Blog of Kurtz Detective Agency Potsdam and Brandenburg

Former Escort as a Partner Raises Doubts

The client of our Brandenburg detective agency was in a relationship with a woman who had worked for several years in the red-light district as an escort, but who now swore that she had given up this profession for our client, as she wished to commit fully to the relationship. Equipped with healthy common sense, however, the client questioned this promise. Before further pursuing his plans for marriage and family, he wanted to be certain whether his partner was truly faithful and honest.

 

For this reason, he commissioned our detectives (+49 331 2785 0052) to check whether the partner, contrary to all assurances, was still working at her former workplace, a well-known private brothel.

Detective Visit to the Brothel

How do you determine whether a person A is working at workplace B? In addition to workplace research via databases such as registrations with pension insurance schemes and similar sources, such an investigation is often carried out by means of surveillance. In the present case, both the former “stage name” of the target person and the workplace were known. By stage name, we mean a cover designation intended to protect the privacy of prostitutes; for the sake of simplicity, we will hereafter refer to the target person by the fictitious – but typical – escort name “Stella”. As Stella’s field of activity involved a bookable and more or less location-bound service, there was an opportunity for the private detective deployed by us in Brandenburg to carry out the suspicion check through a direct encounter with the target person.

 

As the client insisted not only on a scripted telephone confirmation of any continued employment, but above all on an on-site check by an eyewitness (= detective), the investigator went to the establishment without prior appointment. In any case, a telephone enquiry could have attracted attention, as Stella was no longer advertised on the relevant internet platforms, unlike in the past. After being received by a woman and introducing himself under a false name, our private investigator was led into a room where all available women of the establishment were presented to him one after another. Stella was not among them. This could mean that she

• was already engaged in an appointment at that time and serving a real customer,
• was not on duty at that time, or
• was indeed no longer working at this establishment.

In the subsequent conversation with the receptionist, our Brandenburg commercial detective expressed dissatisfaction with the “selection” and therefore explicitly asked for Stella, who had been recommended to him by a friend. The receptionist then stated that Stella had reported sick today, but was expected back tomorrow. Accordingly, the woman and the investigator agreed a prompt appointment with Stella.

Sighting of the Target Person in the Brothel

At the agreed appointment, the private detective returned to the said establishment. The receptionist led him into a room where he was to receive Stella and merely verify her identity – in accordance with the agreement with the client. Sexual acts were to be avoided according to the operational instructions.

 

However, it did not even come to an encounter with the target person, as the investigator of our commercial detective agency in Brandenburg already saw, while walking through the establishment, how Stella was reclining on seating furniture with two other people. He was able to identify her without any doubt as the client’s partner. As agreed, he then feigned qualms of conscience and claimed that he could not do “that” to his wife. He apologised to the receptionist for the inconvenience and made a hasty exit.

Massage Appointment of a Detective with the Target Person

Although our commercial investigator assured the client that he was almost one hundred percent certain that he had seen Stella in the brothel, the client ordered a further operation. While he had initially ruled out that sexual acts would take place during the detective’s visits, he now demanded precisely this in order to be finally certain about what his partner was doing. As the investigator previously deployed by our private detective agency in Brandenburg was married and, in any case, already somewhat “burned”, it was necessary to find a single operative among our ranks who would be willing to receive an erotic massage from Stella. The search took longer than one might think, but ultimately one of our youngest detectives agreed to the task.

 

On site, he booked the service with the receptionist and was then led into a room where he was to wait for Stella. In fact, however, another woman appeared shortly afterwards and stated that she would begin the massage, to be replaced later by Stella. This put our young private investigator in an uncomfortable position, as he had been instructed at the explicit request of the client to abort the operation as soon as the first physical contact occurred. After all, from that point onwards the client would know for certain that his partner was offering sexual acts and would not need to pay another detective to be sexually serviced by her. The problem was that another woman was now to begin the massage. If the detective were to end the operation as soon as this woman approached his intimate area, the actions of the target person could no longer be documented. So he bit the bullet – of which his colleagues, admittedly, do not know how bitter it actually was – and endured the massage. After more than half an hour, the first woman was indeed replaced by Stella, who, without hesitation, attended to the investigator’s most intimate parts, whereupon he was able to end the operation immediately. The client of our detective team in Brandenburg now knew for certain what he had already feared – his partner was an active prostitute.

To protect discretion as well as the personal rights of clients and target persons, all names and locations in this case report have been altered beyond recognition.

 

Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg

Gregor-Mendel-Straße 15

D-14469 Potsdam

Tel.: +49 331 2785 0052

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-potsdam

Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg, was heard last week in an interview on T-Bone’s Breakfast Club on the Berlin rock station Star FM. Below you will find a transcript of the conversation:

"What does the work of a private detective really look like?"

Presenter T-Bone: "Bianca is currently happy to blame her tiredness on the change to daylight saving time, but in truth she once again watched half the night of Elementary."

 

Presenter Bianca: "Yes, or read a crime novel. I have to admit, I find that kind of thing fascinating; complicated cases that need to be solved, you puzzle along a bit and it is exciting. You often cannot stop."

 

Presenter Christian: "But what does the work of a private detective actually look like in reality?"

 

T-Bone: "Probably mind-numbingly boring."

 

Christian: "Is it like in the films?"

 

T-Bone: "I do not think so ..."

 

Bianca: "I can tell you. I spoke to Patrick Kurtz. He runs a detective agency in Potsdam. And as expected, it is not quite like in the films, even though there are many parallels. It mainly involves surveillance, but it can also be pretty unpleasant ..."

Surveillance: 17 hours in the car in sweltering heat

Detective Patrick Kurtz: "My longest surveillance lasted 17 hours and during that time almost nothing happened. The target person went out twice to walk the dog. That day it was also really, really hot, around 33 °C. Air conditioning would have been quite nice, but that does not last long in a parked car."

 

T-Bone: "That surprises me. The first surprise is already that he is called Patrick and not Emil."

 

Bianca: "But just think about it: 17 hours sitting in a car in sweltering heat waiting for the target person! And how does he stay awake? With audiobooks!"

 

T-Bone (laughs): "That has exactly the opposite effect on me."

 

Bianca: "Yes, that was my thought too. But it definitely keeps him awake, probably because he listens to exciting things. And that is also one of the basic prerequisites to becoming a detective at all: you always have to stay mentally alert. Not only to identify connections during research, but especially during these endlessly long surveillance operations you have to stay sharp."

Physical and Mental Requirements for Detectives

Patrick Kurtz: "During surveillance you have to be able to anticipate: how does a target person behave, which routes might they take, and so on. Research also requires mental fitness, because you have to recognise connections. Physical fitness is not a bad thing either. You should also possess the basic equipment, that is, a suitable camera, a decent car that does not attract attention but still has the necessary performance to follow faster vehicles, and so forth."

 

Bianca: "But that does not mean that it is about uncovering violent crimes like in the films; in most cases it is fraud. Affairs, expense fraud or cases where people are officially on sick leave but then do who knows what."

 

Christian: "Do you actually need training for that?"

 

Patrick Kurtz: "Unfortunately, in Germany you do not need any specific training, but I would still advise anyone planning to become a detective to complete such training. Most colleagues working in our industry have a prior career with the police or other investigative authorities such as customs, sometimes also intelligence services. Accordingly, they can demonstrate the specialist expertise needed to investigate successfully in this profession. For career changers, training is strongly recommended, because otherwise you would not even have mastered the legal fundamentals."

 

Bianca: "Exactly, if you go charging in somewhere with a lock pick like Matula – I do not think that is allowed."

On the Problematic Media Image of Detectives

Bianca: "What I also found very exciting: yes, detectives do also use those pin boards like you always see in films, where all the photos, newspaper articles and so on are pinned up."

