27/12/2007 by admin.

Santa Claus could be breaking privacy laws in his collection and use of data about children, experts have warned. Yuletide cheer-bringer Claus could be putting the personal data of millions of children at risk.

Data protection laws lay down strict conditions for the use of personal data and there is no evidence that Claus has an adequate compliance program in place.

Children across the world who write letters to Claus with a list of gift requests are not told for how long that data is kept, or if it will be used for other purposes such as marketing by third parties.

The U.K. Data Protection Act, for example, stipulates that data should not be kept for longer than necessary, which would mean December 25th, though Claus may argue that he needs to keep the letters for six years to use in any gift-related lawsuits.

“There is a stream of questions Santa has yet to answer,” said William Malcolm, a data protection specialist at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-law.com. “Is this information used for anything other than present giving? Information passes out of the EU, so does Santa check the letters for unambiguous, specific and informed consent to this overseas transfer?”

Out-Law’s attempts to put the questions to Claus were hindered by the lack of an office chimney. Eventually the questions were put up a domestic chimney but no response was received by time of publication.

The U.K. Data Protection Act says that you must inform someone when you are collecting data about them, and tell them what the purpose of collection is.

What about the naughty/nice database?” said Malcolm. “Are children given notice that behavioral data is being collected about them throughout the year? And does it qualify as covert monitoring, which would breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights?”

Mmmmmmm…...

Food for thought.

Posted in General | Print | 1 Comment »

21/12/2007 by admin.

Its the year end and the usual chase of late payers has started so that the company year end figures can be produced. Account & Credit Controllers have sent out the invoice plus the appropriate late letters. It is now only a matter of time before Credit Controllers resort to court action.

Statutory Demands, Winding-Up Petitions & Bankruptcy Petitions are issued by the thousand. Trace Agent’s are tracing those who have moved and conveniently forgotten to clear that debt. Process Servers are also busy bringing some not so glad tidings to debtors. This type of work makes unpopular with debtors but please remember we are just messengers; and YES we do know it’s Christmas!

For Process Serving of legal documents nationwide or to trace an elusive debtor please see our website Here or call 0845 643 1923.

Posted in Process Serving | Print | 3 Comments »

19/12/2007 by admin.

Fundamentally there three types of tracking device. Live, Passive and Both (Live & Passive).

Trackers are very good for intelligence gathering so I favour the passive type. This is where you can find out where somebody has been (not where they are now) when left for about a week you will know their movements and habits. What time they leave for work, when they return and everything in between. Particularly good when planning a surveillance operation. These are deployed magnetically and can operate upside down using a reflection off the road which is very useful.

The live type is also good but can be labour intensive. They usually communicate in Geo codes which basically they will transmit via a text message a longitude and latitude which you will have to enter into software to find out where they are. You can get these for around £200. I would not recommend these for surveillance work but excellent for lone workers etc. To get the location of the device send it a text message and it returns the info via text message which can then enter on to Google earth/maps. Good if you have access to Google Maps on your mobile but not if you don’t.

The Live & Passive type are more expensive to buy and run and will need either a service provider or your own software. Very useful for mobile surveillance but running costs can be high as each message comes via two text messages every 3 minutes when in live mode.  With these devices it is possible to print a report from the software of all movements over a given period.For further information on Covert Vehicle Tracking or to buy, rent or arrange covert tracking either live or passive please Call 0845 643 1923 or see our TraceMate website here

Posted in GPS Tracking | Print | 1 Comment »

18/12/2007 by admin.

When a surveillance operative is called upon to conduct a lengthy static surveillance there are a few things to consider before turning up at the ‘plot’.

A thorough site survey will need to be conducted beforehand so that on the day of the assignment the operative leaves with the right equipment and vehicle for the duration of the job. It would not be good enough just to turn up and find that there is a parking restriction or the person to be watched lives in a neighbourhood watch area or opposite a school for example.

