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The Truth Behind Lie Detectors

September 14, 2014 by IPIA Leave a Comment

The Lie Detector

There are various reasons why people tell lies. The most obvious one is to escape punishment and social censure. It is used as a defense mechanism. Sometimes, it is easy to tell when an individual is lying, but if one is a crafty liar it is very difficult to see through their pretence (lie detector).

The lie detector aka the polygraph machine is an infamous device in such cases. It has featured in detective films, novels and comics books. A few government jobs in some parts of the world also require you to undergo the polygraph test before you can be recruited for the job. Hardcore criminals too, get a little flustered about being subjected to the lie detector. The reason is they know that once there, the truth will come out with ease. Not known to everyone, but this lie detector harbours a secret.

How does a Lie Detector work?

The lie detector is an assembly of various medical devices. The word “poly” means multiple. It involves attaching multiple sensors, typically four or six, to the person’s body. The sensors are attached to the fingers, the arm and the chest. The sensors transmit multiple signals to the recording device where they are gyrated on a single moving chart strip (lie detector). The sensors record a person’s vitals such as the person’s breathing rate, the pulse, blood pressure and perspiration. Complex polygraphs also record a person’s arm and leg movements as physiological reactions.

The test starts with 3-4 simple questions. These are general questions asked to brief the person taking the test about the norms and the procedure. They are also known as control questions because they help the examiner determine a person’s reactions to different questions. Many a times, during the test, the examiner steers the candidate into denial to record his reactions. He will later compare these reactions with the reactions to relevant questions. After this, the examiner tests the candidate with the real and relevant questions.

The Little Secret

When one sits down to take the test, they are skillfully warned by the operator that the slightest hint of pretense and lying will be identified. In common parlance, if you lie, the buzzer will go off in minutes. Those unaware of how a lie detector machine works believe that it helps detect lies (lie detector). This is a long-fuelled myth. A lie detector helps detect deception depending on physiological reactions to a structured series of questions.

During the test as well as after it, the examiner studies the graphs for drastic changes in the individual’s vital signs. For example, if the heart rate gets faster or the blood pressure increases or there is increased perspiration, the examiner concludes that person has been insincere for a particular question.

For the results of this method to be accurate, it is necessary to have a well-trained examiner. A well-trained examiner is not only trained in operation of the device and charting graphs, but also reading graphs and seeing through people’s personalities and behavioral traits (lie detector).

In Conclusion

There has been a lot of controversy regarding the use of a lie detector in criminal investigation. This is on account of the level of subjectivity involved in the procedure. One who knows the truth about lie detectors can easily manipulate their answers to escape. This testing method is not perfect, yet it forms an integral part of the policing and judicial system in many countries across the world.

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency (IPIA) and our sister agency Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency (BEPIA) are fully registered agencies offering investigation services to the private and business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia.

Stalking or Surveillance?

August 21, 2014 by IPIA Leave a Comment

A World of Difference Between the Two

A girl files a stalking petition in court. According to her, there’s a man who follows her around and sits each night in his car for hours, outside her house, with night vision gear monitoring her activity. She claims it to be an invasion of her privacy and wants him to be penalized. The defendant turns out to be a private investigator hired by her ex-boyfriend. He flashes his professional license in court to convey that he is exempted from the stalking order. Thus, what is stalking for the plaintiff becomes surveillance for the defendant, although there will be difference between different countries.

Is this reason enough to let the defendant go? Does this mean that a private investigator has a free reign to pry into others matters only because he has a professional license? This is where the common man tends to mix up surveillance and stalking. There is a very fine line between surveillance and stalking knowing where to draw the line will make all the difference.

Surveillance vs Stalking

Surveillance is mostly taken up by private investigators. Indeed it is a very important tool of private investigators. It is stalking on behalf of a client.

However, it is generally considered legal in most countires. This is so long as it is conducted within the laws of any given location. For example the surveillance should be conducted in a way that respects a target’s legal right to a reasonable expectation of privacy, or surveillance should not cross over into illegal activities such as breaking into someone’s house.

