Just an observation.

It is prefered by the court that when divorce papers are served by a Process Server that they (the Process Server) identify the respondant by a photograph usually provided by the applicant. (The one who wants the divorce).

When the applicant is the woman it is not unusual for them to provide a photograph which almost justifies it to themselves why they are divorcing their husband. The photograph in many cases will show a relaxed husband during a happier time. He is often half naked and sunburned and on a far away beach or at a night out and clutching a beer bottle with a mouthful of food and more ofen than not he has been caught unawares by the camera and has a rather gormless look about him because he's had no time to pose.





... and the difference between men and women is this

When the applicant is the husband he usually provides a photo where his wife is looking their absolute best. The Summer Ball, the Award Ceremony the Charity Gala etc. The wife has on her LBD or something she feels good in, her make-up is spot on and she's even had her hair done. He ultimately is saying that this is the woman I married and this is why I married her. Often this photo is 10 years old or more!



Occasionally and more disturbingly is the fact that with a disturbing frequency we get a wedding photograph torn in half and this can be from either side. When exibiting the photograph to the court with a sworn affidavit there is a cruel irony to it.

Whatever photo you wish to provide to your Process Server please make sure its a good likeness and as recent as possible.

Christmas Cheaters Beware!

Award winning Senior Investigator, Maria Cooper, explains why Warwickshire Investigation Agency (WIA) approaches the Christmas party season on high alert.

Warwickshire Investigation Agency’s team of specialist covert surveillance Investigators are set for another busy season as Christmas approaches. They will be out in force and undercover investigating complaints from the public that the police are neither willing nor interested in exploring - The Christmas epidemic of the cheating partner.

Maria explains, “The run up to Christmas is always a busy time for us. We know that statistics show a staggering 49% of partners admit to having or wanting to have sex with work colleagues at their Christmas office parties.” She continued “It’s the age old story where people try hard for most of the year to ignore office based attractions but with the introduction of alcohol and a relaxed party environment, common sense sometimes leaves the room”

WIA was founded in early 2008 by Maria Cooper, an ex-police officer and Royalty body guard of 20 years service. She explains, “In real terms we are fairly new to the industry of Private Investigation having been established for just under 2 years. What we bring to the industry however is a massive injection of surveillance based skills learned over the course of many years in specialist service within the Police Force.”

It was put to the former surveillance specialist that many people would regard spying on an individual as being straight forward task. Surely, its just a case of following and watching? Maria smiled, commenting ”yes of course we follow and watch, but it is a common misconception that the role is that simple. In fact, there is so much to learn about the art of becoming an effective surveillance officer that even those working within police surveillance squads who are doing it day in and day out are still learning and honing their craft with each week that passes.”

She continued “ We have successfully transferred professional surveillance services into the public sector. We are being approached by more and more by HR and internal investigation officers of medium to large size companies and organisations countrywide, requesting our covert surveillance teams to uncover sickness and injury frauds, fraudulent use of company assets and breaches of contract issues such as internal thefts or moonlighting by employees.” she continued “we are fortunate enough to have access to technical surveillance measures such as GPS trackers, and digital state of the art imagery in our covert vehicles which enables us to go about achieving our tasks undetected”

But it is the Christmas party season that is starting to impact on the surveillance market. Maria explains, “Dealing with matrimonial and cheating partner investigations accounts for a significant part of our covert surveillance case work. Many private clients, male and female, approach us for help in investigating alleged or suspected ‘affairs’. I don’t know if it is my background that singles Warwickshire Investigation Agency out or perhaps it is the fact that there are few fully trained female surveillance specialists within the industry, but we have experienced a significant rise in the volume of cheating partner enquiries over the past 6-8 months alone. She continues “unfortunately, the party season can be the starting point for many affairs. Somehow good reason and sound judgement can be lost by the most professional of individuals and once the affair has started it can be difficult to stop”

Maria went on to explain that private clients suspecting an affair are usually 95% sure that something is going amiss, “most clients are seeking that last 5% of evidence before confronting their partner or making any decisions on how they truly feel about the situation. They need an answer, yes or no to “are they having an affair?” and without exception, they are in need of sharing the burden and worry with someone independent and non judgmental. It is fundamental to me that we don’t just provide the photographic and written evidence that good surveillance will provide, morally I believe that we should also be providing support for the client where it is needed. This is the foundation upon which we base all of our investigations.”

I asked Maria if every cheating partner surveillance is the same or were some more difficult than others, she smiled again saying “every case is individual and presents its own challenges. We have followed the full spectrum of suspected cheaters, from lorry drivers through to Company Directors, Mayors and even a Consultant Physician. Temptation presents itself to all of us at one time or another, it is simply a case of whether or not you take advantage of the situation and sadly it seems that so many people do.”

I wondered whether Maria has ever been shocked by her findings, she explained
“No, not at all. It is important to keep an open mind and never to anticipate something in the surveillance world, as it will surely catch you out. If you are a professional you will simply plan and prepare prior to an operation and the successful execution of the op is dependent on good covert skills and flexibility to every given situation.”

Maria explained that she has witnessed many surprises during cheating partner investigations “sometimes we can begin a task with a clear brief from our client that he believes his wife is having an affair and he even suspects he knows who with. We gather relevant information on car details, descriptions and log the movements of the suspected parties which culminates in a covert surveillance operation. Last week we undertook one such case which revealed to us and the client that the wife was indeed having an affair - but with another woman. Successful covert evidence was gathered of intimate behavior taking place in a local pub. Seemingly the landlady knew this affair had been taking place for sometime, whilst the husband had no idea.”

Maria’s advice for the festive season is “you are the person who knows your partner best. If you believe that something is going on, odds on you may be right. There are many recognised 'indicators' such as changes in behavior, sudden interest in working late or attending work overnight conferences, being overly protective of a mobile phone or speaking or texting more than usual to supposed same sex work colleagues. Often 'John' from work turns out to be 'Susan' which he used to work with or vice versa. If you have your suspicions, keep a diary of times, events etc and after a spell contact a professional investigator recognised for and professionally qualified in covert surveillance. They should work with you to provide you with the answers and evidence that you seek.”

So, as the festive party season approaches, be warned all cheaters as you may be being watched. To risk a long standing relationship for a fleeting affair - are you crackers?

Article ends

Further details in relation to WIA's specialist services can be found at their website:
www.warwickshireinvestigation.co.uk.

