Detectives in Warsaw ›› What is infiltration and how does a detective use it in their work?
What is infiltration and how does a detective use it in their work?
In our office in Warsaw, detectives deal with different cases, and for each one, they must use appropriate operational methods. One of the most intriguing methods of detective work is infiltration. It is particularly effective for solving various issues in workplaces where regular detective surveillance is insufficient. Find out what infiltration entails and when it’s worth commissioning.
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What is infiltration?
The concept of infiltration is well known to cinema fans who have had the opportunity to watch the film directed by Martin Scorsese.The picture tells the fascinating story of a member of the Mafia (played by Matt Damon) who gets into the Boston police force so that he can alert his Mafia superiors to police actions and obstruct them.At the same time, a police officer (Leonardo DiCaprio) infiltrates the structures of the Mafia in order to unravel it and make it easier for the investigating authorities to dismantle it. Both protagonists deal with the infiltration of the title.
What is infiltration? It should be understood as a set of operational and exploratory activities, consisting mainly of infiltrating a given environment (direct infiltration) or gaining an ally in it (indirect infiltration) in order to obtain specific information.
The aforementioned film does an excellent job of capturing both the meaning of such activities and how they are carried out. The person carrying out the infiltration operates undercover, so for the duration of the task he or she pretends to be someone else, e.g. an employee of the infiltrated organisation.Depending on the purpose of the operation, he or she may merely observe a given environment, but may equally well be forced to establish closer relations with its members.
Police and Detective Infiltration
Infiltration is primarily the domain of the Police’s investigative bodies, who employ it to penetrate the structures of criminal organizations, such as drug traffickers, car thieves, or smugglers. These networks are highly secretive and difficult to dismantle. The challenge lies not only in identifying their leaders but even in recognizing all members, who are unwilling to disclose the names of their associates in case of exposure. Infiltration mainly assists the Police in identifying criminals and understanding their methods of operation. In numerous cases, such operational actions help prevent crimes or apprehend perpetrators in flagrante delicto.
The Police have significantly broader capabilities for infiltration than private detectives. Primarily, they have statutory permission to use legal documents with fictitious data, which aids their operational and investigative activities. Detectives lack such permissions, although this does not prevent them from conducting infiltration. Detectives can infiltrate very effectively, even without false documents. In certain situations, such documents are unnecessary, as detective agencies typically use infiltration to identify various crimes and abuses in workplaces.
Detective Infiltration as an Effective Solution to Company Problems
Requesting employee verification is an increasingly common task for detectives in Warsaw and other parts of Poland. Company managers see this as the only way to address various workplace issues, such as:
- theft,
- company property damage,
- sabotage,
- bullying,
- sexual harassment.
These issues negatively affect the company’s operations and are often challenging to eradicate due to insufficient evidence. Frequently, management only receives indications of troubling incidents but cannot ascertain who is responsible or confirm whether it involves an employee. Therefore, it is advisable first to assess the situation and then decide on specific steps to eliminate harmful behaviors within the company.
What Does Employee Verification via Infiltration Entail?
By definition, employee verification at a workplace by a detective should be carried out discreetly. Typically, the individual conducting these activities is temporarily employed by the company to assess the situation. Here, infiltration primarily involves careful observation of employees—either all employees or only those who are already under suspicion. As a member of the team, the detective can establish regular working relationships with them, and, if necessary, connect on a personal level. This facilitates unobtrusive observation and helps uncover the root of the issue.
However, the detective’s role is not only to identify wrongdoers but also to gather evidence of their misconduct or criminal activities. This evidence is crucial so that the company can initiate official disciplinary proceedings and, if necessary, take legal action against them.
It is worth mentioning that a licensed detective has the right to collect such evidence—enabled by the Act of 6 July 2001 on Detective Services (Journal of Laws of 2014, item 273, as amended). However, the law mandates that detectives perform these activities in a way that respects human and civil rights and avoids methods reserved exclusively for law enforcement agencies.
Why Should You Hire a Detective to Infiltrate Employees?
Employee infiltration is the most effective way to eliminate harmful behaviors within a company, provided it is conducted professionally.
With a detective’s assistance, a business owner can obtain valuable information about who is responsible for specific actions and gather solid evidence. This allows for concrete steps to address the problem. As mentioned earlier, such employee vetting is crucial for identifying serious crimes within a company, such as theft or sexual harassment, but not exclusively so. Through infiltration, employers can uncover other irregularities, such as:
- whether an employee is acting on behalf of a competitor, for instance, by taking important documents out of the company,
- which employees are failing to fulfill their duties,
- how employees interact with clients,
- reasons behind significant delays in certain processes, etc.
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