Private detective is a profession that most of us know mainly from detective series. As with series, there is of course some truth in them, but there is definitely more fiction in them, and that fiction is usually tailored to give the viewer as much entertainment as possible. What should a private detective be like, what powers does he have in our country (depending on the country, they may be different) and what skills and equipment he should have. This is an important topic both for people who are thinking about hiring a private investigator and for those who are wondering if it would be a good idea to become a private investigator.

What should a private detective be like?

Of course, a private investigator will differ from a private detective just as people differ from one another, but we can distinguish several characteristics that predispose people to this job, or in other words, what a private investigator should have. People who provide detective services must meet the highest standards in many respects.

First of all, a private detective is a person who must be discreet. In some situations, the detective is described as an informal profession of social trust. The client must grant the detective access to information that is usually private to the highest degree, often embarrassing, and certainly such, the disclosure of which could harm the client or, if not himself, then someone from his environment. Discretion and high moral standards in this area are therefore something that a detective simply must have.

Patience is another quality that a detective or employee of a detective agency simply must have. As mentioned, detective work in real life is definitely different from what is shown on the big or small screen. This is often a job that involves tedious, sometimes several days or weeks of proceedings, during which tedious analyzes of the collected evidence are carried out, or observation lasting several days, which ultimately may not result in anything. Patience is a trait that ultimately brings results, but for it to work, a detective must be patient.

Knowledge of the law is another quality a private investigator must possess. It must move around, collecting evidence or conducting observation within its borders. The first is that if evidence has been unlawfully collected, it may be rejected by the court as unreliable, and the detective himself may also be prosecuted for doing so. In addition, such a detective is unreliable as a witness, which makes his services of little use.

What powers does a private investigator have?

According to Polish law, a private detective is a person who performs services consisting in obtaining, processing and providing the client with information about people, events and things. The detective must operate within the framework of applicable law and may not use methods reserved for state institutions such as the police, prosecutors or intelligence agencies.

In practice, he can, for example, follow and take pictures of a person who is the subject of an investigation, but only in public space and not always, because Polish law provides that even in public space we have the right to privacy. Intrusion or intrusion into the home of the tracked person are excluded. Additionally, many of the detective’s actions on paper are legal, but can be questioned. For example, tracking can be categorized as stalking or harassment. Everything depends to a large extent on the openness and intensity of such activities. The detective is not allowed to use such means as GPS locators or wiretapping. These are tools reserved for state services, in addition, a private detective sometimes has to decide whether he should undertake certain orders.

Dubious moral assignments that are often challenged as legitimate by the court include, for example, obtaining private, discrediting information about business rivals in order to defeat them in the professional field or blackmail in order to obtain favorable decisions.

What should a private investigator be equipped with?

Taking everything that has been described above into account, a detective should first of all be equipped with a sharp mind, unwavering morality and experience. This does not change the fact that sometimes modern technological achievements can also support him in his work.

Firearms are not required in the detective’s work, and Polish regulations do not provide for the possession of such equipment in the detective’s work. Detectives, in fact, very rarely carry firearms, and this usually happens when they are working on a case, when it can actually be dangerous. A detective can carry a weapon for defense if he meets all the requirements that the law sets for him, which is the same as every citizen. The detective should also have a camera with a strong lens at his disposal, and a night vision scope will always be useful during observation.