Watching the Detectives

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Jul 30, 2015, 04:00 ET

DERBY, England, July 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Discover the fascinating stories behind the work of Titan Investigations, a leading private security agency in the East Midlands, investigating extra-marital affairs and much more…

If you thought private investigators were only the stuff of Hollywood films, think again… Here in the East Midlands, Simon Henson, a former Detective Sergeant with 17 years' experience of covert investigations into organised crime and counter terrorism, has launched Titan Investigations to offer specialist private investigation and surveillance services.

So what kind of cases does this involve? "Extra-marital affairs are a major part of our work," explains Simon. "There's a massive demand for domestic surveillance and vehicle tracking services now that social media is so prevalent and can be the feeding ground for infidelity."

Titan has also investigated criminal offences for clients who are victims and also who have been wrongly accused and succeeded in identifying suspects and proving innocence.

Other cases include commercial investigation, tracing tenants for landlords and fraudulent insurance claims. "For example, a subject had allegedly been left with serious life altering injuries," reports Simon. "We deployed for three days and filmed the subject running in a gym, landscaping his garden and climbing ladders."

Simon believes that the continued reduction to public sector budgets has affected police resources. All of this creates large demand for credible private investigation companies with extensive knowledge and operational experience.

"It's all about planning, deploying lawful evidence gathering tactics and using correct exhibit seizing and retention procedures so that our cases stand up to the highest scrutiny, that of a court room, where the burden of proof is 'beyond all reasonable doubt'. We leave no stone unturned to discover the truth for our clients."

The summer and early autumn bring significant increases in anti-social behaviour, fly tipping, work absenteeism, illicit affairs, and the need for protective surveillance.

Top 5 questions that potential clients ask Titan Investigations:

Is my partner/employee/off spring really where they say they are?
Are my employees meeting my competitors or stealing intellectual property?
How do I locate an old friend, family member or debtor?
Who can I trust to serve my process competently and efficiently?
Can I trust my future/current/new business partner/partner?

Meet the detective

Simon Henson joined Nottinghamshire Police in 1997 and spent five years as a response officer. In 2003, he began a successful covert policing career following a rigorous selection procedure which included fitness testing, psychometric analysis and map reading. Then a seven week firearms course, four week advanced driving course and a five week National surveillance course.

"I worked on high profile cases involving serious and organised crime, murders, drug turf wars, cash in transit robberies and importation of class A drugs. The most exciting job that I can mention was a surveillance investigation into cash in transit robberies where guards were being shot and money stolen during delivery to business outlets. This ended when two suspects conducted an armed robbery at a bank under surveillance which led to an armed overt intervention."

After four years, he moved on to the East Midlands Counter Terrorist Intelligence Unit, leading a large team of surveillance operatives following suspected terrorists within the East Midlands unless (as often happened) an operation of greater risk and threat to national security was running elsewhere and support was required.

"I was deployed on some of the most sensitive, high profile national security operations, had the very best resources and kit readily available and had some great training exercises with special forces and MI5. I loved every minute and it was as James Bond as it sounds."

A typical case

"Our client had been maliciously accused of committing a serious criminal offence in an attempt to extort large amounts of money from him. We interviewed the client and created a bespoke plan. We initiated a sting operation whereby a seemingly vulnerable person was introduced to the subject who appeared wealthy and an easy target to exploit. We had to be careful not to fall foul of agent provocateur rules which would discount evidence as inadmissible to a court, but also ensure our procedures would stand the scrutiny of barristers and a jury. This is where my police experience came into its own."

Did you know? A report by financial advisers Grant Thornton based on a poll of 100 leading family lawyers showed 49% of people who suspected their partner used a private investigator (30 % of clients were women , 19% were men).

Editors notes:

Titan Investigations only uses operatives with an extensive Police covert investigation background. Titan is both ISO9001 Quality Management and ISO27001 Information Security Management Systems certificated. Our staff are regularly subjected to DBS checks (criminal record), we're registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under the Data Protection Act 1998 and we're fully insured for Professional Indemnity and Public Liability.

Services offered: