Business from scratch: detective agency. Elementary Watson! How to open a detective agency

There is hardly a person who would never dream of having his own business. Ideally, it should be not only very profitable, but also interesting and enjoyable.

For those aspiring entrepreneurs who read detective novels in childhood and adolescence, we advise you to pay attention to a very specific, but extremely tempting business. It is not young, it has existed in our country for quite a long time, and yet only a few companies are seriously involved in it.

Who will contact you?

Let's talk about how to open a detective agency, what needs to be done for this, what pitfalls there are in this business and how to avoid them. This case seems very attractive from the point of view of the fact that it does not require serious investments. But the profit can please you pleasantly. The work of a private detective has always been valuable. Husbands who suspect their wives are cheating, businessmen who believe that their partners are twisting them by the nose and have long ago transferred expensive contracts to competing firms, and many others may come to you.

How much will surveillance cost?

I would like to especially emphasize that, having decided to engage in this type of business, you will already be dealing with respectable people whose incomes, as a rule, are above average. Just anyone will not pay for your services.

They can't afford it. Contacting a detective agency is not a cheap pleasure. As a rule, such offices have a clear price list for services, but sometimes the client begins to rush the investigation of his case, and then the cost of the work can increase significantly.

Since we give detailed plan How to open a detective agency, let's move on to specific numbers. For example, in provincial Russian towns, surveillance of all movements, meetings and actions of a person per day will cost $100 or more. The upper level can cost 1000-2000 dollars or more. It all depends on who needs to be surveilled and for what purpose.

Let's talk about demand

Of course, you can get very impressive profits from such a business, but in order to achieve this, you need to do a tremendous amount of work. Fortunately, at present, as we previously noted, there is little competition in this market.

Experts attribute this to the fact that there are actually very few intelligent specialists in this field. In addition, most novice entrepreneurs are stunned by the question of how to open a detective agency. And even when they leave it and register their company, they simply don’t know what to do and how to start earning money as quickly as possible.

Most often, former internal affairs employees work in such offices. They have a clear knowledge of the city, they know how to conduct surveillance professionally, and finally, they are familiar with the legal field. In other words, they can work professionally, efficiently, without going beyond the current legislation.

Prohibitions

But we would like to immediately emphasize so that you do not get confused: detectives do not have the same rights as employees law enforcement. They are deprived of many privileges available to the police. All that a detective is allowed to do is take photos and videos and, in some cases, look for witnesses. When searching for information, the law prohibits wiretapping phones, installing hidden video cameras on private property, special professional equipment and much more.

Entrepreneurs who have already made money in this business admit that clients are different. To satisfy the requests of some, information collected legally is enough. However, there are often cases when the client wants more, and then you have to resort to tricks and break the rules. Naturally, the cost of such services increases several times. Among detective agencies there is a rule according to which evidence collected illegally is only shown to the client and immediately destroyed. They are never handed over to the client.

It is better to have experience working in authorities

In order to successfully start this business, you must at least have a legal specialty and at least some connections in law enforcement agencies. Thanks to them, you can quickly obtain the information you are interested in in a variety of areas.

Most often, private detectives resort to help former colleagues from the authorities when you need to find out the name of the owner of a car or apartment. Of course, such information is not given just like that and you, as the owner of the agency, will need to pay for it.

What does it take to open a detective agency?

To get started, rent an office. At the same time, there is no need for pathos in this matter. And nothing good will come from the fact that you have luxurious premises, but you do not effectively satisfy the needs of customers. Therefore, in conditions of a limited budget, in the first 2-3 months of work you can do without premises.

For clients, it doesn’t matter at all what your legal address is or how luxuriously you set up. The most important thing for customers is to solve their problem as quickly as possible. And the solution, as a rule, lies in obtaining the information of interest. It must be timely, accurate, as reliable as possible and received strictly confidentially.

So do you need an office or not?

But if your finances allow you, then, of course, it is better to get your own corner so that you can fully meet clients, sign contracts with them and have more detailed conversations. Any company starts with its employees. Therefore, when answering the question of how to open a detective agency, first try to recruit a decent staff.

I would not like to repeat myself, but experienced entrepreneurs say that the role of detectives is easiest for former law enforcement officers. They easily cope with all responsibilities, thanks to their experience in participating in operational search activities. When selecting people, remember that the more professional and qualified they are, the faster you can build an excellent reputation and, accordingly, the more clients you will have.

Recently, this type of income as detective work has been flourishing in our country. Such services are in great demand and popularity. Therefore, the idea of ​​opening a detective agency is very promising for implementation.

The market for such services is not too busy; security companies and law firms are mainly thriving.

You need to have good organizational and analytical skills, developed intuition, and best of all, experience working in law enforcement agencies.

Although the last point is not the most important. Carefully read all the instructions given in this article and make your decision. For this idea to be successfully implemented, you need a decisive attitude and a penchant for adventure.

Initially

First of all, you will have to deal with the procedure for registering your office. You need to obtain a license to operate legally and register a private enterprise.

It does not take a lot of time. In order to be issued a license, you must provide certificates obtained from a narcologist and a mental health clinic.

As for weapons, then, alas, the private detective is limited in the means of protection. At work you can use body armor, gas canister and a baton, that is, no more than an ordinary citizen of our country.

Only licensed security guards are legally allowed to carry firearms, but private investigators must go without.

In general, our laws contain many obstacles to this idea being fully realized. After all, the activities of a detective can sometimes be qualified as an illegal invasion of privacy. Therefore, when you become the owner of a detective agency, you will have to learn to find loopholes in our laws in order to be able to offer clients the widest range of services.

Organizational matters

You will need a suitable office for this business. It is desirable that it be located in a densely populated area, and preferably in the city center.

The area of ​​the room may be small, but sufficient to accommodate the reception area and your personal account, where meetings with clients, conversations with employees and direct analysis of the information received will take place.

It is best to make renovations so that the office makes a good impression and speaks of your solidity. This is where you will store all documentation, both on current cases and closed ones.

The next point of your clearly planned actions should be the purchase of equipment. For successful work you will need to equip your office with office equipment, buy furniture, computers, a printer, scanner, fax, telephone and safe.

To be able to offer clients a large assortment services, you will need to purchase all the attributes of detective work. This list includes video cameras various sizes, bugs, mobile phones, conspiracy clothing and so on.

An important step in preparing for the opening should be the search for employees. You can recruit among former law enforcement officers or graduates of law and theater universities.

The former have well-developed intuition and analytical abilities, while the latter can easily transform themselves to complete a particular task. Your employees must be sociable, creative, resourceful, active and confident.

Range of services

Any detective agency should be able to help everyone who asks for help. The services you will provide are varied, and they can be not only detective, but also legal and consulting:

• collection of various information (about physical and legal entities Oh);
• identification of the fact of adultery;
• surveillance of any object;
• examination land plots and real estate, vehicles;
• various search activities;
• consultations on legal issues;
• debt collection and debt recovery;

Thus, people will come to you with a wide variety of problems: find a relative, track a business partner, detect a stolen car, and so on. The wider the range of your services, the sooner you will reach the break-even point.

Profitability and payment

The business of a detective agency is quite promising and profitable. It all depends on your hard work, self-confidence and ability to attract clients. And the agency’s reputation will begin to work for you over time. Payment for your services can reach 3 thousand dollars for one case. Therefore, this type of business has a very favorable outlook.

How to open a detective agency

How to open a detective agency

What you need to know to open a private detective agency.
Previously, only films were made about detectives and detectives, but today such activities have become a very promising and promising type of business. Although engaging in such a business requires certain experience and knowledge, it is worth it, since engaging in the detective business is quite profitable and this moment not aggressively competitive. Nowadays, various security agencies have become widespread, but there is even a certain shortage of detective stories, since they are quite in demand in various fields.
Of course, detectives do not have special privileges or opportunities to circumvent the laws, which is permitted in some cases in law enforcement agencies; according to the law, a detective has the right to use only photos, videos, and surveys of citizens. However, even this brings quite a good profit.

People involved in the detective business, as a rule, organize so-called private detective agencies, which by law have the status of a legal entity.

In general, at the global level, the detective business is at a fairly high level, since their services are used worldwide famous personalities, politicians, celebrities, and thanks to this, international detective agencies exist.

Often, this type of business is started by people who have had dealings with intelligence agencies in the past or retired law enforcement officers. However, the difference now with their previous work will be that according to the law, the detective does not even have the right to carry weapons, only protection in the form of a bulletproof vest and a gas canister, and such a change is certainly difficult to get used to.

However, business is business, and all these disadvantages are justified good income. The first step is to legalize your activities and obtain a license. It, of course, does not bring any special privileges; on the contrary, it will cause more trouble, but without it, detective work is illegal.

At first, if you do not have experience in this type of activity, but the desire to become the head of a detective agency has arisen, you should practice, for example, in various television projects that require the help of detectives in searching for people. There are projects in which people look for their relatives, old acquaintances, and the detectives themselves do this, gaining quite good experience. And you can easily find out how to conduct a search by finding the necessary literature, of which there is now no shortage. And there is no need at all for the supernatural equipment used in films about mega spies; all you need is a head and access to the Internet.

