Declining Numbers of Recorded Offences in Munich Indicate Victim Frustration with Authorities

In Germany, a total of 20,464 cases of stalking under § 238 StGB “Pursuit” were recorded in the Police Crime Statistics (PKS) in 2021 – a figure that appears very low to us as detectives in Munich based on our own case experience, but nonetheless represents an increase compared to all statistics since 2015. This trend suggests that at least nationwide, more such reports are gaining recognition by the authorities. For Munich, however, the situation is puzzlingly reversed. At first glance, stalking seems hardly a problem in Munich: According to the Police Headquarters’ Security Report, only 161 cases of stalking under § 238 StGB were “recorded” in 2021, with numbers having sharply declined for years. By comparison, Berlin recorded 1,906 cases over the same period. While the capital has roughly 150 percent more inhabitants than the Bavarian city, the suggestion that there are over 1,000 percent more stalkers there cannot be explained by the larger population or generally higher crime rates in Berlin (13,158 offences per 100,000 inhabitants compared to 5,394 in Munich). Stalking is considered a largely location-independent offence, as it is rarely caused by circumstances such as low income, but rather by problems deeply rooted in the psyche. So why this discrepancy? Most likely, it is statistical nuances: which reports are recorded and which are not. If reports of stalking regularly go unrecorded, victim frustration with investigative authorities rises. Victims feel that they are not taken seriously and not genuinely helped, and eventually may avoid going to the police altogether.

Since 2021 was a year marked by significant restrictions on freedom due to the pandemic, the increase in nationwide stalking cases is likely less a result of more physical stalking than of greater recognition of cyberstalking. Clearly, there is room for improvement in Munich in this regard. Nevertheless, there are avenues of support for stalking victims: On the one hand, there are victim protection organisations acting as representatives of those affected, and on the other hand, commercial providers such as Kurtz Detective Agency Munich (+49 89 7007 4301), which, through their investigations, obtain legally admissible evidence that can prompt the public prosecutor to initiate criminal proceedings.

High Clearance Rate but Few Convictions: Private Detectives from Munich Increase the Evidence Base

The stalking statute § 238 StGB was introduced, amidst some side noise, in March 2007 and underwent an important amendment exactly ten years later: Previously, only an actual “serious impairment of the victim’s life” – such as a forced move or change of workplace as a result of stalking – could justify a conviction. Since 2017, the mere possibility of such impairment is sufficient to fulfil the offence. This represents a significant shift in the burden of proof, at least in theory. In practice, however, the threshold for victims to report their cases to authorities remains high. This is partly due to social and psychological factors: Shame and fear of the opinions of friends, employers, and colleagues prevent many victims from filing a report. Especially when the offender is an ex-partner, a former friend, or even a family member, victims often find it difficult to take legal steps. The practical threshold is also largely attributable to the behaviour of authorities: With a nationwide conviction rate of only 1–2 percent for offenders of stalking (despite an arguably impressive clearance rate of around 80 percent!), there is little reason for complacency – victims simply see no point in reporting. For this reason, many victims turn to our private detectives in Munich, who, through years of experience and various investigative techniques, are able to provide evidence that can lead to the actual conviction of offenders.

Victims are often blamed for having communicated with the stalker, which is interpreted as direct contact interest; this may be true in individual cases, as, of course, there are people who abuse the stalking statute for various reasons. However, deriving a general legal rule from such isolated cases causes injustice on a broad basis. Additionally, many victims fear “retaliation” from the stalker if they learn about police or public prosecutor involvement. The true extent of stalking is therefore impossible to estimate; all existing figures are purely speculative. Our detective agency in Munich is committed to helping stalking victims present evidence that compels authorities to act.

Stalking – Am I Affected?

It is often difficult to draw a line between a persistent admirer and a stalker. However, as soon as the person affected notices that, no matter what they say or do, the flood of love letters, gifts, calls, SMS messages, and even unexpected visits does not stop, it constitutes stalking. The behaviour does not even need to be limited to contact with the victim themselves; many stalkers also approach the victim’s acquaintances or colleagues, interrogate them, slander the victim, cause problems and disputes, and thus destroy social life. Occasionally, our Munich detectives observe that harassment is even extended to unwanted orders placed in the victim’s name. This creates additional psychological stress in the form of bureaucratic tasks such as returning packages or contesting collection notices for unpaid bills.

All these are important warning signs for you as a victim: If you recognise your own situation in the above description, you can assume you have become a stalking victim. It is then important not to withdraw, but to confide in trusted persons, to encourage the police to hold so-called risk-assessment meetings and, if necessary, issue restraining orders, with legal assistance, or, if these measures fail, to involve an experienced investigative agency such as Kurtz Detective Agency Munich. As described above, stalking is often only seriously prosecuted when the victim has already suffered significant harm.

Victims Mostly Female | Offender Fantasies Lead to Dangerous Behaviour

Although one might assume that victims and offenders are evenly distributed across genders, reality is different: Around 80 percent of registered stalking victims are female, while 90 percent of offenders are male. The relationship between offender and victim can vary greatly; in the majority of cases, it is men stalking their ex-partners or former intimate partners due to feelings of rejection. However, stalking can also occur between friends and colleagues; in any case, victims suffer psychologically and, not infrequently, physically. Some stalkers do not hesitate to commit violent acts, especially if they repeatedly experience rejection over a long period. In cases of violent or potentially dangerous stalkers, it is advisable to engage our Munich detectives alongside the police to ensure rapid countermeasures.

Occasionally, the stalker is not an acquaintance or former partner, but a stranger. This is often due to so-called erotomania: The offender believes that there is a love relationship between themselves and the victim, or desires one so obsessively that all boundaries are disregarded. This can manifest, for example, in the victim believing that the loved person sends secret signs of affection through glances, messages, or gestures. Rejection, even openly expressed, is interpreted as a tactic to hide the love. Such cases can also escalate to violence, as exemplified by the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, then US President, in 1981: an erotomaniac believed he could impress the actress Jodie Foster, whom he had fixated on since her childhood. These extreme cases demonstrate that utmost caution is required in stalking situations, and that help from authorities, legal representatives, and/or our Munich private detectives should be sought without delay.

