Having been involved in the repossession business where in New Zealand we could just rock up, slip Slim Jim into the door and drive off in the car I thought I might give you some hints and tips to prevent someone taking your possessions in this manner.
"Slim Jim" by the way is a very handy piece of metal that slips between the window glass and the door frame of a car and allows the operator to open just about any car in seconds. They are legal and available for purchase from ebay for a few dollars. Similarly you can purchase lock picking sets of varying complexity for a few more of those dollars and pick just about any lock you like. Legal to buy the things, legal to use them, but only in a legal context.
The repossession industry in Australia is more stringently regulated and requires the agent to actually gain signed permission to take a vehicle if it is a regulated finance contract. Most of the larger more reputable finance companies operate regulated contracts and efforts to repossess property in which these companies hold an interest, lead to customer focused policies and proceedures.
Unregulated contracts on the other hand allow the repo agent to enter onto property and take the car on sight and without the frustration of being told to bugger off by the errant debtor.
I once broke into a Holden Kingswood with a plastic comb in 7 seconds. I also used a piece of clear plastic - albeit quite a stiff piece - to slip a Yale lock and enter a shop where
the alarm was sounding and we had no keyholder listing. Some security when a piece of plastic can open your door, huh?
Deadlocks are invaluable, but then you will also have to train yourself to use them. If the burglar cannot open the lock then he is restricted to using the windows and this can save you from arriving home to an empty house.
Most burglars however, are in and out in under 3 minutes, they target jewellery boxes, drawers known to habitually house money or valuables such as watches and they will go looking for spare car keys hanging conveniently on the wall by the back door or on top of the fridge. But for a few seconds per day training yourself to hide these items in less conspicuous locations...
Your average burglar is looking for something of value that is both portable and desireable. You won't see them running off down the street with a VCR tucked under their arm these day's because you can buy the things for 20 bucks anyway. Plasma TV's and Blu ray players are desirable, but the former are getting so big you just about need a truck to drive off with it.
Some burglars do just that too. If you live in a developing sub division keep an eye on removals out of hours in the newly locked up shells of houses. These are a common target and a burglar will not only take the whitegoods, TV's, sink attachments, air conditioners and the like but they will return ina week to do it again in the knowledge that the Insurance company will replace everything. If you are burgled, fit new locks, investigate alarm systems and don't feed the dog for a week before you go out next time. I am happy to give you free advice on various security systems and potential costs if you want to contact me at my web site - www.drmgroup.com.au.
Burglars commonly target houses during the daytime, so anyone knocking at your door should be challenged, and don't let them in if you don't know and trust them. Most domestic burglaries are committed during the daytime, most commercial burglaries are committed during the hours of darkness. Burglars have been known to listen in to the radio communications of Police and Security firms, following particular guards around, timing their movements and listening to the codes they use for particular premises. Once they have developed a clear enough picture they will wait until they hear the guard call in at a site on the far side of town before hitting the premise they know will take the guard 10 - 15 minutes to reach. Police no longer attend alarms as a rule, although if they are quiet and it sounds like fun, they might call around for a look. They will attend Bank alarms though as will your ever present Security Officer.
A burglar committing his crime in the night, in a domestic setting is a very dangerous proposition. These guy's - and almost without exception they are males, are a murderer or
rapist who hasn't been presented with the opportunity. They will commit these crimes to avoid capture or if the timing strikes them as being right.
Alarm systems can be programmed to be turned on everywhere but your bedroom or other room of your choice, so you can sleep safe in the knowledge that the house is being monitored by a Security firm. You will need to remember the alarm is on however if you get a midnight case of the munchies or you need to use the toilet.
Have you considered taking self defence classes? There are any number of disciplines availble to learn and they all have the added benefit of getting you fit as well.
You could keep a weapon of some sort beside your bed but unless you are prepared to use it - don't. This same weapon will be the item presented in evidence as the your murder weapon! A much safer option is a Panic button beside your bed which you can hit to alert your Security firm.
Drop me an e-mail or phone me at the office if you would like to discuss any of the points I raise here, I am happy to discuss your security options free of charge and with no obligation.
Stay safe
Best Wishes
Dan
December 19, 2009
Investigations, where are you...
The Investigation industry is about to enter into yet another quiet period as we negotiate the Christmas and New Year break.
Traditionally we have a couple of lean periods where the major clients all hold off on issuing work around the end of the Financial year and of course Christmas. Last year we had the GFC bankslide that scared everyone but the CEO's and their desire for bonuses. That lasted about 2 months while everyone took stock of their positions before the work started to come again. That put us right on top of last Christmas and another break.
For those thinking of entering this industry, you will need to have a plan that includes multiple income streams - PI work will not pay the bills consistently if you live outside of the major domestic cities, such as I do.
That is one reason I train Security and Investigation courses. I enjoy passing my knowledge on to others and it gives me the opportunity to stay in touch with both industries and the frequent changes imposed upon both by the regulators.
I have found that if one area is experiencing a quiet phase, the other steps up to the plate to fill the gap. Then when that income stream dries up, one of my other streams starts flowing, it is odd but it seems to work.
This latest quiet period with Investigations has given me the opportunity to fully establish my own business and training room in Maryborough. After 12 months of searching for a suitable office and training room set up in Hervey Bay I was beginning to despair when I happend upon a perfect little office in Maryborough. I am now set up and operating a busy little training school in association with Morrissey Training and operate my Investigations business from the office at the front of the building. I have not advertised the fact that I am an Investigator, that might prove too tempting to some of my former wards from my time spent working at the local prison. That was a further income stream that formed the basis of my income until approximately four months ago when I resigned from the prison to form my own company and work for myself. And I love it. I wished I had taken the step earlier but in reality I had to get everything in place before I could realistically make the move.
I sourced everything one step at a time and now have it all inplace in the office/training room. It looks exactly as I had envisioned, although there are still one or two pieces of the jigsaw to come. Next step is to grow the Investigations/Document Service arm of the company and employ a sub contract trainer to take that side of it off my hands.
So consider your entry into this industry very carefully, have fall back plans and other income streams to tide you over. I check the Investigator recruitment web sites every day and note that Investigators in the larger cities are consistently required, there is obviously a lack of staff for the work required. There is a lot of work in these places if you want it.
Send me an e-mail if you want to know anything about training to become a PI - currently the courses are funded by the federal government if you are registered with a job service agency, although you will need a reliable car and a healthy bank account to purchase the resources you will need to start working, so targetting the unemployed is not exactly the best thought out option. However, I am happy to assist you to put together a basic starter kit of equipment and welcome your enquiries and suggestions. I am also happy to give you more in depth advice on the industry if you feel like contacting me.
Kind Regards
Dan
Traditionally we have a couple of lean periods where the major clients all hold off on issuing work around the end of the Financial year and of course Christmas. Last year we had the GFC bankslide that scared everyone but the CEO's and their desire for bonuses. That lasted about 2 months while everyone took stock of their positions before the work started to come again. That put us right on top of last Christmas and another break.
For those thinking of entering this industry, you will need to have a plan that includes multiple income streams - PI work will not pay the bills consistently if you live outside of the major domestic cities, such as I do.
That is one reason I train Security and Investigation courses. I enjoy passing my knowledge on to others and it gives me the opportunity to stay in touch with both industries and the frequent changes imposed upon both by the regulators.
I have found that if one area is experiencing a quiet phase, the other steps up to the plate to fill the gap. Then when that income stream dries up, one of my other streams starts flowing, it is odd but it seems to work.
This latest quiet period with Investigations has given me the opportunity to fully establish my own business and training room in Maryborough. After 12 months of searching for a suitable office and training room set up in Hervey Bay I was beginning to despair when I happend upon a perfect little office in Maryborough. I am now set up and operating a busy little training school in association with Morrissey Training and operate my Investigations business from the office at the front of the building. I have not advertised the fact that I am an Investigator, that might prove too tempting to some of my former wards from my time spent working at the local prison. That was a further income stream that formed the basis of my income until approximately four months ago when I resigned from the prison to form my own company and work for myself. And I love it. I wished I had taken the step earlier but in reality I had to get everything in place before I could realistically make the move.