But you will receive material advantages by collaborating with entrepreneurs who often use such services to ensure the security of transactions. And the main thing in such matters is not small video cameras, bugs and wiretapping, but the ability to communicate with people, that is, to find out the necessary information so that the person does not suspect anything.

The cost of transactions increases from the expected complexity of obtaining information and the volume of information, its detail, on average from $100 for fairly simple information and from $3,000 for complete detailed information of interest to the customer. On average per major projects It may take several months, which also determines the payment.

In general, detective work is very promising because it includes a very wide range of activities. In addition to various searches, the services of detectives are often used by people planning to emigrate and, as a result, in some cases requiring confirmation of nationality. Also, sometimes when vehicles are stolen, people resort to the help of detectives. Often people want to find a certain person, their first love, friend, relative.

You can make good money by providing detective services in business, helping the customer check the solvency of a partner before concluding a contract.

What is important here is, first of all, experience, which, of course, cannot be obtained right away, but with some patience you can learn to find information that interests you in the most unexpected places and your attentiveness to the world around you will increase.
Having expressed a desire to engage in detective work, you need to evaluate your acting abilities, which will often help you in your future work, therefore, you should first work on this.

The necessary psychological attitude is also important, because working as a detective is quite responsible and sometimes even dangerous. Therefore, you need to think before taking such a step.

Registering an agency will not be difficult, there will be no special time and material costs; all that is needed is to obtain a license and a minimum of additional documents. It is important to do quality work, because in this business best advertising– these are satisfied customers. And if you still doubt the profitability of such a business, then how do you like the fact that more than 70% of American entrepreneurs prefer a private investigation rather than through government law enforcement agencies. Of course, our percentage is lower, but it is also decent and is constantly growing.

In addition to business, of course, they resort to the services of private detectives for personal purposes in order to check the fidelity of their spouse, but these services are provided at the request of the detective. But they are in fairly wide demand and quite profitable.
There are a lot of advantages to working as a detective, because you have probably heard the simple truth that the one who owns the information owns the world, and this is, of course, beyond any doubt.

In our country, private detectives are allowed no more than other mortals. According to the law, all their simple tools are oral surveys of citizens, study of documents, visual inspection and photographing objects. But it turns out that you can make money with this too.

In the full thirteen years that have passed since the adoption of the Law on Private Detective and Security Activities in the Russian Federation, interesting statistics emerge. With safety and security in our country, judging by the numbers, full order: about 3 thousand security companies and a whole army of licensed security officers (over 150 thousand!). But there is a clear shortage of private detectives: there are about 150 detective agencies operating in Moscow, while in the rest of Russia it is rare that a large city can boast of five or six individual detectives. During this time, no large detective structures appeared in Russia. The law allows for the organization of “detective associations with the status of legal entities,” which can “open their branches in other regions of the Russian Federation.” But few people take advantage of this opportunity.

There are dozens of detective agencies in the world with international status and offices in many regions of the world. Governments and Wall Street tycoons do not hesitate to resort to their services. And where are our domestic Krolls and Pinkertons with thousands of employees? And in general: what are Russian detectives breathing today? “Business Journal” talked to detective Alexander UPATOV on this topic.

Atypical detective

The main format of the Russian detective business today is a lone detective with a license, registered as a PBOLE. Actually, he needs a license only in order to be able to officially provide the relevant services for a fee. It does not give special rights, only continuous responsibilities. And detectives are not even entitled to weapons - only special equipment “to repel an attack that directly threatens life and health.” That is, a baton, a bulletproof vest and a gas canister. In our country, only a private security guard can have a Colt under his arm, but not a detective.

The typical private investigator today is a retired law enforcement or intelligence officer. To a greater or lesser extent, he yearns for those operational-search capabilities that he once had during his government service, and with more or less success he fights the temptation to use them in his private practice.

In this sense, Alexander Upatov is not a typical detective. In the past he was not an opera, but a military pilot. He took up detective work after being transferred to the reserve seven years ago under the leadership of the famous detective Stanislav Arkhagov, who has now retired from work. He worked on his first cases, including under an agreement with the television program “Wait for me” (TV company VID), which he still considers an excellent school.

You know, I personally feel quite comfortable within the framework that the law sets for a private detective. “I have enough,” says Alexander and even flaunts it. - I don’t have anything “spyware” at all. A laptop, a pen and a head are my tools. And if you see any wires on my desk, it’s a cell phone charger!

Problems for the law-abiding detective

To a provocative question like “What can you, private detectives, do if you don’t go beyond the law?” Alexander smiles mysteriously. He clearly doesn’t want to talk about his methods.