 

Patrick Kurtz: "When we have complex situations that need to be researched, it does sometimes happen that we set up such boards. It is different, of course, when we talk about detective series, especially from Germany, such as Die Trovatosor Privatdetektive im Einsatz – what is shown there is simply complete nonsense. That is also rather sad, because people who see it naturally absorb it and then call us with a distorted set of expectations. They think that we also have 'raid situations', that we threaten or beat people to obtain information, or that we eavesdrop on target persons with directional microphones and all sorts of other nonsense, which in practice is firstly prohibited and secondly not at all effective."

 

T-Bone: "Bianca, you can start saving: I have just googled what such a detective training course costs: just under 6,000 euros at the Berlin Security Academy."

Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg

Gregor-Mendel-Straße 15

D-14469 Potsdam

Tel.: +49 331 2785 0052

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-potsdam

A graduate of the Berlin Security Academy reports on his day-to-day practice as a detective

In a previously unpublished interview, the Berlin Security Academy questioned Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg, about the detective profession and its entry requirements, his personal career path and his professional experience since completing the IHK-certified course Qualified Detective.

 

The work of a detective should not be underestimated, yet role models such as the famous Sherlock Holmes continue to generate strong interest in the profession of the “investigator”. As a graduate of the Berlin Security Academy and a self-employed private detective, Patrick Kurtz can offer some insights into his daily work.

Mr Kurtz, what qualifications and knowledge does a private detective need? What makes a successful investigator?

Legal knowledge is indispensable. Anyone who does not know their legal limits will sooner or later commit a criminal offence in this profession, because the detective trade in particular is full of pitfalls. If you stumble into one of them, you face serious consequences. Moreover, without sound legal knowledge it is impossible to advise clients professionally. Other personal prerequisites for successful investigations include sustained concentration during lengthy surveillance operations, a strong intuitive sense for situations, creativity in solving hard-to-access cases, persistence, the ability to work as part of a team, and an extensive, reliable network of contacts.

How can one imagine your everyday professional life? What tasks have to be handled and which problems do you repeatedly face?

My daily work now largely consists of organisation, final quality control, problem-solving and client acquisition. I only take personal responsibility for cases that are of particular interest to me; all others are delegated to the most suitable employees and carried out by them in consultation with my specialist coordinators and myself. When I was still regularly active in the field, a large part of the work consisted of waiting, because during many surveillance operations nothing happens for hours and sometimes even days. It is crucial, however, to remain fully alert and focused at the decisive moment.

 

Fortunately, surveillance is not always a tedious affair, although unfortunately you can hardly influence that yourself, as the level of excitement usually depends on the behaviour of the target person. If they move around a lot, the observer has a correspondingly busy and exciting day; if the target person stays at home all day, the detective can usually do little more than wait. Research work can also develop into something very exciting: lengthy, meticulous searches may remain fruitless for a frustratingly long time until a seemingly insignificant detail triggers a domino effect. The researcher can then work their way from one piece of information to the next until finally reaching the desired result – a very satisfying feeling.

Illegal surveillance and invasion of privacy – how far are you allowed to go? Are there situations in which a detective becomes liable to prosecution?

From a data protection perspective, much of what detectives deal with on a daily basis is vaguely defined. Individual court rulings can have major implications for the industry, which is why it is important to stay up to date even after completing training. On many issues there is no uniform consensus within the profession, and even seasoned lawyers cannot say with absolute certainty in the not infrequent borderline cases whether investigations and the use of certain methods would be legally unobjectionable. Due to the risks associated with data-protection-sensitive measures, it is company policy at our firm to avoid them altogether. This means that we neither use GPS trackers ourselves unless the ownership and usage rights of the vehicle concerned are unequivocally clarified, nor do we carry out infidelity surveillance if the relationship is not clearly established, nor do we improperly interfere with the personal rights of the target person by, for example, filming into a flat through windows, as can unfortunately be seen time and again in numerous low-quality German programmes about supposed detectives.

How do you see the career prospects for detectives in the coming years?

