Are they licensed?
It is illegal for someone to pose as a private investigator. You check to see if the person is a private investigator and that they are licensed in your state.
In Queensland the Office of Fair Trading licences private investigators. If you know the name of your investigator or their licence number, then you can search the register to ensure that they are licensed. The register can be accessed by clicking HERE.
A private investigator in New South Wales must display their master licence number on advertising. You can check a NSW private investigator licence by clicking HERE.
Past employment
Some people like to choose ex-police officers because of their past. Civil investigations are quite different to criminal investigations. The resources (manpower, money, technical equipment) are not as available to the private investigator, this is because you the client foots the bill, not the State. This adjustment can take time for an ex-police officer to transfer away from. A private investigator with a long career will be just as good, if not better, then an ex-police officer. These investigators have developed their skills on those limited resources over a long period of time.
Call the firm
You can call the firm and ask to speak with the investigator. This will allow you to get a feel for their professionalism. If they cannot tell you who will be working on your matter then you will know the investigation has been contracted out.
See if you can meet with them in person. If you meet them in person you can determine if they stand out in a crowd. An investigator may stand out in a crowd if they are large or tall or have a distinctive scar. If they stand out in a crowd and this would not be the investigator you want on a surveillance matter. You may also be able to see the vehicle they are driving. When you look at the vehicle you need to ask yourself if the vehicle stands out to you. If it does then this could be a problem when conducting vehicle surveillance.
Will the investigation be contracted to someone else?
Most companies will contract to another investigator, this is a common within the industry. That means the investigator they use is working for less than you paid, diluting the true value of the investigation you pay for. You can guarantee that the investigation will be contracted to the lowest bidder. This will compromise the quality of the service you are paying for, it may even cost you more in the form of travel charges to get someone to the location of the investigation.
In NSW a company who is going to use a contractor must inform you before the contractor starts working on your matter.
Ask to see some of the equipment they use
This is an important point in regard to a surveillance investigation. A disturbing trend that is developing in the industry is investigators using a mobile phone for all of the footage they gather. If the person you are using does not have an actual camcorder/video camera, then you have to look elsewhere. Camcorders/video cameras are important because they are developed to take high quality footage, have ample zoom to keep the person in shot, and have stabilising features that assist in keeping the footage steady over long distances. Aside from camcorders there are covert video cameras, drones, dashcams, night vision recording equipment and video editing software.