Well, here’s a case from practice,” he begins reluctantly. - My customer, an entrepreneur, is going to buy a property, for example, in the Moscow region. The issue of sale is decided by some administrative body. And the customer has unverified information that a competitor, meanwhile, is also trying to purchase this property and is even negotiating a bribe with one of the officials. My task: to find out who exactly the bribe was from and how big it was. How to approach here?

Outdoor surveillance, wiretapping and other special events? - I immediately assume.

Perhaps some retired intelligence officer would take exactly this path. But this is illegal, takes a long time, and would cost the customer a tidy sum. A simple survey, oddly enough, is much more effective...

Yeah, come right up and ask: do you know who is here and how much they are going to give? Yes?

For what? Properly prepare and create the right situation to retrieve information,” explains Alexander. - Let’s say I meet with a competitor of the customer under such conditions in which, frankly speaking, he takes me not for who I am, but for an employee of that same administrative body. And a quick dialogue takes place between us. "Hello! We are considering your question. About the object,” I say. - “Oh, from Pal Palych?” - “Yes, assistant. So, he asked me to tell you that your case will be resolved positively if the amount is increased by twenty percent.” - “What are you talking about! More than 60 thousand is too much!” That's it, the information about who and how much has been received exhaustively. The customer is satisfied.

So easy? Is it legal to act?

Firstly, I do not introduce myself as a law enforcement officer. This is actually prohibited by law. Secondly, it is clear that my interlocutor made a mistake and said too much. It happens to everyone? It's not my fault! And thirdly, it is not so easy to create such a situation for a survey!

Maybe in in this case Is “survey” not quite the right word?

I consider a survey to be any obtaining of information through conversation, if it occurs without the use of violent or legally prohibited methods. Am I wrong?

Business intelligence fees

* $100–250. Full registration details of the person you are interested in Russian company, information about the founders and managers. Execution time: 3–5 days.

* $500–1,000. Additionally: actual office address; number of employees; premises rental conditions; checking accounts receivable; verification of the director (personal information, photo, place of registration, home and mobile phones). Execution time: 7–12 days.

* $2,000–4,500. Additionally: information about branches, subsidiaries and affiliated companies; annual turnover and balance; list of buyers and suppliers; credit score; detailed check of two founders or managers (ownership, immediate relatives, criminal connections, samples of signature and handwriting, past illnesses, shares and shares in other enterprises, military service); terms of the agreement with one of the business partners; sample letterhead. Execution time: 20–25 days.

Detective assortment

The law strictly prescribes what type of services a private detective can provide to citizens and organizations. The list is laconic - only seven items. “Best sellers” change over time. Once upon a time, the service of confirming nationality was in great demand. The man was planning to emigrate to Israel and asked to find evidence that he was a Jew. At one time, detectives were actively involved in the search for stolen vehicles. Nowadays such an “export” service is becoming fashionable: foreigners ask to check Russian citizens who are met via the Internet for the purpose of marriage. Searching for missing people or people with whom contact has been lost is an eternal topic. Here detectives are no longer surprised by anything. You may receive an order to find a friend school days, with whom the client sat at the same desk forty years ago, or an urgent search for a spouse who went on a spree “after yesterday.” From clients of a romantic nature - please find a girl whom you met by chance yesterday in a restaurant, but were too embarrassed to ask for a phone number or forgot. What is very significant is that a service such as business intelligence or, to use the wording of the law, “identifying uncreditworthy or unreliable business partners” is gaining momentum. Either business activity in the country is really growing rapidly, or entrepreneurs have begun to think more about the security of their business.

Each detective has his own hobby. In Alexander’s portfolio of orders, for example, the majority are business intelligence and the search for missing people.

After talking with Alexander you understand: he is a detective a common person, only more attentive. And the detective business, in fact, is built on the fact that the detective has the useful skill of selecting information where others would not even think to look for it.

Is it illegal to stand in the smoking room of a company you are interested in, listen to what kind of “manga” they are talking about and what kind of business they are talking about? Or walk through the parking lot in front of the company office, remember the license plates of expensive cars that most likely belong to management or key clients in order to then “punch” them through the database - is the prosecutor’s sanction needed for this? - the detective shares some secrets of his craft.

This is the professionalism of a detective: knowing where and how to get information. Let this disappoint some customers who want to believe that the detective, while carrying out their delicate assignment, gets wet in the rain, endures cold and hunger and follows the trail, looking out, sniffing, listening...

I can admit that 80 percent of my work is desk work. I work with different sources of information, make phone calls, check databases. So what? Foreign detectives they are not shy to say that they use the Internet to the fullest. True, they sort through information on the World Wide Web not with “hands,” but with the help of a frequent “sieve” - special software tools that allow them to establish chains of events and connections between disparate facts.

