Private investigators (PIs) are called upon by a variety of clients, from businesses to solicitors, and individuals seeking help with personal matters.
And whoever they are working with, private investigators serve an essential role in uncovering truths, gathering information, and providing support during critical times.
But what does the typical client look like? To help answer that, let’s take a look at the different types of clients PIs typically work with and the range of services they need.
1. Businesses
Understandably, businesses make up a large portion of the work that many PIs will undergo. And that work can fall into two over-arching categories – work that’s requested on a one-off basis, and then work carried out more on a retainer basis.
Examples of one-off work PIs carry out for businesses include:
Fraudulent Injury Claims
Businesses are often the target of fraudulent injury claims, especially in sectors like retail, manufacturing, and construction.
A PI may be hired to investigate whether an alleged injury was truly accidental or if it’s a staged attempt to receive compensation. These cases require quick, discreet, and thorough investigation to either confirm the claim or expose potential fraud.
Unauthorised Absence Investigations
When an employee is repeatedly absent from work without valid reason, or there’s a suspicion of malingering, businesses may seek the help of a private investigator to uncover the truth.
A PI could gather evidence through surveillance, background checks, or interviewing witnesses, helping the company make informed decisions about how to handle absenteeism.
Pre-Sue Reports
Before a business takes legal action against an individual or another company, it may want to gather evidence about the defendant’s financial situation or reputation.
A PI can provide a pre-sue report, which involves investigating the potential defendant’s assets, liabilities, and any history of legal issues, helping businesses assess whether pursuing legal action is worth the cost.
While any of those jobs could be carried out under a retainer contract, they tend to be the kind of thing that a PI would be hired for as-and-when they are needed. But there are other jobs that PIs can carry out for businesses which often are done either on a formal retainer, or just on an ongoing basis. These can include:
Tracing Debtors
Businesses often face challenges when clients or customers fail to pay outstanding debts.
A PI on retainer can be tasked with tracking down individuals who have skipped town or are actively avoiding payment. This ongoing service helps businesses recover what is owed to them and ensures smooth cash flow.
If a business doesn’t have many problems with debtors and just has the occasional issue, they would of course be more likely to employ a PI as needed rather than as part of a longer retainer.
Background Checks
Ongoing background checks are common for businesses that need to vet new employees or partners.
This might involve criminal history checks, financial audits, and other forms of due diligence. Many businesses maintain a retainer agreement with a PI to keep this service readily available for regular use, especially in industries that require high levels of trust or that will have a higher number of hires due to expansion or turnover.
Vetting
For businesses dealing with high-value contracts or sensitive projects, vetting partners, clients, and potential collaborators is crucial. A PI can conduct in-depth checks to ensure that individuals or companies are trustworthy and reliable, protecting the business from potential fraud or risk.
2. Solicitors
While solicitors are a type of business, the work that they would employ a PI to carry out is specific to their industry – hence they would be classed in their own category.
Some of the tasks that solicitors may employ private investigators to carry out include:
Criminal Defence Work
Solicitors who specialise in criminal defence may need the services of a private investigator to gather evidence, interview witnesses, or even uncover exculpatory information that could help defend their client.
PIs can conduct investigations into alibis, track down missing witnesses, or search for new evidence that wasn’t discovered during the initial trial preparation.
Taking Witness Statements
When preparing for a case, solicitors often need to track down and interview witnesses.
Private investigators are skilled in locating individuals and obtaining witness statements, often under difficult or sensitive circumstances. Whether it’s for civil or criminal cases, the PI ensures that all statements are properly documented and reliable.
Process Serving
Solicitors rely heavily on private investigators for process serving, which involves delivering legal documents to individuals or entities.
Some solicitors enter into ongoing relationships with PIs for consistent process serving services. The PI’s expertise ensures that all legal documents are served in accordance with the law, and the solicitor can track the status of the service in real-time.
3. Private Clients
While private investigators often carry out a large amount of work for businesses and legal firms, they will still offer services to private clients too.
This can include an even wider range of tasks, depending on the circumstances of the client, but some examples of private work include:
Pre-Nuptial Checks
When entering into marriage or a civil partnership, some individuals want to ensure they are fully informed about their partner’s background, especially regarding financial status, past marriages, or any potential hidden assets.
Private investigators can conduct discreet checks on a partner’s background, financial history, and previous relationships to help clients make an informed decision before committing to a legal bond.
Vehicle Tracking
For individuals concerned about the movements of a person (such as a spouse, partner, or even a teenager), vehicle tracking can provide invaluable insight.
Whether the goal is to confirm suspicions or simply to monitor someone’s whereabouts for safety reasons, a PI can install discreet tracking devices on vehicles to help gather the necessary data for the client.
Surveillance
One of the most common requests for private investigators is to conduct surveillance on a spouse or partner who is suspected of infidelity.
The investigation involves discreet observation, gathering evidence, and documenting the subject’s activities in order to provide the client with concrete information about the relationship’s status.
Surveillance can also be carried out on ex-partners to determine living or employment situations, which can be relevant for cases related to child support or other financial issues.
Tracing Missing People
When a loved one or a business partner goes missing, private investigators are often hired to track this missing person down.
This could involve investigating phone records, social media activity, interviewing acquaintances, or other detective work to uncover the missing person’s whereabouts. PIs provide a lifeline for those who are desperate to locate someone and find closure.
Conclusion: No Such Thing as a “Typical” Client
As shown, there isn’t a “typical” client for a private investigator – every case is unique. Whether it’s a business hiring a PI for one-off fraud investigations or an ongoing background check service, or a private client needing help with a personal matter like surveillance or tracking, the role of a PI is multifaceted.
Solicitors, too, rely on PIs for everything from criminal defence investigations to process serving. In each case, the needs and expectations differ, but the one common factor is that private investigators provide invaluable assistance in uncovering the truth or in carrying out complicated tasks to the letter of the law.
So, don’t ever worry if you think you need the help of a PI in Bradford and you’re concerned that your case is unusual. We don’t do “usual”. Give us a call on 01772 334700 and we’ll discuss how we can help.