Private investigators work in totally a dynamic industry where two cases are very, very rarely the same and the ability to box up any type of enquiry and label it with a price tag is impossible.

Sometimes clients have a clear image of what they want the investigator to do but in some cases their “method” is either illegal or, at best, not cost effective. Watching “Spooks” every evening doesn’t really give you a clear understanding of the resource’s available to the PI industry in this country.

Let’s take tracing missing persons for an example, these types of enquiries can take anything from minutes to years and offering a fixed fee would be impossible. A good PI would quote on a trace after hearing the full details that are known about the missing person and then make an hourly/daily rate or block payment to commence investigations.

Our experience will allow us to offer alternatives to clients that they may well not have been aware existed. And therefore, in some cases, bring the cost down.

“I want my husband followed for a week” is not always the best plan to uncover his activities but would be the only method that comes to a clients mind.

And don’t be shocked at the price, we are professionals and run a business and we are realistic with costs. Would you really expect a Plummer or carpenter to work all week in your house for £50?  

One of the statements that quite often come from clients is "You don't look like a private detective". To me that's a really odd thing to say. How many of you actually know a private detective and what should one look like?

Most people have a clear image in their mind of their favorite TV detective and expect a doppelganger of him/her, but the reality is quite different. I personally have found that, what the industry calls "the grey man", to be the most effective type of person to make enquiries or undertake effective surveillance. 

The grey man is medium height, medium build, not overly attractive or ugly with a standard hair cut and colour, wearing clothing to suit the venue and he doen't drive a red Ferrari. In short, the sort of person you wouldn't look twice at in any environment. The ability to blend with the surroundings is paramount. In a woodland you'd call it camouflage, in a pub it's the grey man.

Imagine the sort of person who could walk into your local and not have a single attribute you could remark upon. Thats me, so come and say hello next time i'm there.

So please, if you ever hire a detective don't expect them to turn up with a long mac, rolled up newspaper and a trilby hat, and if they do, maybe you should think about hiring someone else

Unless of course we're making enquiries at the annual Dick Tracy fanclub meeting!

 BCGR Investigations