"How Do You Investigate Unobtrusively as a Private Detective, Mr Kurtz? – The Big Sunday Story" | Lübecker Nachrichten

The cases of Sherlock Holmes make many hearts beat faster, and detective series are popular on television. But what does the everyday work of a detective really look like? Private investigator and owner of Kurtz Investigations Kiel and Schleswig-Holstein, Patrick Kurtz, gives an extensive insight into his daily routine.

 

Patrick Kurtz is a private detective, criminologist, author, and owner of Kurtz Investigations Kiel and Schleswig-Holstein. In the service provider ranking of the Wirtschaftswoche, the Kurtz Detective Agency was even named the third-best investigative service in Germany. In addition to his detective agency in Schleswig-Holstein, Kurtz also operates agencies in the other 15 federal states. The IHK-certified detective investigates cases for private individuals and companies in a wide variety of matters: from monitoring suspicious employees to checking the fidelity of spouses, he uncovers the truth — even when it becomes uncomfortable.

On Subtle Surveillance

Josephine Andreoli, Lübecker Nachrichten: “Beige trench coat with the collar turned up, cap pulled low over the face, pipe in the corner of the mouth — is that what a detective’s workday looks like, Mr Kurtz?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Someone wanting to observe unobtrusively probably wouldn’t wear a beige trench coat. However, I have a checkered trench coat, which is probably not exactly inconspicuous either, but looks quite detective-like. We also no longer hide behind newspapers during surveillance. That may have been necessary in the past — to conceal cameras.”

 

Josephine Andreoli: “How does one conduct surveillance in an especially inconspicuous way?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Trying to be particularly inconspicuous usually makes you quite noticeable. You blend in by behaving like those around you, by integrating into your surroundings. If you are observing someone in a restaurant, it is much less conspicuous if a partner is with you, because it is unusual for someone to dine alone. And of course, I should also select my technical tools to be unobtrusive, which is fairly easy today. Everyone has a smartphone and can take photos discreetly. I even have watches with a lens the size of a buttonhole — I press it and can record videos and take photos. Cameras are now so small they can be hidden anywhere.”

Often Matters of Infidelity

Josephine Andreoli: “And do people really come to you to find out whether their wife or husband is cheating?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Yes, with private clients, it is quite stereotypically often about infidelity in the relationship. We refer to this as fidelity investigation. That is the case we handle most frequently in our agency.”

 

Josephine Andreoli: “Why don’t people just follow their partner themselves?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “I consider observing your own partner to be rather unwise if you want to be unobtrusive. For one, the partner knows your face, and for another, the average person is not trained in surveillance tactics. It has happened repeatedly that clients have told us they already tried to follow their partner but got caught. That then complicates our work. The target person is already alert, looks around more often, and scans their environment.”

Josephine Andreoli: “But who expects to be watched by a detective?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “There are certainly people who do. There are enough individuals who have something to hide and are aware of it. And they are careful. People committing sick leave fraud, for example, are especially alert. They know exactly that they are violating their employment contract and that the employer would be entitled to dismiss them without notice.”

Most Assignments Come from Private Individuals

Josephine Andreoli: “So companies also hire you. How is the ratio of assignments from private individuals versus companies at your agency?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “We definitely get more assignments from private individuals. I estimate the ratio is about 65 to 35 percent. But revenues are naturally more strongly influenced by corporate clients.”

 

Josephine Andreoli: “Does a detective get rich?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “As in most industries, there are extremes at both ends, but most investigators today earn rather little because the volume of assignments has declined. Twenty to thirty years ago, it was much more likely to build wealth as a detective.”

95 Percent of Work Is Surveillance

Josephine Andreoli: “What constitutes the main part of your work?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “When you are active in the field, surveillance makes up 95 percent of the time. However, surveillance itself occurs in very different ways. Some is on foot, but most is conducted in vehicles. You need a lot of patience — there is a lot of waiting. Sometimes you sit in a car for 16, 17 hours straight and nothing happens. You still have to remain focused and fixate on a specific point, like a door.”

 

Josephine Andreoli: “And what if you need to go to the toilet?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “With two people it’s usually not a problem — one can step away briefly. Alone, I wouldn’t recommend it. Drinking from a Punica bottle is our standard method.”

Heavy Metal Against Fatigue

Josephine Andreoli: “What do you do when you get tired?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “I listen to heavy metal! I usually follow the drummer’s double pedal with my feet, and that automatically wakes me up. I often also listen to audiobooks, previously a lot of Sherlock Holmes, but I now know them inside out.”

 

Josephine Andreoli: “Is your work as exciting as Sherlock Holmes and Thomas Magnum make it look?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “It is usually not as thrilling as films and novels suggest. Cases rarely unfold spectacularly one after another; they often repeat. But the work is exciting nevertheless.”

Legal Foundation Is Key

Josephine Andreoli: “What qualities must a detective have?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Expertise. Legal foundations are absolutely essential — you must know them, otherwise you put yourself and your clients in trouble. In addition, persistence, patience, concentration, and physical fitness are needed. You sometimes have to overcome obstacles or close a growing distance to the target. For an overweight investigator, that can quickly become difficult. Creativity is also a core skill — you have to shift perspectives and think differently to solve difficult cases.”

 

Josephine Andreoli: “How does one become a detective? Is there a detective school?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Normally, you have a prior career in a law enforcement agency. That can range from criminal police, BND, customs, or even the Stasi. But in principle, anyone in Germany can become a detective — which is the problem: there are no licensing requirements. The only requirement is a clean criminal record. Considering data protection and personal rights, this is a significant political shortcoming.”

Reading Sherlock Holmes at 13

Josephine Andreoli: “So you worked in a law enforcement agency before founding your agency?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “No, I actually stumbled into it — although I had passionately read Sherlock Holmes stories since the age of 13 and had even started smoking a pipe. Between my bachelor’s and master’s studies in European Literature, I had a year to pursue further education. Ultimately, I completed a six-month training at the Security Academy Berlin and received the IHK certificate as a detective professional.”

 

Josephine Andreoli: “How important is such a certificate to clients?”

 

Patrick Kurtz: “Clients occasionally ask about the IHK certificate, and some even tell me they chose Kurtz Detective Agency because of my certification. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be this particular training path. What matters is that an investigator has completed basic training qualifying them for the profession.

 

I have been practising this profession since 2013, and there are always cases that are unlike anything I have encountered before. That makes this job incredibly exciting. It’s amusing, but it so happens that I am now a pipe-smoking detective — probably the only one in all of Germany.”

 

Josephine Andreoli: “Thank you very much for the interview, Mr Kurtz!”

Note

The original article by Josephine Andreoli appeared in the Lübecker Nachrichten. Bold text and hyperlinks on this page may differ from the original.

 

Simultaneously, the Lübecker Nachrichten, in cooperation with Raoul Oliver Classen, President of the Bundesverband Deutscher Detektive (BDD), published another article on the detective profession, also by Josephine Andreoli:

https://www.ln-online.de/Nachrichten/Norddeutschland/Der-moderne-Sherlock-Holmes-Was-macht-einen-guten-Detektiv-aus.

Kurtz Detective Agency Kiel and Schleswig-Holstein

Hopfenstraße 1d

D-24114 Kiel

Tel.: +49 431 3057 0053

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-kiel.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-kiel.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-kiel