How do I get a private investigators licence in Queensland?   

Private investigators in Queensland must be licenced and operate under Security Providers Act (1993). Licences are administered by the Office of Fair Trading (QLD).Licensing information and licence applications are handled by the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General.

Licences  

An Individual Class 1 licences are issued for bodyguards, private investigators, crowd controllers, cash transit security officers, unarmed security officers, monitoring, security officers, dog patrol security officers, security advisers, security equipment installers and security firms.

A private investigator is defined as someone who:

• obtains private information about a person without that person’s permission

• carries out surveillance to gather information about a person without that person’s consent

• investigates the disappearance of a missing person.

You are not a private investigator if you operate for or are employed by legal practitioners, accountants, insurance businesses and insurance adjustment agencies.

Training requirements and restrictions  

You can apply for a restricted licence as a private investigator. This licence allows you to complete your training requirements while working under the direct supervision of a licensed private investigator. A restricted licence is issued for a term of six months only. After the term ends, you cannot apply for a further restricted licence as a private investigator. You must complete the training requirements and apply for an unrestricted licence within six months. Certificate III in Investigative Services is the entry-level training requirement for licensing of investigators in Queensland.

The restricted licence holders must operate under direct supervision of a private investigator supervisor. The private investigator supervisor must:

• give the restricted licensee detailed written instructions about the work they need to do,

• document the tasks that the licensee performs, and 

• document and give the restricted licensee regular progress checks.

Certificate III in Investigative Services is the training and educational requirement. 

Certificate III in Investigative Services is the training requirement for the private investigations industry throughout Australia. This course will teach you and develope your skills in planning and conducting an investigation. You will also learn how to coordinate work teams in an investigation industry context. It can generally be completed in 12 weeks on a part time study basis. It can also be undertaken on a full time capacity.

Training of Certificate III in Investigative Services and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

There are a number of training organisations in Australia that deliver this training and prices vary. You may also be eligible to obtain this certificate through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as recognition of your previous employment and learning. e.g. Policing, security or enforcement.

Speak to us at Investigator Recruitment for more information about Registered Training Organisations and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Click   to visits for more information and application forms.

Or, speak to us at Investigator Recruitment to get a market perspective. We are not legal experts in licencing legislation and we will ultimately direct you to The Office of Fair Trading (QLD). However, we can provide you with information about licencing and training from an employment perspective. We will try to guide you in the right direction regarding the Australian Commercial and Private Investigation employment sector.