I sourced everything one step at a time and now have it all inplace in the office/training room. It looks exactly as I had envisioned, although there are still one or two pieces of the jigsaw to come. Next step is to grow the Investigations/Document Service arm of the company and employ a sub contract trainer to take that side of it off my hands.
So consider your entry into this industry very carefully, have fall back plans and other income streams to tide you over. I check the Investigator recruitment web sites every day and note that Investigators in the larger cities are consistently required, there is obviously a lack of staff for the work required. There is a lot of work in these places if you want it.
Send me an e-mail if you want to know anything about training to become a PI - currently the courses are funded by the federal government if you are registered with a job service agency, although you will need a reliable car and a healthy bank account to purchase the resources you will need to start working, so targetting the unemployed is not exactly the best thought out option. However, I am happy to assist you to put together a basic starter kit of equipment and welcome your enquiries and suggestions. I am also happy to give you more in depth advice on the industry if you feel like contacting me.
Kind Regards
Dan
December 16, 2009
I Hear You Ask...Why Biggles?
Biggles...hmm
I am of the baby boomer generation, albeit the tail end of it, however, I grew up in an era that still espoused, and expected certain moral obligations of it's citizens. Now, I should insert here that I did not/have not always conformed to those obligations, but I was cognizant of them and I tried my best!!! Can you ask any more of me?
I was born a mere 15 years after the end of WWII, which is not only scary but now in my withering years, rather disconcerting. The ruling generation - my parents - were born of that war and the Great depression before it, consequently suffering more than any of us can truthfully imagine.
I was also the unfortunate product of a Catholic upbringing, although I can at least state in my defence that I realised by the time I was 10 that the whole Catholic thing was, at best, a crutch for those unable to stand alone. If you feel the need to contest this assetion, then you can do so at dan@drmgroup.com.au. !
Anyway, as a result of this rather closeted education, I and my generation grew up with a very cloistered view of the world, it being all British Empire and democratic with an omnipotent God to guide and save us.
We were not exposed to Italian or Chinese history and culture, nor Indian or even Australian, nor actually that of my homeland - and the Maori of New Zealand. I have made attempts to right that latter inequity and I must say that I am more than a little humbled by the Maori efforts to stave off the British Invasion during the formative years of that nation. Did you know that Maori are credited with INVENTING Guerilla warfare? I'll wager not. Of course you cannot deny the evidence that the Maori had basically eaten themselves into pending extinction or were warring themselves into the same arena, but none of this was elucidated in the classrooms of the 60"s children in New Zealand. I was, however, given a magnificent insight into the American Revolution and Civil War, and the albeit heroic travels of Captain James Cook, who really should need no introduction.
The fact I ramble on about all of this is to paint the Union Jack background for a white middle class upbringing in the remotest of Colonial outposts. Ripping good yarns and all that.
In that light, and as an impressionable boy searching for a hero, I fell under the spell of Capt. James Bigglesworth - better known as Biggles - as penned by captain W.E Johns in the years between and beyond, both major World Wars. As a young fella I was captivated by his descriptions of Biggles heroism and the Aviation theme came to form the bedrock of my dreams and inspirations. Hence, when I muddled about thinking of a nomenclature for my ever so humble little blog, I wanted to use a name that relfected my upbringing, my generation, my culture and my endless fascination and love of all things aviation.
Biggles was my generation's Indiana Jones, MacGyver and classless everyman's swashbuckling fighter pilot hero rolled into one, between the pages of an easily read and transportable novel - pre CGI and colour television as it was. Actually pre just about anything in little old enzed!
He took on the wild's of deepest darkest Africa, swooped through the clouds to harass and diminish the Nazi hordes in their evil black painted Mescherschmitt Fighters, brushed off death and despair with a charismatic humour and flair and rollicking good action adventures with Algy and Bertie tagging along for good measure and sterling support.
Youth assisted me in failing to grasp the time line of the Biggles adventures - in one book he was flying the Sopwith Camel of the Great War and in the next he wrestled with the controls of the latest Spitfire. As long as his trusty mates Algy and Bertie came along for the ride, I neither noticed nor cared.
Biggles represented all that was good in the world, in terms of humanity, and gave me something to aspire to in my clouded godmuddled childhood. He didn't care if you were Roman Catholic, Presbytarian or C of E, black or white, yellow or blue, rich or poor. If you were the bad guy, you'd better be able to out think, out manoeuvre and outfly him or perish in the attempt.
I recently attended a country fair in rural Queensland where I came across a stall selling motheaten copies of Biggles adventures for more than $100.00 each. They weren't first editions, or even signed by the author but it made me realise that even now he attracts and retains a loyal following, albeit one that greying baby boomers such as yours truly are responsible for perpetuating in attempting to rekindle some of our youthful past.
Still, could've been worse I suppose, I could have latched on to Charlie Manson or Adolf Schicklegruber to idolise but instead I chose the consumate aviator and all round good guy I fondly remember simply as Biggles. A damn fine choice if I say so myself!
I am of the baby boomer generation, albeit the tail end of it, however, I grew up in an era that still espoused, and expected certain moral obligations of it's citizens. Now, I should insert here that I did not/have not always conformed to those obligations, but I was cognizant of them and I tried my best!!! Can you ask any more of me?
I was born a mere 15 years after the end of WWII, which is not only scary but now in my withering years, rather disconcerting. The ruling generation - my parents - were born of that war and the Great depression before it, consequently suffering more than any of us can truthfully imagine.
I was also the unfortunate product of a Catholic upbringing, although I can at least state in my defence that I realised by the time I was 10 that the whole Catholic thing was, at best, a crutch for those unable to stand alone. If you feel the need to contest this assetion, then you can do so at dan@drmgroup.com.au. !
Anyway, as a result of this rather closeted education, I and my generation grew up with a very cloistered view of the world, it being all British Empire and democratic with an omnipotent God to guide and save us.
We were not exposed to Italian or Chinese history and culture, nor Indian or even Australian, nor actually that of my homeland - and the Maori of New Zealand. I have made attempts to right that latter inequity and I must say that I am more than a little humbled by the Maori efforts to stave off the British Invasion during the formative years of that nation. Did you know that Maori are credited with INVENTING Guerilla warfare? I'll wager not. Of course you cannot deny the evidence that the Maori had basically eaten themselves into pending extinction or were warring themselves into the same arena, but none of this was elucidated in the classrooms of the 60"s children in New Zealand. I was, however, given a magnificent insight into the American Revolution and Civil War, and the albeit heroic travels of Captain James Cook, who really should need no introduction.
The fact I ramble on about all of this is to paint the Union Jack background for a white middle class upbringing in the remotest of Colonial outposts. Ripping good yarns and all that.
In that light, and as an impressionable boy searching for a hero, I fell under the spell of Capt. James Bigglesworth - better known as Biggles - as penned by captain W.E Johns in the years between and beyond, both major World Wars. As a young fella I was captivated by his descriptions of Biggles heroism and the Aviation theme came to form the bedrock of my dreams and inspirations. Hence, when I muddled about thinking of a nomenclature for my ever so humble little blog, I wanted to use a name that relfected my upbringing, my generation, my culture and my endless fascination and love of all things aviation.
Biggles was my generation's Indiana Jones, MacGyver and classless everyman's swashbuckling fighter pilot hero rolled into one, between the pages of an easily read and transportable novel - pre CGI and colour television as it was. Actually pre just about anything in little old enzed!
He took on the wild's of deepest darkest Africa, swooped through the clouds to harass and diminish the Nazi hordes in their evil black painted Mescherschmitt Fighters, brushed off death and despair with a charismatic humour and flair and rollicking good action adventures with Algy and Bertie tagging along for good measure and sterling support.