If you would like to speak to Maria direct or any of our specialist investigators for free, no obligation advice, call 01789 770980 or make contact by clicking on the following highlighted link to be directed to WIA's Contact Us page

Founder and Senior Investigator of Warwickshire Investigation Agency, Maria Cooper, speaks about her new role as the lead detective in the U.K’s No.1 Female Detective Agency

Firstly, let me congratulate you on receiving an award from WAPI (World Association of Professional Investigators) That was quite an achievement in your first year of trading

Thank you. Yes, we were really pleased and honored. It meant a great deal to me personally as I was determined to enter the industry making a significant contribution to private investigation, and to raise the bar on the specialist skill of covert surveillance. So to be recognised by the WAPI Council as Best Newcomer 2008 was a real thrill.

I understand that your background was in Policing as a surveillance specialist?

That’s right. I served for 20 years in the Police specialising in both Royalty and VIP protection officer duties and more latterly as a member of the Force dedicated surveillance team.

Both of those roles must have been interesting, were they challenging?

Yes! But the level of training for both roles is second to none. My training for the protection and bodyguard role was done alongside serving members of the SBS (Special Boat Service) and the role itself brought me into contact with many people I would never have otherwise met. It was quite a privilege

Can you tell us any secrets about the Royals, give us the inside scoop?

Maria Laughs

No, Sorry! my lips are sealed. As I have said, I considered the role to be a privilege, therefore it follows that what I heard and saw is privileged information!

I expect you could write a book with all the stories you must have stored away

I supposed I could and I’m sure it would be a good read, but really, the Royals are people the same as you and I and they deserve their privacy. Their role isn’t an easy one being permanently in the public eye.

Why did you move on from that role?

I had to, it wasn’t from choice. The Police Service at that time imposed tenure of post on specialist departments, which meant that you had to move on. The idea was that experienced officers would be rotated back into uniform on the streets and that in turn would raise the standard of officer, new probationers working alongside officers who had many years service and experience. In truth it didn’t work. It caused a huge slump in moral and in my view was an enormous waste of public money. My training for my specialist roles will have run into many tens of thousands of pounds, then as they moved me on, they had to train someone else all over again. It was crazy!

So, you went on to the surveillance squad?
Yes. I was very fortunate. In my final year on Protection Duties I was approached to fill a place on the upcoming Level 1 surveillance course due to be held in Milton Keynes. My department didn’t have to foot the bill as the space had come about from someone else dropping out. So before I could really think about it I was on the course. I was told that it would be unfair to grade me as all the other people on he course had gone through an interview process to be there, unlike me. I had never really given surveillance a second thought at that time so this was just an opportunity for me and there was no job riding on my pass or fail performance.

How was the course compared to your bodyguard training, easier or harder?

Actually, both are extremely demanding and stretch you in different ways. I was like a duck out of water for the first couple of days, trying to become familiar with all the surveillance speak and set plays. The driving also was very different to the advanced driving skills I had learned previously but I soon settled into the role and really loved it!

I’m guessing that you passed the course?

Yes I did, many didn’t which was a shame because as a team you become quite close. But the right decisions were made. I was told that if I were to be graded on my performance I would have got an ‘A’ grade which would open the role of surveillance specialist to me. If you wanted to apply for Drug squad you had to attain at least a grade ‘B’. So, there it was. Out of sheer luck I had been shown the role that I wanted to specialise in next. I subsequently applied, went through the interview progress and found myself back on another course, this time with the pressure of a job hanging on my result. 3 weeks of intense training again and a really good time was had by all. I got my grade and started my new job just 3 months later.

What did your working role entail?

In a nut shell, intelligence officers around the force would gather information via different sources on high level criminals (committing the most serious of crimes) who were known to be active in a particular police area. Our job as a team was to successfully follow these people gaining further intelligence on their movements and associates, which sometimes led to witnessing crimes being committed. The information was all recorded both photographically and documentary. When crimes were committed we would call in uniform officers to effect the arrest, the criminal never knowing at that stage that he had been followed for the last week, his every move noted. There were times when we were forced to show our hand and effect the arrests ourselves.

Can you tell us about any of those?

Yes of course. On one occasion we followed a drugs runner. We observed him meeting with his ‘boss’ and receiving a jiffy bag full of money in an exchange made in a car. We then followed him into London were we witnessed him exchanging the money for Heroine. We followed him back into the force area and made what is termed a ‘strike’ on the car whilst he was stationary at a set of traffic lights.


Another time we followed a known prolific burglar for the day. He drove around and about all over the show before eventually crossing into Bedfordshire police area. I followed him on foot whilst the rest of the team plotted up around the area effectively sealing the immediate escape routes. I gained access to a lovely old couples garden where through a knot hole in the fence I watched him force the side window of a house, burgle it and exit with his stolen goods in a pillow case which he had taken off one of the beds. I co-ordinated officers on foot at the front of the house to continue observing and to follow him back towards his car whilst I extracted myself and ran to catch up. By the time I reached the roadside, the burglar had got to his car and an arrest had been attempted by another team member. He tried to flee in the car, crushing the female officers legs between his car and one of the covert police cars, then he sped off with half of the team in pursuit. The injured officer was a good friend of mine and as I ran into a neighboring house to phone for an ambulance and launch the force helicopter to assist in the pursuit, I remember my hands shaking terribly.
Strangely, this had all taken place directly outside a doctors surgery and a doctor ran out and administered Pethidine to my colleague who was screaming in pain. In that respect at least we were lucky!

Did the burglar get caught?

Yes, The team were very professional in the light of such stress. He was safely followed at a distance to Milton Keynes where he tried to attack a further female member of the team as she arrested him. He was over powered by her team mate and taken to the police station. He received a custodial sentence for his trouble.

Was the officer with the injuries OK?

Eventually. She went to hospital and the recovery took time but she returned to the same role and carried on undeterred. Remarkable really.

You were medically retired from the police in 2002, what happened to bring that about?

I was unfortunate enough to be the passenger in a police car on two occasions when we were hit by other vehicles. The short story is that I had a disc removed from my neck and metal work implanted in the spine to stabilise the back. I didn’t work successfully within the police service again.

