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BC Private Investigator overview

BC Private Investigator study guide: key rules on all 11 topics

Free BC Private Investigator study guide: 150 key points from the Introduction to Private Investigation — modules and learning objectives (PSKN) in plain words, organised by topic, each topic linked to its practice questions.

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This study guide collects our notes on every topic of the B.C. Private Investigator Licensing Exam (Introduction to Private Investigation) on one page: 150 short points in our own words, grouped by topic and by handbook section. Read it from top to bottom before your first practice test, or jump to a topic from the list below.

Each topic ends with a link to its practice questions, so you can check what you just read straight away, and a link to the official chapter for the full wording. The notes summarise the Introduction to Private Investigation — modules and learning objectives (PSKN) from the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General — Security Programs Division (exam delivered by the Professional Security Knowledge Network); they do not replace it, and where our notes and the official source differ, the official source wins.

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Who needs a B.C. PI licence and how to get one

The Security Services Act definition of a private investigator, who is exempt (lawyers, journalists, insurance adjusters, pre-employment screening), the PI and PI-under-supervision licences, the PSKN Introduction to Private Investigation course and exam, the 2,000-hour and police-experience routes, and out-of-province investigators.

Practise Who needs a B.C. PI licence and how to get one questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Private investigator

  • A private investigator is a person who, for consideration, seeks or obtains information about: crimes, offences, contraventions or misconduct (or allegations of them); the activities, character or repute of a person or organization; a person's whereabouts; the location, disposition or recovery of lost, stolen or missing property; or the cause of, or responsibility for, a fire, accident or incident causing damage or injury.
  • A private investigator business is a "security business", and private investigator work is "security work".

Licence required

  • Doing PI work, or holding yourself out as available for it, requires a security worker licence for that work.
  • Applicants must be ordinarily resident in Canada and at least 19, authorize criminal record, police information and correctional service checks, and pay the fee.
  • Out-of-province PIs: the registrar may exempt a PI licensed elsewhere who enters B.C. only to continue an investigation for an employer or client outside B.C., after notifying the registrar and applying.

Exemptions

  • Exempt from both worker and business licences: peace officers on duty; licensed insurance adjusters within their licence; reporting agencies and collectors under the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act; people who only obtain financial ratings; reporters and journalists; lawyers in their practice; people who only advise on protecting electronic data.
  • Exempt: people who mainly obtain information for employers on the qualifications and suitability of job candidates (pre-employment screening), for that work only.
  • Exempt from the worker licence: government employees performing their duties; people doing security work for no pay (except liquor door security).

Licence types and term

  • Two PI licence types: private investigator (item 4) and private investigator under supervision (item 5), who works only under the supervision of a fully licensed PI.
  • Regulation qualification for a full PI licence: conversational English plus two years' PI experience and courses in evidence gathering and presentation and in relevant criminal and civil law, or equivalent experience accepted by the registrar.
  • A business entity holding a PI business licence needs a manager who holds a full PI worker licence; an individual business licensee must hold one.
  • Maximum licence term: 3 years.

Security worker training requirements (updated April 21, 2026)

  • PI under supervision: the PSKN Introduction to Private Investigation course and exam, or B.C.-relevant courses in criminal law, civil law, human rights legislation, information and privacy, evidence protocols, interviewing, report writing, surveillance and documentary research; equivalent training may be considered.
  • Full PI licence, option 1: 2,000 hours of PI work in the last 5 years (employer or client letters with dates, role, hours logged and supervisor names) plus the PSKN course and exam or the listed courses.
  • Full PI licence, option 2: 10 years of police work in a Canadian police service plus proof of registration in the PSKN course, which must be completed with its exam within one year of getting the licence.

Introduction to Private Investigation – British Columbia (pskn.ca)

  • Content provided by the Professional Investigators' Association of British Columbia (PIABC); delivered online by the Professional Security Knowledge Network (PSKN).
  • Four parts, equivalent to 60 classroom hours: I Licensing, Liability and Safety; II Legal; III Basic Tools of the Trade; IV Technological Aids.
  • In B.C. a private investigator must be an employee of a provincially licensed private investigation firm (PSKN course page).
  • After the provincial licensing exam PSKN sends pass or fail results to the B.C. Registrar; PSKN is not involved in the licence decision.

PIUS training

  • B.C. was the first province to require training for Private Investigator Under Supervision (PIUS) applicants (mandatory from January 31, 2013) and the only jurisdiction offering PIUS licences at that time.
  • A PIUS works as a PI while mentored by a PI with an unrestricted licence.

