Selecting the right private investigation agency is a critically important decision; the right choice can save your organization its dollars, reputation and peace of mind. The wrong choice, however, can cost you not only money and time, but also your good name and sleepless nights. So how do you spot a good agency? Licensing isn’t enough, at least not for finding a private investigator in Toronto. All private investigation agencies in Ontario are required to have a license, and the process for obtaining one doesn’t separate the good from the bad. In other words, the licensing doesn’t protect you.

Starting with this post, and over the coming months, we’ll explore the key points to consider when deciding upon the right agency for you. In this instalment, we’ll review agency size and structure.

Agency Size and Structure

Is the private investigation agency you’re considering made up
of a team of experts, or merely a one-person show? In the age of the internet it’s easy for small or part-time operators to appear established through a well-produced website, however the reality is that the majority of private investigation agencies in Ontario have less than 3 employees and specialize in only one area. In fact, there are only a handful of agencies that employ their investigators on a full-time basis and provide them with the ongoing training. This is especially important in areas like the protection of a client’s information. Some questions to ask the agencies you’re comparing are:

  • How many investigators are employed on a full-time basis?
  • Does the agency sub-contract work out to smaller agencies or will they handle your case themselves?
  • How many years of private investigation (not police or security) experience, does the agency have?
  • How much experience does the agency have in the type of private investigation you require?
  • May I come by your offices?

Failure to give satisfactory answers to the above questions may mean you’re placing your faith in an agency that isn’t resourced to address the needs of you and your company. In the end, this will produce poor results. Even worse, you may pay a retainer to an agency that doesn’t have the stability to operate throughout the course of your investigation.

Finding the right type of private investigation agency; one with a fulltime team of investigators that are suited to you and your needs may take some time, however when compared to the cost of making a bad decision it’s an investment well worth making.

“We invite our customers to come to our office and see our operation to give them confidence in our business by showing them we are not a one man operation working from a home office.”