Thus, a private investigator in many countries is legally entitled to gather information not available in public records. S/he can do so by approaching the person in question directly or in a covert manner such as following the person around, or keeping a personal vigil. The information collected is often produced as evidence in court.

Stalking is considered illegal and reflects a criminal intent. It is often also regarded as an activity with a sociopathic nature.

A Matter of Intent

The intent is the major point of distinction between the two. The main objective of surveillance is to collect legitimate investigative evidence. This evidence is used to strengthen a case in court. In case of stalking, the objective of collecting information is to control or intimidate the person. The stalker might use the information to force the victim to give in to his wishes and demands.

The laws applicable in different locations also determine the legality of surveillance often pinpointing where surveillance becomes stalking. In situations like the one mentioned at the start, the country laws will determine whether it is stalking or surveillance based on the intent. If it is used only to collect information, it can be regarded as surveillance. However, if it threatens the safety of a victim or makes them feel unreasonably safe, it becomes stalking whether it is done by a licensed professional or not.

Surveillance Is Not Stalking

When there is a legitimate motive
When it does not make the person feel unreasonably safe

If you want to gather information about a particular person, you should hire a private investigator.

Eugène François Vidocq

August 11, 2014 by IPIA Leave a Comment

The Founder Of Private Investigation

Private investigation in modern times is increasingly impressive and much of the thanks for this is due to technology. It is now easier to track down, create videos and even photograph or record misbehaving individuals, fraudsters and even find missing people much faster than it was before (eugene).

This private investigation journey started with a man who set up an investigative agency. The intention was to investigate different kinds of crimes and secure the needed information through spying and surveillance. The founder’s name is Eugene Francois Vidocq. He was born back in 1775 in Arras in France and spent most of his life as a criminal. In 1812, he founded Surete Nationale crime detection agency. He remained the director till 1827. He is looked upon as the father of Modern Criminology. His is a story that has inspired writers such as Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo.

His Life

Having been born in a wealthy large family, Francois became a criminal during his youthful years. He (eugene) would steal and sell silver plates belonging to his parents from a tender age of 13. He would then spend every dime he made from the selling within a day. At some point, his father decided to teach him a lesson by having him jailed. Vidocq later joined the army in 1791 and created a reputation of being an expert swordsman. He however, seemed more guided by his shady instincts. He would get into trouble for dueling often and was a womanizer too. Later, he got into trouble for desertion. He left the army and later got into fraud and theft. In 1796, he was sentenced to hard labor as a result of forgery. He escaped in 1800.

His Redemption and Ending

Vidocq witnessed a man’s execution and this started his journey to redemption. The man had been a criminal too and this deeply affected Vidocq. He (eugene) relocated and started to live an honest life as a merchant. People from his past however would emerge and blackmail him for money. He served as a police informant and was appointed as a Parisian jail spy in 1809. His duty was to report fellow inmates. After his release from prison duty, he continued working for the police unit and entered into the criminal underworld to get the information he needed.

He became a criminology master in 1811, a ballistic expert and record keeper who was very strict. Vidocq was a master of disguises usually dressing up as a beggar to enter into the underworld with ease. He is the same man who organized the plain clothes police force later to be converted into the security police unit. Vidocq gained a high reputation in the field of criminology. He later returned to crime and damaged his reputation and his business suffered in the process. He withdrew and went to live a private life thereafter. Eugene Francois Vidocq died in 1857 at the age of 82 in Paris. His wife had died years earlier. The two had no children (eugene).

St. Anthony of Padua

June 18, 2014 by IPIA Leave a Comment

The Patron Of Missing Persons And Lost Things

I first heard of St. Anthony over twenty years ago now. A friend of mine was a strict Catholic and one day her bicycle was stolen. She went into her local Church and prayed to St Anthony for the return of her bike.

A few days later her bicycle was found. She was out after that on her bike and thought she would pop into the church to thank St Anthony. She lent her bike against the church railings and went inside for a few moments to say a thank you prayer. When she came out her bike was gone.

As I think about this now I am not sure if my friend was telling me a joke or indeed if it was true. It does not really matter – the tale was vivid enough for me to never forget that that St Anthony was the patron Saint of lost things, and seeing a bike parked outside a church the other day I resolved to fill in some of the gaps and do some research on this Saint.