Engaging Kurtz Detective Agency Munich: How Detectives Can Assist in Stalking Cases

Regular observation of the victim’s home or workplace, or discreet accompaniment to identify pursuers, can, in the case of an unknown offender, lead to identification of the stalker. Detective accompaniment also has the additional benefit of enhancing the sense of security, as investigators can intervene immediately in the event of a physical attack. If the stalker’s identity is already known and there is sufficient evidence of the offence, direct observation of the offender can also be justified. In both cases, photographic and video documentation of the incidents and of the offender is carried out – a form of evidence collection not provided by the police in stalking cases. Securing fingerprints, for example from threatening letters, is also part of the service portfolio of our private detective agency in Munich.

Are you or someone close to you a stalking victim? Contact our Munich detectives at any time for a free and non-binding consultation regarding our investigative services. We understand the limitations and distress caused by this form of harassment. We are available during business hours from Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 20:00 by email (kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de), via our contact form, or by telephone at +49 89 7007 4301.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Editor and Content Responsible: Patrick Kurtz

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

For his non-fiction book Liebe Frau Merkel ("Dear Mrs Merkel"), Thomas Ganzhorn sent letters written from the perspective of children to figures from politics and business, including Friedrich Merz and Google. One of these letters landed at Kurtz Detective Agency. The response from our owner, Patrick Kurtz, can be found both in the book and below.

Thomas Ganzhorn: Liebe Frau Merkel, Carl Ueberreuter Verlag, Vienna, 120 pages, €16.00, ISBN: 978-3-8000-7754-0

Blurb from Thomas Ganzhorn: "Liebe Frau Merkel"

Many things and topics are explained very complicatedly, especially in politics, which often speaks in a language difficult to decode. Companies also frequently hide behind marketing messages and clichés. Even adults sometimes cannot understand these explanations. Author Thomas Ganzhorn wants to know more and seeks answers everyone can understand. Therefore, he poses questions to politicians and decision-makers from the perspective of children Marie (9) and Timo (12).

The two receive a variety of responses. For example, a private detective and a municipal police department explain how their work really functions, while the head of Berlin Airport not only clarifies the many construction delays but also offers a personal guided tour.

Timo’s Letter to Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

The book’s fictional letter writer, “Timo”, 12, wants to become a detective—taking inspiration from Inspector Gadget. He asks whether Germany offers detective training, whether he could do an internship with us, and what being a detective is really like.

Response from Kurtz Detective Agency to Aspiring Young Detective Timo

Dear Timo,

Thank you very much for your letter to Kurtz Detective Agency.

Many people dream of becoming a detective—not just children. My team and I regularly receive applications from adults explaining why they want to work as private investigators, often as “career changers.” And inspiration frequently comes from characters and stories in books, films, or series.

I myself encountered Inspector Gadget as a child, just like you, and other stories, such as the adventures of “The Famous Five,” may have subconsciously influenced my later decision to become a detective. I can say, however, that Sherlock Holmes inspired me early on, so much so that I even started smoking a pipe—a year older than you at the time—so please don’t imitate me! Hobbits, wizards, and dwarves also played their part, thanks to the ever-smoking J. R. R. Tolkien. So not just reclusive detectives.

I first studied literature before turning to detective work. In Germany, there is detective training, but it is not officially state-recognised. Only private institutes offer courses for a significant fee, which is how I trained at a kind of private detective school in Berlin. Alternatively, you could work as an investigator in public service—police, customs, or intelligence. This path is paid, and after some years of experience, you could realise your dream of running your own detective agency, perhaps even with financial reserves to help you through the difficult start-up period.

As a skilled detective, you really do catch “bad guys” almost every day—mostly fraudsters and thieves, sometimes violent offenders. But much of the work is helping people: parents who can’t see their children, people searching for loved ones, or entrepreneurs whose businesses are threatened.

Being observed yourself happens occasionally, but cases in which a target notices you are rare. We always balance discretion with thorough surveillance. Sometimes concerned neighbours call the police because a “suspicious man” sits in his car all day. Or when observing near a school, people may misinterpret your intentions. For this reason, it can be wise to inform local authorities. But there are also positive moments: once, two kind men offered me hot coffee, thinking I was sleeping in my car in winter.

As you can see, detective work is varied. Rarely murder or violence, but very often about human interaction.

I would love to offer you a student internship, but detective work requires protecting client and target data. Discretion is key. Allowing interns in our office is not something I can responsibly do. Imagine recognising a target from your personal life or TV—you could never let that slip.

Nevertheless, the detective industry needs young talent. If even a quirky literature nerd like me became a detective, you can too. Keep pursuing your dream. Perhaps one day you’ll visit me, colleague to colleague, maybe even over a well-earned pipe. I would look forward to that!

Warm regards from my second home in currently absurdly sunny Scotland,

Private Detective Patrick Kurtz

Note

Bold highlights and links on this page are added by Kurtz Detective Agency and are not in the Ueberreuter publication.

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Patrick Kurtz in an Interview with Matthias Bieber from the tz

“It Is Proven: We Are a Crime Nation! Whether as a Book or on the Box: The Crime Genre Is the Most Popular. Almost 46 Million Germans Enjoy Watching Dark Stories on Television, and in Literature Crime and Thriller Far Outrank All Other Genres. We Set Out on a Trail and Present the Darker Sides of Life – Based on True Detective Stories and Exciting Literature.

Will You Join the Snooping?”

