Profession is a private detective. Mikhail Sekhin about the features of private investigation in Bryansk.
England is one of the first countries in Europe where private detectives appeared, who learned to solve crimes no worse than official representatives of the law. Modern "Sherlocks" do not wear hats, do not smoke pipes and are still a rarity for regions such as Bryansk. According to local law enforcement agencies, we have only a few people who can officially provide private investigation services. One of them is a former lieutenant colonel of the Bryansk police, Mikhail Sekhin. He conducts his own investigations, every now and then exposing dishonest employees of large enterprises or one-day firms, and also helps to expose unfaithful husbands and wives. Due to the specifics of Mikhail's work, we cannot publish a photo of our guest. But he was happy to share with the readers of "AIF - Bryansk" the features of private investigation.
Experience solves everything
Olga Momomt, "AiF-Bryansk": Mikhail, tell us who is a private detective and who can become one today?
Mikhail Sekhin: The work of detectives is regulated by the Law "On private Detective and security activities in the Russian Federation". To provide such services legally, you need to have a special license, which is issued in the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs. It can be obtained either by a former representative of law enforcement agencies who has experience in investigative activities, or by someone who has passed special preparatory courses. There is only one requirement for a candidate – he should not have any problems with the law. In addition, he will need to undergo an annual medical examination, including a psychiatrist and a narcologist. As far as I know, no one has taken courses in Bryansk yet. Everyone who works in this area today is from the police. You have to improve your professional level regularly. There are even special trainings. We constantly share our experience with colleagues from other regions. For example, I am a member of the International Association of Private Detectives and provide services not only in Russia, but also abroad. Among the clients there are Spaniards, Italians and Americans.
- Is the detective activity in Russia and abroad different?
- The services of foreign detective agencies are much wider, because it is much easier to work there. But there is high competition, which can not be said about us. And if this practice has been widespread for a long time in the capital and in other large Russian cities, it is still an innovation for smaller regions. The economic crisis also affected. Since 2013, the number of main customers-enterprises has decreased. But the number of financial frauds, on the contrary, has increased.
Although sometimes you don't know who is more unpredictable: a recidivist criminal or an angry husband who was deceived by his wife?
- Do you often communicate with former colleagues from the police?
- The law prohibits us from using law enforcement databases. And if, for example, we are talking about a parallel investigation, in which a criminal case has been initiated and is being conducted, we are also obliged to notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs about this. By the way, they are not obliged to meet us halfway. But in most cases, their cooperation is not required. Professional experience suggests how to act in a particular situation.
DOSSIER
Mikhail Sekhin graduated from BITM (now BSTU) with a degree in car construction engineer, then from the law Faculty of the Bryansk branch of the Moscow Law Institute. For a long time he worked in the criminal investigation Department, in the Department for combating economic crime and investigation. In 2011, he retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 2012, he received a license for detective work.
For the sake of justice
- What requests do people come to you with, what do they want to achieve?
- Justice. Someone does not trust the investigation and wants to conduct their own investigation, someone has doubted their second half. But more often, it is not ordinary Bryans who apply, but the heads of some large companies and enterprises. They ask to collect and verify data about a person applying for a high position in the company, or to carefully study the contractor with whom they are going to conclude a multimillion-dollar deal. There are many cases when enterprises could really hire a negligent employee or get involved in a dubious scam. By contacting me as a frequent detective, companies have saved millions of rubles. And sometimes you are glad that your terrible fears were not confirmed. Especially when it comes to preserving families. Just the other day there was such a case: the husband was sure that his wife was cheating on him, and asked him to trace and photograph the unfaithful one. The wife really secretly met with a man, but it was not a lover, but a childhood friend who needed help, but the woman was embarrassed to tell her husband about it. In the end, they talked and everything was settled.
- Is it difficult to remain unnoticed during, for example, spying on someone?
- I am not directly engaged in surveillance myself. There are specially trained people who help me to do this. My task is to coordinate the work, guide and look for ways to extract the necessary information. Although I do most of the work myself. I have never had to change my appearance for the sake of work, and among my colleagues there are those who resorted to disguise.
- Is there a risk to life in your profession?
- There is always a risk, if only because the scammers exposed by you can take revenge. There were threats against me. And not only because of my private detective work, but also during my work in the police. But I'm trying to be careful. Although sometimes you don't know who is more unpredictable: a recidivist criminal or an angry husband who was deceived by his wife?
No magic at all
- Why do people still resort to the services of private detectives, because there are the police, the investigative committee and the prosecutor's office, do they really not trust?
- There are many reasons. Someone really had a bad experience of communicating with law enforcement officials, but it's not just about trust. Some things, such as, for example, checking the founder or a foreign counterparty, the police will not deal with if there is no criminal investigation on this fact. In some cases, people simply do not know how and where to contact them.
- Were there any unusual requests from customers?
- Install a "wiretap" or a video camera in someone else's apartment. Or, for example, to fabricate evidence in order to convict a husband or wife of adultery in court. People don't understand that all this is illegal, and no licensed detective who values his reputation will ever take such an unjustified risk. And if you agree, most likely, you are facing a fraudster.
- What other movie stereotypes about detectives did you have to debunk?
- Sometimes we are mistaken for shamans or for people who at least have superpowers. Women who are sure that their husbands have been bewitched often turn to them and ask them to return their spouse back to the family in any way. Someone asks to find a missing person with the help of a psychic. I immediately try to politely explain to people that we do not do such things. They have seen enough mystical films about secret agents, so they think that everything is like this in life. We are detectives, not magicians.
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