The recovery, both physical and mental was quite lengthy. I had, through no fault of my own, lost my life’s career. I had never done any other job. I joined as a cadet at the age of 17 and now found myself in limbo. That’s quite hard to handle. The police Service that I had served diligently for over 20 years, tried to turn its back on me in an attempt to avoid paying a medical pension. I had to fight long and hard at a time when I had no real fight left. I was fortunate to be supported by a wonderful man called Tony who was my Force representative, a bit like our version of a union rep. He supported me emotionally where he could and fought hard for me, liaising with the force medical officers and the unfeeling senior admin staff who sat in their ivory tower at headquarters.

You sound a little bitter

Yes, sorry about that but frankly I am. I was part of a large family called the police service, to whom I devoted everything. It was a nasty wake up call to realise that actually you weren’t appreciated in the slightest and that you were just a number on a file who was going to cost them money. At one stage my career was reviewed by the senior admin woman when I was off sick recovering from major back surgery. They dragged me into headquarters when it was difficult to sit for any length of time so she could make a decision based on whether they stopped my pay or not whilst I continued to recover. I was grilled over many things for the best part of an hour at the end of which it became apparent that she was under the impression she was talking to an entirely different officer altogether and had to be told by Tony that I was WPC COOPER. It was a hard time but there had to be a future and I decided that it made sense to leverage from the skills the police had taught me that I would be capable of physically performing. Hence my transition into the private Investigation world

You must have been very well qualified to transition with all your Police law training?

Yes and no. Obviously from a criminal law point of view I was and from a skills perspective relevant to surveillance I was. But I recognised that my knowledge of civil law was lacking. So my preparation for establishing Warwickshire Investigation Agency involved undertaking a distance learning course in advanced private investigation through the Institute of Professional Investigators. The course provides a good and comprehensive insight into the world and work of the private detective and helped to educate me in the civil law requirements of the role.

Did you have a particular plan for the direction of the business when you launched in 2008?

Yes. My USP (unique selling point) is my specialist background and investigation skills. Also, I am a woman in a predominantly mans world. In my view, both my experience and the fact I am female makes me fairly unique in this industry. The main core of the business therefore would be based on covert surveillance work

Were you accepted by the men easily?

Actually yes. All investigators will undertake surveillance because it is such a large part of our work. Few though are fully trained professionals in that arena and fewer still are female. I think that helped to become noticed in the crowd of newcomers. I worked hard in the early months to find investigators around the UK and particularly in the midlands on whom I could rely and depend. I targeted the potential skills of surveillance as a priority and vetted many examples of surveillance footage and written records for identifying a potential extended team. That process is still on-going and the team continues to grow.

Do you only use ex police officers?

No. The team leaders and case managers are ex-police and every case comes through me for review and comment. But no, we employ many capable investigators around the UK that do not have police experience. Relative to surveillance, I run my own in-house training for the teams and we train regularly in the art of covert foot and mobile surveillance. We are fortunate enough to have fully equipped state of the art covert surveillance vans at the Agency and all are trained operatives in their use. We also deploy and monitor technical surveillance devices such as GPS trackers and again we train specifically for technical surveillance.

What kind of work do you find you do most of, is it all following love cheats?

No, far from it! We do undertake many cases involving infidelity and cheating partners for our private clients and the intensity of that work took me a little by surprise. Most male investigators don’t relish this kind of work but it is a role that I am very comfortable performing. I am a people person and I think it helps to be female somehow, whether the client is male or female themselves seems to make no difference. They tend to trust a female investigator more for some reason. I guess again my background helps to confirm the level of service they can expect from WIA and goes a long way to dispel the myth of all investigators wearing dirty rain macs and hiding behind lamp posts wearing trilby’s!

So what other kind of work do you cater for?

We do a lot of work with Local Authorities and Housing Associations relative to gathering information via surveillance for anti social behavior prosecutions and crack house closures. We also work with H.R. departments of medium and large sized companies and industries to help provide evidence of fraudulent sickness and injury claims and serious breaches of contract. Such work demands a high level of surveillance expertise to achieve the best quality results, which is after all what we are paid to do. I insist that all surveillance carried out by us is conducted to the same rigorous standards as I used in the police service. That way, no rules get broken and the end product is of a very high standard which will be robust in any court, civil or criminal.

Maria jokes....

I know that it makes me sound a bit OCD and anal and I laugh with my team about it often but honestly I don’t know any other way to work!

I read an article about the recession and how you have contributed towards helping U.K. businesses survive the downturn. Are you continuing with that work?

Yes, very much so. Again, it came along and took me by surprise really. I run a business and I totally appreciate how crippling it can be from a cash flow perspective when the customer doesn’t pay. Many businesses small and large have gone to the wall as a result and its not fair. We offer a ‘locate and trace’ service which initially was geared more for tracing relatives and friends. I modified and extended the service, applied for a Consumer Credit Licence which enabled us to offer a specialised locate and trace service for debtors. It has proved very successful and as a result we have assisted to recover a huge amount of debt on behalf of british businesses which has eased their cash flow issues. The service also works for private individuals in that we trace the debtor and then advise and encourage the client to issue a statutory Demand, which you do not necessarily need a solicitor to do - you can do it yourself or we can do it for you and our process server department will effect the legal service of the document to the debtor. We have found a significant increase in the volume of our process serving on behalf of solicitors and the legal profession since we expanded the service to cover the retire U.K. We find ourselves serving a whole host of different legal papers from non-molestation orders to court warnings, bankruptcy petitions to freezing order and more.

It sounds as though you have established Warwickshire Investigation Agency on the map quite successfully in a relatively short space of time

Yes, as I say I am pleased with our progress so far, the important thing for me is the standard of service being upheld. I ask all of our clients for voluntary feedback at the end of every case and we listen to the comments! It is from these suggestions that some of our additional services have come. It is all about meeting the customer demand and hopefully surpassing their expectations.

So, what is the plan for the future?

For the immediate future? Much of the same. We have a wide variety of specialist services on offer now and that is keeping us busy. I am still very hands on at ground level with the surveillance and investigations and will involve myself in the thick of things every way I can. I love it. It challenges and stretches me and thankfully for my sanity, I have found another niche in life where I can be of benefit.

Interview ends.

Oddly enough I regularly get asked where my business comes from... "Yes of course I will tell you, here is the list of all my customers and the details of all the hard effort I have put in to get the business..."

Yeah, exactly! :rolleyes:

I am not implying that I would not help or assist a fellow colleague or potential PI to get off on the right start but my personal opinion is this...

Should you really be attempting to start a business (Yes it is a business not a hobby) if you have no idea where to start?

Being a PI is all about research, hours spent searching, looking, asking and so on. However, to start a business and try and do a short cut is going to end in tears. Start as you mean to go on.

