A NEW BREED OF PROFESSIONALS!
Some industries are so swathed in secrecy that the public rarely gets an opportunity to see what really goes on within them. The investigation industry, surveillance in particular, is one such area which has had very little published material available for students, training or in fact anyone with an interest. Up to now each state, and sometimes each industry would run their own training courses, with varying degrees of competence and depth of coverage. A person qualified in one state may have previously found that their 'formal' education was not properly recognised in other states. Training and authority bodies had a lot of duplication in resources and general confusion. Recent changes to education across Australia mean that all training is being formalised, nationalised, standardised and authorised.
By managing it comprehensively at the highest level, the Australian Government has shown how importantly it views training with a fully-fledged, dedicated government department. Training was previously governed by ANTA, the Australian National Training Authority, a quasi- government statutory body, and, since 1st July this year, ANTA was merged into the Department of Education Science & Training (DEST). Knowledge is power, and effective management of knowledge is important. The current shift in education is very important, and pushes our country forward as the knowledge nation.
The security industry encompasses many thousands of workers, and each licensed security officer must undergo an approved training course, primarily the 'Asset Security' training package, comprising many core modules and several electives. Certificate III in Investigative Services, designed to train high-level observation and reporting skills, is part of this package, and relates to investigations. While the role of a security officer is primarily to observe, alert and control access points, the industry also encompasses a far wider set of specialist skills, including investigation and fraud detection.
A private inquiry licence is necessary to carry out work as an investigator, though even security officers at a basic level will benefit from some level of investigative training. A better understanding of fraud investigation leads to trained officers knowing what to look for, how to look and to understand what may be occurring in the workplace. Such valuable knowledge assists in fraud detection, and more importantly, prevention. At an advanced level, a good knowledge of investigative techniques is essential for security consultants to assess risks and advise accordingly. Although they may not possess a private inquiry licence, many qualified security officers conduct 'investigative' techniques on a daily basis, often without considering them as such.
An example may be a mobile patrol guard who notices something unusual in a carpark and wants to position their car to better observe what is going on. They could drive up close in an obvious way, or use specialist investigative techniques to observe without advertising their presence. Another example is a uniformed cash-in-transit guard who is protecting an ATM being refilled with cash. He could stand ready nearby and 'wait' for trouble, or, he could actively monitor his environment, and detect it well before it arrives. Criminals often use the element of surprise as a powerful tool, but it is a technique which can be thwarted by a properly trained officer. In many cases it may only require a few seconds notice to enable the guard to assess the situation and react correctly, perhaps a saving life or preventing a crime rather than 'not knowing what hit him'.
When a security guard talks to others as part of his job, there are many conversation management tools (commonly used by investigators) which can assist his job. Often phrasing a question properly is more important than asking it in the first place. Being aware of what information you are really seeking from them will assist to better elicit those answers. An example of this is at an airport, asking 'Did you pack your bag?' which will almost always result in an affirmative, even if this is not actually correct. An absent-minded traveller may answer 'Yes' to this question, thinking that the word 'you' would naturally include their brother who was the real 'packer'. 'There was no stranger packing my bag, so of course 'we' packed it, so the answer is yes.' A professional guard who phrases the question 'Who packed this bag?' will be far more likely to get a truthful answer, as they have phrased it with a better understanding of human nature. Asking 'who' may get the response 'David packed this one' - and as we have seen in cases like Schapelle Corby's, the wrong answer could (depending upon the situation) mean the difference between life and death. The human subconscious means that many people will automatically answer yes to the first question asked of them, even without thought. In this example both questions ask the same thing, yet the second does not permit a yes or no answer, and so is far more powerful. It is important to be well-trained in how to really do your job, not just go through the motions.
The Advanced Investigator training courses which deal with these types of security related issues, have recently become far more important. Under recent legislative change in NSW, all Private Investigator licence applicants must now have completed Certificate III in Investigative Studies, and the management of applicant licences will come under control of the police from the first of July. This is one of the most significant changes in the investigation industry for many decades, and brings NSW into line with some other states in the national push to standardise both training and licensing. The day of the fly-by-night operators has long gone, and is being replaced by a new breed of professionals.
With the large influx of students needing to be trained in order to get their Private Investigator licences, there was, amazingly, no accredited training material to properly support the education. Until now. In June of this year, a fascinating new book "Behind the Private Eye" was released. The book, written in a very unusual style is by Chris Cooper, himself a licensed private investigator of many years. Partly a training textbook, the book is interleaved with a large number of real case stories which were conducted or solved by the author. The true-crime nature makes for a very engaging read, and this is one textbook you will have difficulty putting down!
Behind the Private Eye is listed training material, accredited to support the nationally recognised surveillance courses. It was recently listed by ANTA as a supporting resource for Certificate III in Investigations, Certificate IV in Government (Border Protection), Certificate IV in Seafood Industry (Fisheries Compliance: Surveillance) as well as some other government run surveillance courses. For the first time students have a valuable training resource to refer to! The book contains an incredible volume of highly detailed how-to techniques for virtually every area of surveillance. It teaches what to expect and even how to think as a PI, in order to get results, including:
- Training courses and licensing
- Job preparation
- Conduct of surveillance operations
- Special techniques used by professionals
- Following on foot, car, bus, train, taxi
- Working in specialist areas (buildings, apartments, shopping centres etc.)
- Reporting to and charging clients
While an invaluable resource for any potential recruit to the PI industry, it is also of enormous interest to experienced PI's as well as for specialist security personnel. The book is already being used by students of the NSW TAFE Investigation Course.
One interesting chapter observes and teaches how it is interesting to learn about the subtle details of human psychology and how they affect the brain's ability to notice things of interest. Why are things seen or concealed? Learn the various steps involved in observation and awareness. Just because the eye sees, doesn't mean the brain notices! It teaches that if the brain notices, it doesn't mean the observer is fully aware of the situation which may be occurring. An example given is of a car, which could be parked front facing the subject, or nose facing away. The brain processes images with a subconscious ability to sense danger. A vehicle facing you will always bring more 'notice' than one facing away. The brain considers the forward facing vehicle to be slightly more of a threat since it could move forwards, yet conversely, the rear facing car is far less of a threat and hence less likely to be noticed. An understanding of this level of detail allows security officers to better park their vehicles when wishing to observe quietly, or that they should actively 'notice' a rear facing vehicle instead of allowing their brain to 'ignore' the scene before them.
There are hundreds of tips, techniques and human phycology issues discussed in the book, training students to better observe, better detect threats and better understand or manage the environment in which they work. It is a large book, written in a humorous, easy to read and engaging style. If you've ever wondered about surveillance or just wanted to better your observation and detection skills as a security officer, this book is for you!
Article is courtesy by Security OZ Magazine
Behind the Private Eye is available in our books section.