Youth assisted me in failing to grasp the time line of the Biggles adventures - in one book he was flying the Sopwith Camel of the Great War and in the next he wrestled with the controls of the latest Spitfire. As long as his trusty mates Algy and Bertie came along for the ride, I neither noticed nor cared.
Biggles represented all that was good in the world, in terms of humanity, and gave me something to aspire to in my clouded godmuddled childhood. He didn't care if you were Roman Catholic, Presbytarian or C of E, black or white, yellow or blue, rich or poor. If you were the bad guy, you'd better be able to out think, out manoeuvre and outfly him or perish in the attempt.
I recently attended a country fair in rural Queensland where I came across a stall selling motheaten copies of Biggles adventures for more than $100.00 each. They weren't first editions, or even signed by the author but it made me realise that even now he attracts and retains a loyal following, albeit one that greying baby boomers such as yours truly are responsible for perpetuating in attempting to rekindle some of our youthful past.
Still, could've been worse I suppose, I could have latched on to Charlie Manson or Adolf Schicklegruber to idolise but instead I chose the consumate aviator and all round good guy I fondly remember simply as Biggles. A damn fine choice if I say so myself!
December 13, 2009
No More Birdies for Tiger...
I have just come away from reading the Sunday newspaper, an enjoyable pastime in general, certainly one that has become a tradition in my household. Like a fair few of you I read with interest the latest developments in the Tiger Woods saga and admired the photo of his $24 million personal cruise ship apparently being readied for the great man and his family to escape for some R&R in the hope he and Elin can save their marriage.
You will have gauged from my description of Tiger as a great man that I am a fan, and I neither deny that nor shrink from admitting that my admiration for him remains undimmed. I must add that it appears he chose his wife well, in that she is also prepared to stand with him in the face of withering fire from all who seek to bring him down. There is obviously more to this whole saga than meets the eye and relying on the reportage of the media is not something I can do without a large salt shaker handy.
I don't for a minute suggest that Tiger is blameless in this, but let's give his wife and family some space to deal with the whole situation. It seems all too convenient that all of these women were having an affair with Tiger right up until the car crash a week or so back and then all of a sudden they all need the world to know it. I suspect that his wife is cognizant of these apparent and convenient "revelations" and is giving the man she knows better than anyone else can lay claim to (and I include his mother in that) a degree of trust that the reporting media is neither dependant on nor affected by. So perhaps there is less of a story than the Sunday newspapers would have us buy without a little sensationalism added to the mix.
Likewise, it seems hardly surprising that he saw the need to retreat from the golf course and devote time to his family. Don't look me in the eye and tell me your thoughts haven't strayed from the marital bed on occasion, Mr President!
To paraphrase the bible, only he without sin may caste the first stone. Not that you'll catch me paraphrasing the bible with any regularity but it seems to fit this situation well.
The newspaper article also mentioned that the incidence of suspicious spouses hiring Private Investigators has risen since the whole debacle surfaced. I maintain links with several Investigation websites, both within Australia and the US and have detected nothing of the sort. There is no mention of any increase in business based on the fact Tiger has "transgressed". A conveniently difficult assertion to quantify, but an easy one to make, don't you think? After all are you going to chase that one down?
Suspicious partners have always hired Private Investigators to follow and report on the activities of their other half. I did a job not so long ago where a 75 year old woman contracted my firm to follow her 82 year old husband whom she suspected of having an affair. Once we had managed to film the subject during his daily walk around town, it was quickly apparent from his frequent need to stop for breath that his cardio vascular fitness would prevent him from doing anything more than looking, and even then there is room for doubt.
Tiger apparently made the No.1 error of this technology driven age, in that he did not keep his mobile phone transmissions to himself. He also showed a degree of confusion in requesting one of his girlfriend's to remove her name from her phone. We know of course that it would have been his phone with her name on it! I question how he could have overlooked such an obvious point.
If suspicious, check your partner's call list on their mobiles, or scrutinise the phone bill searching for repeat dialling of unknown persons. Has his fitness regime changed as he tries to lose weight to impress someone other than you. Is he working long hours all of a sudden or his job description changed requiring him to be away from home for unusual or long periods.
Tiger had the "ideal" situation in this regard in that he travelled the world from one engagement to another - excuse the unintentional pun, from one green to the next. Most of us don't and won't have that opportunity nor excuse.
As a Private Investigator, I need to see a change to his or her normal operating patterns.
Most people you see, either consciously or otherwise, maintain a certain pattern of behaviour, and you all know it when you stop to think about it. I mentioned at the start of this blog that, for instance in my case, I like to read the paper on a Sunday. Every Sunday unless something else crops up.
You might catch the same bus at the same time every day, or sit in the same seat on the train if it is available. I'll bet you read the same newspaper every day, purchased from the same newsagent. I reckon most of us use the same gas staions to fill up, the same hairdresser to cut our locks, shop at the same Supermarket, we each have our preferance for certain drinks and food, probably purchased at our favourite tavern or restaurant, and the list goes on. These sorts of patterns are things that I look for when I am following a subject. The more I know about them the more chance of success for the client, and the less stressful for me.
Yes, you can take it as read that a succesful "follow" is a stressful time for us. It is not as simple as hiding our red ferrari in amongst the traffic two cars back, it really does require thought and energy to pull the job off without being "blown" by the subject.
One major crime gang I was hired to follow once, employed their own counter surveillance team and made life miserable for us. Mind you, we weren"t blown and we got the goods, or at least enough to warrant out fee.
Second guessing the subject is a failure about to happen. We need to be on his/her tail to acheive a result and it only takes one orange/red light for the whole thing to go awry, and that's where the patterns I mentioned come into play. Is he off to his weekly game of Squash or Golf? Is she going to her Pilates class or the hairdresser? These clues help us to re-locate the subject with a degree more certainty and speed.
There are a huge number of issues we, as investigators, need to be aware of and process for the job to be a success. It is very difficult and hard work, but ultimately very rewarding to acheive the desired result for the client, even if the result is something they really didn't want to know!
If you would like more information about this subject then feel free to e-mail me or respond in the comments section. I look forward to hearing from you.
Stay safe
Biggles
You will have gauged from my description of Tiger as a great man that I am a fan, and I neither deny that nor shrink from admitting that my admiration for him remains undimmed. I must add that it appears he chose his wife well, in that she is also prepared to stand with him in the face of withering fire from all who seek to bring him down. There is obviously more to this whole saga than meets the eye and relying on the reportage of the media is not something I can do without a large salt shaker handy.
I don't for a minute suggest that Tiger is blameless in this, but let's give his wife and family some space to deal with the whole situation. It seems all too convenient that all of these women were having an affair with Tiger right up until the car crash a week or so back and then all of a sudden they all need the world to know it. I suspect that his wife is cognizant of these apparent and convenient "revelations" and is giving the man she knows better than anyone else can lay claim to (and I include his mother in that) a degree of trust that the reporting media is neither dependant on nor affected by. So perhaps there is less of a story than the Sunday newspapers would have us buy without a little sensationalism added to the mix.
Likewise, it seems hardly surprising that he saw the need to retreat from the golf course and devote time to his family. Don't look me in the eye and tell me your thoughts haven't strayed from the marital bed on occasion, Mr President!
To paraphrase the bible, only he without sin may caste the first stone. Not that you'll catch me paraphrasing the bible with any regularity but it seems to fit this situation well.
The newspaper article also mentioned that the incidence of suspicious spouses hiring Private Investigators has risen since the whole debacle surfaced. I maintain links with several Investigation websites, both within Australia and the US and have detected nothing of the sort. There is no mention of any increase in business based on the fact Tiger has "transgressed". A conveniently difficult assertion to quantify, but an easy one to make, don't you think? After all are you going to chase that one down?
Suspicious partners have always hired Private Investigators to follow and report on the activities of their other half. I did a job not so long ago where a 75 year old woman contracted my firm to follow her 82 year old husband whom she suspected of having an affair. Once we had managed to film the subject during his daily walk around town, it was quickly apparent from his frequent need to stop for breath that his cardio vascular fitness would prevent him from doing anything more than looking, and even then there is room for doubt.
