We were featured in a documentary film called: “Ten thousand private eyes”, broadcast on BBC2 on the 22nd March 2000. The times dryly said that the documentary was: “A look at the work of the thousands of private detectives in Britain, revealing their methods and the role they play in society”, the Times also said that “The figure is the upper end of the estimate of private detectives at work in Britain. David Hervey’s film is not about the grubby stereotype beloved of low-budget television series, but rather a somewhat romantic view of the private eye as a modern samurai figure”.
The film had a fantastically moody music score which was voiced over. One Private Eye was portrayed as a surveillance expert. Other investigators were: Locating errant husbands, tracking down missing children, investigating espionage and frauds.
The Guardian picked up on an interesting angle: “Private investigators must have a skewed view of human behaviour, as they tend to see people at their worst: having affairs, stealing from their bosses, devising insurance scams and the like. This cool insight into their work raises many questions, but they quickly get lost among the pi’s enthralling stories. They’re obviously proud of their work, and they must be grateful for the fact that there are so many stupid people out there whose tracks are ridiculously easy to trace”.
A lot of the investigators that were featured seem to have left the profession, but, if you are still around, please get in touch.
Two quick points: The number of active Private Investigators in the UK is now estimated to be around: 2,500, but, it is all about, “Definitions”, and a, “Wide definition”, of the many roles and skills a Private Investigator has probably brings the total number active in the: “Investigatory Process”, to near to the 10,000 estimate….
I liked the way the Times defined the modern day investigator as a: “Samurai Figure”. The Samurai were part of the military class of feudal Japan and were much respected in their day – they had a code of honor and were extremely well read and educated – just like our graduates from Private Investigator Training UK!
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