Being a private detective isn’t actually all about adrenaline rush with car chases and gun shots. They are seldom like how they are portrayed in our popular novels, TV shows and movies and actually are quite toned down and may seem boring and exhausting if you are invested too much in the popular media. Most of the times you may have to do only surveillance to gather evidence, with no excitement, just infinite boredom and multiple yawns to keep you company.
Surveillance job is so much more than just crazy driving and shadowing skills and being handy with a camera, and has more to do with advance planning and having an infinite amount of patience. Veterans and even the most experienced of the private investigators can botch up a surveillance job by making some of the silliest of mistakes and by not planning ahead. There are many Private Detectives in Melbourne, who offer a plethora of Private Detective Services in that area including surveillance and evidence gathering.
Here are some common pointers to keep in mind effective and efficient surveillance.
Map Out The Area In Advance
This is of utmost importance. It’s a must that you map out the area where you have to do surveillance in advance. What route the subject will be taking? Are there multiple options? How the neighborhood and locality and what are the best places to set up the stationary surveillance? These are some of the important questions which will be answered if you take the time to check out the area in advance.
You And Your Vehicle Don’t Need To Stand Out
Try not to generate too much interest in the minds of the people by being flashy or stylish. You are not in some competition where you will gain brownie points by standing out among the general people. If people notice you for yourself being too overt, then the whole business of discreet surveillance fails. Try to look boring in that way people won’t notice you, and even if they do, it’s highly unlikely that they will remember you. Also try to avoid cool and flashy cars for they have a tendency of sticking out in a crowd.
Stick To The Initial Position
You chose a good spot, but then after some time you thought about having a different position in the hope of getting a better angle. DON’T do it. If you chose and position yourself on a spot, then stick with it and don’t change the spot for better prospects. Try to make the most of it for the day and choose different spot next time. If you absolutely have to change your spot, then just leave that place try to do it after some time. It would be much better if you can do it in a different vehicle.
Don’t Get Distracted
This is the one of the most primary aspects of conducting a successful surveillance. One of the most desirable traits in person conducting surveillance is infinite focus and an abundance of patience. It is tremendously boring to check out the door, for hours at a time, for the subject to go out and you getting your money shot. But the seconds you waste while checking your Facebook or twitter are the same seconds when the subject goes out the door and you miss your money shot. Make sure that this doesn’t happen to you.
Pack The Backups
After a long stake out you are finally capturing the money shot and it extends for quite a sometime. Suddenly the camera starts flashing “low battery” or ‘Low memory” and you desperately search your bag for an extra stash of memory cards or pre charged battery which ultimately isn’t there. Make sure that this is not how your surveillance plays out.
Don’t Break The Law
Do not jeopardize you and your client’s interests by breaking the law while doing surveillance. That’s a strict NO-NO. Do not invade someone’s privacy or trespass a property or violate a restraining order for that most definitely will ruin the case. Keep it legal and be ethical.