investigation information

How Much Does A Private Detective Cost?

July 2, 2025 by pdldevv2 Leave a Comment

This question is extremely frequently asked by potential clients, and – more widely – anyone with an interest in the Private Detective industry. One reason “How much does a private detective cost?” is such a common question is that so much of our industry is necessarily secretive – as part of best practice discretion. Additionally, a significant proportion of the clients and potential clients who contact us at PDL have not worked with a Private Detective before, meaning they might lack a point of reference in relation to pricing and price points within our industry. For this reason, it’s important to us to always demonstrate our trademark transparency and consistency, to ensure any new clients who may be feeling tentative understand that they’re in safe hands, and can trust our integrity.

Private Detective Cost: A Bespoke Service

First and foremost, we provide bespoke services to our clients – be they corporate clients or private individuals. Our experience gives us the insight that a bespoke service is the only real effective approach to vastly varying client needs. We will always begin by taking time to understand you, your needs, and all salient facts. We will then propose a bespoke service, with operation-specific processes – designed to achieve a successful outcome for you. Consequently, it’s not strictly possible to outline exact fees for all our services without being disingenuous – because the short answer is that the fees will be determined by the exact services we provide to you – which in turn are dictated by your needs. However, in the interest of delivering as much transparency and clarity as possible, we will detail some specific ‘starting from’ fees later in this post, as a guideline. Factors In

Private Detective Pricing

Key determining factors in our pricing include: – Services / operations required: what technological needs are present? – Are ‘man-on-the-ground’ services such as covert surveillance required? – Is this the work of one operative, or more? – How much work can be completed as ‘desktop investigations’? – Does the operation require the additional insight of our lead private detective? And other similar factors – all of which we will discuss with full transparency as a natural aspect of discussing your specific needs. Examples of

Private Detective Fees

Notwithstanding that our private detectives’ fees are always determined by a client’s specific needs as determined by our consultations, as part of offering a bespoke service, please find below some sample fees:

Person Tracing Services – from £390

Asset Investigation (UK-based) – from £540

Background Investigations – from £650

Consultancy Services – from £200

Get In Touch

To discuss your specific needs, and arrange your free consultation, you can contact us now

Why Use A Private Detective To Find Someone?

June 6, 2025 by pdldevv2 Leave a Comment

At PDL, one of our core services is People Tracing and we’re extremely proud of our 100% success record of finding people when instructed – be they long-lost family members, or corporate debtors. A common question we receive directly – and hear of more widely – is “Why use a private detective to find someone?” The reasons are manifold, and comprise everything that makes us the trusted and successful organisation we are: Experience, Insight, Quality, Legality, Ethics, and Precision. Here’s more detail:

Reasons To Use A Private Detective To Find Someone

#1 – Our Immaculate Record

At PDL we have a 100% success record in tracing cases. We are extremely diligent and dedicated in protecting our clients’ interests and getting results – because our clients’ success is essential to our success. Our private detectives’ perfect record in finding people is the ideal exemplar of our quality and commitment, and a key point of reassurance for new clients instructing us to find someone.

#2 – Knowledge & Experience

By using one of our private detectives to find someone, our clients tap into decades of knowledge and experience that can’t be faked, or achieved elsewhere. Our operatives bring a wealth of knowledge to every case – based on the thousands of cases already behind them in impressive careers to date. Additionally, all the experience we’ve gained in our many, many successful tracing cases equips us with the benefit of hindsight, and sharp instincts for situations – which proves invaluable in the more complex person tracing cases.

#3 – Access To Information

At PDL, our key partnerships, access to data, and knowledge of where pieces of information are to be found all combine to give us unrivalled access to data, within our industry. We know exactly where to find any given piece of data – and we also know what is and isn’t permissible from a data protection perspective. Using tools has always been key to our private detectives successfully finding people, and we’ve invested and modernised repeatedly to ensure we continue to lead the way in the UK.