Matthias Bieber, Foreword to the tz Report “Germany Is a Crime Nation: On the Trail of Abysses”

“A Rescue At The Last Minute – Star Detective Patrick Kurtz (30) Describes Two Cases From His Professional Life”

The Munich-based Patrick Kurtz (30) actually studied literature – “and probably read too much Sherlock Holmes”. Missing-person cases are only a small part of the requests for his Kurtz Detective Agency Munich (Kastanienstraße 7), but they come from all over Germany.

“People Contact Us for Two Reasons: Firstly, When They Feel That the Police Would Not Search Thoroughly Enough. And Secondly, When They Want to Be Sure and Really Leave No Stone Unturned – Perhaps Also to Avoid Later Feelings of Guilt.” The Reasons for Running Away Are Diverse, but Almost Always It Is About Pressure. Stress with Parents, at Work, in Love or the Well-Known Debtor Flight.

Searching for People with Mantrailer Dogs (Human-Tracking Dogs)

Kurtz Has “Seven, Eight” Permanent Employees and Around 60 Investigators. “However, They Are All Self-Employed, and I Deploy Them According to Their Strengths for the Assignments.” Missing-Person Cases Usually Last Only Two or Three Days on Average. The Reason Is Obvious: “It Has to Be Quick.” One Missing-Person Case Sticks in Kurtz’s Mind, Who Founded His Office in 2013: “It Took Place in Düsseldorf. A Young Man Had an Exam on Monday; The Day Before He Left a Farewell Letter Saying He Wanted to Kill Himself and Drove Off in the Family Car. Because He Used a Credit Card, We Deployed Mantrailer Dogs.”

Mantrailer Dogs Are Highly Trained Trackers, “Which, However, Have Such a Demanding Job That They Can Only Perform It for Half an Hour.” As Three Were in the Team, We Could “Intensively Follow the Trail for One and a Half Hours.” With a Garment of the Missing Person It Went to the Located Cash Machine Where the Young Man Had Withdrawn Money, Then the Dogs Led the Detectives Through the City Centre to a Hotel. “There the Young Man Lay on the Bed with His Wrist Veins Slashed – He Was Unconscious, but We Could Find Him in Time and We Probably Had a Share in the Fact That He Lived. How Things Continued for Him, I Cannot Say.”

Dramatic Missing-Person Case in Bad Reichenhall

Such Cases Do Not Leave Even a Professional Unmoved. Nor Does the One That Shows the Inhuman Pressure on the Searchers. The Case of Andras Specht, Aged 18, from Reichenhall, Became Sadly Famous. The Family Even Involved ZDF in 2018, and Kurtz Took the Assignment from the Broadcaster (Programme Aktenzeichen XY … ungelöst – Spezial). “Specht Left a Farewell Letter in November 2012 Saying He Wanted to Kill Himself. He Calls His Ex-Girlfriend the Love of His Life in It.”

The Family Still Believes Their Son Is Alive, Says the Star Detective. “It Is Brutal for Them That Even Years After the Disappearance They Receive Hints That Someone Saw Andreas.” Kurtz Is Rather Skeptical. “We Are in Reichenhall! If Someone Wants to Kill Themselves in the Mountains or Forest, the Body Is Quickly Gone Because of Wild Animals.”

Notes

The original article by Matthias Bieber appeared in the tz (print). The emphases (bold) and links on this page may differ from the original.

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Player Representation with a Conflict of Interest?

Dubious payments, disappointing transfers – in a club from the 2nd German Football Bundesliga, doubts arose regarding the sporting director. A board member had received information suggesting that some of these circumstances might be linked to a familial relationship – brother or half-brother – between the sporting director and a player agent who is generally closely scrutinised. The board member feared secret arrangements between the two, from which at least the agent, if not the sporting director as well, might profit. Specifically, the concerns related to transfers of registered players under contract with the agent, for whom substantial commissions are usually paid. The motive was clear: financial gain. The suspicion of nepotism was therefore raised.

To determine whether the sporting director actually had a brother or half-brother working as a player agent, the professional club engaged Kurtz Detective Agency. Details regarding the specific transfers or agents involved were not disclosed to our Munich investigators. The sole objective was to establish whether the sporting director had a brother, and if so, who that was.

Quo vadis – Which investigative approach was most promising?

A key challenge for our Munich private investigators in this case was that most official records do not include information about siblings. For example, the local residents’ registration office only provides information on a person’s children, not their siblings or parents. One alternative would have been to obtain the sporting director’s birth certificate from the civil registry to identify the names of his parents and then check if they had other children. A problem here: the registry would require proof of legitimate interest, which was difficult to provide discreetly. For this reason, the civil registry approach was initially set aside.

Since Kurtz Detective Agency has worked for numerous clients in professional football, we maintain an extensive network in the industry. The lead investigator arranged a meeting with a player agent within this network. The reasoning: the player agent industry, though financially lucrative, is relatively small, and colleagues generally know one another. If a player agent really had a familial connection to the sporting director, this informant would likely know about it.

Informant meetings with two player agents

During the meeting between our Munich economic detective and his informant, the latter made it clear from the outset that none of the names mentioned in the conversation were to appear in the investigation report, as he feared negative consequences for his job. Kurtz Investigations fully adhered to this request – both in the investigation report and in this case description. The fairly forthcoming player agent stated that the sporting director in question had once worked at a player agency and had brought in the agent now under scrutiny. According to his knowledge, this agent was indeed the brother or half-brother of the sporting director. The informant did not wish to name either the agent or the agency. However, our private investigator was able to verify the details of this agency through a review of the sporting director’s biography.

A second meeting with another informant, again a player agent, was arranged to further clarify the case. The meeting took place at a discreet restaurant in Grünwald, where many FC Bayern Munich players and officials reside, a place where discretion is highly valued. This informant also indicated, indirectly, that he was aware of the matter but did not wish to provide names. He did confirm, however, that the agent in question was indeed a half-brother of the sporting director, providing important insider confirmation of the original suspicion. The relationship between the agent and sporting director was described as a “familial business relationship.” From the context and phrasing, it was clear that this was a polite way of describing nepotism.

