I have visited your website; I believe that you can offer me the service I am looking for, what's the next step?
City Investigations offers you a one on one consultation with an experienced investigator at no cost to you. Your initial consultation, which will last for 30 minutes, is free. You can meet at a time and place that is convenient for you. Your investigator will discuss your options and answer any questions you may have.
How much will my investigation cost?
Every case is different and many variables need to be taken into consideration when determining your fee. Your investigator will discuss what is involved in each case, and based on what your needs are, you will be given your quote after your free consultation. At City Investigations we endeavour to accommodate all of our clients' requirements, as well as their budgets.
As soon as you are happy with our fees and you have given us all of the information we need to undertake your case.
When will I get updates or a report so I know what is going on with my case?
At City Investigation we will keep in contact with you on a consistent basis, and only at your convenience. There is always an investigator available to answer your queries.
Once your case is completed, you will be provided with a final report which details your investigation from beginning to end, and which will include all photographs and videos attained in the investigation. This report is in legal format and will include all of your essential evidence, as well as a detailed, court- ready report should it be needed.
Do you cover all of Ireland or just Dublin?
City Investigations is part of The City investigations Group International we are based in Dublin. However, depending on your needs we can accommodate investigations nationwide and internationally if required. Call today to speak with one of our investigators who will endeavor to accommodate your investigations no matter where they are based.
When you are finished with my investigation, will I get pictures or videos?
In any investigation that we undertake at City Investigations pictures and videos are considered pinnacle evidence. City Investigations will attempt to provide you with as much physical evidence as we can possibly come by. If you would prefer photographs over videos or videos over photographs then we will try to accommodate your requests, however, we do take photographs as a matter of course. This owes to the fact that video evidence is still not allowed in a court of law in Ireland, and therefore photographic evidence is the only evidence you can bring into court. Thus we aim to ensure that your case is not compromised under any circumstances.
Can you guarantee the results I am looking for?
Unfortunately we cannot predict the results of any investigation; no agency in Ireland can possibly guarantee that your investigation will go in a particular way. We will undertake a plan of action and hope that the investigation goes the way in which we intended, but as humans we are aware that the best laid plans go astray.
You can be assured that your investigation will be undertaken in a professional, discreet and confidential manner.
What information will I need to give you, for instance if you are tracing a missing person?
The names of relatives, previous employers and friends.
Before I came to you I tried to do the investigation myself. Will you help me in spite of this?
Some people do try to undertake their own investigations in the hope of gathering the information they require. Unfortunately those who do this are unaware of the years of practice and experience it takes to become a proficient investigator. If you undertake an investigation you may be compromising your case, giving your opposition an upper hand in negotiations, or even giving your spouse valuable time to hide their cheating even more.
Not only can you put your investigation in jeopardy, your case can end up being very expensive once you decide to opt for a professional agency to take it on. We at City Investigations will assess your case, assess how much of the case has been compromised, devise a new plan of action for you, and endeavour to get your case back on the right track.
My solicitor has told me that I don't need a private investigator. Can he gather all of the information necessary to give me the best chance in court by himself?
This depends on the case in hand; there are times when you don't need the services of a private investigator. However if, for example, you suspect your partner is cheating, you need evidence to prove it, and your solicitor may not be of much use in this situation. If you are thinking of going into business, a solicitor may not be able to undertake due diligence investigations or background checks for you. Solicitors do not gather evidence for you, they merely present it in court on your behalf. Courts in Ireland, as in all democratic societies, rely on legal fact. Therefore if you need to prove a fact then a solicitor cannot do this for you unless this information has come from an independent unbiased party who has adhered to all data protection and privacy laws in Ireland when gathering their evidence.
We at City Investigation will never undertake unnecessary lines of investigation, or actions that will not be beneficial to your case. Therefore you can be assured that the information gathered is necessary and vital to the success of your case.
Can you put a bug in my phone?
Most smart phones are now capable of recording all conversations which take place, and there is therefore no need to put a bug on it. Â However, there are some legal facts that you need to take into consideration if you are intending to record your conversations. Â You can of course use your phone to record conversations but you cannot use these recordings in a court of law per se, without the consent of the person being recorded. Â You are required to inform the person that you are recording the conversation. If you are being bullied or harassed you can use your phone recording to record the harassment. Recording these conversations is known as aides memoirs, and, if you are a victim of crime, you may be able to use these recordings in court even without the person's consent. Â These aides memories are admitted with leave (permission) of the court, particularly if prosecuting per Section.10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997 (for example, Harassment).
How do you deal with my surveillance if you lose the individual you are following?
City Investigations takes no chances when it comes to the success of your investigation. There are times when we deliberately cut off surveillance; sometimes we feel that we may be about to be seen or identified, and in these circumstances we use City's maxim, when in doubt, get out. This means that we will cut the surveillance rather than jeopardise the integrity of your case. Even the most experienced surveillance agent can get into a situation where contact with the subject may be broken due to circumstances beyond our control. What separates us is our ability to adjust and adapt to the given situation combined with our training and experience.
We can always take up the surveillance at another time with different vehicles ensuring that your investigation remains intact.
If you are busy on the day I need you to do the surveillance, can one of my friends do the surveillance instead?
We at City Investigations will never suggest that family members or friends undertake surveillance for you; inexperienced people may actually do more harm than good and could jeopardise your case. It is unlikely that your case or your target cannot wait one or two days until our qualified and experienced investigators will be available to undertake your investigation and ensure better results.
I am not financially fluid at the moment. If I show you the evidence I have will you check it for me and tell me if I have enough proof that my partner is cheating?
Unfortunately City Investigations cannot make any kind of assessment on evidence which has not been gathered by our own investigators. We can of course undertake a new case for you, taking your evidence in persuasive consideration, but we cannot use evidence which has not been gathered by our experienced and qualified agents. To do so is not good business practice and should any investigator give you an assessment on evidence which they did not gather personally, this could be deemed as unprofessional behaviour.
I have already confronted my partner and accused them of cheating. Will you still be able to handle the investigation for me?
City Investigations will never advise you to confront your partner with any ideas, gut feelings, or evidence until we personally can gather and produce the necessary evidence to prove your case. However we are aware that sometimes our emotions get the best of us. Even the most emotionally stable people can get frustrated and spill the beans. However, there are still ways that we here at City Investigations can conclude the case and continue to conduct the infidelity or adultery investigations.
What happens if City Investigations does not get the information I need?
Sometimes City Investigations can be unsuccessful in your case. In this instance, we will have nonetheless conducted significant enquiries and we will furnish you with a full report detailing all of the investigation, enquiries and evidence gathered. We will require payment for the work which has been concluded, unless otherwise agreed in the free consultation meeting when we first meet. It is at this meeting that any retainers will be discussed and those payments that are due upon successful or unsuccessful conclusion.
We at City Investigations would like to thank you for visiting our frequently asked questions page and hope that all of your queries have been answered. However, should you have any queries that are not covered on this page, our investigators will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding your investigation. We will not proceed with any investigation without your prior approval; any changes which need to be made to the investigation will only be instrumented when we have had a discussion with you and have obtained your permission.