Background

Anthony of Padua, also known as the patron of missing persons and lost things, is a Catholic Saint. Born back in 1195 near Lisbon, he was named Fernando. He came from a wealthy family and was schooled in Lisbon Cathedral School.

At the tender age of 15, he joined Augustinian monastery against the wishes of his family. Since the monastery was in Sao Vicente and close to his native city, frequent visits from friends and relatives became a distraction. He therefore asked for a transfer after two years and moved to Coimbra Holy Cross. This was a learning center and Portugal’s capital of the time. His next eight years at Holy Cross were fully devotional in prayer and study of the Sacred Scripture.

At 26 years of age, Anthony of Padua joined Moroccan Franciscan Order. This was in 1221 and he requested to be sent to the Morocco mission to preach among Moors. Ill health saw to his return to Europe and he later moved to the Italian Romagna where he spent 9 months as a hermit’s chaplain. The saint was modest and would carry lowly duties within the convent and the kitchen. He would then miraculously be called to give a sermon during an ordination ceremony when the priest on duty fell suddenly ill. He humbly refused the call, but would finally agree out of obedience to his superiors (st anthony).

His Death

Saint Anthony spent the last 2 years of his life in Padua hearing confessions, working with the poor and preaching. He (st anthony) died in 1231 on the thirteenth day of June. He died in his chaplain reserved apartment in Arcella. This is a suburb that is within Padua. He died at 36 years of age and received all his last rites before dying. In 1232, he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX. He was later in 1946 declared as Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII. His canonization makes it to the records as the second fastest. Less than a year after his death, he was declared a saint. A basilica was built in his honor in 1963.

His Record

Anthony of Padua stands tall among the greatest preachers of the Middle Ages. He is still among the most famous saints to date. Catholics call upon the saint to find their lost possessions hence, he is known as the patron of missing persons and lost things. The saint is sculpted and portrayed holding baby Jesus, a book or a lily. Some of the portraits show him holding all three in his arms (st anthony).

There are several prayers under the Catholic Church which are dedicated to him (st anthony). They also call upon his power and intervention in finding the lost people or items. Those who make their prayers to the Saint Anthony often report having found their lost belongings and even lost people.

Risks and Investigators

June 10, 2014 by IPIA Leave a Comment

Being a private investigator can be a very rewarding profession that always offers interesting travels and new experiences but there are also some medical dangers and risks that are built into the occupation (medical).

Unfortunately, there have been some reported cases of PIs being attacked or even murdered. The basic philosophy of the job can breed some contention and possibly elicit retaliation. Working late into the night, often alone, can put an agent in a vulnerable position. However, we are fortunate in that to date none of our PIs have been attacked (they have been threatened though) and certainly not murdered.

No, health concerns, are more mundane but still very serious.

On the Road

Imagine an airplane crashing every week with all those on board dying. Mustapha Benmaamar, a transport specialist with the World Bank in Jakarta was talking about road accidents here in Indonesia when he summed it up saying: “We’re talking about the equivalent of a jumbo jet crash every week…….when a jumbo jet crashes, it’s big news, but here (in Indonesia), these people die in silence.”

There are health issues that private investigators are more susceptible to perhaps than people in other professions and I cover these below. For me though, as a Director of Investigations managing a number of investigators, it is road safety that worries me most of all (medical).

Actually, the number of deaths on Indonesian roads is more like two jumbo jet crashes a week. Each day an average of 120 people die in road accidents.

One of the first things a visitor notices about traffic in Indonesia (and I am sure other countries in Asia) is the huge amount of small motorcycles. They are like flies weaving in and out of everywhere, There are now more than 60 million of these flies on Indonesia’s roads and 8 million cars.

In Jakarta millions of motorcycles dart in and out and around the semi-permanent gridlock of cars and trucks and buses. If the traffic jam is too dense they will drive up onto pavements or zoom insanely down one-way streets in the wrong direction. Stop signs, red lights and as far as I can tell any road laws are not to be bothered with. Pedestrians get no respect.

