The most common function of a professional detective agency is shadowing or following suspects in order to secure evidence of illegal activities or breaches of trust.
It is a lesser known ifact that the repertoire of services provided by a professional detective agency also includes placing covert investigators in the immediate environment of the person to be watched. In most but not all cases, this is implemented in business settings.
Selling stolen goods in a workplace, stealing materials and computer accessories from the office, unexplained deficit and embezzlement are actually quite common. A detective agency is consulted most often here, as companies’ internal investigations rarely end successfully on their own.
When is an undercover investigation necessary?
Case example:
The new trainee is suspected of stealing not only office supplies, but also computer accessories from the company. Productivity in the company has fallen sharply and employees are suspected of deliberately disrupting or manipulating production processes. Trade secrets are sold to competing companies by employees. With a certain saleswoman there is always an inexplicable minus in the till.
Theft, embezzlement and industrial espionage are among the most common uses for smuggling an undercover agent into a business environment.
On the one hand, the employee or employees are unlikely to admit such an act, even if surprisingly confronted with facts. Surveillance cameras or similar devices often lead employees to insist on a worker´s union and, of course warn, the vigilant perpetrator. The result of amateur research: a clearly noticeable deterioration in the working atmosphere, without the suspect being convicted or the theft or embezzlement being clarified.
Criterion for the success of an undercover investigation: experience!
These examples show how important the use of investigative detectives is. As a professional detective agency, we can unobtrusively smuggle our employees into the areas concerned. They may appear as interns, as temporary or flexible staff or as new office help or new employees, and no one will suspect that the new colleague is an undercover agent. With the help of discrete, professional observations and the covert installation of elaborate recording technology, an experienced detective is best in clearing up the disappearance of goods, office supplies or cash in a short time and documenting the results with evidence that also exists in a legal dispute.
Investigative work in a company goes far beyond the theft of material or financial assets. A particularly treacherous and common” white-collar crime” is the example of infiltration of “mole” employees into a competing business – for example to spy on company secrets or planned patents. Social issues can also be a justification for having a detective work in the company. For example, when it comes to bullying/mobbing or sexual harassment in the workplace. In order to obtain clear evidence here, it is often necessary to stay in the for a longer periods of time, to have up-close access to the overall psychological atmosphere of the working environment.
It may be advisable to use several detectives at the same time. This often makes sense if it is suspected that a whole group of suspects is involved or if there is no indication of which department a thief or industrial spy might be in.
If there is any suspicion of any kind of business-damaging behavior, we advise those responsible to engage a reputable detective agency.
The Federal Labor Court ruled: “Detective agencies are allowed to covertly monitor employees in the company. The works council does not have to be asked or informed. “(BAG., Az .: 1 ABR 26/90)
Our detectives investigate discreetly and professionally with a high level of experience!
There is an argument that some goods or office supplies are of too little value for a theft to be followed up on by a detective. However, it is important to bear in mind that even small crimes can add up to a high level of damage or uncover larger unknown crimes taking place and also that failure to apply sanctions could make the perpetrators even bolder in their actions.
All detectives involved are of course available to you as witnesses in court at any time.
