When you consider engaging the services of a private investigator you might well ask the question, “Is this firm properly licensed?” If you are in the United Kingdom, the answer is simple. No, it is not and cannot be, since no licensing or other forms of regulation of the private investigation industry exists in Britain.
The United Kingdom is one of the few developed nations where this is the case. In the Republic of Ireland for example, private detectives are required to be registered with the Private Security Authority. In France, they are strictly controlled by government licensing as is the case in Germany too. In Canada licensing is at Province level. In the United States, the system varies from state to state with a few states having no regulation.
There are of course many highly reputable and experienced private detectives to be found in Britain, there is simply no official government regulatory system to oversee their operations. The downside to this situation is that there are many so-called private enquiry agents who provide an inferior service at what appear to be attractive rates.
One of the reasons such people can offer these apparently low-cost services is that frequently they do not carry professional indemnity or other insurance, thereby keeping their own operating costs low. They may well not be registered under data protection legislation and the fact that so often they require payment in cash or by personal cheque suggests that they are operating as part of the “black economy” and paying no tax. They probably don’t even have a business bank account. When their work turns out to be far from satisfactory, that is when their apparently “low cost,” service can prove to be very costly indeed!
A reputable firm of private investigators such as EJM Investigations will be able to show proof that they are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is a legal requirement and all EJM’s private detectives and process servers are data protection registered as individuals, so you can be sure your information and data are in safe hands.
You can be sure that EJM Investigations and any other agencies across the country with whom they may work will carry out their work ethically, morally and within the framework of the law. Where it is appropriate, great care will be taken to ensure that the information obtained is presented in compliance with the Rules of Evidence so that it can be confidently presented in court.
EJM Investigations looks forward to the day when the UK has a proper system for the regulation of private investigators. In the meantime, as reputable investigators, we will continue to operate as if we were regulated.
We provide our private detective and investigative services to Manchester and surrounding areas such as Oldham, Rochdale, Salford. We also operate in other locations.