In one of the master classes given by the president of Agentes Privados MOCH, at the end of the session, an attendee asked:

“Where can we obtain the detective credential?”

This question undoubtedly garnered a lot of attention among those present, and the president’s response was as follows:

“A true detective does NOT need a credential; in fact, they should not carry such a document during an investigation even if they had one.”

This response, explained in the master class, offers many reflections that we wish to express for your consideration in this publication.

A credential is a document that attests to a competence, without prejudice to later obtaining the corresponding title. (Source: Wikipedia)

The credential provided by our company indeed attests to a competence—in fact, multiple transversal and specific competencies—that we have responsibly developed over many years, which is why our course is renowned worldwide.

However, for the credential to be valid, it must fully identify the holder of those competencies. Hence, the credential, as we know it, unequivocally identifies the owner of these competencies indicated on the credential. This “identification” allows or restricts certain activities. To better illustrate this explanation, let’s observe how a credential and identification function:

The best example of a credential is a passport. When we travel to the USA, in many countries, it is required that the U.S. Embassy grants a visa to the passport holder. This enables that person to legally enter the USA but only to engage in activities permitted under the type of visa granted in the passport. If the person engages in activities other than those assigned under that visa, they are considered illegal actions because other procedures are required for those activities.

A credential does NOT mean, as many believe, “a license to kill.” That is solely within the jurisdiction of the public forces of each country, which means making a career within that institution, and even then, such an act would undergo an evaluation process.

A credential does NOT mean, as many believe, a permit to intrude into people’s lives without consequences. In fact, this is punishable in all jurisdictions worldwide, which is why the detective is obligated to know, respect, and act intelligently to avoid violating the legislation of each of their countries.

A credential is NOT a professional work permit; that professional work authorization is ONLY granted by the authorities of each country— in many countries by the Ministry of Security, the Ministry of Commerce and Labor, the Police, etc.

It must be clear that a credential provides the holder with knowledge, but it does NOT authorize activities. The authorization is a completely different procedure that has nothing to do with our company’s credential, but it is one of the strongest recommendations we make to our detectives: to obtain all necessary authorizations to practice their profession.

Returning to the master class, Engineer Hidalgo said:

“A private detective often works alone on a case, where a piece of paper or authorization will not save them from trouble. Moreover, if the person is discovered as a detective with a credential, they might face significant problems due to the information they know and could be forced to reveal all contact information or the collected data, turning it into a larger problem than not having a credential in possession. Therefore, the only truly valuable asset at that moment will be their problem-solving ability, which is part of our course.”

Imagine for a moment that the detective is caught by the person or people they are investigating. The first thing they will check is the wallet and the cell phone. What if they find the detective’s credential in one of them? Can you imagine how much more complicated the detective’s life would become at that moment? On the other hand, if a person suspected of being a detective is searched but nothing is found to prove it, that doubt might be the opportunity for the detective to escape the situation unscathed.

While we have seen the limitations and even the disadvantages that a detective credential can have, it is necessary to highlight its strengths, which can be summarized in two words:

Confirmed Identification

When offering services, clients or individuals expect that the person offering them possesses the necessary competencies to handle and process information to resolve the case.

How can they know that the person has these detective skills?

With a credential, or two or three credentials—whatever it takes to build the person’s confidence in the detective’s work. If the credential has the characteristics like the one our company provides, it evidently raises the detective’s standing, as seen in the following video:

If you add an activity permit issued by the regulatory bodies, you have a high level of confidence in the detective.

But internally, our work as the company AGENTES PRIVADOS MOCH with the credential goes even further than what has been mentioned through the Control and Information of the Detective Credential. This commitment makes OUR CREDENTIAL a true document of control and information for detective activities.