The Home Secretary Theresa May annouces that operating as an unlicensed private detective is to be illegal in England and Wales.
Kate McMahon, of Edmonds Marshall McMahon, appears on BBC News commenting “We mirror the model of law enforcement, where the police might investigate and the CPS might bring the case to court. We certainly know the limits of obtaining personal information, but you need to create a case with evidence. We can’t bring a case to court without evidence.” Adding, “It is very important that we use proper, well regulated, very capable private investigators. We will try and push that boundary, and try and get the best possible evidence but if we don’t get it legally, our case is thrown out of court, so there is a huge amount riding on you doing it properly.”
Home Secretary Theresa May said: “It is vital we have proper regulation of private investigators to ensure rigorous standards announcing today the government’s intention to regulate this industry, making it a criminal offence to operate as a private investigator without a licence.”
