Empathy and knowledge of psychology as an important trait of any detective

The protection of children and young people has been entrusted by parents to detective companies for a long time. However, the modern world requires new solutions, as the task is highly dependent on special qualifications and experience.

This is not a situation straight from an movie, when the owner of a wealthy financial empire acquires services of a detective company to protect his children, and then this company entrusts the task to a former Navy Seal commando, or a former Secret Services agent. In today’s world, such stories are actually the norm. Unfortunately.

Drugs and alcohol

It is a situation that in some respects is more difficult and even more dangerous, and certainly requires more interdisciplinary knowledge and skills, as well as empathy. An example may be cases where parents have a vague suspicion that their child has fallen into the so-called bad company. For instance, a group of peers engaged – instead of preparing for an upcoming matriculation exam – in robbing houses located in allotment gardens. And even worse, when teenagers start using drugs, and we are not talking about an rare, incidentally burned-out “phase” at a party, but a regular "taking" of hard drugs. Or even regular consumption of substantial amounts of alcohol.

Of course, completion of such a task – including determination of the mentioned earlier “bad” company, tracking down the source of prohibited drugs – are among of, if not the most basic tasks of detective work. However, it is much harder to understand the reasoning behind the teenager’s usage of drugs, or even intensive drinking. And this is where the detective profession meets with psychology.

The most sensitive sphere of the child's psyche

Unfortunately, there are cases that are leagues more difficult, requiring not only very specific skills and experience, but a very delicate and empathetic approach. Paedophilia.

Contrary to widespread belief, the vast majority of sexual crimes against children and adolescents are committed by members of the child's immediate environment, and above all by family members. According to the report of the state commission on paedophilia, almost 36% of perpetrators of paedophilic acts were members of the family of abused children, 12.3% of which were relatives, and over 23% – parents. Discovering and then proving such vile acts is extremely difficult, because in that case the private detective enters not only the delicate sphere of family relationship, but above all into the most intimate and sensitive sphere of the child's psyche.

 - "There are more and more such cases, they are extremely sensitive and require special approach and professional preparation from detectives, including the field of psychology" – explains Wieslaw Jan Modrakowski, representative of Expertus® (Law Office & Investigators) and honorary member of