Licence rules, conduct and PI businesses

Carrying and showing your licence, 14-day reporting, no uniform and no badge, the banned words detective and police, the B.C. code of conduct, business licences, insurance and records, enforcement and penalties, and why bug sweeping needs a security consultant licence.

Practise Licence rules, conduct and PI businesses questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Using the licence

  • A licence cannot be transferred or used by someone else; surrender it immediately on expiry, cancellation, suspension or refusal of renewal.
  • While doing security work, carry the licence and produce it on request of anyone to whom you hold yourself out as a security worker.
  • Report to the registrar within 14 days a change of residential address, a criminal charge or a conviction.

Uniforms and words

  • A licensee must not wear a uniform while doing private investigator work.
  • No one in security work may describe the work or business with the words "detective", "law enforcement", "peace officer" or "police".
  • No identification badge may be carried; no logo resembling a police logo; no advertising implying a link with a police service.

Code of conduct

  • Act with honesty and integrity; obey all laws; treat everyone equally without discrimination; no abusive language or unnecessary force; respect privacy and keep work information confidential unless disclosure is required; co-operate with police when the law requires; never unfit through alcohol or drugs; no false statements or complaints; never misrepresent your licence or your legal authority.

Businesses

  • A PI business needs a security business licence; it may employ only licensed workers for security work.
  • Business licensees keep prescribed records (client contracts, advertising, payroll, each worker's hours and type of work) for at least 2 calendar years.
  • Business licensees carry general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.
  • The registrar may limit a business licence to an address or to one aspect of security work; the licence is posted in a public place at each office.

Firearms and equipment

  • Licensees may not carry firearms while doing security work (armoured car guards may be permitted).
  • Restraining devices, prohibited weapons and items designed to control people are banned without authorization.

Enforcement

  • The registrar may cancel or suspend a licence after a hearing, or immediately to protect the public.
  • Complaints from the public: the registrar may refuse one made more than a year after the complainant knew the facts.
  • Administrative penalties up to $5,000 for an individual and $50,000 for a business entity.
  • Supplying false or misleading information to the registrar or an inspector is an offence.

Security consultant (technical surveillance countermeasures)

  • Detecting electromagnetic, acoustical or other devices that can intercept, transmit or examine private communications or records is the work of a "security consultant", a separate licence type.

Arrest, force and criminal harassment

Why a PI has only a citizen's powers, arrest without warrant under section 494, delivery to police, use of force under sections 25 to 27, 34 and 35, Charter rights, and how surveillance can cross into criminal harassment under section 264.

Practise Arrest, force and criminal harassment questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

No special powers

  • A licensed PI is not a peace officer and has only a private citizen's powers; misrepresenting legal authority breaches the code of conduct.

Arrest without warrant

  • Anyone may arrest a person found committing an indictable offence, or a person believed on reasonable grounds to have committed a criminal offence and escaping while freshly pursued by people with authority to arrest.
  • The owner, a person in lawful possession, or someone they authorize may arrest a person found committing a criminal offence on or in relation to the property, at the time or within a reasonable time if a peace officer cannot feasibly make the arrest.
  • A private arrester must deliver the person to a peace officer forthwith.

Force

  • A person authorized by law may use as much force as necessary on reasonable grounds; deadly force only to prevent death or grievous bodily harm; liability for any excess.
  • Self-defence: reasonable belief in force or threat, purpose of defending, act reasonable in the circumstances; defence of property for a person in peaceable possession, if reasonable.

Charter ss. 8–10, 32

  • Rights against unreasonable search or seizure and arbitrary detention; on arrest, the right to be told the reasons promptly and to retain counsel without delay; the Charter applies to government action.

Criminal harassment

  • Offence to repeatedly follow, monitor the location or movements of, repeatedly communicate with, beset or watch the home or workplace of, or threaten a person, knowing or reckless that they are harassed, if they reasonably fear for their safety (including psychological safety); maximum 10 years on indictment.

B.C. PIPA: consent, investigations and public sources

How B.C.'s Personal Information Protection Act applies to PI firms: consent and deceptive practices, the investigation exception, prescribed publicly available sources, access requests, safeguards and retention, and restricted records.

Practise B.C. PIPA: consent, investigations and public sources questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), SBC 2003 c. 63, ss. 1, 6–10

  • PIPA governs B.C. private organizations, including PI firms and their clients; personal information is information about an identifiable individual (not business contact or work product information).
  • Collection, use and disclosure need consent, deemed consent or a PIPA authorization; consent obtained through false or misleading information or deceptive practices is not valid.
  • Organizations tell individuals the purposes on or before collecting from them.

