Do you know that private investigators can help you with a lot of things? There are a lot of private investigation services that are offered by experienced private investigators. Haywood Hunt & Associates Inc. a private investigation firm located in Toronto, has compiled a list of what investigations they are legally allowed to do. Check them out below.
The Most Common Types of Investigations Carried Out by Private Investigators
In Ontario, Canada, private investigators need to be licensed under Ontario’s Private Security and Investigative Services Act before they can practice as an individual or as a business. Private eyes need to have the right qualifications and training before they can be a licensed private investigator because the scope of work deals with sensitive data that needs to be obtained legally. Licensed private investigators in Ontario may do the following jobs.
Looking for People or Things
- Conduct background checks on a business or a person including obtaining and providing information related to their actions and character
- Find missing persons
- Search for offenders of the law
Licensed private investigators know the proper actions to take when searching for people who do not want to be found such as in the case of debtors who are trying to hide from their obligation or people who are key witnesses to a court case.
Background Checks
Background checks are commonplace these days prior to hiring and prior to entering a business deal. It is done to check a business’ or someone’s character, credentials, credibility, financial stability, and integrity. Some other purposes for background checks include:
- Resolving a case of identity theft
- Child custody issues
- Volunteering
- Checking details prior to entering relationships
Child Custody Investigations
It is necessary to prove that one parent is unfit when spouses do not agree on child access and child custody. A private investigator for hire can gather data to prove this or to show if a child’s safety is at risk.
Finding Missing Assets or Property with Asset Investigations
Some people may hide properties or assets prior to a divorce. Some people hide assets when they are in debt or when they don’t want business partners to know about what they have. A private eye can look for missing assets and properties and provide proof that they exist.
Surveillance and Research
Part of investigating is gathering data and private investigators mostly accomplish this with research and surveillance. Techniques under this include:
- Skip tracing
- Background checks
- video surveillance
- witness locating and statements
- Audio surveillance
- GPS
- Taking photographs
- Recording personal observations
- Using public libraries to look for old news
- Using the internet and public databases to find addresses, employment information, and phone numbers
- Checking divorce records, bankruptcy records, land registry databases, and other accessible information
- Going undercover for projects such as workplace investigations to investigate cases of fraud, harassment, theft, assault, unfair hiring practices, and discrimination
Things That A Private Investigator Cannot Legally Do
Private investigators cannot impersonate police officers in any way and cannot make arrests. They also cannot do any illegal means of obtaining data such as wiretapping and trespassing. Professional private investigators must abide by the code of conduct, rules, and regulations as stated in the Private Security & Investigative Services Act.
Remember that hiring a licensed private investigator is your key to make sure that all data gathered and uncovered can be used in court if needed. Haywood Hunt & Associates is composed of a team of professionals with years of experience in their field. Contact their full-service investigation firm if you need reliable private investigation services in Ontario and nearby locales.