#4 – Legality & Ethics

A principle that has always been at our core – and always will be – is that we do not ever compromise legality or ethics in our operations. We make no exceptions to this, under any circumstances – and will err on the side of caution in any uncertain situation. It’s vital to us at PDL that we can provide our clients this reassurance – no matter what – so they can have full trust in our operatives, and in PDL as an organisation, as a whole. Where legality and ethics are particularly relevant to finding people, lies in the typical reasons for person tracing. That is to say – so often the results of our detectives finding someone for a client will lead directly to sensitive legal and financial cases. It’s vital that our clients have strong legal grounding in those cases, and consequently it’s also vital that everything in the operation up to that point has been handled with legal and ethical perfection – so as to not compromise the client’s chances of success.

#5 – Third Party Safety

It’s extremely common, when a new client instructs our private detectives, that they’re bringing a case that has previously been attempted by another organisation – which has regrettably not succeeded in achieving results for that client. A more recent phenomenon though, has been instances of clients having attempted to find someone, or to conduct surveillance themselves. We advise against this extremely strongly, for the following reasons: – The absence of the knowledge and experience, detailed above, that is crucial to a successful operation. – The potential to compromise your own legal case by acting in ignorance of the law. – Simply put – covert surveillance is an art, and is not easily recreated. Particularly if you are known to the individual – which, naturally, makes it near impossible.

#6 – Quality Of Operatives

We’re extremely proud of our reputation, 100% success rate, and the skill our private detectives use in finding people. Our operatives are selected to the highest possible standards, based on their abilities, backgrounds, communication skills, and conduct. Our operatives’ quality is the heart delivering success to our clients – and thereby the sustaining of our own fantastic reputation. Read more on Why To Choose PDL

#7 – Professional Witness Status

Our role as private detectives means we have “Professional Witness” status. This dictates that evidence we provide can be admissible in court – by the very nature of us being respected professional private detectives – which can be invaluable in ensuring our clients’ necessary legal outcomes are met. We’ve acted as a “Professional witness” on many previous occasions, and thus know exactly how to do so, to support any legal case that arises after using our private detectives to find someone.

Why Use A Private Detective To Find Someone? A Summary

To summarise – our private detectives combine a 100% person-finding success record, with knowledge, skill, experience, unparalleled data access, a flawless legal understanding, being a third party, exercising great discretion, top-quality operational ability, and professional witness status; to make us perfectly positioned to find someone at the request of any individual or corporate client, as required. We’re proud of our 100% record, and do not intend to lose it.

Looking To Find Someone?

If you require a private detective to find someone – to reconnect personally, chase debtors, or protect your corporate assets and interests – please contact us now for your free, no-obligation consultation.

Finding Missing Persons in London: An Insight into Finding Lost Loved Ones

April 24, 2025 by pdldevv2 Leave a Comment

By London Missing Persons Investigator, Tim Boyd

Not long ago, I passed a local charity in central London and paused in front of a cluster of posters featuring missing people who had vanished.

It was a depressing sight and another stark reminder of just how many families are searching for loved ones who have disappeared.

Statistics from the charity Missing People reveal that “someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK, amounting to over 170,000 people annually. If you consider the families and friends left behind, the issue affects approximately 2 million people in total each year.”

And with police resources routinely stretched, it’s a reminder of why the role of a Private Investigator in London is sometimes a family’s only hope when official avenues are exhausted.

Simple Request

Most people who contact us at PDL begin with a simple but harrowing request: “Can you help me find a missing person?”

Sometimes, they’re trying to reconnect with a long-lost sibling. Other times, they’re desperate to find a partner, child, or parent who’s abruptly dropped out of contact.

And that simple request – “Can you help me find a missing person?” – can often lead to a very tough challenge for investigators, especially if there’s no social media activity, no address records, or no recent sightings.

Tracing vs. Finding a Missing Person

To explain how we work at PDL, we find it helpful to distinguish clearly between ‘trace someone’ cases and true ‘missing person’ cases.

