Private Investigative SG Licensure

PRIVATE DETECTIVES IN SINGAPORE

Across the world, people have always been (and will forever be) fascinated with the concept of private investigation, the aura, and the mystery surrounding the glamorized profession of private investigators. Some, in fact, have been so fascinated and so perseverant so as to fashion themselves a career out of innate sleuthing skills and determination. Naturally, becoming a private investigator isn’t as simple as renting an office and opening up shop, expecting people to come to you with cases that need to be solved. Being a private investigator isn’t all about sneaking around and spying on people—it’s also about education, and getting a proper education at that. Private investigators go through a very rigorous set of tests, paperwork, and certification to gain their credentials. In order to have a successful career as a private investigator, it is necessary to have the proper credentials and licensure. So, what licensure is needed? The answer isn’t completely clear-cut; licensure, education, and experience required for a proper job as a private investigator vary by country, location, and just about every variable there is. For this particular article, we will be looking at what is required to achieve private investigator SG licensure—meaning, licensure in Singapore.

First, every person in Singapore must meet a set of general qualification to begin the application process for licensure and the eventual profession of private investigation. All those planning to apply for private investigator SG licensure must meet the following basic requirements: be a permanent resident or citizen of Singapore, be over the age of 16, be able to pass a basic physical, and be able to submit medical records for themselves for inspection by the Police Licensure and Regulatory Department, a department that was once comprised of the Security Industry Regulatory Department and the Licensing Division of the government’s Operations Department). The potential candidate must also swear to uphold the Code of Conduct as well as to swear to abstain from certain practices (Ex. debt collection, solicitation etc.) once licensure is received. Violation of oath or demonstration of potential to violate oath can lead to a candidate being deemed “un-trainable” or having their license revoked. Once training begins, potential private investigators in Singapore must also pass a series of tests, including a Workforce Skills Qualifications Test (WSQT), and show that they are capable of fulfilling jobs requirements while complying with Singapore’s laws. Once tests, modules, and the ability to comply with Code of Conduct and laws have been aptly demonstrated, applicants have received their proper certification and licensure.

The government of Singapore also takes steps to ensure that private investigators continue to comply with laws and regulations once they have received their private investigator SG licensure. It is obviously important that only quality professionals should be allowed to continue in their profession. If any professional with a private investigator license is found guilty at any time of any crime, their Security Identification Card is revoked, removed, and returned to the PLDR. A private investigator may also have his license suspended if he or she appears in court (tried for any sort of crime) or even if he or she is simply under police investigation and not yet tried for any crime. The government seems to have made it a priority to ensure that private investigators—individuals who handle very sensitive and very confidential information—are highly trustworthy individuals. Based on the laws requiring private investigators to abstain from solicitation of their services, they are almost always required to join agencies (which require their own, additional licensure), thereby ensuring a system of checks and balances that allow others to monitor the activities of private investigators and make sure they are complying with their Code of Conduct and the laws of Singapore.  

PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS IN SINGAPORE