I believe that the industry is relatively crisis-resistant, as the desire for information is inherent in human nature and there will therefore always be demand for the investigation of new facts. This demand is, if anything, only marginally affected by national or even global economic crises. For aspiring detectives, I see great opportunities not only in the coming years but already now, because the average age within the profession is very high and the outstanding minds, mostly old-school graduate criminalists, are gradually all retiring. There can be no successors from that direction, because state-run criminalistic training has, through negligence, been almost non-existent for around 20 years. As a result, there is already a shortage of qualified detectives in many regions today. Berlin is not one of them, but Saxony, Thuringia and Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, for example, are – even some major cities such as Dresden or Rostock.

Why would you recommend the profession to others?

I would actually only recommend the profession to people who meet the prerequisites mentioned above. Due to the unfortunately extremely low statutory entry requirements, a great many citizens try their luck in our industry and often fail mercilessly and completely, usually because they embark on this “adventure” untrained and naïvely. Training at the Berlin Security Academy, on the other hand, helped me to build up the necessary legal knowledge and, through making contacts with successful professional detectives, to gain insights into industry structures as well as points of contact for problems that regularly arise, especially at the beginning. Anyone who enjoys self-employment, has a sharp mind, possesses the necessary technical equipment and can also meet the very real physical demands can certainly envisage some prospects of success, finding both a good living and an exciting professional life in the detective trade.

About the Berlin Security Academy

The Berlin Security Academy is a certified and state-recognised education provider as well as a federal service provider. Its training focuses on security and security technologies. The many years of experience of managing director Torben Meyer as a government personal protection officer, including assignments protecting generals and high-ranking figures from the Federal Ministry of Defence or NATO Headquarters in Brussels, formed the basis for the establishment of the institute. The academy’s aim is to promote recognition of security as a qualified service. To achieve this goal, it imparts not only specialist know-how but also values such as a sense of duty and responsibility, to which the institution is committed.

 

The Berlin Security Academy’s programmes are primarily aimed at social organisations, government institutions or companies seeking further qualification for their employees, as well as private individuals striving for professional qualification. Course content can be adapted to individual needs.

 

Web: www.sicherheitsakademie-berlin.de

 

Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg

Gregor-Mendel-Straße 15

D-14469 Potsdam

Tel.: +49 331 2785 0052

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-potsdam

For the programme “M19 – The Long Interview” on the radio station Mephisto 97.6, Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Potsdam and Brandenburg, spoke for an hour with editor-in-chief Paula Drope about the detective profession. This part focuses primarily on training as a private detective in Potsdam and throughout Germany. You can find the first part on typical detective clichés here. Part 2.1 is available here.

Detective Training in Berlin: SAB and ZAD

Paula Drope: “Welcome back to M19, the long interview on Mephisto97.6. My guest today, Patrick Kurtz, is the owner of the Potsdam private detective agency Kurtz. After already talking about the profession of private detective, we are now going to talk about you, Mr Kurtz, and how you came into this profession. You initially studied psychology, comparative literature, German studies and provincial Roman archaeology. Why did you decide on the profession of private detective in Potsdam after this combination of subjects? To me, that sounds a little as if something like Sherlock Holmes might have played a role.”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “It was not in that order. I decided on the detective profession somewhere along the way. For a while I did both at the same time, studying and working as a detective, until it no longer worked because the time commitment simply became too great. I came to the detective profession because, between two degree programmes, I suddenly had far too much time on my hands – I had to bridge a year because an application deadline could no longer be met.

 

So I thought about what I could do during that time and then saw that the profession was being offered as an internship by someone who is now a competitor in the detective trade, and that it was supposedly very well paid – at least according to the advertisement. Whether that was actually true, I still doubt to this day. In any case, after I had applied there first and was rejected without any explanation, I then considered that I could do it myself. The thinking behind it was: if you can earn good money as an intern there, then you should certainly be able to do so as a self-employed person. So I started finding out how one becomes a detective in Germany.

 

I then discovered that basically anyone with a clean criminal record can do it – anyone can register a business and then call themselves a detective. Unfortunately, that is a major problem in our industry, because the lack of training standards means that many people enter the profession without legal knowledge or specialist expertise. I chose a different path by completing professional detective training, more precisely training as an IHK-certified detective in Berlin at the Security Academy. It is a six-month school or course of study, full-time with classroom attendance, at the end of which you obtain the IHK certificate. You get to know a lot of people there, including many interesting colleagues. You can build contacts and enter the profession with prior knowledge, which is absolutely crucial.”