Investigations

  • "Investigation" includes an investigation related to a breach of an agreement, a contravention of a law, conduct that may give rise to a legal remedy, or the prevention of fraud.
  • Personal information may be collected without consent if seeking consent would compromise its availability or accuracy and the collection is reasonable for an investigation or a proceeding; parallel rules allow use (s. 15) and disclosure (s. 18).
  • Collection without consent is also allowed from prescribed publicly available sources (s. 12 (1) (e)).

Publicly available sources

  • Telephone directories and directory assistance (if subscribers can opt out); professional or business directories (if listing is optional); public registries collected under a law; printed or electronic publications such as books, magazines and newspapers.
  • Not usable if a court has banned publication of the information or the commissioner has ordered that it was published contrary to the Act.

Access, safeguards, retention

  • Individuals may request their own personal information and how it was used, subject to exceptions.
  • Reasonable security arrangements are required; information used to make a decision about a person is kept at least one year; then destroyed or anonymized when no longer needed.

Restricted information (general practice)

  • An investigator should not obtain credit records, income tax or bank records without a signed release and lawful authority.

Privacy Act, recording and surveillance limits

B.C.'s statutory tort of violation of privacy, its exceptions, eavesdropping and surveillance, use of a name or portrait, one-party consent to record under Criminal Code section 184, filming from public places, GPS trackers and criminal harassment.

Practise Privacy Act, recording and surveillance limits questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Tort of violation of privacy

  • It is a tort, actionable without proof of damage, to wilfully and without a claim of right violate another person's privacy.
  • The privacy a person is entitled to is what is reasonable in the circumstances, considering the lawful interests of others; courts look at the nature, incidence and occasion of the conduct and any relationship between the parties.
  • Privacy may be violated by eavesdropping or surveillance, whether or not there is a trespass.

Exceptions

  • Not a violation if: consented to by a person entitled to consent; incidental to lawful defence of person or property; authorized or required by B.C. law, a court or court process; or done by a peace officer or public officer investigating, if proportionate and not during a trespass.
  • Private investigators are not in the peace officer exception.
  • Publishing a matter of public interest or fair comment, or privileged publication, is not a violation, but this does not cover how the information was obtained.

Name or portrait; court

  • Using a person's name or portrait (still or moving likeness) to advertise or promote property or services without consent is a tort, actionable without proof of damage.
  • Privacy Act actions are heard in the B.C. Supreme Court.

Interception of private communications

  • Knowingly intercepting a private communication with an electro-magnetic, acoustic, mechanical or other device is an offence (up to five years).
  • Exception: the interceptor has the express or implied consent of the person who sent the communication or the person intended to receive it (one-party consent).
  • So an investigator may record a conversation they take part in, but never one between other people without a party's consent.

Industry privacy standards (general practice)

  • A person in a public place has no reasonable expectation of privacy and may be filmed; at home they do; observe from the street or public property, never by entering their property to look in windows.
  • Use judgment at sensitive moments: bathrooms, gravesites, religious observances, when minors are present.
  • Best practice is to record video without audio; keep the original recording unaltered.
  • GPS trackers only with the vehicle owner's permission (for a company vehicle, the owner company may give written permission).

Criminal harassment risk

  • Repeatedly following someone or watching their home or workplace without lawful authority, causing reasonable fear, can be criminal harassment; surveillance must have a lawful purpose and stay proportionate.

Human rights, the Charter and young persons

B.C. Human Rights Code grounds in services and employment, the code of conduct's equality duty, the Charter, the Youth Criminal Justice Act's age definitions and declaration of principle, the publication ban, and interviewing people under 18.

Practise Human rights, the Charter and young persons questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Human Rights Code, RSBC 1996 c. 210, ss. 1, 8, 13

  • No denial of, or discrimination in, services customarily available to the public without bona fide and reasonable justification, on grounds including Indigenous identity, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital and family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and age (19 or older).
  • Employment discrimination on the same kinds of grounds (and criminal conviction unrelated to the job) is also prohibited (s. 13).

Code of conduct

  • Licensees must treat all persons equally without discrimination on listed grounds.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ss. 2, 7–15, 32

  • The Charter protects fundamental freedoms, legal rights (life, liberty and security; search and seizure; detention; counsel) and equality rights, and applies to government; evidence collected by private parties can still be scrutinized by courts.