Detective with many faces

The truth is that in the process labor activity It is very rare for a Russian detective to introduce himself as a detective. Every now and then he tries on different roles: “I want to buy from you...”, “help, I’m looking for a friend...” And he has a variety of business cards printed - for all occasions!

From one landline cell phone The detective's client keeps getting threatening calls. The number is known, but it is impossible to understand who is calling and where exactly the phone is installed. Looking for approaches through a telephone operator is a long and tedious story. Again, the same specific “survey” helps out. The bad phone rings: “This is the customer department of the telecom operator,” the detective introduces himself sternly. “Do you know that we are turning off your phone tomorrow?” - “How is this, how is this?” - the interlocutor begins to worry. - “We give you two months of bills for long-distance communication, but you don’t pay!” - “Wait, wait, I didn’t receive anything! And there was no intercity traffic!” - “How did this not happen? Already three hundred rubles in debt! Let’s check the address - where to send the bills!”... The dumbfounded owner of the phone dictates the address and only then understands (if he understands at all) that the information was simply cleverly “taken” from him.

A detective must be a bit of an actor,” Alexander admits. - Personally, it helped me a lot that I rented my first office next to the theater. Vakhtangov and communicated with many of the actors there. Acquired many professional skills.

Playing openly often simply doesn’t make sense. Not only because the information will not be given, but because you will also set up the customer. You can’t say, for example, in some company: “I’m a detective, and I’m checking to see if you’re a reliable partner.” So the customer may be left without any partners at all - both conscientious and dishonest.

Business intelligence

Some people don’t really know how to hide commercially important information. Others don't know how to collect it. Still others don’t even realize how much important information can be gleaned from open sources. And still others cannot draw basic conclusions from the available facts. And it will always be like this. Therefore, the detective, this free plowman of the information field, will never be left out of work.

A simple visit to the office of a company you are interested in under the guise of a client can give you a lot,” says Alexander. - Once a customer asked to check one holding company. It seems like a serious office: there is a security service, a financial risk analysis department, even its own business intelligence unit. And on you: almost in the hall they placed a simple, unproductive paper cutter, and next to them were boxes of documentation prepared for destruction. I sat and sat there under the guise of a client, and then pretended that I was in trouble and rushed to the toilet. And on the way, I grabbed a few pieces of paper from the box, as if out of necessity. And guess what? It was in vain to make a joke: they had a lot of such papers already prepared there, in the toilet, a whole stack! They care about their employees! Using them, we later clarified not only the entire structure of the holding, but also the internal prices by which the divisions pay each other. The customer did not even dare to dream about this.

If only you knew from what rubbish the most valuable intelligence data grows! But business intelligence is not just about obtaining data. The detective transfers to the customer not just an array of information obtained, but its analysis. To do this, Alexander often has to involve third-party experts - criminologists, financiers, in order to use their findings in the report.

After checking a potential partner, we do not give the customer categorical recommendations, but focus his attention on the facts that are essential for making a decision. Suppose you are about to enter into a serious contract with a plant, and we suddenly find out that this plant has many months of debt on access roads. And how he is going to ship the products is completely unclear. This is, at the very least, a reason to think about it. In general, any information may be useful to the customer. Right down to the neighbors' reviews staircase about the head of the company being inspected.

An entrepreneur may have many reasons for turning to detectives. Someone started buying up shares of the enterprise. Who exactly is behind the buyers? They offered a fabulously profitable deal. Is there a catch? A new manager is hired for a key position. What kind of person?

Here, for example, is a case from Alexander’s practice, when he helped a customer save money. Customer, owner small company, specializing in the installation of electrical equipment, was going to participate in the tender. It was about a large contract in a complex under construction. Participation in the tender itself implied the development project documentation and serious expenses. The customer asked to establish whether there were any personal connections between the construction company organizing the tender and any of the other participants. The detective found out what they have, and what others: they communicate at the “Vasya-Pet” level, to the point that the applicant for the contract has blank forms of this in his desk construction company are lying. How did you find out? Again, through a kind of “survey” and comparison of data, without the use of unauthorized means. It is clear that such a tender did not promise anything good for the customer.

According to Alexander, he has long felt that he sometimes lacks knowledge. That is why he is now studying in absentia at two academies at once - law and finance. Wants to learn how to read balance sheets from a page as well as experts and identify financial risks.