So you want to be a PI... or you have become a PI! Now do what you should be good at and research potential clients, research competitors to get the "edge", learn new skills to add to your CV and so on.

Here is some very basic general pointers...

1) Get off your bum!

2) If you got off your bum you should be on your way to the many solicitors in your area armed with a nice shirt, trousers and tie, along with a folder detailing your services, prices and rates etc. This has to be a good start for anyone. Don't be fooled into thinking everyone you walk into and speak with will a) give you the time of day or b) take you on as their preferred agent (unless of course you have some magic tricks up yoru sleeve!!! - if you have, let me know!

3) Forget Email campaigns - the hit rate is so low for the amount of work and money involved, it simply out weighs the return.

4) Write a letter - a good one! and distribute it to potential clients, not just solicitors ;)

5) Get a bloody good website made up, if you haven't got one email me and I can help enquries@seagalinvestigations.co.uk

6) Patience - As with any business you have to expect at least 2 years before your business is running at its full potential.

7) Don't waste your money. Advertising is a great thing but spend your budget wisely. Target areas specifically for the business. It is far better to advertise in a legal publication that it is in a woman's mag for example!

8) Try and be diverse and offer as many services as you feel comfortable with. If you don't have the skills make use of the networks and sub the work out and take a cut or finders fee, you never know when that client may come back!

9) Find out what the local competition are doing in your area (this should have been 1st port of call) bit late now though. What are they offering that you aren't? Why are people using them? is their website better? and so on.

10) Be professional - At all times!

Ask anyone in business and they will tell you the same thing - with any business it takes time, patience, effort, motivation, effort, hard work, effort - you get the picture...!

Work will not come to you, believe me, you are only ever going to be as successful as YOU want to be or are capable of. If no one know's you are a PI then no one will contact you. Get yourself listed on every free business directory, forum, networking site and so on that you can think of or find on Google. Its a start!

One thing you need to ask yourself is "Am I cut out for this?"

Some people fall at the first hurdle, others fall but get up and carry on, by the time they are half way round the course they are clearing those jumps and then its just a case of getting across the finish line...

Your best source of information is here... on ELG. Get your head down and read as many of the posts as you can, not just the one's you "think" are relevant, but try and read through most of the sections... believe me you will learn a hell of a lot!!!

Good luck.

The Senior Investigator at the UK's leading female private investigation agency, Warwickshire Investigation Agency, speaks out about her role as a female detective and comments on the apparent rise in infidelity related casework in the UK

With a career spanning over 20 years in the police service, I was used to carrying out investigations into most areas of crime and disorder. During my career I specialsed in VIP protection duties but more latterly, I formed part of the force surveillance unit which concentrated its specialist covert capabilities on evidence and intelligence based investigations into high level criminal activity. I retired from the service in 2002, deciding to transfer my experience of investigation and surveillance into the public arena with the intention of concentrating mainly on professional witness evidence gathering for local authorities and housing associations relevant to Anti Social Behaviour. My research had shown that specialist corporate investigations such as employee absenteeism, false injury claims and breach of contract work was also well suited to a professional surveillance operative.

I knew that being a female and highly trained surveillance operator would set me apart from the crowd and that can be a good thing in my industry - everyone needs a unique selling point in business. I also knew that as a level 1 trained expert, I was well placed to bring together a team of like minded professionals leveraging from my contacts in the police and military surveillance worlds. And so, Warwickshire Investigation Agency was born with its focus firmly placed on expert surveillance based investigation. What I hadn't envisaged in those early days was that matrimonial and cheating partner investigations would feature so highly in our case book.

In 2007-2008, infidelity based surveillance and investigations accounted for approximately 35% of our workload. This figure in itself I thought to be high but based it on the fact that WIA offered something slightly different in terms of ex-police trained female operators. In 2009, such investigations account for 48% of our caseload and it is still only July! It has become clear to me that there is a very real need for professional level covert surveillance services who cater specifically to this need, so much so that this is now offered as one of our specialist services throughout the U.K.

From the very beginning I was aware that often we are the first and in many cases the only people to have been taken into the confidence of our clients. We find that our role is just as much that of a confidant and independent listener as much as it is that of an investigator and evidence gatherer. At the stage that our clients make that first call, they are already 90% sure of their facts and generally speaking are frightened and vulnerable. I believe that it is crucial that we offer support and a virtual shoulder to cry on in addition to our role of evidence gatherer. I have never had a client, either male or female who has not thanked me for just being there, even when the eventual result for them has been the confirmation of their fears. Almost without exception, our clients report a feeling of absolute betrayal and a break down of trust within their home environment. I feel that it is imperative that our role provides a stable platform, where it is safe to talk freely and one that most importantly is based on trust and confidentiality, integrity and respect. In many ways it is a privilaged role. One where we are privy to the most intimate of information, all of which are effectively being imparted to a total stranger. For me, the fact that the client has had the courage to make that first step is enough for me to recognise that the least they deserve in return is the safe haven of confidentiality and the guarantee of expert and specialist help.

WIA has a 100% accuracy rate in regard to our infidelity investigations, be they matrimonial or as a result of cheating partners. All too often it is my role to provide the evidence confirming an affair, but happily, there are a few occasions where we have been pleased to report that our clients fears were in fact unfounded. I can not account for the apparent steep rise in the number of infidelity related cases. Perhaps it is merely that the public are now more aware of the existence of private investigators because of the internet - perhaps infidelity has always been there in the background, undetected at this level for many years, I don't know? Personally, dealing with the distress of our clients on almost a daily basis makes me sincerely hope that the tide will turn and the trend will wane, sadly my instinct tells me otherwise.

To learn more about matrimonial investigations and dealing with cheating partners go to www.warwickshireinvestigation.co.uk or call 01789 770980 in complete confidence for a free, no obligation consultation.

Warwickshire Investigation Agency hold full membership of the World Association of Professional Investigators (Award winner 2008), are registered with the Information Commissioners Office (Data Protection Act registered) and are fully insured.

Well il be starting my fourth week on Monday and still not ready to come home, even for a visit!! Im loving the experience.

On my arrival 'on site' Monday 11th May i must say i was impressed with the facilities. the site had been set up and fully equipped in less than four weeks and that included constructing a road into it. We experienced a few teething problems which can only be expected, electrics, plumbing etc but nothing that couldnt be sorted.
we have a mortuary reception area where the remains will be brought from the gravesite (by me),a purpose built radiology lab, a processing room were the remains will be washed and dried, 4 anthropology tables, soco , a finds officer (for all the recovered artefacts and a DNA clean room. all portacabins linked by a long corridor.

