We’re not that far from the gadgets James Bond gets to use, in fact, they’re a big part of our society today. Everyone owns a mobile phone that can record voices and capture video, and, almost every 3rd person owns a drone.

In terms of getting real evidence during undercover surveillance that is untainted by underhand tactics, your PI needs to know exactly where the legal boundaries are for every aspect of an investigation.

Legal knowledge is essential on the part of the PI if any part of the evidence gathered during surveillance is to be documented to be presented in court.

What is undercover surveillance

In the majority of cases, undercover surveillance plays a lead role in terms of time spent on any case in the life of a private investigator. However, beyond the experience to carry out successful undercover operations, a private investigator also has to spend a lot of his time on analysing information and data gathered during an investigation.

When is undercover surveillance used?

• Civil and criminal investigations i.e. when police are no longer able to continue an investigation and need assistance to gather more evidence in order to bring charges against a suspect
• Cheating
• Child custody
• Child visitation rights
• Locating missing people
• Business; PI’s can be ‘employed’ to carry out undercover surveillance at your business if you suspect there are crimes causing your company loss of finances and assets.
• Insurance fraud
• Workmen’s compensation fraud
• Harassment

Blending into the background during undercover surveillance

If a PI is to remain undetected by the subject under surveillance, he needs a high level of training and many years’ worth of experience in the field to be effective.

Remaining undetected means applying different techniques to suit each situation, which means a PI has to be able to think on his feet, quickly!

This is also why it’s best to hire a local investigator who knows the lay of the land and the culture of the country too, especially in a country as diverse as South Africa.

King Investigators, technology & undercover surveillance

King Investigators remain at the forefront of technological advances in their industry, which means that you can rely on them to have all the right equipment to carry out all forms of surveillance, while remaining within the letter of the law.

Remaining within the law in collecting evidence would include, as an example, the fact that though GPS monitoring devices can be used to track a subject and save costs on the investigation, the only way a PI can do this legally is to have permission of the vehicle owner.

If your client suspects that a spouse is cheating on him or her, and the car the spouse uses belongs to the client, then it’s no problem to get permission to attach a GPS tracker, otherwise it’s a no-no and won’t hold up in court.

If you prefer to hire true professionals, contact owner of King Investigators Jacques Botha. Jacques is a licensed private investigator heading up a team of seasoned investigators in Pretoria, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

With an investigative firm like this that’s at the top of its field in South Africa after over ten years in the industry, you won’t find more professional than this!