By the way, it is interesting to trace the logic of development of the world's leading detective agencies. The private detective business is just over a century and a half old. The first agency in the United States was created in 1850 by former Chicago police officer Allan Pinkerton. At first it investigated episodes of train robberies. At some point, he became famous for preventing an assassination attempt on President Abraham Lincoln. Then he became interested in security activities and in the 1890s even earned a bad reputation, speaking on the side of the factory owners against striking workers and trade unions. But in last decades The Pinkerton agency describes its specialization only as follows: “Security consulting, investigations and business risk identification.”

So the gradual evolution of a detective into a versatile risk management consultant seems quite logical.

Is this a business or not?

Can a modern Russian detective be called an entrepreneur in the full sense of the word? Or is this just a slightly romanticized form of self-employment? Advertisements for the provision of detective services are today published in the classifieds of popular publications, somewhere between advertising for tattoo salons and specialized companies for exterminating cockroaches. Among practicing detectives, there are experts in identifying unfaithful spouses and virtuosos in finding lost mushroom pickers. But that's it more people, engaged in the detective services market, understand that the main direction of growth is work in the b2b format.

Yes, in the near foreseeable future the detective business, it seems, will remain small,” Alexander agrees. - Sometimes I get calls: take me to work! They ask for a salary of a thousand dollars... I explain that I don’t need a large staff, and I definitely won’t be able to pay such salaries. I have four employees and we manage everything very well. I can’t imagine what kind of turnover a detective association must have to keep several dozen detectives. Branches? I don't need them yet. We already work not only throughout Russia, but, if necessary, throughout the Russian-speaking CIS - wherever you can speak without an interpreter. And we even fulfill orders from abroad that come through the World Association of Detectives (WAD).

What do you want to achieve in the detective field?

Lately, private investigation seems more and more like a family business to me. A lot here depends on the person who is doing this, on his personal reputation and personal methods. I don’t want to transfer all these developments into strangers’ hands. Therefore, it is very pleasant that my four-year-old son is keenly interested in business. And he proudly says that his dad is a “searcher.”

Your own detective

Some sources of valuable commercial information in Russia are completely open and accessible to individuals, and not just to government officials and law enforcement officers. In particular, this is the Main Interregional Center for the Processing and Dissemination of Statistical Information (GMC) of the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation. For inquiries here at on a paid basis will provide the following information about any enterprise registered in Russia:

* annual balance sheet - 480 rubles;

* accounting data in Unified state register enterprises and organizations (USRPO), including information about types of activities, etc. - 120–247 rubles.

In addition, the HMC can prepare a certificate with statistical indicators for entire economic sectors and various economic parameters.

* The calculations use average data for Russia

The profession of a private detective is romanticized by cinema and literature, but in real life such activity is far from the work of fictional characters. But at the same time, more and more people now need the services of private detectives, who can often solve two types of problems at once: those that law enforcement agencies do not deal with at all and those that law enforcement agencies cannot solve. For a population that is limited in its capabilities, turning to a detective becomes the only salvation.

However, the detective himself does not even have the right to carry a firearm. Therefore, you should immediately forget about shootouts, fights and other heroism; however, only children imagine the image of a detective in this way. A private detective in Russia is a person who can perform a certain list of services that do not involve the use of weapons. You won't have to hunt drug dealers. But in case of a truly out-of-the-ordinary situation, the detective can have a gas can or baton with him, and also provide himself with body armor. On the other hand, this is why even a person who is not too fond of dangerous situations can become a private investigator.

You can become a professional private investigator only after registering as a individual entrepreneur. You can, of course, open a legal entity, but in any case you will have to obtain a license not for the entire enterprise, but for each specific employee. Or rather, the employee himself will deal with this issue for himself. Registration is carried out at the local tax authority, requires payment of a state fee (and other bureaucratic minor expenses) and takes about a month. Activity code – (OKPD 2) 80.30 Investigation services.

An important step is obtaining a license for your activities. As already noted, it is issued to each specific applicant; you cannot open a detective agency, get a license for it and start accepting people from the street. If an entrepreneur works on his own, then he is dealing with this issue only for himself as for individual. At the same time, the licensing authority will consider the possibility of issuing a license only in a few cases:

If the candidate has worked at least three years in investigative or operational authorities.

If the candidate has a legal education.

If the candidate passed special courses for teaching detective work.

You also need to submit certain documents, such as:

A copy of the Certificate of assignment of OGRNIP.

A copy of the document confirming registration with the tax authority.

Copy of TIN.

A copy of the extract from the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs.

Copy of the passport.

Copy of medical certificate (F No. 046-1).

A copy of the work book.

A copy of a diploma of legal education or a document confirming special training to work as a private detective.

A copy of the receipt confirming payment of the state fee for consideration of the application and provision of a license.