My first couple of days was spent going over Health and Safety on site, kit issue and learning the history behind the reasons for us being here.
A local man called Murciel Delabarre, who lives in the village of Fromelles will be spending most days on site.
He is a historian and has spent most of his adult life scouring the fields of 'no mans land' searching for clues and artefacts that will lead to the discovery of possible more graves. He is an exceptional man. He is working as an advisor to the team on behalf of the war graves commission. There is nothing this man dosnt know. He also works as a curator for the museum in Fromelles. He is very passionate about the project and laying these men to rest with military honours funerals.
The first week we were taken on a tour of the museum. It was three attic rooms that were filled to bursting with all kinds of artefacts, uniforms, shells, personal effects, pictures, press cuttings etc. He has literally run out of floor and wall space. It was a very moving experience as Murciel knew a lot of personal stories related to items that he would point out to us.
we also got to see the work starting on the new cemetery were these soldiers will be buried. Its very close to were we are working, maybe 500 meters.
The locals are very much supporting us. Over coffee in the local tabac cafe. I was told a moving story by a lady. She said that the locals looked on these men as their own sons. They wanted them to be buried close to the church, so they could still hear the bells ringing everyday at 6 minutes past 12, as they had heard them ringing for the last 90 years.
Many years ago, the bells were rung as a first warning to the farmers working in the fields that it would soon be time for lunch. The timing of the bells ringing, was never put right due to these soldiers being buried close by. I had a tear in my eye listening to that wonderful story. Now everyday i make sure i listen out for the bells and stop for a minute to listen.
We all try hard not to personalise what we are doing, but its difficult not to when hearing stories like that.


Towards the end of week one and the digging commences.
The machinery moved in to remove the top layer of earth. As there had been a non evasive preliminary dig last year, a detailed report had been provided, so the team of archeologists were fully aware of how far down the machinery could go.
Once the depth had been gained it was down to digging by hand.
It was amazing for me to watch them at work. Trowelling away tiny amounts of earth so as not to disturb any remains.
It was all going to plan.....then the heavens opened and it rained for most of the second week, heavy torrential rain.
It was a case of all hands on deck. Spade in hand at 5pm on Friday all digging drainage trenches as the graves were starting to flood. We were soaked, working in thick muddy glue like clay, knee deep. these things are sent to try us!!! We got there in the end though, the air shelters were put up on the 2 graves that had been opened and we managed to have a couple of days off over the weekend

A group of us visited Belgium for the Medievel cat throwing festival and the burning of the witch. All the main streets were closed off and the whole day and evening was one long procession of magnificent floats. Then early evening everyone gathers in the town square. The jester then climbs the tower to the sounds of boos from the audience below. He then hurls cats from the top of the tower into the crowd......stuffed ones i might add!!
The witch is then brought into the square in a cage and after a bit of play acting, is thrown onto a fire to be burned.
we had to have lots of Belgium beer and chocolate to get over the traumatic events of the day!!!

Week two and three we started to reveal the skeleton remains.
DNA samples are to be taken from each of the remains. My role is to ensure the continuity of these samples and the remains when exhumed. It is painstaking work, very slow at the moment as most of the archeologists havnt previously worked on a forensic excavation and the procedures are a lot different to what they are used to.
Full protective clothing is worn at all times within the graves, suits, masks, gloves etc. If you add that, to the bad weather conditions you can get a feel for the conditons we are working in.

I have managed to adapt, most of the procedures for continuity of evidence, that i use on a daily basis at work. That old saying comes in handy...'if it aint broke, dont fix it'. it seems to be working well.

Well this week we have a complete turn around with the weather. Its been glorious sunshine and the heat within the air shelters (there to protect the opened graves ) has risen. So as you can imagine, its getting very uncomfortable in the suits and masks.

We have had lots of interest from the media this week again. The channel four documentary company has been on site, doing interviews with some of the team. I did my piece to camera whilst wearing my csi work teeshirt. I thought it only right to give my force a mention for giving me the secondment in the first place.
They will be with us for the duration of the project and the documentary will be aired on rememberance sunday 2010.

Dont forget you can keep updated at Fromelles. Im hoping my blog will appear on there website soon.

to be continued.........

well firstly let me apologise for not starting this sooner...all will become clear.

Some of you will know about the project that I'm involved in, but for those that don't, I'm working on behalf of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Fromelles in Northern France. The purpose being, to exhume the remains of up to 400 victims both British and Australian that fought and lost their lives in July 1916. They were killed in action and buried in a series of graves in a wooded area called Pheasant Wood.

Id like to share my experience with members and guests of e-Legal Gathering. There are lots that I'm unable to talk about due to confidentiality clauses in my contract, so you will have to bear with me on that.

I arrived in France on Thursday 7th May and fortunately had a long weekend off to get settled.

It didn't take me long to unpack my life for the next 6 months into the tiny studio I had been provided with. All very well and good you may say. Well it seemed rural, very French, rustic and peaceful at 9pm at night, that was until I heard a tapping on my window at 0530hrs. I was in the middle of a farmyard with a pea**** on my windowsill waiting for breakfast!

Then the donkeys started and the ****erels joined in. Talk about the dawn chorus...now I know the true meaning of that old saying.

Well being an animal lover, I was prepared to put up with the 5am call... but no internet, no way could I be cut off from the outside world.

It really made me think about how much we rely on the old PC. Thank god I brought my car over with me at least I could go to a local internet cafe, if there was one!

So for the next few days I went out walking to learn about the area and the history behind the real reason for my visit.

As you walk around these small villages and towns the enormity of the loss during WW1 becomes so apparent. There are war grave cemeteries everywhere you walk. Rows and rows of immaculately kept headstones with perfect lawned areas and flower shrubs.

I visited many of them over that first weekend. In each there is a visitors register, kept in a small safe like recess in the wall.

The first one I went into, I sat for a while and became quite emotional. Why was this so, i didn't know any names on the headstones.I didn't have an old relative who had lost his life during the war. Apparently, after speaking to others on the project a little later, it transpires that we have all gone through that same emotional time. Whether it was the enormity of the project we are about to undertake, or the fact that I was a little embarrassed to learn, that i knew very little history about these brave men who gave their lives for our future freedom. Either way it was a very moving experience for me. One I'm sure I will refer to over many years to come.

so, weekend off and its time for work. We are now two weeks into the project and I'm loving every minute of it.

