Risk Assessment, Communications and Health and Safety. This document contains all the information a surveillance operative requires to carry out the deployment and takes a lot of time to produce. Read this document a couple of times at least and digest. This will potentially allow you to have the ability to second guess movements of a subject rather than merely reacting and covertly following. It may be that there is vital information contained within the briefing sheet that will aid in gaining control of the subject after experiencing a loss; or an itinerary of what the subject is likely to do or where he / she will go. This will enhance your decision-making, allow you to adapt tactics and think outside the box.
- Invest in your equipment
When a newcomer enters this industry, their equipment is likely and advisable to be of an entry level standard until they find their feet. As an operative develops and earns a good crust they should purchase more equipment and update old equipment to reflect their ability and experience. It’s imperative to slowly grow an arsenal of equipment which allows you to be prepared for every eventuality and above all be professional.
Titan offers two surveillance courses which are certificated by Skills For Justice to a Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 4.
What are RQF Qualifications?
The RQF came into force in 2015 and was designed to offer a simpler system for managing qualifications regulated by Ofqual.
Similar to a library bookcase, the RQF allows training providers to index qualifications based on their level and size. The higher the qualification, the greater the complexity and difficulty of the skills and knowledge associated with the qualification.
Titan delivers two surveillance courses, an Intermediate and an Advanced RQF Level 4 in Covert Surveillance Operations. The Intermediate course is a 5-day course and the Advanced is a 2-week course.
5 Day Intermediate Surveillance Course
What is the difference between the two surveillance training courses?
The Intermediate and Advanced syllabi are very similar in content other than the Advanced has a nighttime surveillance element. The Intermediate course covers so much more than the awarding body has set out as a minimum requirement. It is effectively the Advanced course with a lesser Total Qualification Time (TQT) resulting in the learner gaining so much more.
Titan’s next course dates are
19th – 23rd September 2022
21st – 25th November 2022
Who do I contact for further information?
If you wish to be trained by Titan or feel you would benefit from retraining and then have real opportunities of operational deployments post course or a full time surveillance job then please contact one of the Titan Training Team. There really is no reason to look elsewhere!
Surveillance Training London – Call Titan Investigations 020 39046622
Surveillance Training Birmingham – Call Titan Investigations on 0121 7162442
Surveillance Training Cambridge – Call Titan Investigations 01223662022
Surveillance Training Derby (Head Office) – Call Titan Investigations 01332 504256
Surveillance Training Leeds – Call Titan Investigations 0113 4574066
Surveillance Training Leicester – Call Titan Investigations 0116 2436520
Surveillance Training Nottingham – Call Titan Investigations 0115 9646950
Surveillance Training Manchester – Call Titan Investigations 0161 3023008
Surveillance Training Sheffield – Call Titan Investigations 0114 3499400
Alternatively, contact us by email at enquiries@titaninvestigations.co.uk or use our fully confidential contact form and one of our team will get right back to you or use our Live Chat facility to chat directly with one of our Covert Surveillance Trainers.
