By Peter Torley, Lead Private Detective
I don’t know about you but I’ve always been a big fan of the Olympics.
The memories of London 2012 will remain with me forever of course but, at the moment, I’m now getting into the Paris games and reading all about our medal hopefuls.
But it was a different type of link to the 2024 Paris games that jumped out at me the other day.
Security
Euronews had just reported that the French authorities have been busy conducting about one million background checks on “Olympic volunteers, workers and others involved in the Games and applicants for passes to enter Paris’ most tightly controlled security zone, along the banks of the Seine.”
Yes, One Million Checks – that’s certainly a lot of background checking!
At the end of it all, the result was that about 5,000 people were blocked from attending the showpiece games, a lot of them suspected of being potentially unsafe – either connected to left- or right-wing political extremism, or other security concerns.
“These people, we didn’t think it was a good idea for them to be stadium stewards, volunteers or that they accompany teams. Out of one million people, 5,000 is not a lot and it shows the deep work we carried out,” said French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
At the time of writing, in the days immediately before the Games, there were some hiccups for the French authorities, but I imagine that their background checks have certainly helped keep those to a minimum.
One of our PDL Services
The story caught my eye of course because Background Checking is one of our core services here at Private Detective London.
And while we haven’t quite reached the magical one million checks yet, it is indeed one of the most popular – and growing – offerings on our list of services.
Having said that, however, the nature and purpose of Background Checking is sometimes misunderstood.
What to check… and what not
The general reason for any Background Check is to confirm somebody’s identity, history and associates. This reassurance is usually linked to business or family matters – whether that be in the field of security, financial prudence, or simple due diligence.
Some people, however, come to us expecting more. But what our Background Checks can’t serve up, is criminal record checks – unless we have legitimate legal reasons to do so. Neither will Background Checks reveal phone records or bank statements as a lot of that information is quite rightly restricted.
So, at PDL we will always begin by checking the purpose of your check and advising you of our approach.
Best not to try DIY Background Checks
Not surprisingly, given the fact that Google (and all its Search engine cousins) are such a huge part of our lives, many people now mistakenly assume that DIY-checking someone’s background is simply a matter of typing a name and seeing what the internnet throws up.
And that’s probably fine… if you only want to find someone on Facebook or Insta!
However, if you’re a serious employer, or you’re an individual who wants to dig deeply into a person’s history, the reality is that a comprehensive and detailed Background Check really does require the skills of a professional detective.
Professional Background Checking with PDL
At Private Detective London, we are proud to be at the forefront of UK background checking services. Our background checks are conducted by skilled private investigators who ensure the process is both discreet and respectful for all parties involved.
We offer our clients – whether businesses or individuals – the information and insights they need to make informed choices. Our background checks generally include a comprehensive examination of public records and exclusive databases, tailored to specifically identify the issues that matter most to our clients.
And naturally, we always use sophisticated algorithms that go much further and a lot deeper than the Googles of this world! This allows us to legitimately access a lot of intelligence through data sources that are only available to professional businesses in our field.
But, of course, it’s not only about what’s available online.
Surveillance and other traditional investigative methods are still regularly used and our team of experienced investigators can employ these methods when checking backgrounds on individuals throughout the UK, Europe and even worldwide.
Furthermore, unlike others who offer Background Check services in London, we won’t rashly offer you a super-fast service for a cut-down price. We know that people who have used similar ‘fast’ services may only get a hasty, minimum search – perhaps not offering much more information than a DIY-search would throw up for them.
A final anecdote
Background checks have certainly become increasingly essential in the employment sector, verifying that candidates’ claimed experience and education are accurate. This is especially critical for high-level positions that involve financial duties or access to sensitive information.
Which brings to mind another topical news item in which KnowBe4, a prominent US security company, found that a recently hired remote software engineer was actually a North Korean spy using a stolen US identity and an AI-generated photo found online. Despite an initial rigorous hiring process that included video interviews, the sophisticated ruse was only discovered after the new employee began installing malware on the company computer he had been assigned – certainly a very lucky escape for the company involved!
All in all, it just goes to show that when it comes to Background Checks you can never be too careful! And that’s a perfect reason to talk to us at PDL about our trusted checking procedures.
Right, I’m off to see what medals we have a chance of winning over in Paris. Au revoir for now!
Discover more about the PDL Background Checking service here.
You’ll find the main reasons we undertake Background Checks for our clients.
And you can also read a number of examples of our recent Background Checking cases.