Tracing someone typically involves tracking people who may have changed addresses, jobs, or names. They still leave clues — like paper trails, employment records, or social activity.
Finding a missing person, however, means working with near-zero leads. They’ve disconnected deliberately, or something serious has occurred.

Why Aren’t All Cases Investigated by Police?

Unfortunately, not all missing person cases get the full attention they deserve. Police services are frequently stretched, and if there’s no indication of foul play or immediate danger, the case may not be prioritised.

That’s why many people turn to Private investigation services in London. At PDL, we’re experienced professionals with access to tools, databases, and techniques that the public does not. And often, that makes all the difference.

What are the issues/reasons involved in cases of missing persons? Some thoughts:

Mental Health and Vulnerability: Many missing person cases are deeply connected to mental health challenges. Individuals suffering from anxiety, depression, or other conditions may disappear without warning, often as a way of coping.

Estranged Family Members: Sometimes the person in question is a family member who simply want to cut ties. These cases often involve complex family emotions.

Legal and Inheritance Matters: Not all missing person cases are about emotional reunions. In some instances, individuals must be located for legal reasons, such as matters of inheritance, estate settlements, or serving legal documents. These cases require careful diligence and clear documentation, which our team is well-versed in providing.

Cross-Border Challenges: In an increasingly mobile world, some people simply disappear across borders for many reasons. Finding a missing person who has moved abroad – sometimes without leaving a clear trail – can be a major challenge.

A Real Cross-Border Case: Success after 20 Years Missing

One such cross-border challenge occurred when we recently helped a family from overseas locate a relative who had been missing for 20 years. The police had long given up. But after deep-dive investigative work – including cross-referencing dates of birth, following faint digital trails, and some classic fieldwork – we found the missing person. He’d amended his name slightly and relocated to England’s south coast, living quietly.

While the reunion was emotional and complex, the family finally had the answers they had yearned for. Happily, the missing person became a found loved one. It was certainly a touching moment for all of us who were involved.

Do You Need Help Finding Someone?

Whether you’re hoping to trace someone in London or launch a full-scale missing person investigation, please contact (PDL).

We combine expertise, dedication and compassion while knowing how to sensitively follow the faintest trail.

Contact us now

AI and the Modern Private Investigator

March 3, 2025 by pdldevv2 Leave a Comment

AI and the Modern Private Investigator

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, reshaping industries and revolutionising how businesses operate and deliver value to their clients. PDL’s Lead Investigator Peter Torley takes a look at its impact on Private Investigations.

I found myself watching the late News the other night and one piece in particular grabbed my attention. It was a report about a big AI Conference in Paris this month – global leaders, tech experts and a range of academics gathering to discuss AI’s evolution and its future implications.

Much of the excitement at the conference, said the News, would surround China’s DeepSeek, a groundbreaking new AI assistant shaking up the industry.

It was a timely news item for me because AI has been on my mind in recent times and – along with my colleagues here in our London office – we’ve been toying over its likely ongoing implications for the whole Private Investigation industry.

A game-changer?

Over the years, I’ve seen the world of private investigations evolve dramatically, and one of the biggest significant changes has certainly been artificial intelligence.

When I first started out in this line of work, the tools available were vastly different from what we have now. Today, AI has streamlined so many aspects of the job, making our work more efficient and – in some areas – more precise too. And while technology has always been part of our profession, the increased integration of AI has certainly taken things to a whole new level.

Some people even ask me if AI will ever replace private investigators entirely. The short answer is a definite No. But like everything else, it’s not a simple black-and-white situation.

Only part of the story

I remember when GPS trackers first became widely used – there was a lot of talk about how they would eliminate the need for physical surveillance. While GPS trackers are admittedly an incredible tool (allowing us to monitor locations with pinpoint accuracy and minimizing the risk of losing a subject) they only tell part of the story. After all, a tracker can tell you where someone has been, but it won’t tell you what they were doing or who they were with. That’s where physical surveillance remains invaluable.

