When did you first get involved in investigation skills training?

I have been involved in criminal investigations for the past 15 years. I had worked in just about every aspect of criminal investigations including major crime, corporate fraud, covert investigations and organised crime.

About 3 years ago an associate of mine asked me to make appearances as a guest speaker and facilitator for an investigation skills course run by a private training firm.

From that first course I was hooked. I found it both fun and rewarding to watch investigators from other walks of life benefit from my own experience and of course the ‘war stories’.

Why did you decide to develop the ICETS training program?

Two reasons really. The first is that when I did a few of these courses I found myself skipping over course content because it was ‘dated’ or no longer relevant to modern investigation skills. The private training firm I worked for had been around for 13 years and was quite reputable, but like many training companies, was founded and managed by people who left the ‘investigation arena’ years ago. Not wanting to offend, but the majority of them were ‘out of touch’.

The second reason was that a common theme was coming from many of the investigators participating on the course. That thought process was ‘we rarely go to court or prosecute and just continually send out scary letters. So why do we need to know how to investigate to criminal standard’. I realised that there was a definite need for a change in the mindset of a lot of public sector investigators.

You see, as an investigator, you need to understand that the importance of a good investigation is not just to prosecute but to ensure compliance. Many companies, especially those with a million or billion dollar profit line, don’t comply with legislation out of fear of getting a warning letter, they do it out of a fear of prosecution and penalty.

So if you can’t prosecute, then your probably can’t enforce compliance. That can be a problem if your role is compliance enforcement.

What are some of the contributions ICETS have made to client organisations?

I’ll tell you the main thing that sticks out for me. Our courses go beyond generic courses. Each of our packages is tailored to our client’s specific needs. Not only are our packages put to use in their workplace but some of our products are even adopted by law enforcement agencies.

Craig what about you personally. What are some of your proudest achievements as a professional?

I’ve always held the attitude of ‘no job is too big or too complex’. I took on a major fraud investigation once which crossed national and international boundaries. The investigation was so complex that even senior management said it was too great a task.

Within 6 months my team had secured an arrest against an international syndicate involved in a series of banking instrument frauds which spanned the globe. The offenders had been investigated by the FBI, South African Commercial Crime Bureau and the then Royal Hong Kong Shanghai Police Department with no success.

The arrest resulted in both me and one of the other investigators receiving an Assistant Commissioners Award, recognition from the International Chamber of Commerce and even the F.B.I. for our initiative and resourcefulness during the investigation.

What are some of the big things ICETS has accomplished for clients that you feel gives it the edge over the competition?

We have given them courses that are not just measured against the achievement of a formal qualification, but more importantly, are measured against how training has increased participant’s competencies and effectiveness in their jobs.

We have provided customised courses that can be used as induction programs for new staff.

The thing to remember is that our staff are current industry professionals. None of our course facilitators are going to start off their training lectures with an introduction of “when I was an investigator we didn’t need those fancy computers…?”

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