Many of us often believe that private investigators are usually required for criminal cases. Nonetheless, these investigation agencies can be used for several other personal and business-related problems. Such services can largely help to uncover the essential information that can help in better decision-making.
Whether you are planning to start a new business or partner up with another player in the market, you will require a background check of various parties. Private investigators can assist in this regard by providing all relevant information. Besides this, you may also utilize their services for any personal matters, e.g. if you want to confirm if your spouse is cheating on you, they can help as well.
In Singapore, while involving an investigation agency, you may need to look for their reputation. Besides, their registration with relevant authorities such as the Singapore Police Force will also be needed. Here’s everything you need to know about Private Investigators in Singapore.
Are Private Investigators Legal in Singapore?
Private Investigators are legally required to undergo training and hold licenses issued by the Singapore Police (PLRD). As a result, a PI will be able to advise the client as to the legality of the methods used in the investigation. … As of 2019, there are no specific privacy laws in Singapore.
By law, certain investigations require special permits for a PI agency before their conduct their work. Such cases include assignments like investigating political figures, foreign diplomats, consuls, or their families, as well as the conduct of surveillance on certain protected (or militarily sensitive) places, foreign consulates, government buildings, departure and entry checkpoints, or certain private schools, require the special approval of the Singapore Police.
It is also a legal requirement in Singapore for Private Detectives to be licensed by the Private Investigation Agency Licensing & Regulatory Department (PLRD). The License is always on display in the office or most Private Detectives will save a copy on the phone. Do some research on their experience and expertise before you meet up with them. Read more in-depth on their website and ask some questions about their experience and their success rate.
Here is a list of services a PI agency in Singapore provides:
1. LOVE OR MONEY SCAM
2. PRE-MARITAL CHECKS
3. INFIDELITY INVESTIGATION
4. BACKGROUND CHECKS
5. CHILD CUSTODY / FAMILY
6. COVERT SURVEILLANCE
7. TSCM (DEBUGGING OF SPY DEVICES)
8. EMBEZZLEMENT INVESTIGATION
9. MISSING PERSON
10. GENERAL INVESTIGATION
Private Investigator’s License
Private Investigators operating in Singapore provide investigative services to legal firms, insurance companies, corporate companies, and private individuals to gather evidence and information. Litigation support is also a type of investigation service Singapore Private Detective offer to lawyers.
Private individuals hire Private Investigators (PI) for many reasons such as locating missing people, conducting background checks, gathering evidence for adultery, conducting general surveillance, and many others.
Most Singapore Private Investigator’s scope of work is in conducting surveillance, field investigation, and conducting online searches. Pretext phone calls are often used by Private Investigators to confirm the information and gather data on the subject.
In Singapore Private Investigation Agencies Are licensed by the Police Licensing & Regulatory Department located at Police Cantonment Complex, 393 New Bridge Road. Singapore 088763
Common Private Investigator Cases in Singapore
One of the most common causes for a private investigator in Singapore is, you’ve guessed it, infidelity. Catching cheating partners, or gathering evidence for one’s suspected infidelity is the leading reason an individual hires a private investigator.
With more than 30 years of experience in the local and international private investigator industry, Vincent Tan of Asia Top Investigation LLP has won various recognition and accolades as one of the best private detectives in the world.
“People make mistakes, but the most important thing is to learn to forgive and learn from mistakes.” That is a belief and value that Vincent takes with him when serving his clients. He said that not all of his clients wanted to divorce their spouses when they engaged him to conduct surveillance of their spouses. Some of them just wanted to find out more about the third party and why the spouse is cheating.
From Vincent’s perspective, the group of clients’ main intention is to save their marriages rather than divorce. Hence, he saw a need to go a step further, to give advice to his clients on ways to protect their marriages.
When asked whether he managed to save any marriage over the years, he said yes. He did manage to do so for some of the cases. This is probably a unique factor we learned from Vincent and his private investigation team at Asia Top Investigation LLP.
He has a very high success rate in catching cheating spouses. Yet, he also encourages his clients to forgive their spouses. Therefore, he has many clients who feel comfortable working with him.
He has many good clients and referrals because of his strong track record and reputation. He also consistently served family lawyers, commercial (IP) lawyers, and corporate clients. Even during Covid-19, his business is doing ok. The only time his company was not doing well was during the SARS period.
“The motivating factor is the appreciation given by the customers. If you do the job well, go through the report, and whether 80% or 100% successful, your customer will appreciate them. So, love your work, do it well and be excellent!”
~ Vincent Tan, Asia Top Investigation LLP.
Another popular service private investigators provide is background investigations. These are employers’ principal means of securing information about potential hires from sources other than the applicants themselves.
A background investigation generally involves determining whether an applicant may be unqualified for a position due to a record of a criminal conviction, poor credit history, or misrepresentation regarding education or work history.
