Private Investigation (From Handbook of Criminal Investigation, P 277-298, 2007, Tim Newburn, Tom Williamson, and Alan Wright, eds. -- See NCJ-220829)

• NCJ Number: 220836
• Author(s): Les Johnston
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 22 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

After defining "private investigation," this chapter reviews the history of private investigation in North America and Great Britain, followed by discussions of the structure and functions of the private investigative sector, its ethics and regulation, and its interface with public policing.

Abstract

An investigator is defined as "someone who tracks or traces out something that is missing, something that has occurred, or something that was or is known by someone but remains hidden." A "private" investigation occurs when it is conducted by someone who "either runs or is employed by a business which provides investigative services for a fee." By far the biggest boost to private investigation occurred in Great Britain as a result of the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857, which enabled privately employed investigators to develop a role in the field of divorce. Another area of investigative activity for private investigators was the infiltration of factories and worker organizations in order to collect information related to labor disputes. The investigative industry in Britain ranges in composition from small firms and lone operatives to large companies that serve international clients. An overview of the functions of private investigators in the United Kingdom published in December 2005 listed 90 work areas, which included fraud investigations, various types of surveillance, home-purchase investigations, and nanny investigations. In Britain, new regulatory systems for private investigators were introduced under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. It established an independent body, the Security Industry Authority, which licenses individuals who work in private security, including private investigators. Increasingly, private investigators are being viewed by the public police as partners in the effort to increase the safety of the public and as supplementary investigative alternatives that the public deems necessary due to the limited resources of the public police. 41 references