Investigative breakthrough on the third attempt

At this point, our Munich economic detectives had received two insider confirmations of varying weight from the immediate professional environment of both target individuals and the client. However, the exact identity of the sought agent remained unknown. Meanwhile, through a parallel investigation, the names of the sporting director’s parents were obtained, but as expected, the next step was blocked by the registry office due to data protection, necessitating a third investigative approach.

Here, the investigator first reviewed the transfers of the commissioning club during recent transfer windows and compiled a list of the involved agencies. He then examined the agents working at those agencies, encountering several former professional footballers, and sought to narrow down the potential half-brothers among these agents using the available information and a previously established criteria catalogue. Only one agency and one agent remained. As the other candidates were eliminated, the probability that this was the correct person could be considered very high. A final confirmation was now imminent. However, the commissioning football club requested Kurtz Investigations Munich to cease investigations after being informed of these findings. They stated they had all the information they needed. We naturally accepted this request, and there were several reasons to assume that the case was concluded because we had correctly identified the agent originally targeted by the club’s management.

Note

We understand that many readers will be primarily interested in the identities of the sporting director and the club. However, please understand that this text is not intended as football news but as a case report on investigative work. In the interest of client and target protection, all information and locations have been deliberately rendered vague to prevent outsiders from deducing the identities of the persons and club involved. This is the standard notice from Kurtz Investigations regarding case reports: all names and places have been altered to ensure complete anonymity for clients and target persons.

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Vanished Without a Trace After a Night of Drinking

Alejandro was a young Mexican who was completing a semester abroad in Freising and living near the campus. One evening, while out celebrating with his predominantly Mexican friends, he went over the top by not only consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, but also using marijuana as a “downer” and, to compensate, energy drinks intended to keep him alert. Under the influence of this highly mind-altering combination, a trivial matter escalated into an argument between Alejandro and his friends. As a result, in the early morning hours the young Mexican ran out of the flat where the party had taken place, barefoot, and has not been found since. He neither returned home nor could he be reached by telephone or via various chat apps.

Three and a half days later there were still no indications of Alejandro’s whereabouts, and so his family decided, from Mexico, to commission our detective agency (+49 89 7007 4301) to conduct the missing person search. Initially, an aunt of the missing person contacted us in English; a few hours later, an entire emergency management team became involved, managing new leads from Mexico and taking over communication with us. At this point, it dawned on us that Alejandro’s family was probably not positioned on the lower rungs of the social ladder.

Extraordinary Clients from Mexico

In order to commence the investigation without delay, a meeting was arranged between our operations manager and the missing person’s brother, who flew from London to Munich that evening to accompany the search on site. After completion of the preliminary discussion and the investigation contract, the brother informed us that the father also wished to join the search. For this purpose, he would fly from Madrid to Munich the following morning. A meeting with the police and the Mexican consul had also been scheduled.

As the case was therefore beginning to gain wider attention and it could not be assumed that just any Mexican citizen would receive direct support from the consul in such a situation, our lead detective was keen to know whom he had as a client. Accordingly, he instructed the office to urgently check the principals. It emerged that they were a large industrial family clan from the coffee sector, exerting significant political influence in Mexico.

Preliminary Investigation: Instructing All Emergency Services in the Surrounding Area

As the mantrailers – highly sensitive human scent tracking dogs – would only be operational in a few hours due to the short-notice commissioning, our private detective began preliminary research. To this end, he inspected the missing person’s flat and questioned his Mexican flatmate. The latter stated that, together with friends, he had already been searching the surrounding residential area and various parks for Alejandro for two days – without success. The flatmate had noticed in recent weeks that the missing person often sat motionless on the sofa for hours, staring into space. Alejandro had also repeatedly hinted at depressive moods to his family. The seriousness of the case thus increased once again, as depression can very quickly lead to suicidal thoughts – especially under the influence of mind-altering substances.

While waiting for the arrival of the mantrailers, the investigator from our commercial detective agency searched online for all hospitals within an ever-expanding radius. He called each of them, unsuccessfully enquiring about Alejandro, and left his contact details in case the sought-after Mexican should be admitted to one of the hospitals. As data protection was cited in individual cases, our private investigator urged the staff in these instances to immediately notify the police in the event of any indications or sightings. For this purpose, he provided the hospitals with Alejandro’s details and a distinctive personal description. Subsequently, the detective also reported the missing person to emergency services, accident transport services and the fire brigade emergency call centre. None of these points of contact had transported or found an unidentified male person of Alejandro’s age in the past three days.

Protracted Mantrailer Operation | Location of the Missing Person

Late in the evening, the mantrailers were finally ready, so the search had to be started in the dark. First, the handlers took scent samples from worn laundry from Alejandro’s room, which enabled the first deployed mantrailer to immediately pick up his trail. Even though a few days had already passed, tracking the scent does not pose too great a challenge for these human scent tracking dogs. However, the elapsed time could present the problem that Alejandro might have covered considerable distances in the meantime. If this were the case, the dogs would have to follow these routes, and the larger the distances the young Mexican had travelled, the longer the operation would take. And indeed, the search continued throughout the entire night.

When, in the late morning, it could just be verified that the trail led onto the suburban train towards Munich, and the operations team of our private detective agency was about to continue the pursuit via the various stops of the S1 line, the operations management received information that Alejandro had been identified in one of the Munich hospitals that our investigator had previously contacted and instructed. The missing Mexican was uninjured, but distressed and confused. The fire brigade had found him outdoors by chance.

To protect discretion as well as the personal rights of clients and target persons, all names and locations in this case report have been altered to the point of complete anonymity.

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Beware of Hidden Additional Fees!

