TY - BOOK
T1 - The Role of Private Investigators and Commercial Agents in Law Enforcement
AU - Prenzler, Tim
AU - King, Michael
N1 - Copyright - Copyright Australian Institute of Criminology Aug 2002 Document feature - Tables; References Last updated - 2011-06-07
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - The private security industry in Australia is at least double the size of public police services, and while there has been some research on security guards and crowd controllers, very little is known about "inquiry agents" or private investigators. The authors estimate that there are about 25,000 private investigators in Australia, and this study, based on 40 in-depth interviews in Queensland and New South Wales, is a first attempt to assess what it is they do, how effective they are, the legal and ethical issues facing private agents, and how their efforts can be maximised by their clients, most notably agencies affected by fraud. While more work needs to be undertaken with a larger random sample to develop an ongoing research base, this paper provides an important description of the activities of those interviewed, and the finding from this sample that for every dollar spent on an investigation, between $3 and $6 are saved in uncovering fraud. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
AB - The private security industry in Australia is at least double the size of public police services, and while there has been some research on security guards and crowd controllers, very little is known about "inquiry agents" or private investigators. The authors estimate that there are about 25,000 private investigators in Australia, and this study, based on 40 in-depth interviews in Queensland and New South Wales, is a first attempt to assess what it is they do, how effective they are, the legal and ethical issues facing private agents, and how their efforts can be maximised by their clients, most notably agencies affected by fraud. While more work needs to be undertaken with a larger random sample to develop an ongoing research base, this paper provides an important description of the activities of those interviewed, and the finding from this sample that for every dollar spent on an investigation, between $3 and $6 are saved in uncovering fraud. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
KW - Criminology And Law Enforcement Criminal justice Law enforcement Private investigators Criminal investigations Australia
M3 - Other report
BT - The Role of Private Investigators and Commercial Agents in Law Enforcement
PB - Australian Institute of Criminology
CY - Woden
ER -