The House of Commons Home Affairs Committee released its long awaited findings on private investigators, recommending full licensing and regulation of the industry by 2015.This is an industry machine well oiled by growing numbers of operators able to set up from the comfort of a bedroom, with easy access to a substantial black market in personal information at their fingertips. Currently, 2,332 registered data controllers are listed as private investigators, although the Association of British Investigators (ABI) estimates the actual number of investigators at work in the UK today to be closer to 10,000. Existing penalties for Data Protection Act breaches are inadequate, with a typical fine being around £100. Licensing will pave the way for far stiffer penalties as rogue operators are faced with the prospect of losing their licensing and the right to trade as a private investigator. The report also seeks to weaken the current cozy relationship between investigators and police, or former members of the police who will have to wait for at least a year after leaving the force until dipping their toe into the murky world of private investigation.
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