To obtain a medical certificate, you will have to visit more than one doctor, because the licensing authority carefully checks in particular mental health future licensee. But you will also have to visit a narcologist, as well as many other doctors who will determine your level of health. After this, you must undergo fingerprint registration. That is, a private investigator forever transfers information about his fingerprints, but if he previously worked in law enforcement agencies, then he has probably already completed such registration. Finally, you need to pass a special test for professional aptitude, which asks questions that are closely covered in training courses for private detectives. As for persons with a legal education or former employees of certain structures, they are considered to know the answers by studying theory or work experience. Moreover, such checks will be carried out regularly, because the license is issued for a period of 5 years. The period for making a decision on issuing a primary license cannot exceed 45 days. The licensing authority is the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Yes, a license will not be issued if:

The applicant is under 21 years of age (18 is still too young to become a detective).

The applicant is registered in a mental, drug or alcohol dispensary.

The applicant has a criminal record or is under investigation (a license may be issued if the charges are dropped).

The applicant was dismissed from law enforcement service due to a serious violation (as the law states “on compromising grounds”).

The applicant works or worked less than a year ago in law enforcement agencies that supervise the activities of private detectives and security agencies (after a year, you can apply for a license).

Companies specializing in this can help in obtaining a license, but in this case everything depends on the future licensee himself, and the office can only help in resolving bureaucratic issues. In order not to waste a lot of time, think about training or Faculty of Law, or take private detective courses in advance. For people who want to become entrepreneurs, but have dreamed of becoming detectives since childhood, now there is an opportunity to make their dream come true. There would be money, because the courses, naturally, are not free.

As is clear from all of the above, registration, registration and licensing will take at least 2 months, during which you can already begin searching for premises for your office and employees. In general, private detectives become people who want to work alone, and without permanent place location of your office. That is, all negotiations with clients take place somewhere on neutral territory. However, today the client wants to see the level of the enterprise, and it is important for the agency to consist of more than one person. This is just an indicator, prestige, while the visitor’s issue can really be resolved by one person, but it is important for the visitor that the agency has greater capabilities. Again, in culture the image of the detective is invariably created as a lone person, but the person who goes for real help is based on practical considerations.

Ready ideas for your business

Therefore, it is better to find an office, rent it if you do not have your own premises. It could be small room and not necessarily in the city center, but not on its very outskirts either. What’s interesting is that they don’t do much private investigation a large number of agencies In a city with more than one million inhabitants, there may be 1-2 agencies, in the capitals - a little more than 10. But these are the private detectives themselves, whose competition is from some of the security agencies offering related or similar services. But still, the sphere of private security companies is direct security, not investigations. The office itself does not have to be large; the main thing is a reception office, equipped necessary equipment. During work, you will need to spend a lot of time on the Internet, and you also need to store your own information databases not on a flash drive, so every employee needs Personal Computer and Internet access. The area of ​​the room is from 20 m2, and in fact it is a simple detective’s office.

To inform the population about your activities, it is best to advertise on the Internet and place ads on thematic portals. Regular ATL advertising (local radio and television, print media) can also be effective. The target audience of a private detective is people who are disappointed in the actions of law enforcement officers (for example, they go to a detective for help in finding a stolen vehicle), and people whose question the police will not take up at all ( classic example- determination of a spouse's fidelity). At the same time, according to the law of the Russian Federation, the activities of a private detective are strictly regulated, and he does not have the right to enter a home or collect personal information without the knowledge and permission of the person himself. As you know, in this country everything is allowed that is not prohibited, therefore, having a legal education, you can “balance on the brink”, engaging in almost illegal activities. The key phrase is almost that if you exceed your duties, you can answer in an administrative or criminal case.

You need to understand exactly what can be done and what cannot be done. Fortunately, everything is relatively clearly stated in the law, but we must not forget that laws are constantly changing. So, just recently the licensing rules changed, and licensees had to get it again. A private detective, among other things, can perform the functions of a security guard, protecting citizens and property, as well as the functions of a lawyer, advising on issues relevant to his profile. The general list of the main activities of a detective looks like this:

Collection of information on civil cases on a contractual basis with the participants in the process; Here we need to emphasize that there must be an agreement. That is, it is impossible to obtain information about another person without his consent, but this information can be obtained by any other by legal means. Handing it over to the customer is also not a crime.

Market research, collecting information for business negotiations, identifying uncreditworthy or unreliable business partners; Everything here is relatively clear, the main thing is not to break the law and remember that almost no one will voluntarily transmit information. Moreover, legal entities are more careful than individuals.

Establishing the circumstances of the unlawful use of brand names and names in business activities, unfair competition, as well as disclosure of information constituting a trade secret; here, in general, the detective comes to the defense of justice.

