A Private Eye Opener.
By Kate Verboon
A former policeman turned investigator is an unlikely person to be involved in the development of a new paint.
But when the paint can be used as a permanent way to identify property, it becomes a valuable tool for a man whose company has a major security consultancy service.
The security work is a growing part of the business Terry headset up seven years ago when he left his job as a Detective Sergeant in the WA police force.
Initially, he worked as an investigator using his police skills and experience in private work.
This takes in everything from domestic issues to corporate concerns and insurance investigations.
And for those who wonder if his life’s anything like the private investigators made famous by TV. Terry hebb answers with an adamant “No”.
As the investigation business grew, so did the demand for security services, to the extent that the security part of T.R. Hebb & Associate’s Pty Ltd now operates on an equal basis with the investigation wing.
There are now 10 people working in the company, located in Hay Street and the majority of them are also former police officers.
The team works as a group of versatile professionals who can investigate any problem and advise on any security matter.
T.R. Hebb and Associates is the investigating business. This includes a lot of civil and criminal investigations on behalf of lawyers throughout the state, as well as the surveillance work.
Surveillance can be done for numerous reasons, from checking an insurance claim to watching the movements and activities of company staff, who are often out of the office.
Terry Hebb brings home the day-to-day reality of his work with a simple example. “You might be in the situation where your boss suspects you are moonlighting in his time” he says. “If an employer is paying you $500 a week and thinks you are spending 10 hours a week working for someone down the road, he might engage us for a day, a week or a month to see what you are doing”.
The company also carries out investigations into industrial espionage – Words that Terry Hebb agrees evoke James Bond imagery, but are in fact a part of the realities of business competition.
Aust-Guard Security Services also involves a complete range of services.
These include security consulting to mining companies and different corporate bodies on both internal and external security. The company conducts seminars for businesses including advising security staff on their responsibilities and duties as security officers. It also sells and installs security alarms for homes and businesses. The equipment used depends on the various client needs and each case is individually as assessed.
Other aspects of the companies work include a de-bugging service. This involves electronic security sweeps of areas such as offices and boardrooms to ensure there are no hidden transmitters.
Aust-Guard Security Paint
The success of the Aust-Guard Security paint is another big development for the company and has attracted interest from Interstate and overseas since its release in April. Major companies using the paint include BHP, Robe River and Hamersley Iron, as well as government organisations including Telecom, Australia Post and the SEC.
Once an item is marked with the paint, it is there for good. Any attempts to remove it are beaten by the pigments in the paint that show up under ultraviolet light. A coding system is also built into the paint and acts like a company fingerprint, making it easy to confirm ownership of any item.
In this way, Aust-Guard Security paints provide 3 levels of property identification.
1. A bright, tightly adhering, visible means of identification.
2. A Hidden UV fluorescent identification that can only be seen under ultraviolet light.
3. The paint is uniquely coded to the client company to provide evidence of ownership.
An Aust-Guard sign warning that the property is chemically marked adds to its effectiveness as a deterrent against theft.
Terry Hebb said the deterrent effect had proved already to be a big saving for companies in the replacement of equipment. Now the company is negotiating to export Aust-Guard Security paint to Britain and Europe. It is also doing further research involved with identification systems.