Episode 2 to follow.

I need at least a week to catch up on all the new posts and threads that iv missed without the internet!

I’m sitting in the obs van
Camera trained upon the house
I’ve been wide awake for hours now
But here it’s as quiet as a mouse

I’m looking for signs of movement
What this may be is never certain
At this point in time I’d be content
With just the twitching of a curtain!

An hour later and my patience pays off
There’s a light on in the hall
Within 20 minutes we should be moving
My time’s not wasted after all

At 24 minutes the front door opens
Our target walks swiftly to his car
The radio alerts the rest of the team
I know exactly where they are

5’10, slim build with short dark hair
Wearing jeans and a rugby shirt
6 months on the sick from his current job
With a bad back which he claims he hurt

Rumour is he working 3 days a week
Fitting windows for a local firm
The team’s mobile now and on his tail
Keen to uncover his secrets and learn

Snaking with him through the traffic
We stick to him like his new best mate
Now arriving outside the warehouse
We plot up again and wait

He loads windows, boxes and heavy tools
The camera records it all on rapid fire
The log’s updated, the detail precise
We have all the evidence that we require

The client is happy, we’ve proved the case
Caught red handed committing the crime
So I close the log and put the cameras away
And charge all batteries ready for next time

It’s been a long day, now its time to relax
And put up my feet if I dare
But there goes the phone, the next jobs in
“I think my husbands having an affair!”


For more information on professional surveillance, matrimonial investigations and False absenteeism investigations, or to speak to an investigator direct call 01789 770980 or visit www.warwickshireinvestigation.co.uk

Whilst thumbing through some old files today, I came across a poem written by a lady who was the receptionist where I used to work as a Security Manager. This was at a Shopping Centre in the West Midlands when I first left the forces in 2001.

I had forgotten all about it :o

The Security Manager

It is not dignified to smile
My anonimity I must preserve.
I will look serious all the while,
wearing a cool reserve.

I am respected and revered
My reputation impeccable.
By the guilty I am feared.
To the staff I am respectable.

No rogue evades my attention.
Dishonesty earns no toleration.
Thieves wont escape my detection,
with no chance of exhoneration.

If my suspect is curvaceous,
To her charms I am impervious.
I would consider it most audacious
If she did not appear quite nervous!

But when my duties are concluded
And the night is drawing near,
I'll leave the foolish and deluded
and join my mates for a pint of beer!

Sonja F Mills

Sonja is a published poet; so I guess I should be flattered.:cool:

As the UK continues to face a downturn in the economy, professional Private Investigator, Maria Cooper, who heads the award winning Warwickshire Investigation Agency (WIA), defies the recession by assisting businesses both large and small to recover thousands of pounds worth of debt.

Every week, hundreds of businesses are forced in to closure as the recession bites down hard on profits, and the debts mount up. Maria comments "for the honest business owner, times can be challenging in the current economic climate but they are made all the more difficult by unscrupulous clients not paying their debts"

Maria is referring to a worrying trend which is seemingly on the increase "At WIA we are experiencing a huge increase in businesses approaching us for assistance in tracing debtors who have absconded leaving considerable debt in their wake. Years ago, one would hear of the occasional 'moonlight flit' by individuals renting business or private accommodation, now this trend is becoming increasingly alarming"

Maria explains that this practice of what she calls 'rent and run' is normally quite carefully executed by serial debtors who set up a business overnight and after trading for some months and running up rent arrears, they will disappear seemingly without trace, leaving behind them confused customers and angry creditors.

"It is a way of life for many of these unscrupulous individuals and they are well practised at their art" she explains, "they seldom stay in one place for more than a few months and will frequently but subtly change their personal details in order to dupe the next unsuspecting firm by using middle names as first names and so forth. They consider themselves to be very clever and one step ahead of the game, but I am pleased to say that increasing we are helping businesses to fight back and recover the debts that their businesses are owed. "


What serial debtors often fail to realise is that they do not disappear without trace, indeed quite the opposite according to Maria. "We rely on these individuals leaving their credit footprint and they do. It is from this footprint that the WIA team will begin to locate them"

Warwickshire Investigation Agency uses a number of professional resources to effectively track and trace debtors across the UK. She explains "we provide a national service to businesses in the UK to assist them in tracing and locating debtors in order that court papers can be served to recover debts. It can be a time consuming process but one that is helping many of our clients to recover considerable amounts of otherwise lost revenue"

She continues "Mostly businesses come to us when they have spent many months writing to the debtor threatening court action. Of course, these letters are ignored by the individuals concerned but they do serve well as an early warning sign advertising only that it is indeed time to move on again. We receive the instruction to attempt to locate and trace the debtor with details which are now already out of date."

Maria goes on to explain that WIA's success rate for tracking down debtors is very high but adds a word of caution "the client must be prepared to act quickly on the information and ensure that court papers are issued. We always advise that these papers are served on the debtor personally, never sent by post or the client will find themselves back to square one again. We provide professional process service throughout the UK and nothing gives me greater pleasure than to effect the service of court papers on a debtor that we have pursued and located for our clients"

But tracing and serving court papers aside, Maria has further advice to business owners "re-visit your good business housekeeping where you are providing services or credit. By that I mean run professional background checks on individuals prior to providing the service. It is possible to largely protect yourself against these people. If you gain the applicants written permission, and the honest person who has nothing to hide will 99% of the time conform, credit checks can be run prior to you taking on the risk. This has proved effective in many industries and indeed for many employers also. I should say that where a debt already exists we do not need the permission of the debtor to run checks"

It is fact though that some debtors simply do not have the funds to be able to repay debts, even where a court judgement has been won, so what can businesses do in these circumstances? Well, WIA provide a service which they call FIT TO SUE, Maria explains
"our fit to sue report, sometimes referred to as a means report, comes into its own in circumstances such as these. On occasions, businesses need to know if it is worth their time and effort to pursue an individual if the debt is fairly substantial verses is the debtor able to pay? We provide a service whereby our team of investigators will trace the known assets of the debtor using a combination of field inquiries and desktop asset searching to provide an estimated value of wealth based on the evidence we have found. This report and supporting evidence is sufficient for our clients to make an informed decision"

Maria concluded the interview with one final piece of advice `'the recession marks a time where all businesses have to tighten their belts a little and consider tactics going forward. If you have fallen victim to a debtor, don't attempt to justify writing the debt off by thinking you have no other option. From what we have discussed today, clearly you have many options open to you. Do not put your business at further financial risk, simply take the first step to ensure that your business recovers what it is legally owed."


