At IPR Close Protection and Security Services Limited, we appreciate that for most people, taking the steps to engage with a private investigator can be extremely daunting. We aim to deal with your needs in a considerate, sensitive, and empathic manner in line with our values of Pride, Passion, Integrity, Respect, and Courage. What does a Private Investigator do? Our highly experienced investigators predominantly come Police and Military backgrounds and are trained and experienced in covert and overt security operations globally. Depending on your requirements we could offer a lone investigator or a team of investigators working covertly carrying out surveillance to obtain sufficient evidence that may be admissible in court. Our services Include, but are not limited to, • Background Checks/Vetting • OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence Gathering) • Tracing Enquiries • Vehicle and Asset Tracking and tracing • Infidelity/unfaithful partner investigations • Employee issues including absenteeism, Theft, and misconduct Investigations Cost It can prove to be difficult to provide a set fee for hiring a private investigator due to the varying nature of cases and the intricacies involved in investigating them. That said, at IPR we will work with you to reach the most effective outcome within your budget without compromising quality. You can expect to pay an hourly rate between £35-£80 +VAT for cases based on a hourly rate and subject to a minimum charge of 8-hours. Day rates vary between £400-£950 +VAT. The total cost would be dependent on the type of investigation, the geographical area to be covered, and the total duration of the investigation. There would be added expenses chargeable to you as the client, however these would be discussed and agreed prior to commencing the investigation. A consultation is free and non-obligatory, so contact us to discuss your needs, and the options available. Payment A 50% payment would be required before starting the case based on the estimated total cost, and the balance including any expenses would be required prior to being provided with the investigation report. We would discuss with you your preferred method of payment to ensure discretion (particularly important in matrimonial and infidelity cases). It is always worth bearing in mind, as with most things in life, that the cheapest option is most likely not the best option. When looking at private investigations, this is very true. The repercussions of getting it wrong could be severe. With cases of illegal, or unethical practices, poor evidence, and misconduct resulting in further problems for the clients, it is essential that the clients make the best, and most well-informed choice. The Process Consultation Your first step is to contact us for an initial consultation. During this conversation we will establish the reason for you wanting the services of a private investigator, and if it is the right service for you. We will confirm with you your preferences around communication, this is important especially in relation to infidelity cases as discretion is an important factor. You will be asked many questions regarding the subject to be investigated, and if it agreed that investigation is required, you will be asked to provide a large amount of information in order for our investigator to be able to establish a plan of action and carry out observations as required. You will also be asked if you have a budget in mind to determine affordability. Quotation of Fees After consultation you will be provided with a quote based on your budget, or if a suitable service cannot be provided within your budgetary limitations, we will do our best to offer alternative solutions. You will be given an indication of cost and agree additional expenses. Your case would commence upon receipt of a payment of 50% of the expected final cost, with the remainder being paid upon completion and prior to receiving the documented report. During the case Any communication with you will be by way of a pre-agreed arrangement to ensure discretion (particularly in relation to infidelity cases). If expenses are to be incurred that do not fall under what was agreed prior to deployment, we shall seek approval for the expense, unless we feel that the expense would be determinate in a successful outcome. Case Closure The case would come to a close for one of the following reasons… • The required evidence has been obtained. • The client’s budget has been reached and further discussions are required. • The client has requested that the investigation stops. Upon payment of the balance, a report would be prepared for the client detailing dates, times, and observations, along any physical evidence in the form of audio and visual files. Next Steps If after reading this, you still think that you need to hire a private investigator, contact us to discuss your needs. Remember we will be sensitive when discussing what may well be a difficult situation for you.

Across the UK, knife-enabled crime recorded by the police saw a 10% increase to 49,027 offences in the year ending March 2022, from 44,642 in the year ending March 2021. There were increases across all knife-enabled violent and sexual offences except for attempted murder, which saw a 9% decrease (to 441 offences). (Lordslibrary.parliament.uk, 2022) I write this as a working class man that grew up in London with a strong understanding of gang culture and the dynamics of knife crime that is now spiking across the United Kingdom, not solely in the larger cities, but across small towns and rural areas too. I personally first experienced a knife attack when I was just in my teens and then many other attacks up to my most recent in 2019 in North London of which I came out of the situation untouched from the knife that was presented to me by an active gang at the time. I personally know others who have nearly died or been stabbed and I can honestly say 70% of them were people just going about their everyday business. There are many reasons people carry knives and it is not always with the intent of attacking, it can actually be in the holder’s mindset a defensive approach that turns into an attacking approach because of a situation that has shown its self in front of them; for example a child is feeling vulnerable at school or outside school and he/she is a quiet child who does not mix with gangs in or outside school. He/she knows many others carry knifes and they then personally decided to carry a knife because it makes them feel safer, and then circumstances result in them using the knife during a violent altercation. I must make it clear, I am not justifying any carrying of knives, or any other weapon, but we need to explore the route causes further and understand them in order to tackle a culture that is spreading across the UK, seemingly spiraling out of control. Another key fact we all tend to ignore is we have kids not even in their teens willing to stab another human being; the psychology associated with such a close contact attack is profound, and questions need to raised about the involvement of schools in educating and providing interventions.. There is clearly a serious problem in the United Kingdom with knife crime and gang culture and with youth clubs and free activities no longer being available in all of our communities, we as the community need to opportunities and activities for youths. The real need focuses on interventions to prevent our youths from crossing the line by engaging in criminal acts resulting in serious harm or loss of life. Work in the non-criminal space need to be undertaken throughout our communities; we know there are some really good charities bridging the gaps, but there is still a long way to go, and we need more community resources. If you refer back to our blog, Raising awareness of Prevent, we mentioned the governments Prevent strategy, part of Contest, the counter terrorism strategy. This outlines the causes for people being drawn into terrorism; there are similarities in the psychologies here; for a child that grows up with little or no family, the concept of gangs and the culture that goes with it, fills that missing void for the individual but at his/her cost from a prison cell for years as the criminal or as a victim with serious injury or death. In this blog post I am looking at it from a concept of why this is happening but unfortunately there is also the element of manipulation and grooming vulnerable children to engage in criminal activities such as, county-lines drug dealing. Although we don’t have the capacity to eradicate knife-crime, at IPR we have our Making a Difference Pledge, and we believe in strength in unity. As supporters of IPR, by reading this blog you are already Making a Difference, but if you are now asking yourself, what can I do? We ask that you look at your local communities, what services are available and highlight those that are providing the interventions needed, get involved, whether its through volunteering your time, or by spreading the word, you will make a difference. If you have no community schemes, youth clubs etc. in your area, write to your local MP or attend their local surgery to discuss the needs within your community, and finally, you can always contact us to discuss ideas and initiatives and see how we can help.