Indonesia, and Jakarta, is prone to sudden heavy rain. When this happens motorcyclists often form large groups underneath overpasses, blocking traffic on main roads until the rain passes.

With the massive surge of traffic in Indonesia has come an increase in the number of road deaths:

2002 – just over 8,000 a year
2007 – more than 16,500 a year
2010 – about 35,000 a year

Sixty percent of deaths were riders of two- or three-wheel vehicles. Pedestrian deaths made up 21 percent of the total road fatalities in Indonesia.

Official figures do not record the number of pedestrian deaths linked to motorcycles, but it is safe to assume the number is significant.

I suppose getting from A to B carries the same dangers for everyone in Indonesia, but for our agents the risks are perhaps exaggerated given the that the work often needs large amounts of time on mobile surveillance.

We do try to minimise the risk by ensuring all agents are trained on motorcycle riding. We also try, where possible, to carry out mobile surveillance in cars. If we do have motorcycle surveillance all agents are issued with high quality helmets.

Also we have a policy where agent safety is a key priority. An agent should never risk their health or life to continue surveillance. They just back off.

Once I remember tailing a woman (young) and it was 01:00 in the morning. She had left work on her motorcycle and started to gather pace, as she approached 90km/hour I let go. It really is not worth it.

General Medical Conditions

The more realistic risks relate to the varying conditions that a private investigator has to encounter in the search for evidence. A Private Investigator cannot normally get up and leave the job to go to bathroom or eat dinner if they are on a stakeout. Leave for five minutes and that could be the five minutes where something critical happens.

Agents also spend a lot of time in traffic – pollution and of course the traffic jams. Much time can also be spent in a stationery car. Imagine sitting in a hot car for hours observing the target to complete surveillance.

Additionally, the stakeout can pose risks for heat exhaustion in Indonesia (and I guess hypothermia in other parts of the world). In order to be quiet and discreet the PI may place themselves in situations that are uncomfortable or even unhealthy over time.

Some of the possible health risks I must consider when I make a timetable for the various agents include:

Stress (from the traffic)
Urinary tract illnesses (from not going to the toilet when needed)
Digestive illnesses

Agents can also suffer from abnormal blood sugar levels if they are not able to eat on the job. In this profession you don’t get traditional, scheduled breaks.

While it is important to complete the task and fully investigate the scene, an agent’s health is a critical quality to consider in planning agents for future cases. So for example if an agent has recently spent a week or so on a very static stakeout in a car, we will try and switch it around with the next case having more outside walking – it is impossible to predict what will be needed for each case but often we can have a good idea after discussions with a client (medical).

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency (IPIA) and our sister agency Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency (BEPIA) are fully registered Private Investigation Agencies offering private detective and private investigator services to the Private and Business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia.

The Internet & Legal Proceedings

May 20, 2014 by IPIA Leave a Comment

Social media has changed courts of law and the rules about what is and is not considered substantial. Relevant evidence has changed dramatically with the growth of social media (Personal Investigator).

Today social media evidence is admissible in a court of law and social network accounts are very important considerations where lawyers and private investigators look for evidence when building cases. Lawyers specifically use evidence from social media to build up prepared statements about a person’s state of mind as well as proving evidence of communication, place and time, or actions.

For example, someone might publish on his or her Facebook status: “I have got to do it. There is no turning back, I’m sorry”. If this was published by an accused person twenty minutes before the alleged crime was committed it could certainly pack a punch with a jury.

Remember also it is not just about the words used but also social media can offer some incriminating location details (Personal Investigator). A post could put someone near the scene of the crime at a given time.

Additionally, social media evidence can add up over time and show the growth of relationships and extra martial affairs that could be used as evidence in divorce proceedings.

Divorce Proceedings

It’s important to be aware of the role that social media can play in legal proceedings today so that you can protect yourself from self-incrimination through evidence gathered in social media contexts. Did you know?

66% of online divorce evidence comes from Facebook,
14% comes from MySpace,
5% comes from Twitter,
15% comes from other sources.