Finding out biographical and other personal data about individual citizens (with their written consent) when they enter into employment and other contracts; This is done if the employer seeks to screen applicants for the positions they offer. To act within the framework of the law, you need to ask the customer for a form where the applicant signed the agreement to verify it.

Search for missing citizens; here, too, everything is relatively clear, and this activity closely intersects with the work of the police. They seek such help precisely in the event of inaction by law enforcement agencies.

Search for property lost by citizens or enterprises, institutions, organizations; This is precisely where the search for a stolen car comes in, although this is also the work of the police.

Collection of information on criminal cases on a contractual basis with participants in the process; here it is important to notify the investigator in this case within a day. At the same time, you cannot obtain the same powers as employees of the prosecutor’s office or the police.

Search for a person who is a debtor in accordance with a writ of execution and his property. Often such services are ordered by collectors or banks, and the detective himself will receive money for catching the debtor; he will not have to collect the debt.

Search for a child using a writ of execution containing a requirement to select or transfer the child; This includes all possible disputes regarding a common child, for the resolution of which it is necessary to find a parent or both parents, the child himself and all interested parties. It is possible that some of them may be outside this country.

At the same time, private detectives can also establish external surveillance of the object, because filming and recording is prohibited only on premises. A private detective can also offer the “anti-detective” service, that is, save his client from wiretapping or surveillance (by legal means, of course), help him figure out who is collecting information about him and why. If a detective, in the process of obtaining a license, indicated the need to use technological means, then he can not only use them in his work, but also neutralize them for his client. At the same time, in a private investigation agency it is very good to have a legal consultant who will help the office itself in case of problems, and will advise clients on issues of interest to them. You may also need a programmer who can collect a lot of information about the desired user from the network. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a competent economist on staff who will help solve problems related to fulfilling orders from entrepreneurs and organizations. Legal entities in general will be almost the main clients of a private detective.

The license gives the right to work throughout the country, so you should not miss the chance to take on a business that is taking place in another city. Some agencies cooperate with global detective organizations (a kind of private Interpol), and therefore it is better for a detective to have a foreign passport and the ability quick receipt visas to any country. The client's order may well also involve long-term business trips on the other side of the world; however, the work of a detective also consists of routine work and sorting through old archives. Fighting crime around the world is certainly a lot of fun, but that's more typical for movie characters, and being a private investigator doesn't always require you to travel outside your own country.

Ready ideas for your business

A detective agency may be an extension of a detective's private practice, in which case he will need trusted assistants who are also licensed to practice detective work. They go to the licensing authority office with certificates from their employer, where they go through the procedure for obtaining permits. It’s not worth hiring people who haven’t even been trained. And, of course, not everyone is given detective talent, and even a police officer who has worked for many years may not be suitable for such work. But licenses are not required for support staff; this applies to economists, lawyers and programmers who sit in the office.

The cost of private detective services is usually quite high. And although in most cases the work of a detective does not involve a risk to life, he should not expect to sit quietly in the office either (at best, in the archives, this is required for, for example, establishing nationality). Surveillance and monitoring are paid by the hour; searching for things or people costs a fixed amount. At first, you may have to set a small price for your services, but as soon as you manage to gain popularity in the city, you can adjust the cost in your favor.

But in addition to the risks of being caught and sent into the forest to dig his own grave, a private detective also has quite economic risks. In small towns, it is unlikely that you will be able to make good money from such activities, because in a year you will only be able to receive an order from some jealous spouse. In large populated areas, the demand for detective services will be from legal entities; You just need to remember that the detective who has taken on the order can no longer begin to act against his client. That is, by allowing yourself to be outbid, you will not only have to sacrifice your reputation, but also, it is possible, that you will have to answer according to the law. This type of work is suitable for a very small number of people, but it can be done if you have other passive sources of income (for example, from your own other business or pension in the case of former law enforcement officers), perceiving private practice detective as a profitable hobby.

480 people are studying this business today.

In 30 days, this business was viewed 92,854 times.

Calculator for calculating the profitability of this business

To open a computer service and repair business you will need about 230 thousand rubles, monthly payments - 60 thousand rubles.

A significant part of NPOs relies on the enthusiasm and donations of their participants, who, thanks to their registered legal form have the opportunity to defend their interests on behalf of a legal entity...

The equipment repair business can be good knowledge for an entrepreneur who is a master himself, otherwise almost all of the income will be spent on covering expenses. This type business...

Such an undertaking requires quite a large investment, especially if you plan to build your own warehouse. However, it is possible to organize a relatively small warehouse, which...