The same applies to advances in remote surveillance technology. Back in 2012, we were already experimenting with unmanned camera systems that allowed us to monitor locations remotely. That was good – but there was a big issue, because reviewing the footage was incredibly time-consuming. In many cases, it was even more practical and cost-effective to have one of our investigators on-site.

Admittedly, today’s AI-enhanced security solutions are far more advanced, but even the best technology still requires a trained professional to interpret the data correctly. Off-the-shelf solutions are widely available, but at PDL we only use the best bespoke systems tailored to the specific needs of our clients.

One thing that hasn’t changed in my time in the industry, though, is the absolute importance of human testimony. Evidence from AI tools, GPS trackers or surveillance cameras can be incredibly useful, but at the end of the day it doesn’t replace the need for signed witness statements. As we always tell our clients and professional associates, data alone isn’t always enough – human verification remains essential for credibility in legal cases.

Security and Ethical Considerations

Of course, with the benefits of AI come some important security concerns. At PDL, we take privacy incredibly seriously, and we have strict Non-Disclosure Agreements in place for every aspect of our work, from our clients to our internal processes.

Any AI tools that we use, especially those that handle sensitive data, are carefully vetted by our team as we take the utmost precautions to protect our clients’ confidentiality at all times. That is – and always has been – central to PDL’s core ethical standards. This area certainly needs the human touch as the ethics cannot be handed over to a machine.

Practical AI Applications in Investigations

The term ‘artificial intelligence’ makes it sound like something futuristic, but in reality, it’s already embedded in much of our everyday work and many of us have been using AI for years without realising it – spell checkers, for example, or things like predictive text. The list is always growing.

A perfect example: I once had to analyse a document in French regarding property ownership. With no French-speaking colleague immediately available, I turned to a well-known AI-powered translation tool – you can probably guess which one. Within seconds, I had a clear summary of the document’s key points. It saved me considerable time and effort, but of course I still had to verify the translation in a more human way before relying on it as evidence.

AI has also enhanced PDL’s ability to conduct international investigations. With the right tools, we can now access intelligence databases, track down individuals, and gather background information more efficiently than ever before. Whether you consider an intelligence database an AI tool or not, the fact is that technology has made it significantly easier to find the information we need.

That being said, AI isn’t always perfect. We’ve evaluated various AI-driven report-writing tools, and the results have been somewhat mixed – because while AI can summarize data quickly, it doesn’t always get the details right. As accuracy is 100% critical in our field, AI-generated reports still require careful fact-checking – by humans! The last thing we want is for an automated system to unintentionally alter the truth.

The Bottom Line

AI is certainly a powerful asset in modern private investigations, but it’s just that – an asset, nothing more. Like other industries, it enhances our work, makes certain tasks more efficient, and provides valuable insights, but it doesn’t replace the need for skilled professional investigators. At the end of the day, our ability to analyse situations, interpret human behaviour, and make professional judgment calls is what truly sets good private investigators apart.

There’s no doubt that technology will continue to evolve, and we’ll keep integrating AI at PDL where it makes sense. But no matter how advanced AI becomes, the human element remains irreplaceable. And as long as that’s the case, private investigators will always have a job to do – professionally, efficiently and effectively.

Get in Touch

If you are seeking a professional Private Investigator in London or worldwide, we’d love you to get in touch.

Call me – Peter – anytime on +44(0)2037471865.

PDL | UK-based Global Investigation Services

January 9, 2025 by pdldevv2 Leave a Comment

By Peter Torley, Lead Global Investigator: PDL, Mayfair, London

As a Private Detective in the heart of London, conversations with strangers often start the same way. “Oh, you’re a detective? How fascinating! What’s it really like being a private eye?” Even more so when the International Investigations angle is involved.

