Blue Finger PrintPrivate forensic investigations are a growing concept in South Africa, simply because people are crying out for personal attention to matters where they believe they are victims. The South African Police Services (SAPS) are under-staffed and lack capacity, and with the ever increasing burden of cases, they can not provide the individual attention that certain cases require.  This is not a show of lack of faith in the SAPS, rather a need by the people who approach Justicia for a more personalised kind of service. They need more man-hours and techniques dedicated to their case. The SAPS with their overflowing case dockets and lack of capacity, simply cannot do this. This opens the door for  a private investigator. In many cases, private investigators will perform the functions of a police investigator but will do so in consultation with them. We, in this industry, are committed to fighting crime yet the burden of this task still sits on the shoulders of the police. Understanding of the Criminal Procedure Act Most forensic investigators are former policemen and therefore have an understanding of the Criminal Procedure Act, which governs most of our interventions. This is essential when an intervention requires that the case be lodged with the police and a criminal prosecution is required. In many cases a complainant may not want to press for criminal charges to be laid and merely want their stolen property back or want the perpetrators effectively removed from their business. This places a further requirement on investigators, where they must have a clear understanding of the Labour Act and the regulations regarding internal disciplinary processes. Because this is such a specialised field, there are unfortunately many “fly by night” operators in the industry. Make sure you don’t waste your time and money. Enlist the services of a reputable service provider like Justicia with its top class professional Forensic Investigators