07th April 2018

"GPS Tracking Would Be Extremely Valuable for Us" – Watson.ch Interview with Detective Patrick Kurtz

Helene Obrist from the Swiss news portal Watson.ch interviewed Detective Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich and Switzerland, regarding the new Social Detectives Act in the Swiss Confederation:

 

"The new law on social detectives is controversial. Patrick Kurtz, owner of the Kurtz Detective Agency, spoke with us about GPS tracking, empathy and alleged murder assignments."

Technical Tools for Exposing Fraudsters

watson: "Mr Kurtz, social detectives who expose potential insurance fraudsters are being widely discussed at the moment. How often are you assigned to people who are unlawfully collecting money?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "That happens frequently. Most of our investigations are related to fraud cases. In the private sector, it is primarily adultery or infidelity. In the corporate sector, it includes sick leave fraud, time-sheet manipulation, or indeed insurance fraud and welfare abuse."

 

watson: "In investigating welfare abuse, detectives like yourself are supposed to receive more observational possibilities through a new law. For example, GPS devices, drones or geo-location could be used. What is your opinion on that?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "Tools such as GPS tracking would be extremely valuable for us. Because the current legal situation is uncertain, we have not yet used drones or GPS tracking. However, if we were granted authorisation, it would greatly assist us in case investigations. This would also be in the interest of the community."

 

watson: "Why?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "At present, we have to rely primarily on our own eyes. This often takes a lot of time and patience. With technical data, such as continuous location tracking, a case could potentially be resolved more quickly. And you would have hard evidence to present in court. Furthermore, one could argue that this way, the person does not have to be followed at every step, but only observed in terms of their current location. One could ask whether this is not a lesser intrusion into the target’s personal rights than being shadowed by a detective."

Watson; Detective Agency Zurich, Detective Basel, Private Detective Solothurn, Detective Agency Bern, Social Detective Zug

The news portal "Watson" is not a detective site, whose name refers to the famous Holmes sidekick. Rather, the name of the emerging portal is derived from the English phrase “What’s on?”

Observations in the Detective’s Daily Work

watson: "Privacy aside: Do you ever feel guilty or show empathy during your work?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "Basically, we only observe public spaces. And we are not the clients who have the suspicion. We merely carry out the assignment. I rarely feel empathy. Except once, when I observed a lady every afternoon for a month under suspicion of infidelity. However, she always went home promptly after work, and her partner’s suspicion of infidelity could not be confirmed. I felt sorry for the lady."

 

watson: "How does a surveillance assignment even come about?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "Normally, we first meet with the client, which can be a company, a private individual or even a public authority. Then it is a matter of determining the most effective time for an observation and when the highest chance of success exists. Then we clarify how many investigators are needed on site, how many vehicles are required ..."

 

watson: "And what happens on site?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "It is, of course, very different from what is shown in many films. Most observations are unspectacular. Patience is paramount. Often one sits for hours in a car waiting for the target to leave the premises."

The Detective Profession: Requirements and Risks

watson: "What is needed to be a good detective?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "In my opinion, endurance and concentration are extremely important. One must not be distracted. Observations usually last for hours, so you must not miss the moment when something happens because you were distracted. Intelligence and physical fitness are also very important. Often you have to research and combine information. And sometimes you cannot sit down for hours or must sit in a car in freezing cold or blazing heat waiting for the target to appear."

 

watson: "Has your cover ever been blown and you were caught?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "That happens very rarely. It has happened to me only once."

 

watson: "How did that happen?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "I was observing a target with a colleague who was suspected of abusing sick leave. The target lived in a very small village. My colleague and I waited in cars at the village exit and monitored the target from a distance using binoculars and telephoto lenses. Occasionally, a farmer would drive past on a tractor. One of these farmers must have tipped off our target. Shortly afterwards, they lured us into the town, knocked on my car door and said I could stop observing."

 

watson: "What happened then?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "We withdrew. However, we were still able to successfully conclude the case. It turned out that the person, although on sick leave, had participated in a bodybuilding competition."

Regarding Dubious Assignments

watson: "What is the strangest thing you have ever experienced?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "That is a difficult question (thinks). Once we were contacted by a Ukrainian gentleman who asked us to locate an address. At the end of the conversation, he turned to my colleague and ran his finger across his throat saying, ‘Once you find him ...’. He actually wanted to hire us for a murder! After that session, we promptly refused the case."

 

watson: "Do you ever refuse assignments, or stop ongoing observations?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "Yes, that happens. In the previous example with the surveillance of the partner, I stopped after one month, even though the client wanted me to continue. Sometimes we also refuse assignments from the start, namely when the personal or business relationship between the client and the target is such that we could not legitimately provide the client with information."

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