Detective fees vary greatly depending on the region and the detective agency. Before commissioning a detective, one should first consider whether a flat-rate service such as vehicle owner identification or an observation with a (usually) unpredictable number of hours is required. With flat-rate services, the remuneration is clear: the client pays a pre-determined sum x for the provision of service y. Observations, however, involve a multitude of variables that make it difficult to provide an exact cost estimate. Factors include the type of suspicion (serious economic offences or private, non-criminal issues), the observation environment (anonymity of a big city or rural surroundings with watchful neighbours), the behaviour of the target person (suspicious or carefree, fast driver or calm pedestrian), and so on, as these variables affect the number of personnel required and the likelihood of losing visual contact.

As a general rule (and this also applies at Kurtz Detective Agency Munich), detective observations are charged based on hours worked, kilometres driven, and expenses incurred. Before commissioning, clients should ensure that these standard costs are not inflated by hidden additional fees for vehicle allowances, time-of-day, weekend and public holiday surcharges, the otherwise self-evident use of standard detective equipment, telephone charges, postal fees, payment processing costs, and other items. Many agencies lure clients with low or moderate hourly rates, yet the effective costs, due to these additional fees—or often due to massive discrepancies between the advertised and actual hourly rates—can be far above the agreed fee. Agencies advertising dumping flat rates but billing significantly higher fees are focused on client acquisition. Their goal is not serious work and client satisfaction, but maximum profit. It is therefore crucial: read the fine print!

Variable Private Detective Fees Based on Regional Costs

Detective fees are based on the average income in the respective city or region, which in turn reflects the cost of living. Due to region-specific price ranges for office rent, expenses, fuel, and other costs, private detectives in Munich cannot charge the same fees as, for example, Berlin, Hannover, or even Stuttgart and Nuremberg, as this would simply not be feasible. Munich is well known as one of the most expensive cities in Germany regarding rent, electricity, water, and even food prices, with correspondingly high average salaries. It is therefore no surprise that Munich also ranks at the top for private and corporate investigation costs, with hourly rates of approximately 65–135 euros.

Kurtz Investigations Munich currently operates at 27 locations across Germany and follows a pricing policy everywhere that reflects the actual socio-economic conditions of the respective region. For example, in the "new" federal states, only 55 euros per hour per investigator are charged (gross for private clients, net for businesses), as the wage level of the employed detectives is lowest there, and the corresponding savings are passed directly to the clients. In large parts of western Germany, a moderate fee adjustment to 59 euros per hour is applied; this affects regions such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Bremen, Hesse, and parts of Rhineland-Palatinate. In somewhat remote regions, finding qualified detective personnel is challenging, and by the law of supply and demand, wages rise accordingly: in the northern part of Schleswig-Holstein, we charge 69 euros per hour. The same applies to border regions of Rhineland-Palatinate (for example, Trier) and also to Saarland with 64 euros per hour. In Baden-Württemberg and northern Bavaria, it is also 69 euros per hour, not due to a shortage of qualified detectives, but— as explained above—because of higher regional costs. Overall, Kurtz Investigations Munich belongs to the more affordable investigative services in Germany, and is among the cheapest if one accounts for the numerous additional costs of most competitors.

Assistance for Clients with Limited Financial Means

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich always endeavours to accommodate its clients as best as possible. Expenses are therefore not simply charged as a flat rate, but only according to the necessary and actual effort. Our Munich investigators place great importance on delivering high-quality work that is results-oriented and effectively executed to satisfy clients with every assignment. Naturally, deploying experienced specialists cannot be carried out below a certain price level.

We are aware that detective work is essential for many people, but often unaffordable. Accordingly, we aim to keep profit margins at a moderate level, enabling assistance even to those who would otherwise incur significant debt at other agencies. As part of a cooperation with the TV production company infoNetwork, we can even facilitate coverage of investigative costs if the client agrees that an additional detective, deployed free of charge for the client, is accompanied by a camera team during the investigation to create a TV documentary. This aims to portray the real everyday life of German private investigators, following scripted series such as Die Trovatos or Private Detectives in Action.

Investigation Costs Are Often Recoverable

It is crucial that clients and prospective clients are aware that a prosecuted target person in legally relevant cases can be required to reimburse the detective costs if the use of investigators was a justified and necessary means to uncover guilt. This applies, for example, if a man fraudulently withholds maintenance from his ex-wife, or if the whereabouts of a debtor who has moved without notice need to be determined for service or enforcement of a claim.

Corporate clients, i.e., companies, institutions, and others, also have an interest in recovering their detective costs from a fraudulent employee or proven industrial spy. Kurtz Corporate Detective Agency Munich employs professional specialists to conduct discreet investigations with legally admissible evidence, thus providing our clients with the maximum benefit from commissioning us.

Hourly Rates of Our Detectives in Munich

Our Munich detective agency strives for maximum transparency regarding its fee structure, to deal honestly and openly with clients. The high clearance rate of Kurtz Investigations Munich and the decisive success in sometimes spectacular cases, which have also been discussed in the media, speak for themselves. Our IHK-certified detective specialists charge for assignments in the Munich area as follows:

• Hourly rate per investigator:                    99,00 € gross (for private clients)
• Hourly rate per investigator:                    99,00 € net (for companies)
• Per kilometre:                                           1,50 € gross/net (private clients/companies)
• One-time basic assignment fee:               96,00 € gross/net

Note: The basic assignment fee is waived for flat-rate investigations as well as for follow-up assignments by the same client.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Every Homeowner’s Dream: Renovation as if by Magic

An employee of a larger company from Ingolstadt, Mr Gerzen, who lived in a nearby suburb, had repeatedly drawn attention in recent months due to sick notes from various doctors across multiple specialties. Since his previously dilapidated home had made remarkable structural progress despite these alleged illnesses, and Mr Gerzen repeatedly claimed within his colleagues that he carried out all the work alone, without the involvement of construction or renovation companies, the HR department wondered how he managed this given his supposedly so limited health condition. To clarify this open question in connection with the suspicion of payroll and sick leave fraud, the company commissioned our Detective Agency in Ingolstadt* to monitor the frequently absent employee.