IHK Certification for Private Detectives

Paula Drope: “The Chamber of Industry and Commerce actually offers detective training?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “They do not offer it themselves. Instead, the Security Academy in Berlin does, as does the Central Training Centre for Detectives through a distance-learning programme. Those are the two routes available: distance learning on the one hand, and classroom-based teaching on site on the other. At the end, the IHK comes along and says: if you have completed everything, if you have passed your examinations at the Security Academy or at the ZAD, then we will award you the IHK certificate as a qualified professional detective.”

 

Paula Drope: “And what exactly does the teaching look like? That must certainly be more than tracking footprints, perhaps also law or something like that?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Law is absolutely crucial. It was the most important aspect of the training, because afterwards you know exactly what you are allowed to do as a detective and what you are not. It was also important to gain some practical experience. Unfortunately, that part was somewhat limited, but we did at least spend a week carrying out field surveillance, and we learned the theoretical foundations in the classroom using various books. One of them, by Glitza, is an excellent manual on surveillance for government employees and private detectives. We worked through that. Beyond that, yes, tracking was also covered to some extent, as were technical aspects such as counter-surveillance against listening devices and IT forensics. It was a relatively broad spectrum that we covered.”

 

Paula Drope: “And all of that in six months?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “All of that in six months. Well, you have eight hours a day, so you can fit quite a bit in.”

Studying Criminalistics as an Entry into the Detective Profession?

Paula Drope: “You cannot only do detective training; you can also study something in that direction, namely criminology. Was that ever an option for you?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Criminology does not really go in that direction, as it is the science of the statistical recording of crime. Criminalistics would be closer to our detective work. I am not completely up to date, but I believe there is only one degree programme in Hamburg and it is quite expensive – I think around 32,000 euros or something in that range. Studying criminalistics would definitely have been a major financial commitment, especially because there has been no criminalistics degree programme in Germany since the early to mid-1990s, at least not a state-run one.”

 

Paula Drope: “But would it have appealed to you?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Yes, certainly. I think it would appeal to many people, and it would also significantly raise the standard of crime investigation or detective investigation in general in Germany if we once again had more specialists, more graduate criminalists, as was the case in the past. Unfortunately, politics decided to abolish that, and so far there has been no replacement.”

Qualities of Successful Detectives

Paula Drope: “You have already said that, in principle, anyone can become a detective. But to become a good detective, what qualities are required, let us say, in addition to good perception and analytical skills?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “The intellectual aspect is certainly extremely important for our private detectives in Potsdam. You should have something in your head, and you should be able to react to different situations. You need to be flexible and able to find solutions. That means if you have a difficult case and you are simply standing there not really knowing how to proceed, then you are not suited to the job. If you do not know what to do, which also happened to me in the early phase, then you have to know whom to turn to, whom you can ask, who is experienced and who can help you. And of course you have to be able to deal with clients.

 

Part of the work is naturally acquiring assignments. It is also important to be very secure in report writing. That means spelling and grammar should be correct. You must be able to record precisely what you have observed and describe it in words, because in many cases the reports are used in court. If you provide a superficial description, that is bad, because the judge cannot picture anything from it. Then the investigation reports quickly become worthless.”

How Do You Become a Private Detective?

Paula Drope: “That is already quite a number of qualities that you need to bring with you as a detective in Potsdam. When did you discover them in yourself? Was there a particular event where you said, I can do this?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “No, not really. I never doubted myself in that respect. From the very beginning, I thought that I could do it, and that belief was then confirmed.”

 

Paula Drope: “And how did you come up with the idea of becoming a detective in the first place?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “As I said, through that internship that was advertised at the time. The formative influence towards becoming a private detective was already there before that, for example through detective novels, especially Sherlock Holmes. Even as a teenager, at 13 or 14, I read and loved those stories and was always preoccupied with them. And since I have been a pipe smoker since I was 14, everything fitted together very well. The cogs meshed.”

Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg

Gregor-Mendel-Straße 15

D-14469 Potsdam

Tel.: +49 331 2785 0052

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-potsdam

For the format “M19 – The Long Interview” on the radio station Mephisto 97.6, Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Potsdam and Brandenburg, spoke for an hour with editor-in-chief Paula Drope about the detective profession. In the second part, the focus is on lie detection and behavioural analysis carried out by our private detectives in Potsdam. You can find the first part on typical detective clichés here.

Lie Detection | Behavioural Analysis

Paula Drope: “You handle a really wide range of assignments. You have already mentioned corporate investigations, but also the classic case of adultery, and I found it particularly fascinating that you work with lie detection and behavioural analysis. How should I imagine that?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “That actually comes up relatively rarely in everyday detective work. It is a service offered by Kurtz Detective Agency that is not used very often and is based on the findings of Professor Dr Paul Ekman. He is an American anthropologist who developed a method in the 1970s that allows you to recognise, via micro-expressions, which emotions lie behind certain statements. From that, in turn, the truthfulness can be assessed with a fairly high degree of accuracy if you are well trained. Ideally, you have to practise the method daily using a training programme he published, and if you really master it, you can determine quite reliably whether someone is lying or not.”

Practical Training in Lie Detection

Paula Drope: “If it is not used all that often, do you still train every day?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “I used to train more, I have to say. I no longer do it daily, but weekly.”

 

Paula Drope: “What does that training look like? Does the secretary from your detective agency in Potsdam have to come in and tell you a few made-up stories?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “No, I do most of the training with the tool from Professor Dr Paul Ekman that I mentioned. More precisely, there are two tools from him, which you use alternately and at different speeds. By now, I train at the highest speed, which is also important if you want to recognise micro-expressions reliably in real-life situations. And of course, when I meet people I am talking to, I sometimes run it through in my head as well. I just have to remind myself to do it. It is not an automatic process that kicks in when I speak to someone, like: is he lying or not? I do have to consciously remind myself.”

Paul Ekman: the difference between a genuine smile (left) and a fake smile (right). The corners of the mouth and the cheeks are roughly the same, but only on the left is the orbicularis oculi muscle around the eyes activated, which makes the smile “genuine”. One example: do you know the programme “Die Höhle der Löwen”? Pay attention to Lencke Steiner’s smile when she rejects a deal. The corners of her mouth move, but the muscle around the eyes remains rigid. According to leading experts, voluntary activation of this muscle is only possible when genuine joy is felt or briefly when thinking about joy.

Analysing Micro-Expressions Through Detective Surveillance?

Paula Drope: “Do you simply sit opposite the person you want to see through, the way we are sitting opposite each other now, and ask questions, or does it work more like a kind of detective surveillance, so that the person does not even notice?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “If we have video recordings of the person, then of course you do not have to sit opposite them directly. In that case, the analysis can also be carried out using the video material. However, if we are tasked with determining the truthfulness of complex circumstances, which would be the usual case, then this would be done face to face in a direct interview situation – also supported by video, so that the findings can be substantiated afterwards.”

 

Paula Drope: “How accurate would you say that is?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Difficult to say. I would say at least 95 per cent if video technology is used.”

 

Paula Drope: “That is quite a lot, I would say.”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “The method is recognised in the United States and is used as evidence in many American states. Unfortunately, that is not yet the case in Germany, but perhaps it will be in the future.”

Music Chosen by Detectives | A Colleague’s Song

Paula Drope: “I would like to come back once more to that black-and-white backroom cliché. I just cannot let go of it, I am very sorry. Do you ever have a narrator’s voice in your head that, as you see in television crime dramas about detectives, retells your own story?”

 

Patrick Kurtz (laughs): “No, no.”

