Answers Investigation - Isla, Private Detective

PRIVATE DETECTIVES
Tel: 01483 200999

PRIVATE DETECTIVES - Isla (read previous page also see www.teendetective.co.uk)

	So I’ve been asked to write an update on my work at Answers. Its November now and I last wrote in May- as I’m sure you can imagine a lot has changed since then! I get credit for being a fully fledged private detective with responsibility and I have grown up A LOT in the last 18 months! Life at Answers is amazing, as usual! And I feel like my feet have hardly touched the ground since I arrived, but even after long days and hard work- I still can’t wait to be back in on Monday and deal with the weeks new adventures. I have the bug that hits everyone who works here and have a close bond with Ailsa, another of the "younger set" with whom I often work
	I feel very lucky that I’ve been given such an incredible opportunity; how many people can say that they’re a private investigator at 18! And I’m not just the kid in the office anymore (although the others do still manage to find reasons for me to act 15 again!) I have new responsibilities and I’ve dealt with my own clients- something I’m really proud of and never knew would feel so rewarding. It’s been a VERY busy last few months and I’ve got countless stories to tell, but I don’t think I have the time or the space to write them all down!
	We were working on a big case recently- including all types of investigation- we carried out surveillance for six weeks on the same person and even managed to survive the snow whilst sitting outside for 8 hours a day! We didn’t manage to stay inconspicuous for the whole six weeks, however we put together a great cover story which even had the locals coming over every day and giving us what they believed were career tips, never knowing the discreet operation that was going on
	That case also included some computer forensics. Going through the contents of someone’s hard drive (some 180,000 files), is both utterly absorbing and possibly the most tedious thing you can ever do, but tremendously important. Losing a weekend at 4.30pm on the Friday sucks, but after 15 hours of searching through deleted files on a Sunday- when you find the key piece of evidence; everything seems worthwhile
	I’ve also been involved in a fantastic undercover job for a European client recently- I can’t give away all the details of course (its “if I told you I’d have to silence you kind of stuff”!) but lets just say it involved me acting as a young teenager (a school pupil - again!) and trying to start a ‘relationship’ with a certain person. It was nerve racking but thrilling all at the same time- approaching a perfect stranger and manouvering them to ask me out is scary enough when you know what they are capable of in reality. I knew it was okay because I just kept thinking how the guy would feel if he knew that 50% of the other people in the venue were working for us and keeping me safe! Remembering the good that was coming of it and the fact that exposing this person is keeping our client safe helped
	I have seen the Challenge 21 and Think 21 programmes develop enormously, saving many alcohol and tobacco retailers from losing their licence. We provide free posters and POS material not only to pubs and shops but often to Police Forces who distribute them to licensed premises in their areas. The embarrassing issue is that some of the Challenge 21 poster styles have my image on them holding up a card with my age. While, now, I am old enough to legally drink I am of course still asked for ID. It can be a little embarrassing to point to the poster behind the barman asking me and seeing their face when they recognise just who it is declaring their age for the rest of the pub to see.
	We all have strengths and weaknesses as people - I know some of mine (I love writing, but don't ask me to add up, and changing the colour toner in the printer is always a saga - remind me never to wear a white skirt in the office again) and it's recognising both the pluses and minuses that is the important thing. This career is about thinking on your feet; if we have a plan on any given day it has changed direction twice by half past nine, and you just go with it. If you are looking for a job with a difference, then this is it. The most important thing to the company is our clients and the care and attention they are given is shown again and again.
	For my part, I have sat on surveillance, performed dozens of undercover roles, worn many different costumes, acted many different ages, managed clients, been a schoolgirl one day and a sales executive the next, played the part of a lesbian in a bar, spent hours on a phone, hours on a train and hours disseminating a computer; I work with people from many different backgrounds and with a fantastically competent 'younger set' closer to my own age. I have stood in front of business clubs and presented to them and been interviewed in the press and on radio. I still can't get that toner off my skirt though.

Listen to Isla interviewed on radio and TV and in magazines

	Sunday Times Magazine - "A Life in the Day" Interview with a Teenage Detective
	BBC Newsbeat Teenage Private Detectives Isla and Marnie
	BBC London News Teenage Private Detectives Isla and Marnie
	Teenage Detectives Film - Emily, Isla and Marnie tackle illegal minicabs
	Isla - Teenage Detective (short film)
	Teenage Private Investigators Film - Emily, Lise, Isla and Marnie
	BBC Radio Cambridge Private Detectives Isla and Nigel talk to Sue Dougan
	BBC Radio Berkshire Private Detective Isla talks to Henry Kelly on BBC Radio
	Bliss Magazine - Interview with a Teenage Detective
	Private Detectives Marnie and Isla interviewed by Sally James on Brooklands FM
	Private Investigator Isla interviewed on Liberty Radio

If you would like more information on what we can do for you, please call us or email - we will always be pleased to listen or to arrange an appointment to discuss the issue in more depth.

The thing that makes Answers different from other agencies is our people, who come from all walks of life. This means we have a pool of different experience from which our clients benefit. If you would like to read more, or are interested in becoming a P.I. yourself, click on the links below: