From The Straits Times    |
pi-tn

If I could have a cool job in a different industry, it’d definitely be a police woman – I fancy myself a good mystery solver and I love investigating stuff. The glamourous portrayal of private investigators going on exciting undercover missions adds to my deluded vision, too.

But is what I see on TV shows accurate? I got the answer from Deborah de Souza, co-owner of LJ Security Services Pte Ltd, which offers a wide range of services like evidence gathering to prove extra-marital affairs and providing security personnel for events.

During the interview in the small office shared by Mrs De Souza, her husband Lionel, a well-known retired police officer whose opinions are often sought out by reporters and experts in the field, the phones rang non-stop.

I overheard slices of conversation which I didn’t quite understand but from the tone of Mr and Mrs de Souza’s voices, it must have been serious PI business.

Outside of their office, I saw a man waiting for his turn to see the owners. Later I found out he had experience in the police force and was considered a good candidate to be a PI-in-training.

It was just like something out of a Dick Tracy comic except without the cheesy hat, trenchcoat or film noir styling.

“Not every one’s suited for this. We’re looking for a very specific person who must have the passion and love for it – the hours are long, sometimes you get calls in the middle of the night and you have to deal with different kinds of cases. He or she needs to have experience, trust, integrity and even know how to extend counselling services to their clients,” Ms de Souza says.

“It’s also very tedious. The process of collecting facts to help you break a case can be slow,” the mother of three, the eldest of whom is studying to become a lawyer, says.

LJ Investigation & Consultancy Services Pte Ltd. began in 1999 as a sole proprietorship under Mr de Souza before Mrs De Souza was brought in.

“I’m only good for investigating, not doing business. I don’t trust any one else but my wife. Bringing her in strengthened the business because she has the acumen to grow and market the business,” Mr de Souza admits.

“My husband is a very nice person. He’s susceptible to people’s sob stories and always gives people the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, don’t try to cook my books because I can decipher your recipe,” the ex-auditor warns.

The husband and wife team have permanent staff but also tap into a pool of freelancers as some cannot afford to be full-time PIs.

Most have a background in police work, or an interest in photography and videography which obviously comes in handy for evidence gathering.

Ms De Souza also requested I don’t use her picture as she didn’t want to be recognisable – for good reason.

“A good PI has to be normal looking – he has to blend in and cannot have striking looks, coloured hair or the person you’re following can easily identify you. My husband, for example, cannot do fieldwork because he’s too well-known.”

“My staff all look like housewives. People are often surprised to find out they’re PIs. ”

Mrs de Souza then looks at me and concludes my looks are indeed too striking, which I take as a compliment.

As a consolation, she suggests I can be a static lookout, which basically means I can sit at a coffeeshop and note when the “victim” is at a certain place. Even that sounded pretty exciting to me.

If you fit into the correct profile, you can expect to go on motorbike chases or go undercover with a secret video camera in your bag.

You could even be sent overseas, which Mrs de Souza ranks as one of the most dangerous missions as the PIs are “not among locals. They don’t speak the lingo and they can’t blend in so they may be easily exposed.”

“My golden rule is: If you’re exposed, withdraw. I don’t believe in confrontations, so I tell them to disperse immediately and we’ll send in another person.

“There are clients who want to expose the ‘crimes’ by barging into bedrooms but we don’t do that.”

The cases the team investigates varies. From what Mrs de Souza labels matrimonial investigation – your standard cheating spouse case – to commercial crimes like directors setting up statutory companies without their partner’s knowledge. Parents suspicious of their children having too many extra-curricular activities also hire PIs to keep an eye on their offspring.

“Every case is different. Every cheating spouse has their own modus operandi so we learn from him or her and gather their new tricks. Every new case is a learning process,” she says as she shows me very revealing pictures of a couple who didn’t know they were being followed – snaps of them walking hand-in-hand and later in a room, undressed.

The company has also busted more sinister crimes, like the 2009 case of a 38-year old tutor who began a sexual relationship with his 15 year-old female tutee, whom he had been teaching since primary school.

Mrs de Souza herself has also exposed counterfeiters by conducting trap purchases – posing as a potential buyer while filming the entire process.

In all cases, the team gathers the evidence and hands it over to the police, who have the power to execute the law.

But a PI’s work often extends beyond finding a culprit to offering advice and a listening ear. “I have a lot of tissue paper in my office,” she jokes.

“Some women know their husband is cheating and want evidence of adultery for the divorce. Some just want to confirm their suspicions and tell their husband they’re willing to forgive them and get their marriage back on track.”

“If the results aren’t so good, I advise them to come with someone close. Some women really cannot take it – suspecting is one thing but knowing the truth is another.”

Curious, I asked if she ever feels guilty for causing the women a considerable amount of misery. “We help them to reach a solution to their problem. They can’t pretend everything’s okay and do nothing about it. If it’s an adultery case, I advise my clients to reconcile if they can. But even if reconciliation is not possible, life does go on,” she sets me straight.

She goes on to mention the reason her agency caught our attention – a phrase from the bible, “Whatever is now covered up will be uncovered and every secret will be made known”, was ominously printed on a flyer which ended up at my editor, Niki’s door.

“I’m a Catholic and I believe the Lord put us here to help women. There are many PI agencies in Singapore but we set out to help people. We’re not in it for the money. Our clients know they’re in good hands,” she says.

As for advice from someone whose seen many marriages break up and make up, she has this to offer, “I teach my clients to seduce their other halves. Sex and intimacy is very important. If he cannot find it at home, he will go get it elsewhere.”

LJ Security Services and LJ Investigation & Consultancy Services Pte Ltd charges $8,000 to $10,000 per case. It is at #05-09 Katong Shopping Centre. Tel: 6338 8916. For more, log on to www.ljpeye.com.