Professional Development Webinar: Effective Interviewing With Jason Lawrence
This month’s PICA Professional Development webinar featured special guest, Mr Jason Lawrence. Jason is a former senior police detective and has also worked in an investigative capacity with one of the world’s biggest mining companies. He now consults to organisations in building investigative capability and…
Merry Christmas from Professional Investigators College of Australasia
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a great new year! We have had a really big year this year at PICA, and no doubt you have too. Next year we are going to continue our professional development, and continue making pathways for your development…
Five essential study tips for the holidays
Holidays are often a good time to get stuck into your study, to catch up or even to start a course. This can prove difficult when trying to get motivated, particularly after a tough year. No doubt you probably want to just put your feet…
Skip tracing: what Harry Bosch can teach us
Many of us involved in private investigation work will at some stage be called upon to locate someone. Whether that’s a debtor, missing person or as part of a factual or surveillance investigation. Often referred to as “skip tracing,” being able to find the subject…
Are you ready for the new WHS obligations relating to psychosocial hazards in your workplace?
Worker’s mental health has been in the spotlight for a long time, not only in terms of good leadership, organisational culture and HR management, but also relevant to Workcover claims, lost productivity and turnover. Now, the management of employee mental health and wellbeing is legislated….
What ‘Saving Private Ryan’ can teach us about investigation
I recently watched (again, for the 79th time) the 1998 epic war film starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, Saving Private Ryan. And if you didn’t know, or have recently returned from Eastern Siberia, the movie depicts a WWII US Ranger squadron tasked to find…
Managing aggressive and difficult customers
October’s PICA professional development webinar featured Mr Jason Lawrence, expert in tactical communications. Jason is not only an experienced communicator in managing aggressive and difficult clients/customers, but also a career investigator with both the military and state government departments. The ability to deal with angry…
Do you want to make a difference? A Certificate IV in Justice Studies can take you places!
A few weeks ago we introduced a Certificate IV in Justice Studies to our range of specialist accredited programs. Here at the Professional Investigators College of Australasia, we’re all about providing career pathways for our students. We do this through our nationally accredited training programs…
Fancy a career in the Justice System? PICA’s new Certificate IV in Justice Studies may be just what you need!
COVID has left many feeling like a career change, a promotion, or even to pursue the sort of work they’ve always wanted. For many, thoughts of a job where they can serve the community, undertake different roles and move from the mundane – where everyday…
Best practice training for investigators
Last week we facilitated our second in-house and virtual intensive Certificate III in Investigative Services to a range of students in our Sunshine Coast training facility, and remotely across the country. At the Professional Investigators College of Australasia (PICA), our aim is to provide the…
TED: Ask the right questions, get the right answers.
There’s a fair bit of research around about questioning techniques and the usefulness of asking open ended questions. It doesn’t matter whether the interviewee is a complainant, witness, respondent or party to a dispute or conflict. In the case of investigative interviewing, there’s evidence…
Keeping safe in hostile environments
Government compliance and investigation officers are on the front line of customer contact. Sometimes, however, this contact is not always pleasant and presents a risk both to the officer themselves and the organisation. While physical and psychological injury is a risk to any customer service…