A common myth is Private Investigators have access to all types of information, especially information that the public cannot access. However, the reality is that in Australia we are restricted by the Privacy Act.
Keep reading to find a summary of what we can’t access.
Private Investigators cannot access information on government databases. This includes, and is not limited to, records held by:
In terms of private information through private companies, Private Investigators cannot obtain information in relation to:
This includes what bank accounts people have under their name, bank balances and transactions made in their accounts including credit cards.
This includes what bank accounts people have under their name, bank balances and transactions made in their accounts including credit cards.
Private Investigators cannot access information on government databases. This includes, and is not limited to, records held by:
The police have better technology and resources to find missing persons. Generally Private Investigators stay away from missing persons.
We cannot find out who people are on dating sites as they generally use an alias. We do not have access to databases of private online dating websites.
If you would like to know what Private Investigators can do, please see our blog on about what we’re legally able to do.
If you require anything outside of the scope of what we have outlined above, give us a call and we’ll let you know if we can help you.
This is another question we get regularly. People seem to hold private investigators in very high regard when it comes to their powers of obtaining information. The truth is that they don’t really have much more power than the average person, apart from legally being able to investigate a person or watch someone, referred to as surveillance in the PI world. We are still governed by privacy laws, security laws and surveillance devices laws.
Since the Privacy Act was introduced in 1988, it has continually made it harder and harder to obtain information. Before then information was freely available with limited consequences on those who passed information without consent. From 1988 onwards information was generally obtained illegally with people paying off government officials or private sector employees in return for private information. As time has gone by and penalties increased, including jail time, the availability of this information has diminished. Technology advancement has also played a big part in this as everything can be traced. For example, a government official used to be able to look up on their internal system and pass on the information without anyone knowing. Now, they must use a login to access the information and it can all be traced electronically.
One major misconception is private investigators don’t have access to government databases like ATO, Medicare, Service NSW and Centrelink to name a few. What we do have access to as private investigators are commercial databases which we pay money to access. These databases are generally not available to the public as they have strict guidelines on who can access them. They are also usually subscription-based and cost a lot of money. The information on these databases come from various unknown sources that are generated over a long period of time.
In relation to what we can do physically as a private eye, we are once more restricted by the laws of the average person, except when it comes to watching someone. We effectively have a license to stalk; however, this is within reason. It must be discreet and without the person knowing. As soon as they’re aware of our presence it would be considered harassment if we were to continue. Stalking is defined under the Crimes (Domestic and personal Violence) Act 2007 as:
‘the following of a person about or the watching or frequenting of the vicinity of, or an approach to a person’s place of residence, business or work or any place that a person frequents for the purposes of any social or leisure activity’.
When it comes to visual and audio recording, we are once again hindered by rules and regulations under the Surveillance Devices Act 2007. The section that is most relevant to Private Investigators, and the everyday person, is Part 2 which regulates the installation, use and maintenance of surveillance devices.
The main thing you get from this is that we must not knowingly record or listen into someone’s private conversations. We must not also record a person if you are in a private conversation with them unless you tell them. As private detectives we can write in as much detail what we heard afterwards and produce this in a report. We just can’t record it and provide you the recording.
Filming is a bit more relaxed, however it is a grey area. We can film anyone who is visible from a public area. For example, if we are standing on the street and can see a person through a large window then we could film it. The grey area is that we can’t film them if the reasonable person would think that they are in a private space which could not be seen from the general public.
Monitoring a person’s location also falls under the Surveillance Devices Act 2007. It stipulates that you cannot monitor a person in the lawful possession or having lawful control of an object without express or implied consent. An object can be anything, including a car, a phone or even a boat.
The only act that would give you an exception to any of these rules is the Child Protection Act 2000. If it is in relation to looking out for a minor, then you may be able to get permission to do so if the child would be at harm in anyway.
As private investigators we must think outside the box sometimes to achieve results. Some investigators may bend the rules to get what is needed; however, in summary all investigators in NSW are dictated by the same rules.
As a private investigation company based in Sydney, we get this question a lot. We find people and clients, funnily enough, are very interested in this line of work. It certainly is a different type of job and makes a very interesting talking point over a beer at BBQs or dinner parties.
