There is always a lot of confusion as to
- WHO the private investigators are,
- HOW they conduct their work, and
- WHY would you need one at all?
The answer is much simpler than you can imagine.
WHO are the private investigators?
First of all, we are independent professionals, accredited by the province where we provide our services. Some of us have law enforcement, military, or secret service background, but some come from HR, security, finance and insurance industries, or simply possess a proven mix of education and experience, that allows to receive the accreditation. Secondly, and I have to be honest, Canadian private investigators have little in common with James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Sam Spade, Thomas Magnum, Hercule Poirot, or Miss Marple. Our reality is greatly exaggerated in books and movies. We do not smoke opium, wear fedoras, drive million dollar vehicles, or have a license to kill.
In fact, we have no special rights, as police officers for example do, and we don’t carry guns.
HOW do we manage to do our work then?
Of course, we do change clothes sometimes, have cool gadgets with long range lenses and battery charges, and often have to travel long distances to collect the evidence. But what sets us apart, is usually, good observational abilities, inquisitive mind set, critical thinking skills, and lots of patience. Education, experience, and ability to improvise is often more important than versatile electronic devices. We also know where and how to dig for information through open sources and developed contacts. We do not always dress in black, and if we are good at what we do, you will not be able to tell us apart from a regular passer-by.
Now, WHY would you need us?
Well, there are many instances that we can be of assistance. Besides, spying on cheating spouses and videotaping fraudulent insurance cases, we also can help prove innocence in a criminal prosecution case, acquire evidence of appropriation of copyrighted material, stop sexual harassment or workplace violence, prevent child abuse, locate missing persons or witnesses, conduct polygraph examination, computer and cellphone forensics, secure your home or office space, and look into background checks of potential employees or online dating profiles. We work with law firms, insurance companies and financial institutions, large corporations, small businesses, and private individuals.
On occasion, we also assist law enforcement agencies and government departments, on federal, provincial, and municipal levels.
