Mr Vaz, Chair of the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee, heads an enquiry into the activities of 'private investigators'. The inspiration for the enquiry comes from the recent phone hacking scandal in which 'private investigators' were implicated as accessories to unethical tabloid journalists carrying out questionable and, most probably, unlawful acts in their quest for 'news'.

Mr Vaz sets out his objective to look at the wider area of 'private investigation;' the whole picture as he puts it. Mr Vaz acknowledges that there is a legitimate side to the profession and The Association of British Investigators welcomes this recognition.

The interview touches on the fact that the Private Security Industry Act, 2001 has not been implemented with regard to licensing/regulation of investigators and that this needs to be addressed. Mr Vaz remarks that 'nobody is clear' on this issue. Again, The Association is pleased that this problem is recognised and is hopeful that its proposal for statutory self regulation is embraced by Mr Vaz and his team.

The law in relation to access (to information) needs to be considered and any gaps identified says Mr Vaz.

Interestingly, Mr Vaz says he would like to accompany a 'private investigator' to see just what they do. He says that the industry is much larger than he first imagined and made mention, by way of example, of a US Investigation company recently changing hands at 1.3 billion dollars.

The Association is delighted that Mr Vaz and the Home Affairs select Committee have grasped the key issues so readily and that they have understood what The Association has been saying for so long. Hopefully, the confusing label of "private investigator" will begin to erode and we as "professional investigators" will be viewed, as we should be, quite differently from the shadowy media image that we are often burdened by.