Ages

  • A young person is 12 or older but under 18 (or appears to be, absent evidence otherwise); a child is under 12.

Declaration of principle

  • The youth system protects the public by holding young persons accountable in proportion to the offence, promoting rehabilitation and reintegration, and supporting crime prevention.
  • It is separate from the adult system and based on reduced moral blameworthiness, with enhanced procedural protection including privacy, and timely intervention.
  • Measures should reinforce respect for societal values, encourage repair of harm, involve family and community, and respect differences; victims are treated with courtesy; parents are informed and encouraged to support their children.
  • The Act is liberally construed to give effect to these principles.

Publication ban

  • No one may publish the name of a young person, or information that would identify them, as having been dealt with under the Act, with limited exceptions (e.g. an adult sentence).
  • After turning 18, a young person may publish their own information if not in custody.

Interviewing youth (general practice)

  • Industry practice: contact parents or guardians for permission before interviewing a person under 18, and allow them to be present.

Mandate, surveillance and undercover work

Setting a justifiable mandate, preparing for surveillance, standard equipment, obeying traffic law, detecting counter-surveillance, solo and team methods, subjects with lawyers, and the rules of undercover operations.

Practise Mandate, surveillance and undercover work questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Principles of surveillance ("generally accepted practices throughout the private investigation industry")

  • Covert surveillance observes persons, places or things without being detected, to see the subject in their natural state; results are usually video or photographs, which are illustrative evidence.
  • Purposes include locating people, documenting activities or health status, locating hidden or stolen property, preventing or catching an act, preparing for an interview, and obtaining court evidence.
  • Before starting, gather the subject's name, date of birth, address, phone numbers, employment, places frequented and the purpose of the surveillance; check the file or office if anything is missing.
  • Obey all laws while following a subject, including traffic laws, even if the subject speeds or runs a light.
  • If the subject is represented by a lawyer, general practice is to avoid verbal contact with the subject.
  • Standard equipment: a nondescript vehicle in a muted colour, a video camera with night capability, a still camera with zoom, notepads, binoculars, a change of clothes, money, two-way radio and a recorder for notes.
  • Watch for signs the surveillance is compromised, balancing "paranoia" against real indicators.
  • Most surveillance is done alone; teams are used for aggressive drivers, multiple exits or counter-surveillance, and allow caravan, leapfrog and parallel methods; team members stay in constant communication.

Locating and mandate

  • Before taking a case, establish a justifiable mandate with the client: what is requested, why, whether it is frivolous, and whether obtaining it is lawful; document the reason; sometimes check the client's claims and background.
  • Double-check the accuracy of information supplied; use public databases, internet sources and libraries; a newspaper advertisement is a last resort for finding a missing person.

Undercover operations

  • Undercover work is a last resort; often used for workplace issues such as employee theft.
  • The operator is briefed on the environment, supervisors, suspects, infractions sought, job expectations and where suspects gather; a supervisor debriefs them in person after each shift and receives evidence.
  • Operators report all infractions seen, keep their credibility (no drugs or alcohol, no offering money to steal), and must not encourage or assist any contravention; they must not record conversations they are not part of; no cameras in washrooms.
  • It is generally the client's decision whether to inform police.

Interviews, statements and reports

Preparing and conducting interviews, recording only with a party's consent, the parts of a written witness statement, corrections and initials, voluntariness, objective reports, correcting notes, and using notes in court.

Practise Interviews, statements and reports questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Interview techniques (general practice)

  • Know the purpose of the interview; prepare questions, notebook, pens and a recorder.
  • Never record a conversation without the knowledge and consent of one of the parties; recording others' conversation without consent is a criminal offence (Criminal Code s. 184).
  • Make an appointment with a co-operative witness; a cold call may suit some cases; state your business truthfully without revealing confidential information.
  • Identify yourself and show your licence; do not interrupt once the person talks; take notes discreetly; control your emotions; close courteously.
  • Write the investigative report immediately after the interview.

Statements

  • Purpose: an accurate record of the witness's recollection.
  • Include the witness's full name, date of birth, ID, employment and contact information, address, location, date, start and end times, the investigator's name and company, an introduction, a verbatim account and a closing paragraph.
  • Let the witness review and change the statement before signing; strike through changes with both sets of initials; initial or sign each page; draw an X through unused space on the last page.
  • Record that the information was given of the witness's own free will; a confession must involve no threat or promise, or it will be inadmissible.

