 What they are
Global Positioning Systems such as GPS Trackers operate via wireless connection between the GPS device and multiple Satellites to provide the user with immediate geographic/location data. This form of technology provides a wireless method for Business owners and Private individuals to maintain a watchful eye on assets such as transport equipment, commercial and personal vehicles, and other high value assets. Today GPS Tracking Systems are commonly used around the globe in loss prevention, fleet tracking, remote surveillance, asset location and recovery, remote employee safety, and in shipment tracking operations. GPS Tracking Systems are increasingly employed within industries such as:
How they can be used in an Investigation Within the Private Investigation world, GPS Tracking Systems have a variety of uses including monitoring the activity of an individual(s), to recover an asset after a loss, to indicate when an individual is ‘on the move’, and to track the movement of assets and products during transit. Advantages of using a GPS Tracking System Keeping a watchful eye on business assets or conducting lengthy surveillance can be expensive, time consuming, and require extensive man power. Employing a GPS Tracking Device decreases the pressure on business and personal commodities. For example, a GPS Tracker may be employed at the start of an investigation to identify a Subject’s movement patterns and areas frequently visited. Armed with this information, the investigative team may be able to plan an efficient surveillance operation which makes use of already known movement times and directions of travel. Car thieves are likely to be aware of police surveillance, therefore are more likely to carry out anti- surveillance drills to avoid detection and arrest. Employing a GPS Tracking Device to business and personal transport assets provides an extra layer of security and dramatically increases the likelihood of asset recovery and criminal arrest. Remote employees operating in isolation are a particular safety concern for many employers. GPS Tracking Devices provide an extra level, if not the only level of safety for solo remote employees. If an employee working remotely failed to make a pre-scheduled call to their supervisor, the GPS Tracking Device will provide an accurate location for emergency services. How Six Technologies Victoria provides your GPS Tracking System The GPS Tracking Systems we employ are locally sourced and serviced. Our tracking solutions provide flexible schedules which enable the user to monitor a device using both GPS and cellular ID technology. Our Trackers utilize a combination of gyros and accelerometers to actively detect and track motion. These devices may also come with anti-removal detection sensors that record when a device is removed without authorisation. Our devices use the latest email, SMS text messaging, and/or web alert technology to provide the user with immediate alerts when the devices enter or exit a predefined geographical boundary. Each GPS Tracker has the capacity to collect and store up to 12,000 events and data locations should a device leave cellular coverage. Six Technologies Victoria currently offers a variety of GPS Tracking Devices for commercial and personal use. Our GPS Systems are available for sale or via rental contract. GPS Tracking Devices and Local Privacy Laws We strongly recommend that all clients review their Federal and Provincial Privacy Laws pertaining to the use of GPS Tracking Devices. In British Columbia, Canada the use of GPS Trackers may constitute a breach of the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) if used incorrectly. As a distributor of GPS Tracking Devices, Six Technologies Victoria and our Partners advise all clients to only employ GPS Tracking Technology on those assets they have legal ownership of. For more information regarding GPS Tracking Devices or a free consultation please visit www.six-tech-victoria.com or www.six-tech.com. Alternatively, email us at adam@six-tech-victoria.com or david@six-tech.com.
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 Surveillance is the deliberate observation and collection of information such as people or business movements, actions, and behaviors on media such as digital video, digital photographs, or written notes. It is the process of continuous watching in a covert or clandestine manner that limits the surveillance operative’s exposure to the subject. Good surveillance operators succeed in becoming the “grey person” and not being noticed/compromised by the subject or a third party. Remaining unnoticed increases the likelihood that the subject of surveillance will act naturally, therefore increasing the potential to collect the required information. Who uses Surveillance? Surveillance is currently employed on many levels. The military employs surveillance tools including satellites, communications and listening equipment, and human personnel to collect information on enemy forces. Local law enforcement use undercover operatives, plain clothes officers, and increasingly, social media to build an intelligence picture and collect evidence regarding criminal activity. Professional Private Investigators have more constrained options in what they can legally do within a surveillance task. What are the objectives of Surveillance? A private investigator will place a subject under surveillance in order to monitor where they go, what they do, who the meet, when they do it, how they do it, and why the do it. Generally we are focused on:
Surveillance is conducted more effectively with two or more surveillance operatives operating as a team. It is a commonly held belief that conducting surveillance with only one operative will likely result in either the subject escaping the surveillance net or the surveillance operative spending too much “face time” with the subject and ultimately getting noticed or “burnt”. Example: A client has tasked Steve’s Investigations Inc. to conduct 20 hours surveillance on Jane Doe. Steve locates Jane’s residence at 6am and begins his surveillance. Steve sits in his car and observes Jane’s residence for 8 hours and nothing happens. Steve is tired, bored and falls asleep. Suddenly Jane exits the residents, jumps in her car and drives off. Steve wakes up 5 minutes later and realizes the subject has left and has nothing to report to the client after 8 hours of surveillance. The next day Steve returns to Jane’s residence at 6am and begins surveillance. Shortly afterwards a neighbor notices the same vehicle parked on the street opposite Jane’s house. Steve waits for another 7 hours until finally Jane emerges, jumps in her car and drives off. Steve follows for some time until he is cut off in traffic by a truck and Jane loses Steve at the lights. Now Steve has conducted 15 hours of surveillance with nothing to show the client. The following day Steve returns for the last 5 hours of surveillance. He parks on the same street, in the same car, and the same neighbour notices Steve’s presence. After 4 hours Jane meets the neighbour and they both enter Jane’s car and leave to go for coffee. Steve follows, but within minutes Jane suddenly speeds up and once again loses Steve, his cover has been blown, so too has the Client’s money and time spent on surveillance. Perhaps if the Client had hired an additional Surveillance operative Steve would not have fallen asleep and lost Jane on the first day. If the Client had hired more surveillance operatives on the second day, a second operative could have been ahead of the truck, keeping a tail on Jane. Finally, if the client had hired more than one surveillance operative then Steve could observe Jane’s residence from the back of a Van and signal her departure to a second operative to maintain surveillance on Jane, and reduce Steve’s exposure to the subject. At the end of the day it is the client’s decision how many operatives to hire. An ethical Private Investigation service should inform the client of the all the pros and cons regarding surveillance options. It is not unusual for Investigative Firm to recommend the use of multiple surveillance operatives and then be guided by the Client’s final decision. What types of Surveillance can a Private Investigator do? Foot Surveillance – Is carried out on foot following the subject at a discreet distance in order not to be noticed but to maintain observation. This can include following the subject from their car into a mall, shopping centre, gym, etc. This surveillance may require the operative to get close to the subject to gather information such as the subject’s final destination. Foot surveillance often requires the operative to blend into their environment.
