A private investigator will go above-and-beyond to help clients as part of their work, but that doesn’t mean they’ll cross legal boundaries.
Or at least, a good one won’t. A bad private investigator could employ some illegal tricks or act against the law to try and secure a positive result, but this could be highly damaging for themselves and for their client.
It’s always best to only work with reputable PIs on the right side of the law, so with that in mind, here are 10 things a private investigator is not allowed to do – so you can watch out for any PI that claims to offer these services.
- A private investigator can’t legally arrest someone. They aren’t police. If a PI finds evidence of an illegal activity, they have to report it to the authorities.
- Private investigators can’t hack into personal devices or accounts. This means no wiretapping phones, no hacking email accounts and no accessing a smartphone without permission.
- No trespassing. If a private investigator is paid for surveillance services, they can’t operate on private land, and so must stick to public spaces and property.
- Private investigators can’t take personal property belonging to someone else, even if claiming it as evidence.
- Private investigators are not allowed to impersonate anyone official, such as a law enforcement officer. They are permitted to go undercover in a business if hired by the manager, but broadly they must be transparent about being a PI if asked.
- PIs can’t record conversations in most situations, including phone calls, unless all parties have been notified in advance.
- Private investigators have no rights to bear any kind of arms whilst operating. They have the same rights as the general public when it comes to firearms or other self-defense items.
- Private investigators must be careful not to harass anyone, such as contacting some excessively.
- Private investigators can’t track a person using a GPS device. They can track a vehicle, provided they have the permission of the vehicle owner.
- Private investigators mustn’t try to access medical records of anyone, as these are deemed private. They can however investigate unauthorized absence from the workplace.
Private investigators are hired for a wide range of tasks, including tracing missing people or carrying out surveillance on someone – often a partner who is suspected of cheating, or a worker who may be feigning injury.
A reputable PI can successfully complete this work without breaking any of the laws detailed above. They still have access to a wide range of resources and techniques to allow them to carry out the task.
Any PI who offers to break the law to achieve a goal should not only be avoided by clients, but should actively be reported to the authorities. Clients don’t want to risk being viewed as authorising any illegal activity, after all.
If you’re in need of a PI then call our team on 01772 334700. You can be assured that we will do everything we can to meet your requirements, provided it’s within the boundaries of the law!