The most recent instance was last month. An old friend had arranged for myself and some others to attend a big football game in London. While there, I got chatting to the gentleman on the other side of me at half-time – let’s say his name was ‘Paul’. Anyway, myself and ‘Paul’ got talking and the conversation veered to what line of work we were both involved in. He told me that he was a dentist – but quickly admitted that root canals didn’t leave much room for excitement.

Investigating abroad

It turned out that he was much more interested in my particular line of work as he had just seen a film about an American Private Investigator who had to come to London on a global investigation case. So he asked me if I ever got to investigate abroad, and he was genuinely keen to know exactly what it was like.
I wondered for a moment if he was seeking a career change. But no, he was just intrigued by the fact that one morning you get a phone call and later that evening you might end up working in Toronto, or Paris, or Hong Kong or… wherever.
I began by telling him that all Global Investigators based in London were in an excellent strategic position – geographically speaking – as we’re able to get the most out of any day. For example, we can be dealing with somewhere in the East, like Singapore, early in the morning and then consulting with New York in our afternoon, just as America is waking up. So our positioning is extremely fortuitous.

Agile thinking, extensive knowledge

‘Paul’ then said he imagined that a successful global investigator would need to be pretty quick-thinking.
I agreed. I told him that when we get that early morning call, you need to be up and at it straight away. For example, there might be a plane to catch, so decisions need to be made in an instant, sometimes with rather incomplete information from a client.
As it happened, our PDL office had just taken a call the previous week from someone who wanted to obtain information on a French citizen – not a million miles away geographically speaking, of course, but with totally different legislation in operation. So we quickly set expectations for the client, processed timescales, and informed them about French regulations – all of which comes from specific, granular knowledge that we’ve collectively built up over the years.
So the ability to quickly Assess, Adapt, and Act – all while keeping a cool head, of course – is crucial to the success of the many different types of International Investigations we undertake from our Mayfair base in London.
I also mentioned to ‘Paul’ that cultural awareness is critical, too. Investigating globally means respecting the laws and nuances of every place you go to. What works in London won’t necessarily cut it in Los Angeles or Latvia. So, to some degree, you’ve got to be an international lawyer or police officer, knowing different legal systems and local rules on things like data protection, etc, as well as understanding the ‘unspoken rules’ of each environment.

Global Investigation Services

We continued to chat about it on and off for the rest of the dreary 0-0 draw and, by the end of the game, ‘Paul’ seemed well pleased with what I had told him. But – as is always the case – on the way home I started thinking about other specific areas I could have mentioned, like:
How we increasingly use the very latest advances in technology. This means we can now do a lot in the office that we previously may have had to reach out to our global partners for. If we’re looking for someone in America or New Zealand, we can now do that in-house. This saves time for us and saves money for our clients!

How we increasingly use the very latest advances in technology. This means we can now do a lot in the office that we previously may have had to reach out to our global partners for. If we’re looking for someone in America or New Zealand, we can now do that in-house. This saves time for us and saves money for our clients!
Yet more instances include:
Cases we’ve had involving multinational businesses and Global Asset Tracing.
Finding missing persons in other countries, plus things like cross-border divorce investigations.
Collaborating with Foreign Private Detectives – partnerships that we’ve built up over many years.
Serving Documents on multiple offices of a global company with officers in various countries.
And the several corporate crises and family emergencies that we’ve solved abroad.

Yes, we’ve done all of those in recent times. Some days it will be a call from the States wondering if we can collaborate quickly with them on an urgent case. Other days – like a very recent example – it will be a call from Cyprus asking us to urgently follow a person who was on a flight landing in London imminently:
“Sure,” we said. “Which airport? And what time?”
They didn’t know.
So we quickly spoke to our PDL contact in Cyprus and had them conduct surveillance at both of the airports on the island. In that way, we were able to determine what flight our target was on and were then able to deploy our UK team to follow the person after they landed in Britain. After that little flurry of activity, it didn’t take very long until the job was completed successfully.
I think my new dentist acquaintance would have been impressed with that one. All done and dusted… practically in the time it takes to do an awkward root canal!