Now consider that an unknown (to the neighbours) lone operative has to sit in a vehicle for hours on end with a camera poised and ready! and he may need to be there for a number of days. Imagine the interest he would generate at 3pm. It doesn’t bare thinking about.

On some assignments it is necessary to leave a vehicle in place just to reserve the ultimate vantage point, particularly in residential areas where parking can be limited. Another thing to consider is the dreaded Traffic Wardens protecting resident only bays in Controlled Parking Zones or Pay & Display areas. Although every effort is made to avoid Parking Tickets they are a necessary evil but must be paid and will be charged back to the client in all cases.

We always recommend that two operatives be used, but should the client specifically request that only one be used due to budgetary restraints then this could be a false economy.

Site surveys are chargeable and are absolutely required.

Trident Investigations can conduct surveillance in both static and mobileenvironments. and are equipped with the latest photographic equipment to capture the required evidence. We also have access to specially adapted cars, vans and motorcycles with tinted windows, camera mountings and auxiliary power supplies.

For further information CALL 0845 643 1923 or see our main website for further details of our services.

Posted in Surveillance | Print | 1 Comment »

16/12/2007 by admin.

When someone rings a Private Investigator it is likely that it is their first time and more often than not they don’t comprehend how ‘it‘ works.

The proportion of clients who ring and want action on the same day is high. Most have the idea that Pi’s are just waiting for the next call. This is not the case. We have an ongoing caseload and all jobs require planning and scheduling. In some cases dependant on the circumstances we can deploy agents on the same day.

At Trident Investigations we are an established company who are registered at Companies House, VAT Registered and DPA registered. We have a duty of care to the agents we employ and to the persons we investigate as well as looking after the interests of the client themselves.

We conduct a certain amount of due diligence and checking ourselves to verify that the client is who they say they are and that the investigation is legal and ethical. After the initial consultation and the agreement of terms. We will send out a contract which will be delivered in either hard copy or electronic format and this will set out the terms and conditions of the investigation. 

Some people will prefer that this sent in email format for reasons of privacy and discretion. On occasions where an urgent investigation is required we may meet the client in person. We will ask for a retainer payment in advance from unknown private clients before starting the investigation. A balance may be either paid on a monthly invoice or on a pay as you go basis. These can be paid by Cheque, Cash (by arrangement only) or by credit or debit card through our website. In all cases a receipt will be issued.

From both our Daventry, Northamptonshire and Croydon, Surrey office we can conduct enquiries across the UK. For further information on the services we provide please Call 0845 643 1923 or see www.tridentinvestigations.co.uk

Posted in General | Print | 1 Comment »

15/12/2007 by admin.

As stated in an earlier post the daily grind for a private investigator is more like likely to be finance rather than infidelity. This manifests itself as Process Serving. The ease of borrowing money in our private lives is mirrored in the commercial world where more often than not, the sums are far greater.

Many of the papers we ’serve’ are against companies who have borrowed more than they can afford and are unable to meet the terms of an agreement or contract. Others are against individuals who live far beyond their means and earnings. Many companies are forced to cease trading and many individuals are declared bankrupt. The creditor is then left with the decision to trace the persons responsible for the mismanagement of the funds and try for recompense through the court system. Our services are then called upon to trace, locate and ‘serve’ those involved. otherwise known as ‘Trace & Chase’.

These are not the only types of ’serves’ we conduct though. As we all know a large proportion of marriages end in divorce for one reason or another. Very often there are plenty of loose ends to be tied. Mortgage, Children, Loans, and even who gets the dog?

When all communication has broken down and solicitors are involved, a couple can spend a fortune through their legal representatives sending one letter after another. Which in a lot of cases is failed to be responded to.

We as Process Servers are then tasked with the often sensitive job of seeking out the evasive partner and ensuring that they do receive the necessary papers. We then present ourselves to the court to swear an Affidavit confirming this fact.

As a person who is not party to the litigation and not going to benefit either way, our sworn affidavit is accepted by the court as assurance that the service was completed. The court process can then proceed in the absence of the named party, should they continue to ignore correspondence from the legal system.

