I am advised:

(1) As at 1 August 2024, there are 1,754 current Class 2E (Private Investigator) licences.

(2) The table below shows the number of complaints regarding private investigators for each financial year from 2019/20 to 2023/24:

Note: Data provided in the table above relates only to those complaints made to the NSW Police Force (NSWPF) Security Licensing Enforcement Directorate. Data relating to complaints made to other areas of the NSWPF are unable to be provided as they are not centrally recorded by the NSWPF.

(3) The table below shows the number of licence revocations each financial year from 2019/20 to 2023/24:

(3)

(a)

(i) 13

(ii) Nil

(iii) Nil

(iv) Nil

(v) Nil

(vi) Nil

(vii) Five (5) for the following reasons:

-          ICAC finding of corrupt conduct (x1)

-          Not fit and proper person (offence proven but no conviction recorded) {x2)

-          Breach of Surveillance Devices Act 2007 (x2)

Note: Prior to 1 July 2022, private investigators were regulated under the now repealed Commercial Agents and Private Inquiry Agents Act 2004 (CAPI Act). During the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22, the NSWPF Security Licensing Enforcement Directorate revoked a total of 92 CAPI licences for breaching licence conditions. These revocations related primarily to licensees who undertook debt collection and had failed to meet conditions relating to the reporting of unclaimed trust money. While some of these licensees may have also been authorised to undertake private inquiry agent activities, these figures have not been included in the figures above.