Tiger apparently made the No.1 error of this technology driven age, in that he did not keep his mobile phone transmissions to himself. He also showed a degree of confusion in requesting one of his girlfriend's to remove her name from her phone. We know of course that it would have been his phone with her name on it! I question how he could have overlooked such an obvious point.
If suspicious, check your partner's call list on their mobiles, or scrutinise the phone bill searching for repeat dialling of unknown persons. Has his fitness regime changed as he tries to lose weight to impress someone other than you. Is he working long hours all of a sudden or his job description changed requiring him to be away from home for unusual or long periods.
Tiger had the "ideal" situation in this regard in that he travelled the world from one engagement to another - excuse the unintentional pun, from one green to the next. Most of us don't and won't have that opportunity nor excuse.
As a Private Investigator, I need to see a change to his or her normal operating patterns.
Most people you see, either consciously or otherwise, maintain a certain pattern of behaviour, and you all know it when you stop to think about it. I mentioned at the start of this blog that, for instance in my case, I like to read the paper on a Sunday. Every Sunday unless something else crops up.
You might catch the same bus at the same time every day, or sit in the same seat on the train if it is available. I'll bet you read the same newspaper every day, purchased from the same newsagent. I reckon most of us use the same gas staions to fill up, the same hairdresser to cut our locks, shop at the same Supermarket, we each have our preferance for certain drinks and food, probably purchased at our favourite tavern or restaurant, and the list goes on. These sorts of patterns are things that I look for when I am following a subject. The more I know about them the more chance of success for the client, and the less stressful for me.
Yes, you can take it as read that a succesful "follow" is a stressful time for us. It is not as simple as hiding our red ferrari in amongst the traffic two cars back, it really does require thought and energy to pull the job off without being "blown" by the subject.
One major crime gang I was hired to follow once, employed their own counter surveillance team and made life miserable for us. Mind you, we weren"t blown and we got the goods, or at least enough to warrant out fee.
Second guessing the subject is a failure about to happen. We need to be on his/her tail to acheive a result and it only takes one orange/red light for the whole thing to go awry, and that's where the patterns I mentioned come into play. Is he off to his weekly game of Squash or Golf? Is she going to her Pilates class or the hairdresser? These clues help us to re-locate the subject with a degree more certainty and speed.
There are a huge number of issues we, as investigators, need to be aware of and process for the job to be a success. It is very difficult and hard work, but ultimately very rewarding to acheive the desired result for the client, even if the result is something they really didn't want to know!
If you would like more information about this subject then feel free to e-mail me or respond in the comments section. I look forward to hearing from you.
Stay safe
Biggles
December 11, 2009
Biggles, Make or Break...
I am enjoying the challenges of being a self employed businessman, enjoying the rewards of my efforts and the contact with professional people I had previously not really considered.
My working career, the Police, the Investigations and Security Industries have all been fairly isolated in terms of the dealings with society as a whole. Now that I am appealing to a wider society to consider using my services and products, and assisting people in gaining qualifications to get work for themselves, I am dealing in peoples lives and dreams. I see student's who want to work, to provide for their families and to prosper, to get themselves off Government assistance and many are doing so with varying degrees of learning difficulties.
I must admit that I have been surprised at the limited literacy and numeracy skills of many of the students that transit through my Security courses, but I have yet to be disappointed by the level of their application and commitment to succeed. Many of the trainees have qualified and now work in the Security Industry in this region and are making a good fist of it, if you'll excuse the crowd controller pun!
I have recently been tutoring a Kenyan immigrant through his Security qualifications and he has been a source of great inspiration and humour. Hampered by using English as a new first language, he has worked very hard to comprehend our customs and the requirements of the security industry. He will make one employer very happy with his integrity and work ethic, and once he masters Aussie English he will probably leave us all in his dust such is his determination to succeed. His is a make or break situation, he must gain work to remain in the country and to gain work he must have some recognised qualifications. His Kenyan qualifications do not meet our standards apparently, so he has chosed to retrain into the security industry. I have no fear for his ability to do the job, merely that his current level of understanding of Australian ways may retard his progress. But again, that won't hold him back for long.
The longer I work as a trainer for Security and Investigations, the more I seem to be enjoying it. Perhaps it has to do with a confidence gained through experience in that I can handle anything thrown at me from the students and give them practical, professional advice, and perhaps it has to do with my now enjoying being away from the confines of other employer's demands and working for myself.
The whole process of setting up in business for myself actually started with my own attendance at a Security Licensing course. From there I began to see the possibilities of returning to the Investigations industry and I began to focus on a plan to start my own Investigation business. As I did this the training opportunity arose with Vic Morrissey and I have worked hard to develop and improve this side of my business for the past three and a half years. I now have a beautifullly appointed office and training room, at least to my way of thinking, that is being pressed into service increasing more each week. My presence in the region has been growing through advertising and word of mouth among the security industry personnel and that means a steady stream of enquiries and business. From small beginnings, as the saying goes.
It has been this growth of both opportunities and experiences that have led me the happy realisation that I love being in business for myself. My efforts are also make or break and I do not intend it to be the latter. If you are wavering about going into business for yourself, then give me a call or comment on this post, I can assist you with the maze of regulations and requirements. However once you get established it is great fun, I thoroughly recommend it and wish you every success.
Regards
Dan
My working career, the Police, the Investigations and Security Industries have all been fairly isolated in terms of the dealings with society as a whole. Now that I am appealing to a wider society to consider using my services and products, and assisting people in gaining qualifications to get work for themselves, I am dealing in peoples lives and dreams. I see student's who want to work, to provide for their families and to prosper, to get themselves off Government assistance and many are doing so with varying degrees of learning difficulties.
I must admit that I have been surprised at the limited literacy and numeracy skills of many of the students that transit through my Security courses, but I have yet to be disappointed by the level of their application and commitment to succeed. Many of the trainees have qualified and now work in the Security Industry in this region and are making a good fist of it, if you'll excuse the crowd controller pun!
I have recently been tutoring a Kenyan immigrant through his Security qualifications and he has been a source of great inspiration and humour. Hampered by using English as a new first language, he has worked very hard to comprehend our customs and the requirements of the security industry. He will make one employer very happy with his integrity and work ethic, and once he masters Aussie English he will probably leave us all in his dust such is his determination to succeed. His is a make or break situation, he must gain work to remain in the country and to gain work he must have some recognised qualifications. His Kenyan qualifications do not meet our standards apparently, so he has chosed to retrain into the security industry. I have no fear for his ability to do the job, merely that his current level of understanding of Australian ways may retard his progress. But again, that won't hold him back for long.
The longer I work as a trainer for Security and Investigations, the more I seem to be enjoying it. Perhaps it has to do with a confidence gained through experience in that I can handle anything thrown at me from the students and give them practical, professional advice, and perhaps it has to do with my now enjoying being away from the confines of other employer's demands and working for myself.
The whole process of setting up in business for myself actually started with my own attendance at a Security Licensing course. From there I began to see the possibilities of returning to the Investigations industry and I began to focus on a plan to start my own Investigation business. As I did this the training opportunity arose with Vic Morrissey and I have worked hard to develop and improve this side of my business for the past three and a half years. I now have a beautifullly appointed office and training room, at least to my way of thinking, that is being pressed into service increasing more each week. My presence in the region has been growing through advertising and word of mouth among the security industry personnel and that means a steady stream of enquiries and business. From small beginnings, as the saying goes.
It has been this growth of both opportunities and experiences that have led me the happy realisation that I love being in business for myself. My efforts are also make or break and I do not intend it to be the latter. If you are wavering about going into business for yourself, then give me a call or comment on this post, I can assist you with the maze of regulations and requirements. However once you get established it is great fun, I thoroughly recommend it and wish you every success.
Regards
Dan
Biggles flies south...