This press release would like to point out that credit searches can only be performed by professional bodies who hold a current Consumer Credit Licence. WIA is Data Protection Act registered and are fully insured.

If you would like to know more about debtor tracing, integrity testing, background checks and fit to sue reports you can contact Warwickshire Investigation Agency direct on: 01789 770980 or via email: enquiry@warwickshireinvestigation.co.uk

Is it as simple as getting a subscription to 192.com? Or is there more to tracing than just accessing popular databases?

Well for starters, the electoral roll has got to be the beginning of any trace. However if the person you are tracing has a common name like John Smith then the electoral roll will not help you very much. There will be too many entries in there.

Any investigation needs a beginning. In people tracing, the information that we get from our clients will make or break the trace.
The more information the better, name, last known address, date of birth, name of father and mother, their addresses (if known). The professional people finder can cross reference these details to narrow the search to the “John Smith” that you are looking for.

Most tracing agencies have access to a lot of databases that the general public would find too expensive to subscribe to, but more importantly they have the experience and the drive to look in the right place for the information that is required.

Author: Peter Heims (the worlds oldest private investigator) Reproduced with permission of the Association of British Investigators.


If a client asks a private investigator to trace someone, might it be for stalking purposes?

Revenge Attack on Nigeria’s most wanted


In July 1984, acting on a tip-off Essex Police went to Stansted Airport where they found Alhaji Umaru Dikko in a Nigerian Airways Boeing 707 shoved in a packing case en-route by air to Nigeria. There were rumours that he had been abducted by Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service or the Nigerian security organisation. Both denied it.


Mr Dikko, a former transport minister in the Nigerian Government, earlier in the year had escaped from Nigeria after a coup. He was considered Nigeria’s ‘most wanted man’ and was known as ‘Mr Corruption’.


Four persons (two were Israelis), mercenaries and bounty hunters, were arrested and went on trial. Each received prison sentences varying from 10-14 years, and it was recommended at the trial that all four men be deported. This did not however happen because Reg Kray, in his book Way of Life, published by Sedgewick & Jackson, tells how he met the two Israelis in Parkhurst Prison.

Chelsea firm


This attempt at kidnap as one would imagine created a lot of press reporting. However only one newspaper, The Independent, discovered the fact that private investigators had been instructed to find out where Mr Dikko was living: in Porchester Terrace, west London. The American sources say he hired a New York security firm who then contracted out the job to a firm of private detectives in Chelsea, who in the past had worked closely with the South African security police. It was as a direct result of their report that the abductors knew exactly where to kidnap Mr Dikko.
I was able from this information to realise who this private investigator, John Fairer-Smith (now deceased) of Argen Investigations, Chelsea, was, and purely by co-incidence regarding another matter, I had lunch with him some months later. He admitted that he had been completely conned by his client X (who he would not name) into believing that he had been hired to locate the private address of Mr Dikko for legitimate purposes, and to report on his movements. He pointed out that there but for the grace of God went I and any other private investigator. The caution was heeded by myself and all future investigations received by my company are vetted before they are accepted.

Jill Dando

In April 1999 Jill Dando, the television presenter, was murdered. In 2001 Barry George was convicted of murdering Dando. Police had been advised by I-CD Publishing UK that their UK Infodisk program had been accessed by someone looking for Jill Dando’s private address.


The incident made it very clear to the members of the Association of British Investigators (ABI) that they could unsuspectingly accept instructions from a stalker to trace his or her victim. Bearing this in mind the point was raised at the Annual General Meeting in 2000 of the association putting forward the following three points to be debated:

• To stop accepting instructions from the public and only accept them from solicitors and commercial concerns.
• To ask prospective clients why he or she needs that person traced and if the investigator is not satisfied with the reply then that member is asked not to act for that prospective client.
• To advise the prospective client that if and when the person is traced, the investigator will approach that person and ask for permission to pass his or her name to the investigator’s named client, so that no crime might be committed. Practice however shows that this may not always be practical, when tracing a debtor.

Care
Due to the shortage of time there was little discussion, but the general consensus of opinion was that we should exercise a great deal of care in accepting such instructions particularly via the internet. It was felt that wherever possible the prospective client should actually be interviewed. This discussion was reported in the Sunday Telegraph on April 23, 2000.


Imagine my surprise when some 12 days later I received the following e-mail from Clara of Canada. I have deleted the name of the English TV actor she was interested in; however he is well known.


I would like to locate British actor xxxxx. I know he lives in England or Ireland, I’m not sure. I know his date of birth, marital status and how many children he has as well as their names. What I would like is to have his private phone number, at home and a cellular number (if he has one) or a number that belongs to him only (you have to understand he’s married so I want to be discreet). Basically a way to contact him private. You have to understand that my intentions are not to destroy Mr X’s marriage but to secretly get in touch with him without his wife knowing anything. I am deeply attracted to him since many years now and for me to get in touch with him is extremely important. I would like to know how much it would cost me for you to help me locate Mr X, and believe me the money is not a problem as I am a woman of instinct and I am just following my heart. I sincerely have trust in you and I believe you are a very discreet man, and you can help me with this matter.

Precautions
My reply to her;


Yes, we can assist you, but have to take precautions that you are not a stalker. My condition of accepting this assignment would be to ask Mr X if I can pass his phone number etc on to you. If he agrees I will; if he does not, then I will not report to you.
And would you believe I received no reply!


My next decision was whether I should take any further action and I was in a quandary as to what to do. Should I report it to the British police, the Canadian police, and indeed should I advise Mr X of Clara’s interest in him?



I eventually decided that I would report the matter to the Metropolitan Police at New Scotland Yard. As a result I received a letter from DCS John McDowall, OCU Commander of SO10/11 Branch, Criminal Intelligence Branch, who wrote as follows:


Dear Mr Heims, I write in response to your letter and attachment of May 2, 2000 which has been passed to me by the Deputy Commissioner’s Office.



Thank you for referring the issue to the Metropolitan Police Service, I appreciate the position which you are trying to adopt among your member investigators. I think the approach you have adopted is entirely sensible and can only add to the integrity of your membership. The fact that there has been no response to your approach in this case speaks volumes.


