Private Investigators
A private investigator is an expert at gathering information and evidence. In Australia, anyone can engage an investigator to inquire into a person, a business or a situation that needs to be examined in more detail.
People often use investigators to get evidence for court or legal proceedings, but clients can also use investigation services purely to uncover the truth for their own peace of mind. Hiring a PI is lawful as long as you use an investigator with the proper government-issued license and neither of you conduct unlawful activities in the course of a private investigation.
The formal name for a private investigator in some jurisdictions is a private inquiry agent and sometimes investigators are informally called private eyes or private detectives.
Private Investigation Services
Private investigators take on small jobs for individuals as well as very large jobs for multinational corporations and everything in between. The cost for an investigation ranges between just hundreds of dollars to the hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on what is required. Some investigations are over within a few hours while others can take months or even years
Private investigators work for individuals, law firms, small businesses, large corporations, government bodies, local government councils, insurers and more. Skilled investigators provide many different services. Here is a list of the most common types of investigations that are conducted daily in Australia everywhere from Sydney to Perth, from Melbourne to Cairns and beyond:
–Missing Persons Investigations
–Legal & Business Investigations
–Cheating Partner Investigations
–Computer & Phone Forensic Investigations
-Handwriting & Signature Forensics
-Criminal Investigations
–Identity Crime Investigations
-Security Services
If you have a different type of service in mind, then you should contact an investigator and see whether he or she can help.
Hiring a Private Investigator
Because there are several variables involved in every investigation, the best way to get an understanding of the expected likelihood of success, the cost and the duration of your type of matter is to discreetly contact a private investigator and brief him or her about the circumstances. The investigator can then give you a tailored proposal based on your requirements.
As long as you use a professional private investigator, then your confidentiality is assured. Note that some clients compromise the investigation themselves, before it has even begun. If you are interested in investigating a particular person, try not to let that person know about your intentions.
If there is any prospect that the subject of the investigation could be monitoring your digital devices, your emails, your car or your house then you should contact the investigator from a safe phone or email account, for example, by using your friend’s device away from your house and away from your own devices (which could be used as listening devices by a culprit).
The Importance of Communication in an Investigation
When you are safely communicating with your investigation service provider, ensure you provide a detailed summary of all the information known about the subject of the investigation and the broader circumstances. In any investigation, one is dealing with the unknown, so the more clarity you can give your investigator the better the potential outcome.
A skilled and experienced investigator will be able to advise you whether there is a prospect that your objectives can be achieved. If it is the case that there is a prospect of success, your PI will outline a plan and a cost proposal for you. You should carefully read through your correspondence to ensure that all the information is correct. If necessary, you should arrange to meet the investigator in person.
If you want to become involved in the evidence gathering yourself, then you can discuss that option with the investigator. Usually it is better that you do not become involved, but in some specific circumstances, you might be able to help.
Once you have an outcome, you should discuss with your private investigator, how to use the information that you have uncovered. If necessary, your investigator can probably refer you to a lawyer.
How Private Investigators Can Help
In life, we are often rewarded when we take action, whether that be in our personal life, our career, or when pursuing our hobbies and interests. When we encounter problems that we have not dealt with before, sometimes we are paralysed by doubt and inactivity.
Investigators help to solve personal, professional, legal, and commercial problems. They help by providing strategic advice and uncovering the truth so that you can make informed decisions and take back control of your life.
Getting a successful outcome in an investigation can be life changing especially when the problem has been ongoing. You might only get one opportunity to achieve your objective so ensure you choose an experienced and skilled investigator who has solved similar cases before.
Apprehension About Using an Investigator
Because most people will only ever use an investigator once or twice in their life at most, they are anxious about making contact initially. Some people believe their matter is too unusual or too small or that they will become too emotional when discussing their concerns.
Experienced private investigators have dealt with people in almost every type of situation imaginable. It is quite likely that the investigator you speak to has worked on cases similar to yours before even if you feel it is an unusual case.
If your case is truly unique, then your investigator should still be able to advise you of the proposed course of action, if there is a legitimate chance of success. There’s no harm in trying and private eyes are used to dealing with people in an emotional state, so there’s no need to feel embarrassed. You will ultimately feel far worse if you know you gave up your chance to get proof beyond doubt.
How to Choose a Private Investigator
Hiring an investigator is a lot like hiring a lawyer. There is a significant difference between hiring a skilled investigator and an amateur. In an investigation, if you hire the wrong person then you may not only lose your money but you could also compromise your confidentiality.
Look for experience, qualifications, testimonials and a detailed website. Lyonswood Investigations and Forensic Group has over 40 years of experience and has successfully helped tens of thousands of clients in that time. We have Supreme Court experience and dozens of testimonials from those we have assisted. Our director Robert Fahim holds multiple qualifications in the investigations and security industry and there are many media appearances documented on our website.
Whatever your investigative requirements, get in touch with Lyonswood today for an obligation-free discussion and let us help you to move forward.
Supreme Court Case Study
When we were approached by a client being blackmailed online by an anonymous cyberbully, we took the time to examine all available lines of inquiry to make sure we didn’t miss any clues. Through careful investigative work over time, we were able to expose the identity of the culprit in the Supreme Court without the help of the police. You can read the judgment here (http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/nsw/NSWSC/2013/733.html)
Lyonswood has provided evidence for thousands of clients involved in legal disputes and our evidence has been used in courtrooms many times before.
Testimonial:
Media Appearance