It's that time of the year when we all head in different directions for the Christmas festivities.
This year I intend travelling down to the Far north NSW coastal town of Yamba where my dear old mum lives. It is a lovely little place, growing rapidly though and it is interesting to see the developments each time I arrive down there.
I hope to be down there for a week, between Christmas and New Year as I have Security courses planned for the first week of the new year and I'll need to be back for them obviously. I enjoy the drive down too, although there is not much in the way of scenery until you get into NSW, there is plenty to keep you occuppied. I recently heard that the Big Prawn in Ballina is to be removed, I hope it is still there when I pass through, it is a unique and curious looking thing that attracts my attention everytime.
I love looking across to Byron Bay and the light house from the road as I head in either direction, it is quite a spectacular view, although with the new Ballina bypass nearing completion I'm not sure how much of that coastal strip we will be able to see once it opens to travellers. I like to call into Byron Bay if I have the time or the excuse to stop, I wonder if that will still happen once I get on that new motorway.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Year, I hope the weather is kind to you and you all negotiate the holiday traffic with ease. Flying south for Christmas seems like a good way to spend the break...
Chocks away
Biggles
This year I intend travelling down to the Far north NSW coastal town of Yamba where my dear old mum lives. It is a lovely little place, growing rapidly though and it is interesting to see the developments each time I arrive down there.
I hope to be down there for a week, between Christmas and New Year as I have Security courses planned for the first week of the new year and I'll need to be back for them obviously. I enjoy the drive down too, although there is not much in the way of scenery until you get into NSW, there is plenty to keep you occuppied. I recently heard that the Big Prawn in Ballina is to be removed, I hope it is still there when I pass through, it is a unique and curious looking thing that attracts my attention everytime.
I love looking across to Byron Bay and the light house from the road as I head in either direction, it is quite a spectacular view, although with the new Ballina bypass nearing completion I'm not sure how much of that coastal strip we will be able to see once it opens to travellers. I like to call into Byron Bay if I have the time or the excuse to stop, I wonder if that will still happen once I get on that new motorway.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Year, I hope the weather is kind to you and you all negotiate the holiday traffic with ease. Flying south for Christmas seems like a good way to spend the break...
Chocks away
Biggles
December 9, 2009
Christmas Discount First Aid Courses
In the spirit of Christmas DRM GROUP is offering a 15% discount on all of our First Aid & CPR courses for the remainder of 2009 and the first month of 2010.
The courses need to be booked by December 21 to qualify for this offer. Go to www.drmgroup.com.au/firstresponse to arrange for your training discount. Mention you saw this discount offer on our blog site and you will receive a further 5% discount - 20% in total.
Kind Regards and Christmas wishes
Biggles
The courses need to be booked by December 21 to qualify for this offer. Go to www.drmgroup.com.au/firstresponse to arrange for your training discount. Mention you saw this discount offer on our blog site and you will receive a further 5% discount - 20% in total.
Kind Regards and Christmas wishes
Biggles
Private Investigations
I receive a lot of enquiries about training to become a Private Investigator - you know the sort of thing, is it hard to get into, is the money any good, how do I do it?
A lot of the enquiries come from tyre kickers who have watched every episode of CSI and know how to solve the case before the tv show is half finished, which I admit is admirable. Personally I think watching any episode of CSI/Law & Order et al, is akinto waterboarding or being made to eat lamb's fry every night for a year so to have seen every episode is a credit to their ability to sit still for any length of time.
That said,tongue in cheek I hasten to add, it certainly does take a certain mind set to enter into and succesfully remain in this industry. Dogged determination is a key ingredient of any good investigator and this attribute is certainly required to maintain the standards demanded by the larger players in the industry.
The proposition that you must have been a Police Officer or similar for many years is something that I want to dispel early in this piece. Great Investigators can, and do, come from all walks of life, with no Police background whatsoever, in fact many ex Police make poor investigators.
Attention to detail and an inquisitive mind are not the exclusive domain of Policemen and women and fresh perspectives in an enquiry make for interesting investigation plans.
So how do you start? Well, you need to complete the nationally recognised training course in Certificate III in Investigative Services ( I currently train this qualification - see www.drmgroup.com.au) and while you are working your way through this course, you will begin to form a picture of the equipment and other resources required to work in the industry. Make no mistake, there is a rather extensive list of equipment required to be able to start off confidently and the national Investigation companies on the Insurance panel will want to know that you have the equipment to do the job before they assign you the job.
You can of course make a start with a bare minimum and I am happy to assist anyone with a start up list and to listen to your ideas on the matter - e-mail me at training@drmgroup.com.au.
The certificate course will cost anywhere from $700 - $1000.00 depending on the company but they will all provide the same basic theoretical training. The difference will be in the practical training and 1 on 1 trainer contact where you will have the opportunity to really question the trainer and clarify any issues. I always endeavour to take trainees out on jobs with me, either Factual or Surveillance, hopefully both. By the way, Factual investigations require a higher level of reporting skills and are the side of the industry that see's you actually interviewing people, taking statements, photographs, receiving and documenting evidence of various types whilst surveillance investigations require immense patience and determination. A good surveillance agent will be able to blend into any background either on foot or in a vehicle, and maintain contact with the subject (hopefully filming them at the same time)without them realising it. It is very difficult to do well and is something I find immensely challenging and rewarding.
I do, however, tend to favour factual investigations - due to my Police background I am comfortable interviewing people and dealing with this type of Investigation. I am also not very good at witstanding the 60deg C heat inside a static surveillance vehicle, although the thrill of the chase mostly makes up for that. There is also more surveillance work around than factual and it pays slightly better due mainly to mileage considerations. Work can come from various sectors - commercial or private, a husband cheating on his wife or vice versa, a dodgy claimant who can't work but can build his mates house while he's supposed to be laid up, you know the sort of thing.
I enjoy the more detailed aspects of measuring up a motor accident scene and preparing an arson report for an Insurance claim but still find the surveillance work can be immensely challenging and rewarding.
There are several very good PI websites within Australia and from overseas so if you would like to know more, contact me through my website and I will give you the information.
PI work is for self starters, and requires focus and discipline to complete succesfully. Once you have worked for one national company, you will gradually gain the confidence of the others in the Industry and work will fall into your lap. You will need to consider a business structure and all of the reporting ramifications at government level, but it is not necessary for someone who is only going to subcontract themselves to the larger Investigation companies.
I should explain that all of the Insurance work is handled by a small group of Nationwide Investigation companies - known as "The Panel". You as an individual/sole/trader/SME will sub contract your services to those on "The Panel", you will not gain work directly from the Insurance companies.
Interested parties wanting details of possible income and training courses need to contact me at my website - www.training@drmgroup.com.au.
I look forward to helping you with your decisions and training if that is the case.
Stay Safe
Best Wishes
Biggles
A lot of the enquiries come from tyre kickers who have watched every episode of CSI and know how to solve the case before the tv show is half finished, which I admit is admirable. Personally I think watching any episode of CSI/Law & Order et al, is akinto waterboarding or being made to eat lamb's fry every night for a year so to have seen every episode is a credit to their ability to sit still for any length of time.
That said,tongue in cheek I hasten to add, it certainly does take a certain mind set to enter into and succesfully remain in this industry. Dogged determination is a key ingredient of any good investigator and this attribute is certainly required to maintain the standards demanded by the larger players in the industry.
The proposition that you must have been a Police Officer or similar for many years is something that I want to dispel early in this piece. Great Investigators can, and do, come from all walks of life, with no Police background whatsoever, in fact many ex Police make poor investigators.
Attention to detail and an inquisitive mind are not the exclusive domain of Policemen and women and fresh perspectives in an enquiry make for interesting investigation plans.
So how do you start? Well, you need to complete the nationally recognised training course in Certificate III in Investigative Services ( I currently train this qualification - see www.drmgroup.com.au) and while you are working your way through this course, you will begin to form a picture of the equipment and other resources required to work in the industry. Make no mistake, there is a rather extensive list of equipment required to be able to start off confidently and the national Investigation companies on the Insurance panel will want to know that you have the equipment to do the job before they assign you the job.
