IQ Verify enters partnership to support BS 102000 for WAPI members

BS 102000 is specifically designed to provide a broad set of procedures in order to assist any investigative provider in adhering to industry Best Practice. It also draws attention to case management procedures, data handling and the regulations as well as the employment practices applicable to the investigation.

Given that private investigators need to collect evidence in the course of their work, they also need to be aware of the rules against ‘entrapment’ and the protections offered under the Human Rights Act when seeking to conduct investigations and interviews.

Revision process

Back in 2018, the British Standards Institution convened experts from across the security sector to assist in a thorough revision of BS 102000 to bring it into line with technological developments, thereby accommodating a wider audience of users outside of the private investigators sector who undertake investigations. That wider audience includes Human Resources professionals, corporate governance and in-house investigation departments.

Investigative activity occurs in many operations: surveillance, criminal investigations, fraud investigations, security clearance and personnel background checking, the insurance security and, of course, in the realms of computers and forensics.

BS 102000 recommends how an organisation can demonstrate that it has the financial and operational resources available to provide the services being offered, and also that it’s competent and perfectly able to provide recourse in the event of a complaint being issued.

In an effort to reduce the barriers to accessing recognised standards, as a supplement to their membership WAPI members will now receive a 20% discount on all IQ Verify audit fees for the following British Standards (available via a combined one-day audit): BS 102000:2018 and BS 7858:2019, the Code of Practice for the Security Screening of Individuals Employed in a Security Environment.

Formal certification

Formal certification against a sector-specific standard such as BS 102000:2018 provides an objective and independent verification of these standards of practice being consistently met. This is a recognition of key value for organisations and customers alike.

Across the next few months, WAPI will be releasing a series of follow-up documents and guides intended to support members to understand and engage with formal organisational certification. Whether small or large, audits and quality management systems can be an understandably daunting prospect for any organisation. WAPI will be seeking to remove the ‘fog factor’ from formal certification for its membership. 

A spokesperson for IQ Verify commented: “Better standards drive positive change. We’re grateful to be part of such an important step to support those working towards better standards within the investigations sector.”