For further information on Process Serving or to arrange the Service of Legal Documents throughout the UK please call 0845 643 1923 or Click HERE.

Posted in Process Serving | Print | No Comments »

13/12/2007 by admin.

…… are often the first words uttered when I personally meet a client.

 ”Well what did you expect?” comes the obvious reply.

The answer to the reply often differs, but one thing is for certain. Cheesy American TV shows and British Docu-dramas have not only influenced the description of what a private detective might look like, but also what is possible and legal to achieve.

I am equally at home in a tailored suit as I am in rigger boots and a high-visibility jacket, and the car I drive is not flash, expensive or noticeable; And for good reason.

I dress for the occasion and it doesn’t pay to stand out. In many cases the clients are not met at all, but they are often seen and might even pass me on the street. This happens frequently in private cases.

So next time you see a man walking a dog down your road, think on.

To speak to an investigator in complete confidence please call 0845 643 1923 or see our main website for further information on our fees and services.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in General | Print | No Comments »

12/12/2007 by admin.

As an Investigator serving Commercial, Legal and Private clients the balance of proof required can be daunting and different.

When a commercial client wants proof against an employee, often all that is required is the ‘balance of probability’. Basically this means is that the person making the decision in a company disciplinary hearing against the employee has to believe that on a 51% for and 49% against scale that the person is guilty of the offence.

When dealing with a criminal matter which will be dealt with by a criminal court, the balance of proof must be 100% and therefore ‘beyond all reasonable doubt’. This is when the person charged with the offence could not possibly be innocent, because the weight of evidence to the contrary is overwhelmingly strong.

However increasingly in private cases and specifically in marital or infidelity investigations  the balance of proof is decided on and by the mind of the client. We had a client enquiry recently who was convinced that their partner was cheating because they were aware that emails were being exchanged!

The so called ‘cyber affair’, This is where a would be cheater can sit in the comfort of their own home with a laptop on their knee (with their partner in the same room) and conduct a relationship with a willing respondent at the other side of the world. No illicit meetings, no tell tale credit card receipts and no bumping in to the nosey neighbour from number 42!

On the other end of the scale we have seen, filmed, photographed and presented evidence which would convince the most liberal of judges that an affair was going on. But sometimes even that is not enough. We always inform clients that we will not be waiting in a wardrobe to get the evidence you require.

During these types of investigations the proof is the ‘time and opportunity’. If person A meets person B at a salubrious location such as a Hotel in Cardiff and they disappear from view for a time. Then they have the ‘time and opportunity’.

Particularly when they told you they were visiting their sick aunt in Colchester!

Posted in Surveillance | Print | 1 Comment »

11/12/2007 by admin.

After a real ear bending from our SEO guy

 “With over 20 years investigative experience under your belts, you must have something interesting to say” he said.

But breaking with a habit of a lifetime is hard to do, we live in the world of secrets and the DPA!

“And woe betide!”

So it has been decided that as time allows we will bring you up to date our present case-load with a brief snippet of what we do on a daily basis. Far from being 007 we live in the real world. It’s not all sex, lies and videotape! Some of our jobs are very mundane and time consuming. There is nothing glamorous about sitting in the back of a surveillance vehicle for 10 hours in the cold.

So here it is, I give you our Blog.

Much the same as any company, Trident Investigations needs to market its business and services. Moving forward to the new year will bring new challenges which must be overcome by grasping the latest marketing techniques and broadcasting to the wider world via the web.

Over the past 12 months from our Daventry office alone we have served corporate and private clients from all over the UK as well as several from the USA and Europe, one from India, one from Korea and one from Russia. Covering a multitude of subjects, however much of our work is directed around finance rather than infidelity.

As Trident Investigations enters its third year of trading as an independent company we need to find ourselves in a stronger position. Over the coming months we will be launching a fresh new look website.

Clients will be able to pay invoices and retainers by credit/debit card, bank transfers or direct debit through a secure checkout.

So here ends the first installment, check back again soon.

Posted in Marketing | Print | 2 Comments »