Additionally, lawyers and private investigators can collect information from Instagram, SnapChat, LinkedIn, blogs, dating websites, and any other sites that you frequent online.

Depending on the type of case presented against you they will utilize different kinds of sites to build a case with social media an important part of the evidence (Personal Investigator).

Problems with Social Media

There are some problems that have arisen when dealing with social media evidence. First of all the courts in the west have acknowledged that there are many ways to doctor or edit photos to be incriminating and anyone has the ability to create a fake account (Personal Investigator). The process of properly verifying the source of the information, especially written information, can be very difficult and acquiring proof can take time that the court might not have.

Additionally, lawyers have to be careful about how they acquire the evidence and cannot coax information from victims or others by acting as a counterfeit friend online. Evidence can be immediately dismissed if the methods for acquiring the information are inappropriate. Facebook also isn’t incredibly cooperative when turning over information for court proceedings and will not provide expert testimony (Personal Investigator).

Women in PI Work: Part III

April 2, 2014 by IPIA Leave a Comment

Challenges of a Woman Private Investigator

The field of private investigation has traditionally been known to be a “man’s world”. The focus is most definetley on men. Think about it honestly. If we were to ask what image comes to mind when you hear the word ‘detective’ or ‘investigator’, you would probably say that you imagine a tall handsome man. Possibly with a pipe in his mouth, in other words a Sherlock Holmes. In case you are an Agatha Christie fan, and can’t get enough of the Belgian detective with a foreign accent, you would probably say Hercule Poirot (Private Investigator).

Would you remotely think of Nancy Drew or even Miss Marple for that matter? And that’s just fiction! What we are trying to get at is that the field of private investigation has always been known to be a “boy’s club” and that brings us to the many challenges that women face in the field of private investigation.

Thanks to the fact that women are moving towards being on par with men in every field today, the number of women in the field of private investigation has also seen a spurt. A lot of women over the past couple of decades have chosen to get into this field and the challenges they face are no different than they would in any other profession.

Women can do everything. Right from being homemakers to flying space shuttles, women have literally done it all, and yet when it comes to the space of private investigation women have traditionally stayed away. Even when we stand in the 21^st century, there is still a lot of prejudice against a woman who chooses to be in the field of private investigation. And this is despite the fact that she may have superior training as well as better skills and methods as compared to her male counterparts.

Women Private Investigators on the Rise

Having said that, this perception is changing, albeit slowly. A lot of women in the recent past have chosen to enter this field not just based on their so-called intuitive powers, but because they have had a career in the armed forces or the police or have been in a police forensics department. These ladies have been inspired to enter the world of private investigation. Unlike what they show you in movies, it’s anything but a glamorous job and there are substantial risks to security, health and emotional stability. And yet there are women in the field of private investigation for whom the last word is integrity.

Despite the many achievements of female private investigators, this is a field that continues to be dominated by men. However, in recent years, there has been a paradigm shift. Women from varied backgrounds are choosing to take up private investigation as a profession. With this welcome change, we can only hope that the future will not be as dismal as the past. History is witness to the fact that a lot of good work done by many unrecognised female detectives has been lost, simply because nobody bothered to take their work seriously.

Everyday Challenges for a Female Private Investigator

There is always an attempt to find the right work-life balance, especially if a woman has a family and children (Private Investigator. There are the long hours and having to explain to young children in the best way possible the need for a disguise or an undercover operation (without giving too much away).

Private investigation is not a regular job, so to say, and the everyday pressures while working on a complex case are far more demanding than many professions. Women in the field of private investigation therefore would not end up as a soccer mom, but she would have her achievements to speak for herself when her kids do grow up to understand her profession.

The other challenge that a woman may face as a private investigator, is her emotional connection with a case. The work of a detective has a lot to do with human psychology, and try as they may it’s difficult to keep it strictly professional at times. At times, without being aware of it, a woman may get so involved in her case that she becomes extremely sympathetic with the victim. This can have a detrimental impact not just on her career but also on her psychological health, where it may so happen that she cannot move on from one particular case (Private Investigator.