Given most people have never really heard of this profession (outside of movies and TV shows) they don’t know how to get investigator license, or where to go to find out more information. That’s why at Sydney PI, we thought we’d give share with you an overview of how to become a private investigator in NSW. As this differs from state to state, this is a guide specific to NSW.
To legally follow someone around as a private investigator you’ll need to obtain an investigator’s license, which is issued by the NSW Police force under the Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate. Before the license is issued, you must successfully complete a Certificate III in Investigative Services. This will enable you to legally do surveillance on a person and investigate a person.
Click here for more information
The best way to obtain your private investigator certification is through a fast track course. The cost ranges from around $1,600 to $2,000 and you can do it as fast or as slow as you want. The course structure is usually comprised of an online component and practical sessions.
Below are two organisations that run the short course we recommend:
In NSW a private investigator falls under the Commercial Agents & Private Inquiry Agents Act 2004 and is categorised as Commercial Agent activities and Private Inquiry Agent activities.
The first step is to obtain a probationary licence. A Probationary Operator licence is issued subject to a condition that the licensee may only carry out the activities authorised by the licence while under the supervision of the holder of a Master Licence or the holder of an unrestricted Operator Licence.
This is reasonably easy to do. Simply follow the below steps:
If you have any questions on how long does it take to become a private investigator or how do i get my private investigator license, please contact the SLED Contact Centre directly on 1300 362 001, 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
If you are looking for Private Investigation services in Sydney NSW, contact our professional staff today on 1300 773 293. Alternatively, you can contact us online and we’ll get back in touch as soon as possible.
Additional Resources
Learn more about the comprehensive duties of a private investigator.
Understand what private investigators can and can’t do.
Find out who hires private investigators.
So you’ve finally decided to do something about your problem and you’ve built up the courage to call a private investigator. You jump on google and there are lots of investigators advertising. You don’t know much about the industry and you’ve never done this before. How do you decide which one to use?
Well the first thing you should be checking is if the company is a licensed private investigator. This will quickly narrow down your search. All investigators must be licensed to operate in each state of Australia that they wish to operate. Just like you have to be licensed to drive a car. This means they are governed by a code of ethics and have operating procedures to abide by. Licensing for investigators was brought in to weed out the cowboys or rogue and dishonest people.
Unfortunately, there are still plenty of investigators around that are not licensed or are only licensed in other states. The risk you run by not using a licensed private investigator Sydney is it is harder to hold them liable for dishonest and misleading behaviour. If they are licensed they can be prosecuted or lose their license and be forced to stop trading.
Licensed private detectives should display their license on all advertising including their website and email signatures. If you can’t see a license number then there is a pretty good chance they are unlicensed.
A good way to check is by asking for their license number so you can check it with the local government authorities. In NSW, Private investigators are regulated by the Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (SLED) which is a department under the NSW Police. The license type a Private Investigator should hold is called a Commercial Agents and/or Private Inquiry Agents licence (CAPI). You can search their license number by going to the following link. Or simply google “check private investigator license NSW” to find the link.
If you want to do a full check on the company ask them to send through a ‘’company extract”. This will allow you to view the official company name and the Directors names of the company. Also ask for any trading names under that company. Run a basic search on google on the Director Names, the company name and any trading names. Make sure there isn’t any negative reviews, articles or bad publicity. Investigators should have full transparency on who they are. If they are not willing to provide this information I would suggest they have something to hide.
Unfortunately, there are unlicensed investigators operating that take full advantage of people in vulnerable situations, pulling on those emotional heart strings, extracting large amounts of money up front, promising the world and never delivering. Or they don’t disclose all their costs upfront and you end up with a huge bill at the end. This is your hard-earned money and you want to know it is being spent wisely and used effectively.
As a further check it is wise to check public reviews on the company. Google Maps is a great place for this. A lot of companies will have plenty of good reviews however check the lower rating reviews to see what peoples bad experiences are as sometimes there can be fake reviews pushing the bad ones down.
Our company is fully licensed in NSW, QLD & VIC. Our licence is displayed on our home page. https://sydneypi.com/ We are completely transparent on who we are and are happy to provide any documentation on request to prove our legitimacy.
Hiring a Private Investigator in Family Law
Hiring a private Investigator in family law proceedings can help you gather evidence which can help you win your case. Family law proceedings can be expensive but the cost of a private investigator can be one of the most cost effective expenses you incur.
Here is some of the valuable evidence that can be obtained through engaging a private investigator.