Complex Surveillance Environment for Ingolstadt Detectives

Our clients were so confident in their suspicion that they did not begin the surveillance at Mr Gerzen’s apartment, but directly at his still-uninhabited home. To secure the success of the investigation, our detectives in Ingolstadt conducted a preliminary reconnaissance at the site. At the beginning of the year, it had still been more or less a barn with surrounding land; meanwhile, a residential house could be seen, with a façade in need of renovation but featuring new windows, a stylish new front door, and a freshly tiled roof. The condition of the interior could not be assessed from the outside, as all windows were blocked with makeshift shutters. The property appeared untidy and was clearly used for construction purposes, as alongside a large amount of waste (furniture, a rusty washing machine, and other items), various tools were stored, including a concrete mixer.

Since it was a narrow street with single-family homes and small farms in a neighbourhood where everyone surely knows everyone, the positioning options for our private detectives in Ingolstadt were very limited. From the outset, it was feared that the parked surveillance vehicles might annoy the residents. At least, due to the types of vehicles, no one could see inside, so curious onlookers could not ascertain the presence of people inside the vehicles.

Laying Floors During “Sick Time”

At the start of the first day of surveillance, the morning after the preliminary reconnaissance described above, the property still appeared uninhabited. Neither on the property nor in the immediate vicinity could either of the target person’s two known vehicles be seen. Shortly before noon, however, one of these cars turned the corner and parked in front of the house. Mr Gerzen got out, retrieved two toolboxes from the boot, rummaged briefly through the waste without removing or placing anything, and then went into the house. Due to the sensitive nature of the neighbourhood, the investigators could not discreetly leave their vehicles to approach the property within earshot and determine whether construction noises were audible. Mr Gerzen did, however, briefly appear on the street while returning two apparently emptied bins to his property – wearing work clothes. Shortly thereafter, the second target vehicle arrived. An unknown woman got out and entered the building – presumably Mr Gerzen’s wife.

With nightfall, our Ingolstadt corporate detectives could now carry out inspection rounds with relative discretion; however, no noises indicating renovation work could be detected. At one of the windows, however, a rather makeshift wooden shutter had slipped, allowing a view into a room illuminated by construction spotlights from the street. Apparently, the target person was laying wooden floorboards, as roughly three-quarters of the visible floor was covered, while the final section had a gap. This assumption was confirmed when Mr Gerzen immediately afterwards carried a floorboard in his arms to the gap and placed it. The timing of our Ingolstadt detective’s inspection was a real stroke of luck, as only a few minutes later all visible lights in the house were switched off and the suspected wife’s vehicle departed, without it being possible to identify who was inside in the darkness. In consultation with the commissioning company, the investigators then ceased their work for that day.

Purchase of Materials and Further Work

As the legal usability of evidence and indications in employment law cases is often measured decisively by the factor of regularity, our Ingolstadt client commissioned a further day of surveillance, starting the following morning at 07:00. Although the target person of our detective team for Ingolstadt had only appeared at the property around midday the previous day, both target vehicles were already parked on the premises at the start of surveillance today – had the employee on sick leave perhaps spent the night at the renovation property? Shortly before 09:00, Mr Gerzen, once again wearing work clothing, drove to a nearby DIY store, purchased various building materials and some consumables, then bought bread rolls from a bakery and returned to the renovation property. At midday, the target person, now wearing heavily soiled work clothes, and the presumed wife left the house together. They said goodbye with a kiss and departed simultaneously in separate vehicles. At an intersection, the woman turned in the direction of the target person’s rented apartment, while Mr Gerzen once again drove to the DIY store and purchased further materials, primarily gardening tools such as a leaf rake and a pitchfork. Back at the property, the target person provided our detectives in Ingolstadt with excellent photographic opportunities while carrying out tidying work in the clearly visible outer area of the property, which was presumably intended to become a garden. This included rearranging bulky waste, in some cases involving visibly heavy lifting, and moving various tools into a dilapidated shed.

The only problem for the investigators was that the parking situation had deteriorated significantly since the target person’s last outing, making it even more difficult to find surveillance positions that would not upset any of the neighbours. As a result, a resident pinned an angry note under the windscreen wiper of one of the two surveillance vehicles, without noticing the presence of the driver. As a precaution, the observers from our Detective Agency in Ingolstadt subsequently positioned themselves within a wider perimeter without direct visual contact with the target property and compensated for the lack of direct observation through regular patrols and drive-bys. In the afternoon, the target person disappeared back into the house. During one of the inspection rounds, clearly audible sawing noises could be heard coming from the property. In the early evening, Mr Gerzen finally drove to his rented apartment.

Legal Assessment: Sufficient Evidence for Summary Dismissal

As mentioned above, regularity is decisive for most courts when assessing proof of many offences, particularly in the area of employee misconduct. For this reason, our private detective agency for Ingolstadt recommended securing the findings with a third day of surveillance. Taking detective costs into account, however, the company’s legal department considered the documented observations sufficient to issue a summary dismissal to the malingerer. Thus, this case of sick leave fraud concluded after just two days of surveillance to the satisfaction of the client. Incidentally, feigned incapacity for work for the purpose of carrying out private construction projects is by no means a rarity in the “case book” of our detective agency.

All names and locations have, of course, been completely anonymised in the interests of protecting the client and the target person.

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Irregularities in Almost Every Tenth Application – Munich Detectives Verify the Authenticity of Job Applications

Almost every applicant has at some point “enhanced” their CV for job applications, though not always to the same extent and certainly not always with criminal intent: a few crumbs of school French become “fluent in French” for a multinational company, an unpaid internship at a law firm is presented as several months of employment as a lawyer, and beach holidays on the Costa Brava are described as “multi-week language courses”. While these embellishments usually result in little more than minor disappointments for the employer—if they are noticed at all—our experience at Kurtz Commercial Detective Agency Munich shows that there are also far more unscrupulous applicants. They may purchase academic degrees, submit friends’ certificates as their own, or, in extreme cases, falsify their entire identity to erase inconvenient facts from their CV or criminal record and invent a brilliant past instead.