A Woman in a Man’s World

Perhaps the biggest challenge a female investigator faces still in the 21^st century is prejudice at her workplace. Several woman detectives have gone on record to say that though their male colleagues have tried their best to keep it subtle, their off-handed remarks and attitude have always suggested that a woman private investigator is not “as good” as a man just because she is a woman! These ladies who have done exceedingly well for themselves as private investigators, and admit that one of the toughest challenges for them was to prove their mettle in the “world of men.” The good news however is that times are changing.

With more and more women being encouraged to take up private investigation as their field of work, we can only hope that this prejudice against women working in this field will soon be a thing of the past (Private Investigator.

Women in PI Work: Part II

April 2, 2014 by IPIA Leave a Comment

Women Private Eyes: Fiction and Reality

Though men have been the archetypal private investigators, fictional woman private investigators have existed way before even Sherlock Holmes was introduced in 1887. An author of British origin, Andrew Forrester Jr. introduced Mrs Gladden, the first female detective character in 1864. If one reads Mrs Gladden’s adventures and approach to crime, one would find that Holmes is perhaps a worthy successor to her methods of deduction (Private Detective Agency).

The Early Era of Fictional Woman Detectives

Soon after Mrs Gladden came Mrs Paschal. She was a widow of forty and comes across as any other hardboiled male detective. She is proficient in the use of a Colt revolver. Her cases involved everything – murder, forgery, kidnapping and theft. She was the narrator of her own adventures and in them she claims that she has “certain advantages” over her male competitors because criminals and suspects do not think of her as a detective. Her methods of solving a crime involved a methodical approach, and were contrary to the criticism that a woman private investigator relies too heavily on intuition. Both, Gladden and Paschal display their skills of disguise.

Another contemporary American lady detective who was introduced in the year 1880 was Kate Goelet. Despite being young (she was only twenty three) and beautiful, she was adept at weaponry and could pull out six inch daggers from her sleeves with ease. The creator of Goelet also brought to life another female detective character Cad Metti, who showed that she was capable enough not only to take care of herself but also at knocking out an antagonist. She too comes across as a genius in disguise.

The Fiction and the Facts

Of the best known female investigators ever created however is Agatha Christie’s famous lady detective Miss Jane Marple, who makes her first appearance in 1928. Introduced as a spinster at the ripe age of sixty five, Miss Marple modestly admits many times that she is “not clever” and leads what is assumed to be a quiet life in the English countryside (Private Detective Agency). She however does say that living a number of years has given her a rare insight into human nature. Although she always remains ladylike and genteel, her adventures show that she can uncover almost any crime because of her “rare insight”.

Though the above characters remain etched in the minds of book lovers, in real life women in the field of private investigation were unheard of till the year 1856, when Kate Warne earned the honour of being the first female investigator in the history of America. She was associated with the Pinkerton Detective Agency which was founded by Allen Pinkerton. Although she had applied for the job of a secretary, the founder of the firm was so impressed by her that he saw in her the potential of making a great female investigator. Indeed, Warne lived up to the expectations of Pinkerton and became adept at gathering information that none of her male counterparts were able to. She was even able to save the then presidential elect Abraham Lincoln from an assassination attempt.

The unfortunate part in the history of private investigation is that although there may have been many brilliant woman private investigators nobody has bothered to maintain their records and success stories. With days and times changing now, one hopes that history will not repeat itself and the work of female private investigators will be given as much credit as with their male counterparts (Private Detective Agency).

Women in PI Work: Part I

March 21, 2014 by IPIA Leave a Comment

Advantages of a Female Private Investigator

When it comes to selecting a private investigator, we are all so hung up with the male bastion that we forget that a woman can excel as private investigators and possibly in some situations even more so than men.

Perhaps we have pre-conceived ideas of a private investigator as a male. You might blame this on detective books and movies. Mostly what we have read and seen in films or TV are extremely smart, swanky, not to mention attractive men playing the roles of investigators. Women are often relegated to the background playing the private assistant or a sexy companion at best. The other popular perception is that of honey trappers who have been known to use their charms to expose cheating husbands.

