A profile of leading London private investigator Sarah Martin.
Sarah Martin loves the private investigation industry. She has never come across sexism or ageism, ‘which is amazing, considering it is such a male-oriented industry’. She is a member of the Association of British Investigators, that has only a handful of females. ‘If you do the job and you are professional, you are respected. It doesn’t matter if you are black or white, female, young and old, it is the results that count. And you don’t need to come from a military background to do the job. Some police officers have said it isn’t easy to go from a large institution and suddenly work on your own, without any back up, in a civil arena rather than where they come from, which is all criminal law.’ For the difference between the police and private investigation she gives the example of a surveillance job – a police operation would have numbers, whereas the private investigator’s surveillance is often solitary, ‘and you use your creativity and your guile, and you get things from people by not being intimidating, not being threatening, and by being humble, and realise you have the same rights as any other citizen – especially if you have witnesses who are hostile and you need a statement for a court case.’ Sarah’s view is that if the private investigator has to knock on a door, it helps once inside to comment (say) on the ornaments; it relaxes people. Take a surveillance operation – two men in a car might arouse suspicion, but not a woman putting on lipstick or reading a map upside down (Sarah’s tongue in cheek choice of examples). ‘The same in a school; it’s acceptable for a woman to go to a school, to speak to a principal, whatever. But a guy filming a school – it doesn’t look too good.’ Also if a private investigator’s client is a woman, she may find it easier to divulge domestic matters to another woman.
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As for age: young or old, Sarah reckons an investigator has to be something of a chameleon, the type of person who you want to tell everything to. That calls for communication and people skills. So does that mean you need to be of a certain age and experience, so that you know the score’ Well, Sarah feels the future is open to young, ambitious people entering the industry, who know the dos and don’ts, and know that investigations are not glamourous. Sarah says she is inundated with letters from careers libraries and young people interested in a career in investigations. She speaks highly of her female teenage trainee who is taking an NVQ in investigation, offered by City and Guilds and SITO. Sarah points out that the ABI has introduced a new category – trainee membership – so that these NVQ trainees can attend branch meetings and seminars, stay updated on the law, build networks; in a word, gain that all-important experience.
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She argues it is better if you have trained in private investigation rather than in the police. A unthreatening demeanour (whatever your age) can give the investigator the advantage. She recalls how she started in debt collection: ‘You know what they used to make me do’ Door knocks on council estates. I used to say, ‘Hi, I know you owe money; you know you owe money. You don’t want to go to court, can we come to an amicable arrangement” Nine times out of ten they used to pay.’ The non-threatening approach pays, Sarah feels, because the heavy-handed alternative was to go back to court – and spend more of the client’s money.