Static Surveillance – Can be conducted in a rural or urban setting, from a house, building, van, car, and in some cases, an ‘observation hide’. The purpose of Static surveillance is to collect information, provide a rolling commentary to other operatives, or signal the start of a Mobile surveillance operation.
Public Transport Surveillance – Is mostly carried out on foot with additional support from operatives in vehicles. It relies heavily on sound communication. Subjects include taxis, private hire cars, buses, underground and above ground rail, and ferries. Technical Surveillance – technical surveillance is the process of collecting information through the use of technical devices such as Vehicle Trackers, Radio Micro Phones, Tape Recorders and Microphones, Telephone Monitoring Devices, Covert Video Recorders, and Computer Intercepts. Although extremely effective at gathering information, most of these technical aides are either Illegal or heavily regulated in terms of civilian private use. In most cases the use of some of these devices can constitute a civil and/or criminal offence in Canada. Our Investigators at Six Technologies Victoria and STI Investigations and Intelligence Group are experienced Surveillance operatives. If you have any questions regarding Surveillance we are happy to help. Alternatively, for a free initial consultation call us on 1 (250) 661 9551, or email adam@six-tech-victoria.com.  You suspect Infidelity… What should you do?
Due to the secretive nature of infidelity it is very hard to pinpoint exact statistics or its impact on the family structure and society itself. In 2003 it was estimated the cost of an “Uncontested” divorce proceeding sat between $540 to $1,610, “Contested” divorce proceedings between $2,600 to 18,900, and child custody and support proceedings between $1,490 to $13,990 (Miller, Q.C, 2013). In the United States it was estimated that infidelity infected between 30-60% of marriages (Buss and Shackelford, 1997). How do you know if your spouse or significant other is having an affair? There are some tell tail signs: the unexplainable locking of a cell phone, a second phone or SIM card, unusually long hours at the office or work place, unusual Social Media (Facebook) activities, or unexplained credit card expenses. A 2014 study undertaken on “proven” adulterers found that 68% found their lover at the workplace (Aarts, 2014). How long has the affair been going on? According to the same study, the average length of an affair was two years (Aarts, 2014). If you suspect your spouse or significant other of having an affair it may be difficult to confront them, especially if you have no definitive proof. If you secretly video tape or audio record them you run the risk of breaking privacy laws. If you follow a potential adulterer to a suspected “lover’s” place of residence, you run the risk of committing “trespass at night”. If you confront a suspected lover you could potentially engage in an altercation resulting in criminal charges. Modern Private Investigators are required to be intimately familiar with Provincial and Federal Criminal, Civil, and Privacy laws and regulations. If you suspect infidelity and require proof or even piece-of-mind, let a professional Private Investigation Service like STI Investigation and Intelligence Group and their partner Six Technologies Victoria assist you. Our fully licensed and experienced investigators are equipped with the skills and specialized surveillance technology to quickly and legally gain the information you require. We provide a comfortable, respectful, and discreet service and can work closely with your legal counsel. We pride ourselves on our ability to be solution-finders. References Aarts, D, (2014), Are Your Staffers Cheating on Company Time? Profit Guide, retrieved 12 March 2016, http://www.profitguide.com/manage-grow/human-resources/are-your-staffers-cheating-on-company-time-61704. Buss, D. M., & Shackelford, T. K. (1997), Susceptibility to infidelity in the first year of marriage. Journal of Research in Personality, 31, 193-221. Miller Q.C, M. S. (2005), The High Cost of Divorce. Miller Boileau Family Law Group, retrieved 16 March 2016. Infidelity Facts, (2013), Infidelity Statistics, Infidelity Facts, retrieved 16 March 2016, http://www.infidelityfacts.com/infidelity-statistics.html. |
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