More often than not, Private Investigators are hired by corporations to do background checks on persons of interest. However, occasionally, individuals can also hire PIs to do a background check on someone else, such as the reason for pre-marital background checks.
In some cases, should the clients require detailed background checks, the private investigator may also conduct evidence-gathering surveillance to ensure that the details are accurate and up to date.
When Should You Hire A Private Investigator?
A Private Investigator (PI) is often useful for a number of reasons, but when a case or claim is necessary for a court of law, these professionals are invaluable at finding information and revealing the whereabouts of needed witnesses. It is important to contact a private investigator when anything that requires extensive research or surveillance is involved.
Various reasons to hire a legal private investigator may also be personal such as the need to find a lost loved one, to discover a relative that has been adopted, to reveal if a spouse is either cheating or performing illegal activities that could affect the other spouse, and many similar reasons.
The need for knowledge about certain subjects often demands someone that is experienced in how to attain the information necessary. The skills of a private investigator are usually far superior to those of even educated persons.
Because personal or business investigations may lead to potential negative consequences when not performed correctly, it is often recommended to hire someone professional that has the expertise in revealing various elements of the investigation and what is needed for the situation.
If surveillance of an area is required, these individuals have many hours of training to provide these services. Their time may even be less expensive than a personal examination or video capture of an event.
Licensed private investigators have the capability to complete assignments issued by a client, perform surveillance for extended periods and detect and reveal information that may be hidden or unavailable through a usual search.
The act of capturing video of a subject may also cause the person or organization to discover they are being recorded. This may then lead to either complication in surveillance or legal action to cease the activity.
If the person was perpetrating illegal actions, he or she may then stop doing so until certain that the video is not recording these acts. Many private investigators are trained enough in recording a subject so that he or she is unaware of it.
When investigations initiate for relatives or friends, it is important to ensure the parties are within legal compliance so that violations of the law governing licensed private investigators in these situations. If these offenses affect the individual, there are extensive fines that usually cause a significant financial burden along with some jail time in certain instances.
It is vital that the professional hired has experience. These private investigators provide the greatest amount of safety to clients when taking on a case. This means they are able to handle themselves, are dedicated to the client, and attempt to remain hidden at all times.
How to Hire a Private Investigator
Hiring an experienced private investigator to conduct investigations is important, especially in surveillance. Those trained surveillance operatives are invaluable when conducting surveillance to gather evidence and reveal the truth to clients.
There are some private investigation agencies that rely on “floating” or freelance private investigators to conduct surveillance. Private investigators specializing in surveillance skill is usually far superior to those freelancer private investigators.
A skilled surveillance operative requires years of surveillance experience and training. If surveillance is not conducted correctly, it can jeopardize the whole case. Surveillance techniques used by private investigators range from physical observation to audio monitoring of conversations. The audio surveillance technique is a more sophisticated type of surveillance, used by most private investigators.
The fees of a skilled surveillance operative are only slightly above the market rate. Private Investigator Steven Tan with 20 years of surveillance experience in conducting local and oversea surveillance. Steven Tan has trained more than 60 private investigators in the art of surveillance.
Private investigator Steven Tan explains that surveillance operatives must be able to follow the subject and have the ability to capture video evidence of the subject and work within legal compliance. They are also trained to handle complicated matters that may arise while conducting surveillance. Private Investigator Steven Tan says this quality of the surveillance operative’s skills far outweighs the cost.
Private Investigator Steven Tan gives an example of when a female surveillance operative conducting the surveillance operation must be able to disguise herself as a pregnant woman in 10 seconds. All surveillance operatives must be trained in handling the evidence-gathering equipment and must be able to capture critical evidence even if the subject is next to him/her. For more information on hiring a private investigator, click here.
Cost Of Hiring A Private Investigator
For general surveillance, most private investigation agencies charge an hourly rate. Hourly rates range from S$100 to S$200 per hour with an average beginning at around S$150 per hour.
The cost doesn’t include accommodation and transportation. Some private investigation agencies charge for the cost of equipment used. Please ask about any extraneous charges of which you may be unaware.
For cases like background checks, bug sweeps, and locating persons most Singapore private investigators charge a flat fee ranging from S$1000 – S$5000. It is prudent to compare the charges and reliability of the agency across a number of firms. Singapore Private Investigation agency will often ask for a retainer or upfront cost.
It might be tempting to hire cheaper, less experienced private investigators, but an inexperienced private investigator could potentially lose the chances of obtaining crucial evidence.
Hiring a professional private investigator will be more likely to achieve a positive outcome for your case and save you money and worry.
Asia Top Investigation LLP believes in solving your case with the most efficient and cost-effective method. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology, and reducing unnecessary investigations to reduce the cost of investigations without compromising the quality of the case.