IPR Managing Director, Ian, worked in partnership with Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 2016 as a Workshop Raising Awareness of Prevent (WRAP) facilitator, delivering the workshops to staff supporting vulnerable groups in Fenland. Currently as a company, IPR are exploring how we can start supporting Police Prevent teams across the country by donating our time to deliver further workshops as part of our Making a Difference Pledge. What is Prevent First introduced by the UK government in 2011, and introduced into law in 2015, the Prevent Duty is part of the governments Contest counter-terrorism strategy. Prevent aims to stop vulnerable people being drawn into terrorist activity by adopting a multi-agency approach to recognise the signs of vulnerable people becoming radicalised and putting interventions in place to stop them from going on to commit acts of terrorism. The four elements of Contest: Prevent – stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism Pursue – to stop terrorist attacks Protect – to strengthen our protection against terrorist attacks Prepare – when attacks occur, to mitigate the impact The majority of referrals into the Prevent program are investigated and closed without any need for further police action, however some may be passed on to a multi-agency panel called Channel. During a Channel meeting, cases would be discussed, and action plans put in place to support the vulnerable person. Prevent works in the non-criminal space. It is about supporting and protecting those people that might be vulnerable to radicalisation, ensuring that the interventions are put in place before any crime is committed. Who is vulnerable to radicalisation? The types of people at risk of radicalisation are broad in nature, and there is no single profile for a person that would be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. Here are a few of the vulnerability factors to consider, but this list is by no means exhaustive. Those with a strong sense of injustice Having suffered loss/grief Significant life events, loss of job, victim of attack Those with a strong desire for political or moral change Lonely people that have a desire to feel wanted and seek a sense of belonging Thrill seekers Those that feel under threat Mental health You will see by the above list that we all know someone that falls into one of those categories, but this does not mean that they are about to become terrorists, otherwise we would all be doing it. Here are a few of the signs to be aware of. Unusually depressed Withdrawn Change of appearance Shows sign of fixation on certain topics Having a new friend or group of friends Speaks in a discriminatory way about specific groups No longer able to hold conversations on broad subjects, repetitive and limited topics of conversation Unusually arrogant, acting out of character If you have a friend or family member that has shown a combination of these vulnerabilities and the signs, then it may be time to have that conversation. In the first instance it may be worth speaking to the person yourself as their friend or family member to determine if there is something they want to talk about, and if there is any support, they need from you. This conversation could be all it takes to put your fears to rest, or it may leave you feeling even more concerned about the person, if this is the case then speaking to your local Prevent team would be the best thing to do. Remember, Prevent works in the non-criminal space. It is about supporting and protecting those vulnerable to radicalisation, to ensure that they are supported, and interventions are in place before any crime has been committed. Definition of terrorism The Terrorism Act 2000 defines terrorism, both in and outside of the UK, as the use or threat of one or more of the actions listed below, and where they are designed to influence the government, or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public. The use or threat must also be for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial, or ideological cause. The specific actions included are: serious violence against a person serious damage to property endangering a person's life (other than that of the person committing the action); creating a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or a section of the public; and action designed to seriously interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system. The use or threat of action, as set out above, which involves the use of firearms or explosives is terrorism regardless of whether or not the action is designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public or a section of the public. Types of terrorism Although the ways in which terrorist attacks are delivered have changed considerably over recent years, and continue to be ever changing; more recent attacks seeing lone-wolf attackers using vehicles, or bladed weapons to unleash terror on unsuspecting city streets, the motivating factors tend to fall into one of the two following categories. Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism – hate groups that tend to be focused on racial hatred, and encourage extremist ideology International Terrorism - terrorism that goes beyond national boundaries in terms of the methods used, the people that are targeted or the places from which the terrorists operate. International terrorism, largely synonymous with Islamist terrorism with probably the most commonly known being Al Qaida. Terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, including Al Qaida, have the intention and the capability to direct attacks against the West.