I have had occasion to write to SO10/11 on two other cases. I do not know how many other members of my association have made similar reports. What would you have done if you had been in the same position?

PI advice
Where practical arrange to see a client face to face before accepting the job.


You need to be very sure of your ground before tracing people, and not just because you could be putting the target in danger by passing on their details; the scenario can work both ways.



For instance, if court injunctions have to be served at short notice, are the details correct? A person given an injunction in error at night may be annoyed.

Well done to Louise from PlainText who has recently had an article published in the distinguished Observer. She talks about the newish tactics employed by Debt Collection agencies in sending out texts to the debtors without making clear who they are. A shady practise frowned upon by the OFT.

She also points out that the tracing done by these agencies all too often end up with an old address. I would imagine that there is no tracing done at all other than to check the electoral roll. These companies often deal in bulk tracing and can not afford to do in-depth tracing.

If people wanted an in-depth tracing service, they would be best advised to approach private detectives.

Once again the financial institutions are under fire from MPs for trying to recover their assets that are legally theirs.

House repossession is terribly sad at the best of times, but as the market is so greatly over-valued, price-restructuring must take place and one of the inevitable consequences is the wholesale re-aquisition of property. It would be poor banking practice to not do so. Whichever way you go the Banks will get the blame, however I do feel that our Government has much to answer for - As Jaqui Smith mentioned, when quizzed about her expenses claim for her residence, they were only "playing by thr Rules" - and who set the rules in the first place?

The Commons Communities and Local Government Committee criticised the
"precipitate" action being taken against the increasing numbers of people
getting into arrears.
And it said in a report that attempts by the Government
to limit repossessions cannot be enforced.

read
more here

It was a quite Saturday afternoon in leafy suburbia somewhere in Surrey. Kids were playing on their bikes, the sun was shining.

Being unobtrusive here is simple. Just pretend to speak on a mobile fone. Jorge Salgado-Reyes knows this and it makes his job easy. “There are so many people that park their cars to use their fones that it effectively makes you invisible.”

Jorge, a former Retail Loss Prevention Investigator, is on a stake-out. Not fifty yards away, inside a terraced house is his target. She’s a woman approaching her forties, a housewife with a suspicious husband and a lot to lose. She’s a cheater and, if Jorge has anything to do with it, she’s going to get caught.

The target is just one of tens of thousands of “matrimonial” subjects who come to the attention of private eyes each year in a burgeoning infidelity industry. A recent survey by accountants Grant Thornton found that 49 per cent of all divorce cases now involve the services of private investigators. And, if you believe the private eyes, that figure is simply growing and growing.

Jorge has a Toyota four wheel drive, a house in Surrey and one of the busiest private investigator websites on Google. The green-eyed monster is voracious. Infidelity is a good paymaster.

“I’d been working in Retail Loss Prevention for seventeen years investigating employee theft and fraud,” he says. “Then I thought, why not set up as a private investigator? I set up the business, Salgado Investigations; pretty soon, I was making enough money to quit my full time job. That was three years ago. Now my business merged with another and we are called Allied Detectives now.”

I never expect anything to happen, that way if something does it's a bonus. The wife - let’s call her Jane - has been lying to her husband - John – about where she goes on the weekends. Now she has told John that she will be going out with a friend this weekend.

Jorge is parked slightly out of sight of the house, he doesn’t seem worried that he can’t see the house, “I put a GPS tracker on her car last night,” he says, looking down at the screen of his laptop, “even if we lose her, we’ll soon pick her up again on this.”

Nearby are two of Jorge’s colleagues, ex-RAF MP Neil Sheppard, and Freddy a motorbike surveillance operative. They are sitting in the back of a non-descript surveillance van. Neil is armed with a long lens worthy of a paparazzi and Freddy with a new addition to the surveillance armoury, a pair of Spy Sunglasses.

We settle in for a long afternoon. I asked Jorge who many PI’s there might be in the UK? “No one really knows for sure, because we (PI’s) are not licensed.” he replied. “Hopefully we will be licensed by 2010, just maybe it will get rid of some of the cowboys that exist out there, who can do you more harm than good,” he says. “Much of what we do is in a legal minefield and if it isn’t done within the law you could find yourself in trouble. There is no point gathering evidence if you can’t use it in court.”

__________________________________________________

THE VIRTUAL SPY SHOP

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

A visit to The Virtual Spy Shop will give you some idea of what lies in the private investigator’s armoury. For a reasonable fee you can buy a pair of Sunglasses that records video and audio on its internal DVR. Or you could buy the Spy Pen, a pen that records both in video and audio. Or you could install a GPS tracker that tells you instantly where your targets car is via the internet.

If audio evidence isn’t enough to drive you crazy, why not install a camera in the bedroom disguised as a radio alarm clock or perhaps as a wall clock. The most depressing piece of kit, however, is surely the Check Mate infidelity test kit for men, which allows you to swab for evidence of semen on your partner’s underwear.

Back in west London, Jorge and the boys have had as much success as they had expected this early in the afternoon; none. Two teenagers have come and gone from the property and neither was Jane.

“Much of the job is like this,” says Jorge, an amiable 41 year old. “It’s patience and waiting. I feel sorry for Neil and Freddy; they are in the back of the van with no ventilation and no toilet.”

Darkness has fallen in Surrey, and Jorge and his boys are wondering if anything is going to happen today. Suddenly, Jorge gets a call on his Motorola radio, “stand by, stand by” two seconds later “target in car”. Jorge calmly starts the car and gets ready to follow, “I will take the lead”, he explains, “Until Freddy can pick her up on the bike.”

We watch as her car passes the side street we are on and we start to track her. Two minutes later “Freddy reports, that he is 2 cars behind. Jorge instructs him to take up the lead and he drops back with Neil in the van even further back.

“Freddy is using the Spy Sunglasses to record the follow. Neil and I will use our camcorders with night vision to record from static positions once we get to where ever we are going”, Jorge continues to explain.

Half an hour later, we pull in to the car park of a large and isolated hotel. We watch as the target walks into the hotel and almost immediately returns accompanied by a man. Jorge is busy recording them holding hands, seemly oblivious to the close scrutiny of the Allied Detectives.

The 4x4 purrs into life and Jorge moves out of the shadows into the anodyne glow of an empty Surrey country lane. There will probably be several more hours of following the target as she cheats on her husband.