 

Paula Drope: “Alright! Nothing can be done about that. Before we continue talking about the profession of private detective – without a narrator’s voice in our heads – and above all about how you became a private detective, we will first play your first musical choice. You asked for ‘Ocean’ by Sap and Saucy. Why this song in particular?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Because the singer and guitarist, who is also the songwriter of this band, is one of my employees and also one of my oldest and best friends. I used to play music myself with two members of this band. That must have been when I was 18 or 19, or even earlier with the guitarist and singer. I think it is an excellent album that did not receive much publicity, and I am happy to give it a little exposure here.”

 

Paula Drope: “So music by a detective from Potsdam: ‘Ocean’ by Sap and Saucy.”

The Long Interview About Detectives – Part 2.2

The next part will follow shortly.

Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg

Gregor-Mendel-Straße 15

D-14469 Potsdam

Tel.: +49 331 2785 0052

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-potsdam

Application for Educational Leave by an Employee Rejected

An employee approaches the client of Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg with a request for one week of educational leave at a specific upcoming date, stating that a seminar she is keen to attend would take place during that period. Her employer, who has already worked with our detectives in Potsdam on several occasions, informs her that the request has been submitted too late and that her presence in the office is urgently required during the proposed week. He also asks how this training is related to her current role. The employee then openly admits that she intends to acquire qualifications for a career change – not a particularly astute negotiating strategy.

Short-Notice Assignment for Surveillance

On the Monday of the relevant week, the employee telephones the company to report sick. For understandable reasons, her employer suspects feigned illness and commissions Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg at short notice to deploy two detectives to conduct surveillance of the employee. Due to the lack of lead time, our investigators are only able to arrive at her home address around midday. In the afternoon, they observe the target person (TP) returning home after having been absent for several hours. Kurtz Investigations Potsdam terminates the operation and schedules a renewed start for the following morning, this time beginning in the early hours in order to document the full daily routine of the suspicious employee.

Vehicle Surveillance by Kurtz Investigations Potsdam

The following morning, the TP leaves her flat carrying a document case and drives off, followed by our private detectives from Potsdam. Unfortunately, the client of Kurtz Private Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg does not know where the training course is being held. The subject matter of the course in question is a very common one, offered by countless training providers in the surrounding area and especially in Berlin. Narrowing down the location during preliminary research therefore proved nearly impossible.

 

Ultimately, the journey from the TP’s place of residence takes almost three quarters of an hour at a very moderate speed. The situation becomes challenging shortly before arrival at the destination, as the TP drives through sparsely trafficked streets where our Brandenburg detectives risk drawing attention after having followed her for more than forty minutes. Accordingly, the private investigators keep their distance and research online which training providers are located in the immediate vicinity. In total, there are three, two of which offer the course attended by the TP. Our business investigators from Potsdam therefore split up between both locations in order to locate the target vehicle and, of course, the TP herself.

Suspicion Confirmed: Feigned Incapacity for Work by the TP

When one of the deployed surveillance officers locates the target vehicle parked at the roadside outside one of the training centres, the detective team regroups and the business investigators enter the building together. According to the notice board, the class is divided between two adjacent training rooms. The private detectives of Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg take up observation positions inside the building, from which they can monitor the flow of people exiting the rooms. They wait for the next break and identify the TP as she goes outside to smoke a cigarette with other course participants. The detectives from Brandenburg continue the surveillance until the TP leaves in the afternoon in the target vehicle. They deliberately refrain from following her back to her home address, as they wish to avoid unnecessary attention, and attendance at the training course is entirely sufficient to substantiate the suspicion of abuse of sick leave.

Court-Admissible Proof of the Offence

In consultation with the client of Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg, the surveillance is repeated on Wednesday and Thursday, this time commencing directly at the training facility rather than at the TP’s residence. The outcome is identical on both days. Further surveillance on Friday is waived for reasons of cost and proportionality, as the suspicion has been conclusively proven and the regularity of the misconduct has also been documented in a manner admissible in court.

All names and locations have, of course, been altered beyond recognition in order to protect the client and the target person.

 

Kurtz Investigations Potsdam and Brandenburg

Gregor-Mendel-Straße 15

D-14469 Potsdam

Tel.: +49 331 2785 0052

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-potsdam.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-potsdam