5 Qualities of a Private Investigator

Private investigation work is not for everyone. Lots of people think they would make a great private investigator (and some would), but the reality is, it is far more involved and demanding than most think. We have put together a short list of qualities required of a good private investigator.

1. Patience

Patience is absolutely essential when investigating. Tasks can take minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months before an investigator gets a breakthrough. A typical day of surveillance generally involves lots of sitting around and waiting for something to happen (if that something even happens at all...).

2. Focus

A good, well trained private investigator will be able to remained focused even at the dullest of times. In this day in age of mobile phones and other forms of technology, it can be very easy to sway your eye away from what you should really be looking at. Focus falls in line with patience... If a private investigator loses patience, he or she will also lose focus. If you lose focus, the vital piece of evidence you are waiting for could pass you by without even realising it.

3. Performance Under Pressure

Private investigations can become highly pressurised. One minute you can be patiently observing a property for long hours (whilst remaining focused), and the next minute you could following the subject of enquiry at high speeds whilst trying to capture evidential video footage. A well experienced private investigator will be able to gather the evidence under such pressure without a second thought (all in a days work).

4. Adaptability

One of the most important qualities of a private investigator is to be able to adapt to whatever environment or situation he or she finds themselves in. Most of the time, we don't know what to expect before we arrive on a surveillance job. For that reason we come prepared with various "props" to aid in blending in. Whether it be a simple high visibility vest for a construction site, or a gym bag in the boot to get us into the gym. There is an endless list of situations we may find ourselves in, but a good private investigator will know what to do in order to pull it off.

5. Professionalism

A professional private investigator will operate within the law at all times. Unfortunately, in the U.K there are more than a few unsavoury operatives out there who tarnish the industry and break the law purely for their own financial gain or simply because they are not even aware they are breaking the law. Professionalism is gained in this industry by undertaking the correct training, building experience and the avoidance of temptations of more money for sinister tasks.

Sentry Investigations Ltd