Something been bugging you lately ?
By Bill Power
He had been hired to follow a man and collect information. Where did he go ? Who did he speak with ? What was the conversation ?
It was a standard sort of job and the Perth private investigator thought it would be over quickly. He thought wrongly. The “Target” went to various places before finally booking into a restaurant. The investigator also booked a table and from his little black book arranged a suitable female companion.
He managed to be seated next to the “Target’s” table and was all ready to eavesdrop the conversation. “The whole thing fell apart when he spoke in German,” said the Investigator.
“I didnt get a word, and to cap it off the dinner cost me $85.”
GAMBLE
Had the Investigator been willing to gamble his license and recently established company he could have bugged the Tartget, taped the conversation and had it translated later. But according to Perth Agencies no licensed company is prepared to take that gamble.
They prefer to go to the lengths of eavesdropping in restaurants to get their information.
One long-established Perth company has a policy of “Beer not Bugs” . It relies on the principle that hundreds of people talk easily in bars.
GAME
The game of one-upmanship also applies. A half drunk advertising man just loves to let his friends know he “is on the inside” of what future projects his company has. Mr Harry Williams, who runs an Investigation Agency in Howard Street Perth says his policy is “Beer not Bugs”
But he says there are unlicensed people in Perth who would place a bug. “There are a couple of people who, for various reasons, cannot get a license who would do it,” he said. He also said that about twice a week he is asked to put a bug in a board-room, on a phone or in a place where people talk about other people – like a staff coffee room. “I refuse, its just not worth my license to do it” he said. Mr Williams said he has found “a handful” of bugs in Perth after he had been requested to find them by business men.
One was attached to the top mechanism of a curtain in a board-room of a Perth advertising company. The bug was found during a search. However, does have an FM scanner available to sweep a room for electronic listening devices. The bug he found could not have been located with the scanner.
ACTION
Mr Williams said most companies he helps to stop information leaks take civil action. But where the spying involves thefts, Police action is taken.
He said he recommends the action. Telephone bugs terrify Harry Williams.
The bugs he has heard of are very hard to detect, specially the latest version which is attached via a line and draws power from it. They are virtually un-detectable.
Bug detecting can earn big money especially if some of the latest costing up to $4000 a set is used.
It appears there is only one such device in Perth. It was imported from the United States. It’s owner, former Police Detective, Terry Hebb said he had been called to use the machine to sweep several Perth offices. He has not found a bug. Interviews on bugging are avoided “like the plague” by Police.
A Police spokesman described bugging as “a sensitive issue”
QUESTION
A direct question on whether WA Police had anyone specialising in bugging detection met with “no comment”.
Unless they had an official complaint concerning the Listening Devices Act, Police would direct inquiries to a security agency. “If we had a complaint that an offence against that Act was being committed, we would investigate.” the spokesman said.
“How we went about that investigation is another matter I won’t talk about” The last occasion he could remember a bug being discovered was in 1971 during an investigation that the stock exchange had been given false statements.