Private Investigator Convicted said to specialize in obtaining confidential information
Last year the Home affairs Select Committee revealed a list of clients with potential connections to private investigators convicted for illegally obtaining confidential information. Their client-list included a long list of insurance companies, law firms and celebrities. The so-called “rogue private investigators” have breached several laws in the UK. The government is expected to impose new laws and guidelines to bring private investigators under the same supervision as the rest of the security industry. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg supported this call and added that big organizations hiring such private investigators to dig out personal information regarding individuals and other organizations must come clear about it.
The report published by the Select Committee does not name the clients individually but by the business sector they represent. Some of the clients listed were other private investigation firms, as at times these investigators tend to sub-contract work to their counterparts in the same profession -in this case illegally. Private investigator convicted are said to specialize in obtaining confidential information in connection to individuals, banks, HM Revenue and Customs and utility companies. The said four rogue investigators have been sentenced to prison for a year.
BBC news UK furthers reports that majority of the private investigators are hired to track down fraudsters and debtors who owe hidden stolen money, which generally cannot be obtained with the help of the police. With paying for such privileged services of private investigators, clients expect high results –which the regular police department may not deliver with respect to critical information in a given time frame. However, this is deemed illegal and clients hiring such investigators will be subjected to punishment under the law.
The Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz showed major concerns about the rising illegal private investigation activities in the UK and has vouched to bring justice. The clients of these rogue investigators will also face difficulty as they willingly commissioned the investigation knowing that it would most likely breach the Data Protection Act.