Drug Use
Often parents believe that the other parent is either using drugs or selling them. This results in the parent exhibiting abnormal patterns of behaviour like driving to various places at odd times and meeting suspicious people in suspicious places. A private investigator can follow a person to obtain evidence which may be used to support the claim that the other parent is involved in criminal behaviour that can pose a serious risk to the children in family law proceedings.
Intoxication
It is regularly a concern of parents that the other parent may be using alcohol to excess. Engaging a private investigator can confirm if the other parent is drinking too much or visiting bars and clubs at times when they should be taking care of the children. This evidence can be put before the court to confirm that a child is at risk whilst in that parent’s care.
Employment
Sometimes parties to family law proceedings are not honest about where they are working or the amount they are earning. It is a regularly easy to task to confirm where a person is working and to prove the falsity of their declarations in court about their income. A private investigator can follow a person from their home to where they work on several occasions and provide this evidence in the form of a report to the Court.
Why Use a Private Investigator in Family Law
Ultimately you need the best evidence you can to win a family law case. However you need good evidence to support your claims and the best evidence that can sometimes be used is that of a private investigator. Once you have the evidence you need it is then up to your lawyer to use this in Court.
Hiring a Private Investigator in Sydney is more affordable than you may think and it’s not a luxury just for the rich and famous. Sydney Private Investigations offers one of the most affordable solutions for a private eye to discreetly spy on a person for you. The cost of hiring a PI can vary between firms; however, you generally pay $100 to $120 per hour for a private detective. Some will be inclusive of travel and reports, yet some charge additional costs.
Our company has a fixed cost for the first 4 hours of $1000, including our travel and miscellaneous expenses like parking and tolls (capped at $30). This is great for peace of mind as there will be no nasty surprises at the end when you receive the bill. We then only charge $100 per hour for each additional hour after the first 4 hours. We do have slight surcharges for weekends and after midnight, however, they are not too onerous. Please phone or use our contact page for our latest private investigator rates.
A typical surveillance job will take 4 to 8 hours, however, sometimes they can be wrapped up in less than 1 hour if we have a result. Often, our private investigators will confirm your suspicions on our first attempt and within hours simply by following the person from their home or place of work.
Video surveillance also makes our task more efficient these days as we just film everything instead of taking photos. This allows us to obtain every detail without missing anything. Our private detectives use high-quality video cameras, dash cams, and special hidden covert spy cameras for those close-up moments. For a small additional cost, you have access to all this footage. Thanks to technology, it is emailed to you as a link which you can download so you will receive it almost immediately.
Our Private Investigators are spread throughout the Sydney metropolitan area so we can be at any location quickly. In some cases, we have had our agents onsite within an hour.
Hiring a detective is now an easy process and it isn’t as expensive as you think. Don’t delay: call us now for a friendly chat so you can get that peace of mind you need for closure, or just so you can move on with your life. Whether you’re worried about domestic issues or need professional PI services for other matters, rest assured our private investigator fees are designed to be competitive and transparent. Investigating a matter thoroughly doesn’t always mean it has to be expensive.
Investigator service charges and surveillance investigator cost can vary significantly depending on the complexity of the case and the resources required. By opting for our services, you’re not just getting affordable rates but also a guarantee of thoroughness and professionalism.
When considering the cost of hiring a PI, remember to factor in not just the hourly rate but also potential additional costs. For example, hiring a PI might incur expenses for travel, specialized equipment, or urgent weekend rates. We endeavor to keep our pricing structure clear and fair so you can budget accordingly.
If you’re looking for the cheapest private investigator in Sydney without compromising on service quality, give us a call. We offer affordable private detectives who deliver high-quality investigations across all areas, providing excellent value for money in the process.
Our investigation service pricing is tailored to meet your needs, ensuring no unnecessary costs are added. Understanding the private investigator pricing structure can help you plan better, especially when dealing with sensitive domestic matters. Whether you need someone for a short-term task or a more prolonged investigation, our professional PI costs are structured to offer you flexibility and clarity.
Exploring the domestic investigator cost will show you how our investigative services offer incredible value, ensuring you get the information you need without breaking the bank. Our confidential investigator fees are detailed upfront, so you remain informed throughout the process.
Don’t let uncertainty hold you back. Contact us to discuss your case and find the best solutions at competitive rates.
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