Private investigators have been providing professional services for centuries, but many people do not really know what it is they do and how they learn their profession. The term private detectives is often used synonymously and their job is to use surveillance technology and techniques to gather reliable and accurate information about a person or situation.
There are certain skills required for this job that can be then applied to all different types of tasks commonly encountered, which we will highlight shortly. Some of the core skills include:
- Knowledge and use of high tech surveillance technology
- Personal communication skills for interviews
- Researching public information on a subject
- Undercover tactics to gather information and evidence
What Does A Private Investigator Do?
The main task is to gather information about a person or situation for their employer or client. This will involve researching a person or subject, setting up a surveillance plan and gathering facts and evidence in a way that can be used by the client. vvv
The techniques involved vary and very much depend on how much close and personal interaction with the subject is required. One example would be an insurance company trying to prove a suspected fraudulent claim. An investigator would use covert surveillance using cameras to find proof that the subject may be overstating an injury. Both photos and videos can be used by the insurance company to start fraudulent claim proceedings.
Another very commonly encountered job is the investigation of a client’s spouse, most often to gather evidence of unfaithful behavior that may be used during divorce cases. These cases may involve getting close and personal with the subject to find out more about their habits and actions, which would require some kind of undercover tactics.
In many cases investigators tend to specialize in a specific field where they can hone their skills and become the go to person for such tasks. This specialization is common for jobs like missing person location, insurance fraud or computer forensics. The advantage of focusing on one particular area is similar to surgeons focusing on one part of the body; their skills will become what the very efficient and effective.