You can of course make a start with a bare minimum and I am happy to assist anyone with a start up list and to listen to your ideas on the matter - e-mail me at training@drmgroup.com.au.
The certificate course will cost anywhere from $700 - $1000.00 depending on the company but they will all provide the same basic theoretical training. The difference will be in the practical training and 1 on 1 trainer contact where you will have the opportunity to really question the trainer and clarify any issues. I always endeavour to take trainees out on jobs with me, either Factual or Surveillance, hopefully both. By the way, Factual investigations require a higher level of reporting skills and are the side of the industry that see's you actually interviewing people, taking statements, photographs, receiving and documenting evidence of various types whilst surveillance investigations require immense patience and determination. A good surveillance agent will be able to blend into any background either on foot or in a vehicle, and maintain contact with the subject (hopefully filming them at the same time)without them realising it. It is very difficult to do well and is something I find immensely challenging and rewarding.
I do, however, tend to favour factual investigations - due to my Police background I am comfortable interviewing people and dealing with this type of Investigation. I am also not very good at witstanding the 60deg C heat inside a static surveillance vehicle, although the thrill of the chase mostly makes up for that. There is also more surveillance work around than factual and it pays slightly better due mainly to mileage considerations. Work can come from various sectors - commercial or private, a husband cheating on his wife or vice versa, a dodgy claimant who can't work but can build his mates house while he's supposed to be laid up, you know the sort of thing.
I enjoy the more detailed aspects of measuring up a motor accident scene and preparing an arson report for an Insurance claim but still find the surveillance work can be immensely challenging and rewarding.
There are several very good PI websites within Australia and from overseas so if you would like to know more, contact me through my website and I will give you the information.
PI work is for self starters, and requires focus and discipline to complete succesfully. Once you have worked for one national company, you will gradually gain the confidence of the others in the Industry and work will fall into your lap. You will need to consider a business structure and all of the reporting ramifications at government level, but it is not necessary for someone who is only going to subcontract themselves to the larger Investigation companies.
I should explain that all of the Insurance work is handled by a small group of Nationwide Investigation companies - known as "The Panel". You as an individual/sole/trader/SME will sub contract your services to those on "The Panel", you will not gain work directly from the Insurance companies.
Interested parties wanting details of possible income and training courses need to contact me at my website - www.training@drmgroup.com.au.
I look forward to helping you with your decisions and training if that is the case.
Stay Safe
Best Wishes
Biggles
December 8, 2009
Political Schemes....
Have you had a gutful of the Political posturing over the Turnbull/Abbott/Climate change bollocks of recent times?
I have for many years managed a hearty laugh at a little rhyme I blatantly borrow from Richard McGrath (www.solopassion.com) that sticks it to the pollies in a neatly cerebral sort of way...unfortunately, it also tells us what a pack of sheep we are:
An Engineer lacking precision
would soon be met with derision
but Political schemes
Fall apart at the seams
yet supporters still rave about
VISION
Care to join the Liberal/National/Anybody(Please)get us out of this mess Party? How about Kevin 747?
Political posturing...Visionary? Only as far as the next election I reckon!
Biggles
I have for many years managed a hearty laugh at a little rhyme I blatantly borrow from Richard McGrath (www.solopassion.com) that sticks it to the pollies in a neatly cerebral sort of way...unfortunately, it also tells us what a pack of sheep we are:
An Engineer lacking precision
would soon be met with derision
but Political schemes
Fall apart at the seams
yet supporters still rave about
VISION
Care to join the Liberal/National/Anybody(Please)get us out of this mess Party? How about Kevin 747?
Political posturing...Visionary? Only as far as the next election I reckon!
Biggles
Govt Funded Job Training Schemes
Are you aware that at present the Federal government is funding training schemes of various types to assist job seekers into the workforce?
As a Qualified Workplace trainer and assessor I facilitate training for Certificate II and III in Security Operations and also for Private Investigators - the Certificate III in Investigative Services. This is done in conjunction with Qld's premier Workplace training Organisation - The Morrissey Group - www.morrisseytraining.com.au. There are also a number of other courses available but these are not currently funded under the PPP scheme.
The Cert II Security and Private Investigation courses are currently being fully funded by the government which means that if you are registered with a Job Service Agency such as Sarina Russo or Mission Australia, you may be eligible to get in on one of my courses and gain the qualification required to work in either of these industries. There are certain eligibility criteria so if you like the idea of either course why not call my office and speak to one of my staff or myself and we will explain it all to you. Follow the links to my website at DRM GROUP (www.drmgroup.com.au)for further information or contact details or to send me an e-mail.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Biggles
As a Qualified Workplace trainer and assessor I facilitate training for Certificate II and III in Security Operations and also for Private Investigators - the Certificate III in Investigative Services. This is done in conjunction with Qld's premier Workplace training Organisation - The Morrissey Group - www.morrisseytraining.com.au. There are also a number of other courses available but these are not currently funded under the PPP scheme.
The Cert II Security and Private Investigation courses are currently being fully funded by the government which means that if you are registered with a Job Service Agency such as Sarina Russo or Mission Australia, you may be eligible to get in on one of my courses and gain the qualification required to work in either of these industries. There are certain eligibility criteria so if you like the idea of either course why not call my office and speak to one of my staff or myself and we will explain it all to you. Follow the links to my website at DRM GROUP (www.drmgroup.com.au)for further information or contact details or to send me an e-mail.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Biggles
December 6, 2009
Alarm systems for the home or Business
As I mentioned in my last blog where I gave you some basic information about home security, I want to talk about alarm systems in this blog and give those of you without one, some advice on what you can expect from them.
Alarms come in two basic types - generally speaking - and they are:
. Silent
. Audible
Silent alarms, by definition, cannot be heard activating on site, however that means in order to be effective they must be monitored and this can incur frequent and large costs. The main advantage of this sytem is that the burglar may not know he has been detected thereby offering the Police/Security staff the chance of catching them "on the job".
This system will have a detector covering the areas you wish, and will send a signal to your monitoring bureau when the alarm is turned on. You will see that the detectors (generally referred to as PIR's - for Passive Infra Red) are still activating when you are home with the system turned off, but because the alarm has been isolated, no signal is being sent to your alarm company.
Increasingly also, you can have the alarm programmed to dial your mobile phone and alert you. This allows you to respond without the added expense of a mobile guard being sent to your address. This type of response can cost you upwards of $150.00, but there are definite and variable response options available to you.
For instance when you sign a monitoring contract, you will be given the option of sending a guard everytime, only sending a guard if no one responds correctly or at all to a phone call from the monitoring bureau, or only according to your specific requests. You can chop and change your response type if you wish and if the company demands that you send a guard, find another company to work for you. Generally the first response is to phone the premises - everybody at your home or business must be made aware that if this happens they are to answer and give the appropriate password. If they don't you can expect that $150 bill I mentioned above after a guard attends to check the situation.
A guard will be sent according to your wishes, or not - that is entirely your choice, so he will need to be supplied with keys and the alarm codes. It is almost - almost - unheard of for this situation to be abused, but is so rare an event that you should not worry about this aspect.
The second type of alarm is the sort that you have all heard sounding all weekend while you try and sleep off a big night out. These alarms work in exactly the same way as the silent alarm but are connected to an external (sometimes internal) siren. The siren is designed to sound an alarm at around 106db which is designed to be so loud and uncomfortable to the ear it will drive the intruder out of the building. The manufacturers used to make them so loud they could burst your eardrums until the courts decided this was an illegal use of force and the Wally's in Parliament banned them. A guard will generally not be sent to an alarm of this type and that is why they sound for hours, if not days on end.
Both systems come with a battery back up so that in the event of a power outage the alarm will still work. These back up systems will generally be serviced by your alarm company technicians.