International Investigations for Private & Corporate Clients

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How exactly do you judge the ‘Best Private Investigation Firm’?

September 21, 2024 by pdldevv2 Leave a Comment

If you’re reading this right now, there’s a very good chance that you’ve just searched for something like ‘the best private investigation firm in London or the UK’.

And, of course, if you do actually need to hire a private investigator, that’s precisely the sort of search term to use.

But will Google always serve up the ‘best private investigation firm’ for the specific issue you have on your mind?

Maybe. But then again, maybe not.

Let me explain.

In the world of private investigations, there are classic scenarios that – to all intents and purposes – appear to be similar. On the surface at least.

Missing persons, for example. Suspected infidelity. Counter-surveillance. Finding valuable stolen assets. Etc. Etc. They’re the bread and butter of the private investigator’s world – the sort of task any private investigator ought to be able to do in their sleep.

But when you dig deeper into some other less common scenarios, the more thought you may need to put into finding the best private investigator for that particular niche.

In other words, you may have to look for someone who specialises in the type of investigation you need.

Let’s be honest, though. The vast majority of private detectives out there, will have excellent reputations and will do a terrific job for you. And the chances are that they will all have enough of the relevant background experience to carry out the task in hand successfully.

Furthermore, of course, they’ll all have the discretion, integrity and resourcefulness needed to be successful in this profession in the first place.

However, it could be a little difficult for the average person to know exactly which investigator to pick when you want the ‘best detective’ for your particular case.

So, here’s some quick food for thought. When checking out who to choose, see if their experience ties in closely with what you need. Check their websites closely and see if any of their case studies resembles your particular scenario.

And here’s a little list that might be helpful. It’s the Top 10 ‘specialities’ that private investigators carry out. I hope it makes you aware of the types of investigations where proven experience is a big advantage right from the off.

For example, it may not be the case that the best ‘infidelity’ investigator will necessarily be the right person to follow up on ‘international corporate fraud’ concerns!

So, to wrap up, when you’re looking to find the best investigator for a particular issue, the very first investigator on the case may actually be you as you begin to check the various websites out there.

Hope your search is a fruitful one! Here’s that list I mentioned.

Background Checks – Private investigators can conduct thorough background checks, ranging from simple to complex, to uncover criminal history, previous aliases, or verify information provided during a job application or interview.
Bug Sweep & Detection/Counter-Surveillance – In this investigation, the investigator performs electronic and manual sweeps of specific areas to detect hidden recording devices or gps trackers.
Domestic – These investigators handle cases like child support or custody disputes, often employing surveillance techniques to gather evidence.
Due Diligence – Primarily for corporate clients, due diligence investigations are conducted to support business transactions and ensure informed decision-making.
Process Serving – This can often be a very crucial part of the legal process and typically involves ‘serving’ legal letters or court documents on individuals in cases where that ‘serving’ – and proof of it – is needed.
Financial – These investigators compile detailed financial background reports to provide insights into an individual’s or organisation’s financial history.
Fraud – Often working for companies such as insurance firms, fraud investigators specialize in uncovering instances of fraud where someone is attempting to obtain financial gain deceitfully.
Infidelity/Cheating Spouse – Classified as domestic investigations, these cases involve high-level surveillance to confirm whether a spouse or partner is engaging in extramarital activities.
International Investigations – Many private detective companies are asked to work on cases that cross country borders. This can be for many reasons and can involve complex issues regarding differing jurisdictions and legal processes. A proven international reach and trusted global network is recommended for this type of investigation.
Missing Persons/Locating People – Investigators use a range of methods to find missing persons or track down individuals who have intentionally left without a trace, aiming to determine their current location.

If you are interested in any of the above types of investigations, anywhere in London or across the UK, get in touch with us here at Private Detective London. We’ll be happy to help and advise on the best way forward for you.

Call +44(0)20 3747 1865 or drop me an email in the strictest confidence.

Private Detective Cost: A Bespoke Service

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