According to a 2005 American study examining over 3 million applications, one in ten applications contained false statements and/or outright forgeries, far beyond minor enhancements. This is reflected in the fact that around 10 percent of German companies report having fallen victim to at least one fraudulent applicant in the past. And this only accounts for those companies that detected and proved the fraud; the actual number is likely much higher, as many fraudulent applicants work for years in positions for which they are unqualified—until a single clumsy mistake eventually has potentially serious consequences for the employer. Our detective agency in Munich checks both the applications of current candidates proactively and retrospectively investigates the claimed CVs of employees whose lack of skills or experience raises suspicions in the workplace: +49 89 7007 4301.

Doctors without degrees, teachers without experience, lawyers without licences, politicians with purchased doctorates

Fraudulent misrepresentations can severely impact a company; imagine, for instance, a doctor who has been working in a private clinic for years but has never actually studied medicine, putting lives at risk daily. Responsibility falls not only on the unqualified doctor but also on the clinic management, which failed to adequately verify the application and qualifications, recklessly endangering human lives. Naturally, such dramatic cases are rare, though their severity often draws media attention.

Most cases of application fraud, however, occur on a smaller scale, in less critical situations and with less public visibility. Our private detectives in Munich are often hired by companies to trace unexplained financial losses, errors, or workflow problems back to potentially falsified CVs, or to conduct a candidate check before hiring to prevent unpleasant surprises.

Increasing Incidents of Application Fraud – High Pressure and Competition

The number of purchased and falsified applications is rising due to increasingly professional competitors, labour market shortages, and sometimes nearly impossible requirements—such as an unusually fast degree, at least two years of work experience, and three foreign languages by the age of 22 (fortunately an extreme example)—creating the “resume of a genius or a machine,” but certainly not of a normal human being. It is understandable that every applicant wants to present themselves as positively and perfectly as possible to secure an interview. Yet the concern for HR ends when work references are self-written and submitted with a scanned signature of a previous employer, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees are purchased, or other false claims are made. From an outsider’s perspective, one may wonder how applicants handle the pressure they face daily—after all, the employer may contest the contract even after hiring, terminate the employee, and even sue for damages if it is later proven—often with evidence provided by our Munich detectives—that, for example, a master’s degree was forged and the applicant never completed their studies.

Even HR professionals with strong intuition are often deceived by charismatic and seemingly impeccable applicants, which is why polygraph tests are occasionally used during interviews, and numerous business seminars on lie detection following Paul Ekman are offered (popularised by the US TV series Lie to Me starring Tim Roth). The primary principle for HR remains direct assessment through personal interviews. “Backup checks” carried out without the candidate’s knowledge are generally only permissible in exceptional cases where a justified suspicion exists, such as undisclosed criminal convictions. There is, however, a simple legal way to circumvent these restrictions—this method and when our private detectives in Munich may be engaged are outlined in the next section.

The Higher the Position, the Greater the Risk from Falsified Applications

High-ranking posts in companies are particularly risky: the damage a poorly qualified candidate can cause is unpredictable and may severely harm the company. That is why it is important to thoroughly check applications from the outset and to follow up any inconsistencies in the interview. If individual candidates appear suitable but you still harbour doubts about their curriculum vitae or application, you are welcome to commission our detective team in Munich to research previous employments, verify the authenticity of references and certificates, check for purchased or fabricated titles, ascertain criminal records and even investigate false identities.

As legal protection, we recommend every company obtain a written consent from applicants in advance for a backup check. This consent is useful even if the candidate refuses, since that refusal may indicate something to hide and the person should then be excluded from the application process.

Another Danger: Corporate Spies

Often, fraudsters are merely trying to secure a lucrative job without the required references or qualifications. However, it is also possible that industrial spies gain access to a company through falsified applications or identities to sell internal data or innovations to the highest bidder or their direct client (usually a domestic or foreign competitor). Companies must therefore be absolutely certain about the nature of any potential employee, and even the seemingly perfect application should be carefully scrutinised, with any inconsistencies taken seriously.

According to the well-known “lie detector” and specialist in uncovering fraudulent applicants, Marco Löw, most HR personnel spend only 2–5 minutes reviewing an applicant; obviously, no details can be thoroughly analysed or questionable claims questioned in such a short period.

Kurtz Commercial Investigations Munich Is Ready If Suspicions Arise

If you suspect that an applicant or one of your employees has not only embellished details in their application but also falsified documents, concealed key facts, or otherwise engaged in application fraud, contact the IHK-certified commercial detectives and private investigators of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich to be advised on the next steps. All inquiries are handled discreetly and confidentially: +49 89 7007 4301 to kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

"Sherlockian Game" as Both a Reading Approach and a Transfer of Fiction into Reality – a Historical Sherlock Holmes?

The character of the original detective and the most famous professional ancestor of our detectives in Munich, Sherlock Holmes, has captivated and fascinated people of all ages, ethnicities, and social classes for more than a century; the highly intelligent investigator solves (almost) every seemingly unsolvable case with his brilliant method of deduction, which can even apprehend the most cunning criminals. There are hundreds of editions of his stories, several dozen film adaptations, a three-digit number of TV series episodes, a variety of games, both analogue in the form of board and card games and digital for PCs, smartphones, and consoles, as well as many literary continuations by ambitious young authors, established writers, and quickly forgotten amateurs who aim to extend Sherlock Holmes' story (pastiches). Baker Street 221b – the at-the-time fictional residence of the master detective – is today dedicated to his memory, serving as half museum, half fan shop for the man with the globally recognised trademarks: deerstalker hat, hooked nose, meerschaum pipe, magnifying glass, and occasionally the violin.