Most systems send their signals over the phone lines, but there are fail safe systems built in to avoid someone cutting the phone lines or turning the power off. Modern, more expensive systems can and do employ wifi technology. The systems can be programmed to record who and when is onsite and for how long. They can also turn off one zone to let staff work in the office or similar, while the rest of your business remains monitored and secure.
You can spend thousand's on a top line system or have one installed and monitored for as little as $700. The more you have to protect, the more you need to consider your system. Do you also need Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) monitored by outside agencies or recording to your Hard drive? What about security lighting, if you don't have any, you will need infra red lenses for you CCTV system. Be cautious when purchasing alarms at a cheap price - that is under about $500 as they generally do not offer a monitoring option and you may not be offered any back up service or advice. Also, as you might expect with a cheaper item of any sort, the quality will vary and the results may be inconsistent and difficult to repair and or replace. You will be less likely to have a warranty accompany this type of system as well and it will not come with the features you can expect from the more expensive units.
Do you need a medical alarm, monitored so that a guard will attend at anytime or someone of your choice will be contacted by your bureau to attnd an activation. They work, and have saved several lives that I am personally aware of. I once attended a unit where the elderley female occupant had not been seen or heard of for three days. We broke in through the front door to find her sitting on the bottom step of her stairs unable to get up or move. She told us that she had been there for the whole three days and had left her medical alarm pendant on her bedside table - upstairs! She could not get to the phone and by the time we found her she could hardly speak from calling for help. Several times I have attended these alarms to find the owner sitting in bed fiddling with it, but believe me it is a much nicer thing to see than to find them in this lady's situation, or worse.
There are many other types of alarms and you need to do some research before investing in one. If you have any questions give me a call or drop me a post and I will be more than happy to help you out.
Stay safe
Best wishes
Biggles
Alarms come in two basic types - generally speaking - and they are:
. Silent
. Audible
Silent alarms, by definition, cannot be heard activating on site, however that means in order to be effective they must be monitored and this can incur frequent and large costs. The main advantage of this sytem is that the burglar may not know he has been detected thereby offering the Police/Security staff the chance of catching them "on the job".
This system will have a detector covering the areas you wish, and will send a signal to your monitoring bureau when the alarm is turned on. You will see that the detectors (generally referred to as PIR's - for Passive Infra Red) are still activating when you are home with the system turned off, but because the alarm has been isolated, no signal is being sent to your alarm company.
Increasingly also, you can have the alarm programmed to dial your mobile phone and alert you. This allows you to respond without the added expense of a mobile guard being sent to your address. This type of response can cost you upwards of $150.00, but there are definite and variable response options available to you.
For instance when you sign a monitoring contract, you will be given the option of sending a guard everytime, only sending a guard if no one responds correctly or at all to a phone call from the monitoring bureau, or only according to your specific requests. You can chop and change your response type if you wish and if the company demands that you send a guard, find another company to work for you. Generally the first response is to phone the premises - everybody at your home or business must be made aware that if this happens they are to answer and give the appropriate password. If they don't you can expect that $150 bill I mentioned above after a guard attends to check the situation.
A guard will be sent according to your wishes, or not - that is entirely your choice, so he will need to be supplied with keys and the alarm codes. It is almost - almost - unheard of for this situation to be abused, but is so rare an event that you should not worry about this aspect.
The second type of alarm is the sort that you have all heard sounding all weekend while you try and sleep off a big night out. These alarms work in exactly the same way as the silent alarm but are connected to an external (sometimes internal) siren. The siren is designed to sound an alarm at around 106db which is designed to be so loud and uncomfortable to the ear it will drive the intruder out of the building. The manufacturers used to make them so loud they could burst your eardrums until the courts decided this was an illegal use of force and the Wally's in Parliament banned them. A guard will generally not be sent to an alarm of this type and that is why they sound for hours, if not days on end.
Both systems come with a battery back up so that in the event of a power outage the alarm will still work. These back up systems will generally be serviced by your alarm company technicians.
Most systems send their signals over the phone lines, but there are fail safe systems built in to avoid someone cutting the phone lines or turning the power off. Modern, more expensive systems can and do employ wifi technology. The systems can be programmed to record who and when is onsite and for how long. They can also turn off one zone to let staff work in the office or similar, while the rest of your business remains monitored and secure.
You can spend thousand's on a top line system or have one installed and monitored for as little as $700. The more you have to protect, the more you need to consider your system. Do you also need Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) monitored by outside agencies or recording to your Hard drive? What about security lighting, if you don't have any, you will need infra red lenses for you CCTV system. Be cautious when purchasing alarms at a cheap price - that is under about $500 as they generally do not offer a monitoring option and you may not be offered any back up service or advice. Also, as you might expect with a cheaper item of any sort, the quality will vary and the results may be inconsistent and difficult to repair and or replace. You will be less likely to have a warranty accompany this type of system as well and it will not come with the features you can expect from the more expensive units.
Do you need a medical alarm, monitored so that a guard will attend at anytime or someone of your choice will be contacted by your bureau to attnd an activation. They work, and have saved several lives that I am personally aware of. I once attended a unit where the elderley female occupant had not been seen or heard of for three days. We broke in through the front door to find her sitting on the bottom step of her stairs unable to get up or move. She told us that she had been there for the whole three days and had left her medical alarm pendant on her bedside table - upstairs! She could not get to the phone and by the time we found her she could hardly speak from calling for help. Several times I have attended these alarms to find the owner sitting in bed fiddling with it, but believe me it is a much nicer thing to see than to find them in this lady's situation, or worse.
There are many other types of alarms and you need to do some research before investing in one. If you have any questions give me a call or drop me a post and I will be more than happy to help you out.
Stay safe
Best wishes
Biggles
Security tips for the Home
Following on from blog #1, here are some very simple tips to help you stay safe in and around the home.
You know, the average burglary is done & dusted in less than a minute? The burglar will go in, conduct the search and be gone in 60 seconds on average. Then again, some will take their time and those that do will almost always have left themselves an escape route. The better burglars (for want of a better term) will go to a window or door as soon as they enter the premise and open it to allow for a hasty escape.
A burglar will often look for signs of an unoccuppied house, such as uncollected mail in the box, no lights on inside the house, no car in the carport. Simple enough to fix two of those, a cheap timer for the lights available from all good hardware stores, have a neighbour collect the mail or empty it yourself.
Pay attention to what is happening in your environment, who is that walking around the cul de sac in the dark, why is that car still parked across the road, why is that person walking around the rear of the neighbours house?
Don't fall into the trap of leaving the front door open or unlocked while you work in the rear yard thinking because you are home no one will enter the house. I can tell you from experience that this type of opportunist theft is more common than not. I have Investigated many burglaries where people have been asleep in bed as the burglar prowled the house, one I went to recently was on the first floor of an upmarket apartment block where the theives stole and extension ladder, carried it to the scene of the burglary and climbed onto the first floor balcony of the victim's unit. He had, as was his custom, left the balcony sliding door open to allow the sea breeze in, thinking no one would climb up to get in. WRONG! What's more the offender/s took time out to consume the better part of a bottle of Tequila on the balcony before leaving. A burglar is nothing more than a rapist or murderer who has not been presented with the opportunity or has not been caught in the act.
Women, if you live alone don't advertise the fact. Put a pair of old men's workboots on the front porch or by the door, but dust them off occassionally as dust will be a give away as well. Don't keep weapons near the bed, unless you fully intend to, an know how to, use the damn things. A burglar will be hyped up if not drugged up and won't respond to reason a lot of the time and I have seen many stand and look at you after they have received what you might think to be an incapacitating blow to a part of their body. Then they hit you back!
If you go down the Martial arts route, consider an evasive discipline rather than an offensive one. Aikido is excellent in that it teaches you how to evade and remain outside a strike zone, or how to use the the offender/s mass or weight against them.
When not at home, leave some lights and a radio on and close the blinds or curtains before you go out, but don't leave windows open. Never keep a key for the door under the mat or a nearby rock, that's the first place they look.
