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Licenced Investigators.
Although government licencing of Investigators has been approved by an Act of Parliament, investigators are still not licenced in the UK. This is due mainly to financial constraints of the governing body, the Security Industry Authority (S.I.A.), and the actual structuring of, amongst other requirements, a Competency criteria.
Naturally, you will want to know that the investigators instructed by you have the necessary credentials and experience to do the job and are honest, professional and discreet. Amongst the criteria that would form part of any application for a licence, would be a requirement to undergo a Criminal Record Check. Until licencing goes ‘live’ this is not yet a necessity.
Unfortunately, unless you have very good judgement or have been recommended to an investigator, by a previously satisfied client, you should always be wary of who you eventually instruct to do your investigation. Without such checks and without some form of regulatory body, you the client are at risk of being given the wrong advice and therefore putting yourself into a position that may lead to costly litigation.
Whoever you choose to conduct your enquiries, make sure they have the credentials to do the job and are professional, honest and discreet.
In the meantime, the alternative is to deal with an investigator who is at least a member of a bone fide investigators association. The most prominent and most established is the Association of British Investigators (the A.B.I. - www.Assoc-Britishinvestigators.org.uk) and who were,at the forefront of lobbying government to regulate the private investigation industry through Licencing.
All ABI members are subject to a disciplinary body within the association and are obliged to conduct their work within a strict code of ethics laid down by the Association.
Dealing with a member of the ABI or a similarly established and disciplined organisation, (for instance the Institute of Professional Investigators (IPI) www.ipi.org.uk) can therefore offer some recourse should there be a problem, until at least the S.I.A. begin issuing licences.
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