Report writing and reports as evidence

  • Reports are objective and standardized: date, time, location, actions, descriptions, observations, time of completion.
  • Record notes as soon as possible; a recorder helps but can fail; add omitted information when remembered; correct errors by a single line and initials.
  • Final reports come from personal notes and a review of the video; surveillance reports start with the subject's name, file number, date and time.
  • In court, with permission, notes may be used as a memory aid only; review them before testifying.

Making a statement (March 12, 2026)

  • Police ask witnesses for exact time and location, names, descriptions (hair, build, height, sex, race), what was seen, and vehicle plate, colour and type; read a statement fully and sign only if accurate.

Evidence handling and information sources

The six steps for containing evidence, chain of custody, protecting original video, business and electronic records under the Canada Evidence Act, and lawful research sources such as directories, registries, PPSR and court files.

Practise Evidence handling and information sources questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Care and control of evidence (general practice)

  • Six core steps for containing evidence: collect, secure, preserve, identify, ensure continuity, log.
  • Treat all evidence as if it may be used at trial; show an uninterrupted chain of custody; evidence must be identified and relevant.
  • Mark the evidence bag with the investigator's initials and the date and time collected; keep the number of handlers small and document each transfer.
  • Non-physical evidence, such as a saved electronic communication on a USB drive, is also stored securely as evidence.
  • Video: the integrity of the original recording is paramount; never alter the original.

Records

  • A record made in the usual and ordinary course of business is admissible where oral evidence of the matter would be; at least seven days' notice is required before producing it.
  • Section 30 does not make admissible a record made in the course of an investigation or inquiry, or in contemplation of a legal proceeding.
  • Anyone seeking to admit an electronic document must prove it is what it claims to be (authenticity).

Research and information sources

  • Online databases and profiles are only as reliable as whoever entered the data; a subject's own profile must be checked for accuracy.
  • Libraries hold directories, criss-cross (reverse) directories and old newspapers with notices of bankruptcy, marriage, births, obituaries and probate.
  • A Personal Property Security Registry (PPSR) search can reveal liens registered against a person's property or business collateral; it is public.
  • Bankruptcy, divorce, land registry, corporate and court files (civil, small claims, family) may also help; limit searches to what the assignment needs.
  • Do not obtain credit, income tax or bank records without a signed release and lawful authority.

Prescribed public sources

  • Directories with opt-out, public registries created by law, and published books, magazines and newspapers may be used without consent unless a court or the commissioner has restricted the source.

Technology, countermeasures and safety

Technical surveillance countermeasures and the security consultant licence, interception and computer-system rules, wireless cameras and GPS, authenticating electronic files, insurance, and WorkSafeBC rules for lone and at-risk work.

Practise Technology, countermeasures and safety questionsFlashcardsOfficial chapter

Part IV Technological Aids (topics only)

  • Covers the internet as a research tool, threats to digital information, cybercrime and computer forensics, video equipment, tracking technology and its legal limits, and technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM).

TSCM and data advice

  • Detecting devices that intercept, transmit or examine private communications or records (bug sweeping) is security consultant work, which needs a security consultant licence.
  • People who only advise on protecting electronic data or database systems are exempt from licensing.

Devices and interception

  • Using any device to knowingly intercept a private communication without a party's consent is an offence; a company may intercept on its own computer system only as reasonably necessary to manage or protect that system.

Wireless cameras and GPS (general practice)

  • A wireless camera signal should be encrypted, because an unintended person could intercept it.
  • GPS trackers only with the vehicle owner's permission.

Canada Evidence Act s. 31.1

  • The party offering an electronic document (photo, video file, email) must prove its authenticity.

Safety on assignments

  • Lone work needs hazard identification, a written check-in procedure with set intervals and an end-of-shift check, training and annual review.
  • Where violence is a risk, employers assess it, set procedures and inform workers, including about people with a history of violence.

Insurance

  • A security business licensee (including a PI firm) must carry general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.

Written in our own words from: Introduction to Private Investigation — modules and learning objectives (PSKN)

FAQ

BC Private Investigator study guide: common questions

What is the best way to use this BC Private Investigator study guide?

Read one topic, then answer that topic's practice questions while the rules are fresh. Note the questions you miss, re-read those notes, and finish with a full practice test across all 11 topics.

Is this the official BC Private Investigator handbook?

No. It is our own summary of the Introduction to Private Investigation — modules and learning objectives (PSKN). Use it to review, and use the official handbook when you need the exact wording of a rule.

Can I print the study guide?

Yes, with your browser's print command. For practice questions on paper with an answer key, use our printable questions and answers page instead.

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