08/01/2008 by admin.

An increasing amount of clients come to us who have tried and subsequently failed to follow a target or conduct their own surveillance. It works for some; but for the vast majority it fails miserably. This usually happens for the simple fact that it is not easy.

Few can conduct static surveillance because they do not have the right tools for the job and because they are part of the locality that they want to watch. Even fewer are successful at mobile or foot surveillance. Simply because it can seldomly be done by a single person and may need a team.

It all looks so easy in the movies doesn’t it? In the movies the car never turns right out of a ‘T’ junction and across traffic (building on the gap and the amount of cars between the follower and the followed) or makes it through the lights at the junction, leaving the follower on a red light behind an Argos lorry!

We recently had a female client who had even hired a van and a car in a bid to follow her errant husband. The only winner was the hire car company several times over. On the time that she hired the van she managed to follow him not much beyond his work entrance/exit before losing him in rush hour traffic in less than a minute.

And this happens; and I know this because………… Because it happens to the professionals too.

Surveillance is a game of patience. It sometimes will take more than the one time to prove or disprove those suspicions. To find out what happens every Thursday night after work when he is supposed to be at the ‘club’ may take several Thursdays.

And finally when the destination is known, it’s another waiting game, often for hours for what could possibly be a second of opportunity to take a photograph or shoot video. Remember of course you can’t use a ‘flash’ or ask for a second pose like a wedding photographer. It’s a one chance only situation.

There is of course another way; and that is the subject of another post.‹(-¿•)›

Posted in Surveillance | Print | No Comments »

04/01/2008 by admin.

“Being a Private Investigator is one of the most lucrative, glamorous and respected industries to be in. Win the envy of your friends and colleagues and demand high fees in an industry where no two days are the same”.

If you believe the marketing hype which is used to sell franchises and training manuals to people with little or no experience in investigation, then you may as well spend your money on something more tangible and useful. Being a PI is not an easy ticket to riches. As an unregulated industry (although it is in the pipeline once the SIA (Security Industry Authority) sort out the finer details) anyone can get up one morning, call themselves a Private Investigator or Private Detective and start trading right away. In theory.

It is true to say that some of the best investigators in the industry have come from normal everyday backgrounds and jobs.

It is also true that a Detective Agency can be set up on a shoestring, but I make no bones about it, no matter how experienced you are, it will not succeed without hard work and determination.

Many Investigators are experienced ex-police officers or military operatives with years of useful transferable skills under their belts. Others are seasoned security professionals who come from all manner of commercial, banking and insurance backgrounds.

But even the most time served detectives will struggle in the beginning without the right direction, motivation, training and experience.

I have known many an ex-police officer who could not detect a pickled onion in a fruit salad if they ate it piece by piece. Without the back-up of an established squad of officers, intelligence data bases and the PNC (Police National Computer) they can get a little lost out there, alone in the big wide world with nothing but their wits and old war stories to get them by.

So if you are considering setting up a Detective Agency I wish you every success but believe me it can only succeed with the right ingredients, input and motivation.

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03/01/2008 by admin.

The rules for serving legal documents have been relaxed in recent years. It is now now much easier to serve process than it was. It however can still be tricky and it is important that the process server knows the rules for service applicable to the document being served. Rules for service are governed by the Civil Procedure Rules.

It has recently come to our attention that at least one Solicitors practice have been serving documents by a courier. I understand that this is a new procedure and although not illegal will almost certainly be short lived.

The courier company are not supplying the required Statements of Service or Affidavits which are usually sworn before a Commissioner for Oaths. We are led to believe that a print-out from the hand held terminal is being produced as proof of service!

Now cast your mind back to the last time you had a courier on the doorstep who required a signature. It was cold, most probably wet and you were stood on the doorstep with in your dressing gown with the dog barking and the kids screaming in the background. Can you recall how much diligence or effort you put in to producing a legible signature? That’s of course if your signature is legible at the best of times.

What happened when you were out?

• Did they leave it with a neighbour?
• Put a card through the letterbox asking you to call them to arrange a new delivery?

Now imagine that you are to receive some legal papers that you want to evade. Is the delivery and signed docket from your neighbour good service?

NO

Are you going to call them to say, “please call back later“?

NO

In short using a courier to serve legal process will not save you money. it could jeopardise your case and be deemed as ineffective service by the judge hearing the case. In some cases the documents may be required to be re-served personally by a process server with a supporting affidavit and in a worst case scenario your whole case could be thrown out on this mere technicality.

If you think it’s a worthwhile consideration ask yourself this …

 Would you take your car for a service at the Dry Cleaners?

Or

Take your Dry Cleaning to the Bakers?

Quite simply a Courier is not a Process Server and a Process Server is not a Courier.

From our Daventry, Northamptonshire office or our Croydon, Surrey office we can serve all types of legal papers quickly and efficiently and within the legal rules of service anywhere in the UK or overseas. Please call 0845 643 1923 for further information or see get a quotation here http://www.tridentinvestigations.co.uk/Quotation-process-server.html

Posted in Process Serving | Print | 2 Comments »