At Indonesia Private Investigation Agency and Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency use a range of agents and will pick and choose between women and men depending on the case at hand. Sometimes men are ideal, and at other times women make the best choice.

A Growing Presence of Women Private Investigators

When it comes to the real world where private investigation is a profession like any other, women are doing exceedingly well. Even till about a decade ago only 15 per cent of private investigators in the developed nations were women, but over the past few years there has been a sea change with a number of women joining this profession.

UK especially deserves a special mention because it has seen a rise of 86 per cent in the number of female private investigators over the last ten years or so. Not to mention Indonesia where IPIA, as one of the first Private Investigation Agencies, was started by a woman and still uses many female agents.

The Gender Advantage in Private Investigation Work

Hiring a private investigator typically means that you are going through a situation that is difficult to understand and often extremely sensitive.

I have read some argue that a woman often has a way with words and thus makes for a better communicator. The argument follows that women are ideally suited to give a patient ear to the problems of their clients and take a more sympathetic approach. It is also claimed that women also have a natural ability to put people at ease with their presence, so both clients and people being investigated seem to trust them better.

I have also read that women seem to bring to the profession natural abilities to network. A woman also can have better access to information because they have a larger access to people and places.

In one article I came across recently I read that PI agencies that are hiring women as private investigators see women as having a clear advantage as they have better abilities to multitask and unlike men, do not find it difficult to suppress their egos in order to attain their set goals. As a claim that seems a little over the top to me and there was certainly no scientific evidence offered. Finally, the article argued, to use a cliché, there is seldom a substitute for a woman’s intuition which more often than not can be a clincher when it comes to solving the most complex of cases.

Another common theme I have come across regards the fact that many of an investigator’s targets are cheating men. So the client is generally a woman. So the argument goes that a woman dealing with a woman can establish trust more easily. When it comes to female clients, another woman can repose their trust in a woman in good faith. The comfort factor with a woman is much more when it comes to investigating things like a premarital verification or a case of domestic infidelity.

All these arguments are difficult grounds to prove at least scientifically. Having said that from our experience there is certainly a growing comfort with our clients of using women and a number have specifically asked for a female agent. Clients often seem to trust women more in some instances than their male counterparts.

For all the arguments put forth about the advantages and disadvantages of women agents I know of no scientific evidence to support an argument either way. I would tend towards the opinion that possibly at the end of the day the difference between a man and a woman is mostly due to differences of character and not that of gender.

“Mostly” – I do believe there are some instances where, rightly or wrongly, gender makes a differences.

In terms of safety it is not unknown for agents to find themselves in some potentially threatening situations.

From our own experience there have been occasions where we have been approached by the bodyguard type of man. Possibly (probably) being a woman reduced any threat of a more physically violent confrontation.

It is very difficult to be 100% sure that gender played a role here. However, what I can say for sure is that whilst all our female PIs have found themselves in potentially violent situations none have ever had violence done to them. Our male agents on the other hand have. I have no scientific evidence if this difference is due to gender, but I do know for sure it is a fact.

It is a sad fact, but I do believe this, that everyone without exception has prejudice of some kind.

Indeed the following illustration may not be true but I appreciate the point being made. In the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles there are, apparently, two doors to enter through. One door has a sign over it reading “Enter here if you are without prejudice”. The second door has a sign over it reading “Enter here if you have prejudice”. This is the first lesson of the museum – the door “without prejudice” is locked.

I recall once at school being told the following “riddle”: a man, who is a doctor, is driving his son to school. They have a car accident and the man dies. The young boy, the son, has a severe head injury and is rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. He needs instant surgery on his skull. The brain surgeon walks into the operating theatre and seeing the patient says “Oh My God. It’s my son”.

The question is “what is the relationship between the boy and the brain surgeon”? The answer, if you do not know, is at the end of this article. Most people get the answer eventually but I have never known anyone to jump to it immediately.

I would argue that the pre-conception and prejudice of a man as an investigator can be turned to an advantage for a woman. Many cases require surveillance and people would be less likely to suspect a woman as targeting them, making the woman private investigator more inconspicuous.

To finish – the relationship between the boy and brain surgeon? The surgeon is of course the mother.