BC Private Investigator: Interviews, statements and reports

All 14 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. Once a witness starts talking freely, what should the interviewer do?

   1. Argue with any point they doubt
   2. Stop them to read the client's version
   3. Not interrupt, and take notes discreetly
   4. Correct every small error right away

2. May a PI leave a hidden recorder in a room to capture a conversation between two other people?

   1. Yes, if the client owns the building where the room is located
   2. Yes, if the room is in a workplace
   3. Yes, if the PI owns the recorder
   4. No, that intercepts a private communication

3. A witness asks to change a line before signing. How should the change be made?

   1. Have the PI change it quietly after the witness has left the room
   2. Use correction fluid and rewrite it neatly
   3. Strike through it, with both people initialling
   4. Start the whole statement again from scratch

4. How should a PI begin an interview with a witness?

   1. Say they are with the police to save time
   2. Start recording right away without saying who they are or why
   3. Greet them, identify themselves and show the licence
   4. Ask for the witness's ID before speaking

5. Why does the PI draw an X through the blank space at the end of a statement?

   1. To show the page was photocopied
   2. To mark the statement as rejected
   3. To show nothing was added after signing
   4. To show that the witness refused to sign the statement at all

6. How may a PI use notes on the witness stand?

   1. Give the notes to the jury instead
   2. Read the notes aloud word for word as the evidence
   3. With permission, as a memory aid only
   4. Not at all, under any circumstances

7. What is the key to a successful interview?

   1. Knowing the purpose of the interview
   2. Interviewing only people who agree with the client
   3. Arriving without any prepared questions
   4. Keeping the interview as short as possible

8. What should appear at the start of each surveillance report?

   1. A summary of the client's invoice and the PI's hourly rate
   2. Subject's name, file number, date and time
   3. The PI's home address and phone
   4. The subject's credit score

9. Why should a PI not rely only on a digital recorder for notes?

   1. Recorders are banned for licensed PIs
   2. Recorders are never allowed in court
   3. Recorders always break privacy law
   4. Batteries can drain and devices can fail

10. Which detail belongs in a written witness statement?

    1. The PI's opinion of the witness
    2. The time the statement started and finished
    3. The subject's private medical history
    4. The client's fee for the file

11. When should a PI write up an interview?

    1. Only if the client asks
    2. At the end of the month, with other reports
    3. Before the trial date
    4. Right after the interview

12. A suspect confesses after a PI promises the client will not report them to police. What is the risk?

    1. A confession induced by a promise may be inadmissible
    2. None, because PIs are not police officers and the rules do not apply
    3. None, if the confession is written down
    4. Only that the client might be upset

13. What is the key purpose of taking a witness statement?

    1. To list the witness's personal opinions
    2. To replace the need for any court testimony
    3. To keep an accurate record of the witness's recollection
    4. To persuade the witness to support the client's version of events

14. A PI finds an error in their surveillance notes. How should it be corrected?

    1. Use correction tape so it looks clean
    2. Black it out completely with a marker
    3. Draw a single line through it and initial it
    4. Tear out the page and rewrite it