Is hiring a private investigator for child custody the right decision or not? – Let’s Find Out

"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."

These days, a battle for child custody is becoming a common issue. It is not only physically stressful, but it is also mentally draining. We can understand that family court is pretty nerve-racking, especially when it comes to the best interest of your child. So, if you want to win this battle, you have to make sure that you have evidence on your side. During those times, hiring a private investigator in Singapore will be the most fruitful decision. The professionals will help you win the scuffle that comes with child custody.

Here, let’s discuss everything that comes with hiring investigators for your child custody case. As it is a pretty sensitive issue, you need to know everything before making the final call. Thus, have some patience and go through the below-written points meticulously. 

Why hiring a private investigator in Singapore for child custody is a great decision?

Surveillance:

The process and approach of surveillance depending on the specific case. When it comes to child custody, the private investigation company in Singapore will employ various types of surveillance methods to fathom how the parents are treating their children. 

They will legally document the behavioural patterns of the parents towards their child with the help of videos, witness interviews, and photos. Based on that, they will show the court whether the parents are neglectful or abusive towards their child. 

Well, to apprehend the negative impacts that the child is going through, the investigation will encompass an array of things such as:

1. Criminal activity
2. Reckless driving
3. Gambling
4. Drug abuse
5. Other activities

The private investigators in Singapore will also look for the shreds of evidence that will showcase that the parents are not providing food, healthy living space, or other necessities that involves the overall well-being of the child.

Gather testimonials and interview witnesses:

Private investigators have the privilege and the position to where they can interact with the witnesses on behalf of their client. It will help them to determine the condition of the child in the custody of the parents. 

Witness statements are measured as high-value evidence and they can create a sizeable impact on where the case is heading. It will also play a pivotal role in your defence if your partner is trying to demean your reputation or credibility.

For instance, if your ex-spouse is alleging that you are an addict with a history of abuse, the private investigator in Singapore will collect testimony from various sources such as:

1. Friends
2. Family
3. Relatives
4. Employees
5. Acquaintances

Once they do it, they will come to know whether the allegations are legit or not.

Social media intelligence:

Now, these days, social media is one of the most powerful tools that aids to gather various pieces of information. With the help of this tool, the private investigator in Singapore will pull out the required pieces of evidence of the people that are implicated in the child’s life. 

Say, for example, that they will accumulate all the information on:

1. Grandparents
2. Partners
3. Parents
4. Cousins 

Apart from them, the PI will also congregate knowledge regarding the people that will interact with the child when the person is granted custody. They will use social media as a viable evidence platform to comprehend the people living in and around the child.

Carry out the background investigations on the other parties involved:

In addition to checking the background of the parents, they will also conduct background checks on the parties involved with the child. The background check will not only be confined to the family members, but it will also include:

1. Friends
2. Employers
3. Partners
4. Cousins

The professionals will conduct a background check to make sure of the fact that the child’s life is compatible with the people living around them.

Testify the accounts in the court:

When it comes to court cases, private investigators are considered exceedingly valuable witnesses. The reason is that they are an unbiased party and they are working for the best interest of the child. They will present the court with imperative evidence and facts about all the parties, which are hard to get access to.

In most cases, all the parties will try to present their best selves in front of the court. Thus, it is always a wise decision to hire investigators as they will help to clarify the intentions, and what is going on in their life. 

What are the various types of custody cases that the investigators can help with?

Custody violation:

In case, if you sense that the other guardian or partner is breaching the terms and conditions of the custody agreements and regulations, hiring professionals can be your best call. It will require evidence to prove your statement in court. 

During those times, getting in touch with a PI will serve your purpose precisely. They will try to monitor various aspects such as:

1. Dropping or picking up the child at the right time.
2. Failing to take the child to the concerned court appointments.
3. Surrounded by dangerous associates.

If they witness that the other guardian is not meeting the agreed-upon custody rules, they will help you make the right decision.