Have you considered an alarm? I will give you some hints about alarms in my next blog.
Until then, stay safe
Best wishes
Biggles
You know, the average burglary is done & dusted in less than a minute? The burglar will go in, conduct the search and be gone in 60 seconds on average. Then again, some will take their time and those that do will almost always have left themselves an escape route. The better burglars (for want of a better term) will go to a window or door as soon as they enter the premise and open it to allow for a hasty escape.
A burglar will often look for signs of an unoccuppied house, such as uncollected mail in the box, no lights on inside the house, no car in the carport. Simple enough to fix two of those, a cheap timer for the lights available from all good hardware stores, have a neighbour collect the mail or empty it yourself.
Pay attention to what is happening in your environment, who is that walking around the cul de sac in the dark, why is that car still parked across the road, why is that person walking around the rear of the neighbours house?
Don't fall into the trap of leaving the front door open or unlocked while you work in the rear yard thinking because you are home no one will enter the house. I can tell you from experience that this type of opportunist theft is more common than not. I have Investigated many burglaries where people have been asleep in bed as the burglar prowled the house, one I went to recently was on the first floor of an upmarket apartment block where the theives stole and extension ladder, carried it to the scene of the burglary and climbed onto the first floor balcony of the victim's unit. He had, as was his custom, left the balcony sliding door open to allow the sea breeze in, thinking no one would climb up to get in. WRONG! What's more the offender/s took time out to consume the better part of a bottle of Tequila on the balcony before leaving. A burglar is nothing more than a rapist or murderer who has not been presented with the opportunity or has not been caught in the act.
Women, if you live alone don't advertise the fact. Put a pair of old men's workboots on the front porch or by the door, but dust them off occassionally as dust will be a give away as well. Don't keep weapons near the bed, unless you fully intend to, an know how to, use the damn things. A burglar will be hyped up if not drugged up and won't respond to reason a lot of the time and I have seen many stand and look at you after they have received what you might think to be an incapacitating blow to a part of their body. Then they hit you back!
If you go down the Martial arts route, consider an evasive discipline rather than an offensive one. Aikido is excellent in that it teaches you how to evade and remain outside a strike zone, or how to use the the offender/s mass or weight against them.
When not at home, leave some lights and a radio on and close the blinds or curtains before you go out, but don't leave windows open. Never keep a key for the door under the mat or a nearby rock, that's the first place they look.
Have you considered an alarm? I will give you some hints about alarms in my next blog.
Until then, stay safe
Best wishes
Biggles
Biggles Blog # 1
Hi everyone
this is Biggles first Blog so be gentle on me, I am currently a licensed and working Private Investigator in beautiful, sunny (&HOT!) Queensland, Australia and that heat may have fried my brain!
I intend covering the sorts of issues that I get asked all the time about Private Investigations work and it's close cousin - the Security Industry, where I train prospective Security Officers and Crowd Controller's.
I am passionate about both industries and I want to see it presented as a viable and professional option for those wishing to work in either field. Too often I am seeing prospective Security staff coming to my courses with no idea of what is involved, absolutely no intention of improving their lot and stepping up to the plate when it comes to presenting a professional and client centred image. Many attend the course because they have been told to by their Social Welfare agency and think that Security is a dead beat, dead end job where they can sit in a booth and watch tv or worse, gain a weapons licence and go out in an Armoured truck with a gun on their hip.
I want to raise the thinking and maybe challenge that thinking of those who may choose to read this, I want to see these industry's reach their deserved place in the professional scheme of things. Both are vital, dynamic, technology driven fields that require high standards, standards that for some reason a lot of trainee's think only apply to others. Strange.
Call it a reflection on society in general or whatever you like but I want to raise that perception higher.
Although I have been in law enforcement for 30 odd years I do not subscribe to blindly following the pack in terms of legislation and enforcement. I am, unashamedly Libertarian in Philosophy and I want you to question the wrongs of our current Political and Philosophical base as much as the "right". My Libertarianism has developed over many years of enforcing dumb laws, witnessing incompetance and corruption in all spheres that ultimately, I believe, has led to the current poor state ( read almost non existant) of our overall philosophical underpinnings. I firmly believe this lack of philosophical understanding - perhaps better thought of as our moral base, is the reason our society is spiralling into anarchy, drunkeness, drug abuse, and out of control youth. I mean, the latest version of schoolies on the Gold Coast has been widely reported as the most drunken in the history of the event. Something to boast about? Not! Yet the youngsters who attended will boast just that. We need to take responsibility for our actions, something seldom heard in this day and age where Kevin 747 will have you believe only he and his ilk can save us. Only Government can right the ill's of society he'd have you believe. Bollocks!
Stand up and be counted, and you will see the PI & Security Industry shrink, not boom as they currently are.
That little rant out of the way, I hope to give you more positive reflections of my working experiences and tips that might assist you to stay safe. If you are entering either industry, I am more that happy to answer your questions and concerns about any issue. I intend to present regular, but not daily, updates on Investigation and Security issues, training hints and tips, techniques you might want to adopt if you join us in either field.
Let me know what concerns you, ask me how you can gain employment in these professions, argue with me, educate me but think about what you are saying first.
I look forward to the future with optimism and hope...do you?
Best wishes
Biggles
this is Biggles first Blog so be gentle on me, I am currently a licensed and working Private Investigator in beautiful, sunny (&HOT!) Queensland, Australia and that heat may have fried my brain!
I intend covering the sorts of issues that I get asked all the time about Private Investigations work and it's close cousin - the Security Industry, where I train prospective Security Officers and Crowd Controller's.
I am passionate about both industries and I want to see it presented as a viable and professional option for those wishing to work in either field. Too often I am seeing prospective Security staff coming to my courses with no idea of what is involved, absolutely no intention of improving their lot and stepping up to the plate when it comes to presenting a professional and client centred image. Many attend the course because they have been told to by their Social Welfare agency and think that Security is a dead beat, dead end job where they can sit in a booth and watch tv or worse, gain a weapons licence and go out in an Armoured truck with a gun on their hip.
I want to raise the thinking and maybe challenge that thinking of those who may choose to read this, I want to see these industry's reach their deserved place in the professional scheme of things. Both are vital, dynamic, technology driven fields that require high standards, standards that for some reason a lot of trainee's think only apply to others. Strange.
Call it a reflection on society in general or whatever you like but I want to raise that perception higher.
Although I have been in law enforcement for 30 odd years I do not subscribe to blindly following the pack in terms of legislation and enforcement. I am, unashamedly Libertarian in Philosophy and I want you to question the wrongs of our current Political and Philosophical base as much as the "right". My Libertarianism has developed over many years of enforcing dumb laws, witnessing incompetance and corruption in all spheres that ultimately, I believe, has led to the current poor state ( read almost non existant) of our overall philosophical underpinnings. I firmly believe this lack of philosophical understanding - perhaps better thought of as our moral base, is the reason our society is spiralling into anarchy, drunkeness, drug abuse, and out of control youth. I mean, the latest version of schoolies on the Gold Coast has been widely reported as the most drunken in the history of the event. Something to boast about? Not! Yet the youngsters who attended will boast just that. We need to take responsibility for our actions, something seldom heard in this day and age where Kevin 747 will have you believe only he and his ilk can save us. Only Government can right the ill's of society he'd have you believe. Bollocks!
Stand up and be counted, and you will see the PI & Security Industry shrink, not boom as they currently are.
That little rant out of the way, I hope to give you more positive reflections of my working experiences and tips that might assist you to stay safe. If you are entering either industry, I am more that happy to answer your questions and concerns about any issue. I intend to present regular, but not daily, updates on Investigation and Security issues, training hints and tips, techniques you might want to adopt if you join us in either field.
Let me know what concerns you, ask me how you can gain employment in these professions, argue with me, educate me but think about what you are saying first.
I look forward to the future with optimism and hope...do you?
Best wishes
Biggles
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
