Covert Surveillance & Process Serving Specialists
Prestige Manned Guarding Operatives in Merseyside, Manchester and throughout the North-West
Head Office: The Lodge, Edwards Lane, Hunts Cross, Liverpool L24 9HW
Midlands Office: 43 Temple Row, Birmingham B2 5LS
For All Enquiries Please Telephone 0845 520 7777
INVESTIGATION NEWS
August 2011
http://www.met.police.uk/disordersuspects/
Probe Investigations UK Limited fully supports the police service and would like to thank all the serving officers and their support staff for such brave commitment in recent harrowing and very dangerous circumstances. Any member of the public that can identify offenders, or has any information to assist the police in their enquiries is encouraged to call their local police station or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Probe Investigations UK Ltd offer their support to the campaign to rebuild Reeves Corner, Croydon which was destroyed by rioters. Please join the Facebook Group and show your support too.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/rebuildreeves/
9/7/11 ...... "Phone hacking" and regulation of the investigation sector
The term "Phone Hacking" is widely used in the media currently to refer to the allegations made against journalists that they employed private investigators to systematically access voicemail boxes of celebrities, politicians and victims of crime and their families. Voicemail access is however just one illegal activity offered by some so-called "private investigators" who are allowed to flourish in the absence of regulation and licensing. Many such activities are criminal offences against the Data Protection Act and other legislation including the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, The Computer Misuse Act 1990 and other statutes.
Probe Investigations UK Ltd has never offered phone hacking or indeed any unlawful services, despite the occasional request to do so. Our two offices are each headed by members of The Association of British Investigators and the company is compliant in all areas.
The Association of British Investigators alone of all the investigation sector associations require not just a competence standard and interview but full background, credit worthiness and criminal record checks of all aspiring members and current members on a continuous basis. The Association imposes a very strict code of ethics on its members and does not tolerate any degree of unlawful activity by them. The legal profession have recognised these unique and stringent requirements. The Association of British Investigators is endorsed by The Law Society of England & Wales and the Service Provider Scheme of The Law Society of Scotland.
With the prospective demise of the Security Industry Authority in its current guise following Coalition Government policy; there appeared no likelihood of state action in the near future to constrain and police the activities of corrupt so-called investigators. Perhaps recent events may induce a review of the situation?
Probe Investigations UK Ltd would welcome regulation of the investigation sector and we consider it to be long overdue. We believe, in particular, there is a pressing minimum requirement for a 'fit and proper person' test to be applied to anybody acting as an investigator in private practice, or employed by such.
Undoubtedly, the highest proven standard of integrity in our profession is that of The Association of British Investigators and Probe Investigations UK Ltd believes that the SIA could adopt this model immediately and thereby lessen any further delay in the implementation of licensing investigators in the private sector.
Phone hacking is unlawful, disgraceful and unacceptable. Those responsible are not investigators in the private sector; they are criminals out to make money. A further offence of 'impersonating a licensed investigator could easily accompany sector regulation.
As far as Probe Investigations UK Ltd is concerned - the sooner the
better !
22/5/11 - Probe Investigations (UK) Limited are delighted to sponsor Old Parkonians Cricket Club ..... read more
15/3/11 ...... British lawyer uses Facebook to serve court summons
A lawyer has used Facebook to serve a court summons, in what is believed to be the first such case in Britain.
To read the whole of this article go here
10/3/11 ...... SIA Chief Executive explains transition to new regulatory regime.
Bill Butler, Chief Executive of the Security Industry Authority, says
"Working with the industry and other stakeholders, we have developed an agreed framework setting out how we propose the planned transition to a new regulatory regime should take place. SIA chairman Ruth Henig and I met with Home Office minister, Lynne Featherstone, on 16 February to discuss these proposals. The Government has now had the opportunity to consider the plan and, on 28 February, Baroness Neville-Jones, Home Office Minister of State, spoke on the arrangements for future regulation of the private security industry during the Committee Stage of the Public Bodies Bill in the House of Lords."
To read the whole of this article go to http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pages/future-update.aspx
14/2/11 ...... Our MD Peter Farrington gives a presentation to Leeds University students on behalf of the Association of British Investigators
The event took place within the careers department of the university and the presentation really had two distinct aims. Firstly, the students learnt about the work carried out by investigators, the general nature of our business, the legislation that affects us and some of the pitfalls and bad practice that can be avoided. The focus was to provide guidance to any prospective investigator of tomorrow.
14/10/10 ...... SIA about to be
abolished?
The Security Industry Authority appears on the Cabinet Office
'Bonfire of the Quangos' list.
Plans to remove the Security Industry Authority (SIA) as a public
body have been confirmed by the government today.
The Cabinet Office has published a list of 192 public bodies it is
proposing to scrap, or bring under ministerial or local government
control, being dubbed the “Bonfire of the Quangos”.
And the SIA, which regulates the private security industry, is among
those on the list to be scrapped as a quango.
Under the current laws, door supervisors must have an SIA licence to
work in the industry.
The government has said a “new regulatory regime” will be phased in,
which means the private security industry will be expected to be
self-regulating.
Under the new regime, it is expected that doorstaff firms will have
to carry out CRB checks on new employees to check they are suitable.
But a Home Office spokesman pointed out the current laws around
SIA-registered doorstaff would remain until the changes are
finalised in Parliament.
The Public Bodies Bill, once passed in Parliament, will allow for
the quangos to be abolished.
However, the SIA is due to be kept as a public body in Scotland and
Northern Ireland.
The Cabinet Office also announced this morning that the Office of
Fair Trading and Competition Commission will merge into a single
competition and market authority.
2/10/10 ...... New Equality Act Introduced 1st October 2010
The Act came into power today and there are now stringent laws to protect employees against discrimination.
If you have been discriminated against we will investigate your case and provide evidence in a professional manner.
1/10/10 ..... Election Fraud. Recent claims by politicians suggest votes were cast through the post, using false names and addresses.Probe Investigations UK Ltd regularly encounter discrepancies in the electoral roll and are increasingly called upon to investigate fraudulent activities.
It pays to find out just who you are dealing with. Should you suspect an active fraudster we will be pleased to advise you.
26/9/10 ..... The profession is buzzing with news that The SIA may be abolished. The long awaited licensing of investigators still hasn't happened and now looks even less likely.
The company is hopeful that licensing will one day be with us. In the meantime, there is The Association of British Investigators. Our managing director, Peter Farrington, is a long standing full member. The Association insists its members are free of convictions, they are insured, and they are registered at ICO for data protection purposes. The criteria also includes provision of quality references, an entrance examination, a scrutiny interview, CCJ and Insolvency checks and a requirement to comply with a strict code of conduct.
Probe Investigations UK Ltd look forward to the day that licensing arrives, if it ever does. In the meantime we continue to meet the highest possible standards of integrity.
2/9/10 ...... Still confusion among some Process Serving agents about new insolvency forms.
Legal sector insiders tell us that there is still much confusion amongst process servers concerning the new insolvency forms introduced to replace the old style affidavits and statements. Clients are apparently receiving "evidence" of service in a wide variety of incorrect formats, particularly in respect of substituted services.
Here at Probe we ensure that we are completely up to date. Serving the document is only half the job, we make sure that the evidence of service we provide to our clients is accurate, robust and in the correct format.