Cohabitation:

Cohabitation creates colossal effects on child support payments as well as custody situations. So, if you see that your child’s other guardian is cohabitating with someone, consider it to be a red flag. In that case, an investigator will help you a lot. 

They will help you uncover the truth and provide the required evidence. As the investigators have been doing this for a long time, they know what they have to do to deliver the best results. Well, the experts will find out a lot of things such as:

1. The partner’s character.
2. The relationship between the child and the guardian.
3. The criminal background of the parent if any.

Neglect/Abuse:

If a child is going through the dark phase of abuse and neglect, consider it to be a pretty serious situation. You have to make sure that you are dealing with it swiftly. So, if you suspect that the other guardian is abusing or showing negligence to your child, you need to deal with it pretty swiftly. 

Thus, make sure to avail yourself of a private investigation service in Singapore. As professionals have been serving in this field for a long time, they know what they have to do to yield the best results. They will try to fathom whether the child is going through issues such as:

1. Developmental delay
2. Aggression
3. Hyperactivity
4. Low self-esteem 
5. Emotional disorders

If they find out any of these signs on the child, they will take the required steps as soon as possible.

Different types of child custody that you must know:

Before hiring an investigator, you need to know about different types of child custody. Knowing about the different types of child custody will help you make the right decision. So, here is the list of customers that you need to know:

Legal custody:

If a parent has legal custody, they have the privilege to make a legal decision regarding the child. 

Sole custody:

If a parent has sole custody, it will signify the fact that the parent can make both legal and physical decisions regarding the child. The other parent may visit the child for sometimes, but cannot make any decisions. 

Physical custody:

This custody will determine which parent is going to live with the child. 

Joint physical custody:

Joint physical custody will allow the child to split the time and live with both parents for a specific interval of time.

Joint legal custody:

Here, both parents will have a voice when it comes to taking legal decisions regarding the child. In case, any major dispute takes place, it will be settled in court. 

When should you hire a PI for a child custody case?

1. If you suspect that the child is going through violence and domestic abuse.
2. If they fail to provide the child with the required necessities.
3. In case, the stability of the home is not up to the mark, hiring professionals will be the best decision.
4. If you think that other people in the home are creating hassles for your child. 
5. The investigators will also try to understand the preference of the child. 

Some imperative factors to take into account before hiring a PI for a child custody case:

Now that you know about every nook and corner of hiring a PI for your child activity case, it is time to know how to choose the best investigators among all. Well, to hire the best professionals of all, there are some factors that you can be considering.

If you can consider those factors precisely, you will end up choosing the best investigators of all. So, the list of factors that you must know are:

Examples of their previous success:

You need to understand that child custody is a pretty sensitive matter. To handle it, hiring professional investigators will be your best call. However, you have to make sure that you are choosing a competent service provider. 

Thus, to figure it out, you can ask the concerned investigators to show examples of their previous success. If you see that their track record is pretty impressive, you are good to go. Happy customers will always signify that the quality of their work is up to the mark. 

Experience of the company:

We already mentioned that handling child custody cases is not everyone’s cup of tea. It not only requires expertise, but it also demands experience. So, before grounding your decision on a specific company, you need to find out how long they have been serving in this field. 

If you witness that they have been doing this for a long time and they have numerous happy customers in their collection, you can hire them without any hesitations. The experience will reflect the fact that they are serious about their work and they are capable of pulling off the task effortlessly.

The pricing they have to offer:

It is a prevalent fact that when it comes to availing of service, your budget has a pivotal role to play. You must stay careful about your pocket. If you witness that their pricing is exceeding your budget, you should start looking for a better alternative.

Perhaps, there is one important thing that you need to keep in mind. Do not choose a service provider based on the pricing only. There are numerous instances where you will find out that the quality of the cheap service providers is not up to the mark. 

Be clear about your objectives:

Yes, before availing of a private investigation service in Singapore, you have to make sure that your objectives regarding child custody cases are clear. It will help you to conduct an in-depth discussion on the case with the concerned investigators. 

