Demand for skilled private investigators remain high as more South African businesses take steps to safeguard against rampant misconduct, theft and other growing risks.
This is on the back of a significant decline in confidence in the abilities of an over-stretched South African Police Service (SAPS) to defend against rampant corruption in both the public and private sectors.
The more recent scandal that has made headlines is the looting of millions of South African Rands from a bank’s coffers by former executives, as well as their associates and shareholder executives.
Politicians and their relatives have also been implicated in the crime, as are the external auditors who are alleged to have signed off on “fraudulent” financial statements.
It is claimed that as many as 50 individuals benefited from the wide-scale looting of this bank and may be criminally charged and held liable in civil proceedings.
This, together with a number of other incidences involving prominent companies – listed, private and state-owned – point to the severity of the decline of morals and ethics in the local business environment, and the need for more robust security systems to counter deep-rooted corruption in society.
However, there are a number of important factors that companies need to consider when appointing a security specialist to provide private-investigation services.
As a starting point, ask for references or referrals from other companies and professionals who have used their services before.
This will greatly assist in identifying and compiling a list of number of prospective service providers.
Havensec Solutions, for example, has undertaken private and civil investigations for, among other corporate clients, attorneys, financial institutions and insurance companies, in-addition to state-owned organs, and they should be willing to share their experiences working with the company.
The next step in the selection process entails assessing and comparing the experience of the various potential service providers to further inform decision making.
Importantly, note their ability to quickly and efficiently acquire information via a variety of methods.
A seasoned private investigation team will be able to show that it has a sound track record in swiftly and efficiently gathering information that is either unknown or unavailable – a key differentiator in this extremely competitive market.
Our operatives are known for being able to exactly pin-point the source of problems and weaknesses inside the workplace, while the findings of their investigations have also been used to provide a better understanding of specific situations or locales to address issues, or bring closure unfounded concerns.
They are able to blend into an organisation to build trust among employees to garner leads and sense nuances, before conducting additional interrogations as part of their expert analysis.
They document this information throughout the investigation and work alongside the authorities in criminal-related matters, while also abiding by clients’ strict confidentiality and privacy policies.
In selecting a service provider, it is also important to assess their core areas of focus, in addition to their ability to provide complementary services to design, implement and operate a holistic security solution.
For example, lie-detection capabilities have been successfully deployed in the recruitment phases as a first line of defence against white-collar crimes in various industries.
Havensec Solutions is also experienced in the use of covert camera technology and off-site monitoring techniques to provide round-the-clock protection of company property and, importantly, to identify suspicious behaviour.
Also complementing our private-investigation services are our state-of-the-art debugging services.
Our Sweep Teams conduct detailed physical searches of premises using advanced technical debugging equipment.
Members have been trained by retired military counter-intelligence personnel and by the original-equipment manufacturers from which we procure top-of-the-range debugging equipment.
It is also important to note the qualifications and personal experience of the management team of the firm, and be sure to request all business licenses during the selection process.
Built upon extensive experience, cutting-edge equipment and infrastructure, Havensec Solutions has earned a reputation for the high quality of its private investigations.
We continue to work closely with our clients, understand that the decisions they make today will impact on their organisation’s sustainability over the long-term, to develop and implement a comprehensive security solution for their unique needs!