While discussing the objectives with the investigators, it will be easier for you to fathom whether they are capable enough to take care of the case or not. Otherwise, if they are finding it hard to understand your objectives, consider it to be a red flag.

The professionals should be licensed:

If you want to be sure about the fact that you are hiring a competent professional, you need to check their license. Otherwise, it will be a legal issue. So, one of the best things that you can do is to visit the website of the concerned company.

There, you will find out whether they have the required license or not. If the website consists of the information that they have the obligatory license, you are good to go. It will show that they have permission to conduct the child custody investigation without any hassles.

They must have a state-of-art real-time GPS tracker:

Yes, we can understand that GPS trackers are not required for all types of investigations. But it is one of the important tools that is required for a private investigation. For instance, if you suspect that the other guardian of the child is involved with unlawful activities, you need to track that person.

During those times, you will need a GPS tracker. If they fail to produce you with a GPS tracker, it can be a red flag. It will indicate that the professionals are not serious about their job. Thus, make sure that they have all the tools in their collection. It will help them to pull off the task without any issues.

Meet the professionals in Person:

You may think that a single phone call will help you to determine the capability of the service providers. However, nothing can be far away from the truth. If you don’t meet them in person, it will be hard for you to realize whether they are capable enough or not.

So, make an appointment with them and visit their brick-and-mortar office. If they have an office of their own, you can stay assured they are efficient in their job. To be precise, they have numerous happy customers in their collection. 

Some important questions that you must seek answers to from your PI:

There are some vital questions that you must ask the concerned PI. Once you get the answers to those questions, it will be easier for you to make the right call. You can set all your hesitations apart and get in touch with the investigators as soon as possible. 

What hours do they work?

It is one of the most important questions that you need to ask. If you see that they work from Monday to Friday and their working hour is 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, you should start looking for a better company. You need to understand that an investigation is not confined to a specific time.

There can be emergencies that need to be handled even at odd hours of the day. Therefore, you want someone that can work for you all around the clock. They should be flexible enough to work at the weekends along with any part of the day.

What kind of investigation is their expertise?

It is another significant question that you need to ask. Asking for their expertise will aid you comprehend whether they are capable of solving the specific case or not. For instance, here we are discussing child custody. 

So, you have to ensure that the investigators have the expertise in handling child custody cases. Otherwise, there is no point in hiring them. Besides, you have to make sure that they have handled similar cases earlier. It will showcase their skill and experience.

How they are going to guarantee confidentiality?

If you are going through a child custody battle, there are numerous things that you need to keep confidential. Hence, if you are thinking of hiring private investigators you have to make sure that they are capable of keeping confidentiality.

Ask them about the plan for how they are going to keep the secret. Once you know about the plan, it will provide you with mental peace. To be precise, you will know how they are going to pull off the task ensuring confidentiality.

What actions they are not allowed to do?

Whenever you are hiring a private investigator, you have to make sure that they are compatible with the law. Otherwise, there is a possibility that it will create a handful of legal issues in the future, which may hamper the child custody case.

There are numerous things that a PI cannot do such as:

1. Obtaining cell phone records
2. Wiretapping
3. Posing as police officers

Asking these questions will allow you to realize their limitations so that you don’t come up with unrealistic expectations. 

Can they guarantee a fruitful result?

There is one important thing that you should infuse in your mind. There is a possibility that the results may not satisfy you. Here, the job of the investigator is to uncover the truth. However, there will be instances where they will fail to uncover the truth.

The investigator should be upfront with this. If they are providing you with the guarantee, it could be possible that they are lying. They should let you know about all the potential possibilities of the case. 

So, here are all the things you should know before hiring a Private Investigator in Singapore. If you are looking for the best company in this field, you can always rely on Baker St. Private Investigator. They have been serving in this field for a long time, which makes them the best among all. They are the best private investigation company in Singapore. You can stay assured that joining hands with them will never go wrong.