Aside from the significant commercial interest in distributing and marketing the English gentleman, there exists a worldwide society devoted to an idealistic and intellectual engagement with the London private investigator: the Sherlockians. They treat all written works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as historical biographical material of – in their interpretation – the (once) real Dr John Watson, the loyal companion of the also considered non-fictional super-detective Sherlock Holmes. The idea of this approach, also simply called The Game, goes beyond merely reading Conan Doyle’s works as historical testimony: all details and backgrounds, life stories, and any further possible information about the super-detective and his friend and companion are meticulously compiled into biographies and regularly updated. Worldwide, every small quote, every seemingly insignificant hint in Doyle’s texts is examined for new insights into the “real” Sherlock Holmes and his friend Watson, with the aim of eventually knowing and disseminating all familial, psychological, and private aspects of the master detective. This deep engagement resembles the intensive investigative work of our detective agency in Munich and even exceeds the knowledge Conan Doyle himself had about his characters, as he wrote the stories over four decades, often forgetting details, resulting in occasional contradictions within the canon.

The Beginning of "The Game" – a Satirical Essay Sets Things in Motion

In 1911, the British theologian and crime writer Ronald Knox presented at the Gryphon Club (a reading society) an essay later declared satirical, titled Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes. In this essay, he established a new – the “correct” – reading of the 60 Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories: when reading, Holmes’ analytical method, focusing on small details that ultimately prove to be the most important (“the little things are infinitely the most important”, Sherlock Holmes, A Case of Identity, 1891), should be applied to the detective himself and his stories. Additionally, Dr Watson must receive significant attention, not least because it is almost always his viewpoint through which we observe and attempt to understand Holmes and his stories. Watson’s role is akin to that of the ancient Greek chorus in tragedies: he not only narrates the stories but also interprets them and directly intervenes in the action.

In the game, ambiguities and contradictions of the Holmes canon must be satisfactorily resolved by participants, for example by designing continuations and explanatory attempts following a generally consistent, ideally eleven-part structure, referencing literary predecessors and ideals. The aim of the game is to resolve or explain away all contradictions, fill every tiny gap in Holmes’ and Watson’s biographies with verifiable data, and thus transform the two investigators into flesh-and-blood characters with an actual and ostensibly verifiable life history – essentially real detectives, much like our private detectives in Munich.

"The Game" Attracts Not Only Fans but Also Scholars from Around the World in the "Great Game"

The original Holmes texts “from the pen of Dr Watson” – Conan Doyle is often regarded by Sherlockians merely as Watson’s editor or literary agent – are revered as a sacred canon, considered the only original texts of the time showing the “true” Holmes. This approach reflects Ronald Knox’s theological background, as it draws on biblical studies (especially New Testament exegesis) and questions about contemporary original sources on the historical Jesus of Nazareth. Following Knox’s essay and numerous other scholarly articles, essays, and studies on Sherlockian analysis and reading, the Sherlockian Game, also called the Holmesian Game or the Great Game, spread worldwide. Interestingly, it is not only played by ordinary Holmes fans but also by literary scholars and writers, such as the successful English crime-fiction author and translator Dorothy L. Sayers, who in her writings on the game emphasised that it should be played with utmost seriousness (“as solemnly as a county cricket match at Lord's”, Sayers 7) to preserve the mysterious atmosphere of the game.

The American writer, essayist, journalist, and poet Christopher Morley was also involved in the game; in 1944 he wrote a book on the friendship between Holmes and Watson. Even before him, scholars and writers had produced secondary literature on the famous predecessors of our corporate detectives in Munich: S. C. Roberts’ Watson biography (1929), a chronology of Holmes stories by Harold Wilmerding Bell (1932), an early biography of Holmes by Vincent Starrett (1933), William S. Baring-Gould’s Holmes biography (1962), an unauthorised biography of Holmes by Nick Rennison (2005), and the continuously updated Sherlock Holmes Reference Library by Leslie S. Klinger since 1998, compiling all canonical and scholarly texts.

Sherlock Holmes Societies That Never Stop Investigating New Details

Morley was not only an authority on Sherlock Holmes in his time but also the founder of the first American Sherlock Holmes club, the Baker Street Irregulars, where every meeting involves engaging with the canonical texts. This form of the game even allows for “punishment”: anyone who cannot attribute a Holmes quote to the correct book must buy a round of drinks. Morley’s club – still active today, publishing a themed quarterly magazine since 1946 – was by no means the only one. Over the decades, many other Holmes societies were founded on both sides of the Atlantic, often male-only, which is unsurprising given the sparse appearances of women in Conan Doyle’s works. Only in the 1980s was a women-only club established, the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes. All clubs, of course, share the main task of engaging in some form, whether written, oral, or otherwise, with the character of Sherlock Holmes.

In the United States alone, there are now over 350 active Holmes clubs and societies participating in the game, exploring the master detective’s character in depth (apparently never fully achieving this) and thereby keeping the most famous predecessor of our detective agency in Munich alive. Naturally, the first Holmes societies were founded in Great Britain, specifically England, the home of Sherlock Holmes, although British clubs never grew as numerous or large as their US counterparts. According to Sherlockian Peter Blau, there are reportedly 911 clubs worldwide dedicated to the phenomenon of Sherlock Holmes, located across Europe (including Germany), the US, and Asia. How these clubs conduct their Holmesian analysis and gain media attention in the digital age will be demonstrated by Kurtz Private Detective Agency Munich in the second part of this article.

References

• Baring-Gould, William S. Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Biography of the World's First Consulting Detective. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1962. Print.
• Bell. H. W. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Chronology of Their Adventures. London: Constable & Co., 1932. Print.
• Fleischhack, Maria. Die Welt des Sherlock Holmes. Darmstadt: Lambert Schneider, 2015. Print.
• Knox, Ronald. Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes. Diogenes-Club. Online. http://www.diogenes-club.com/studies.htm
• Morley, Christopher. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: A Textbook of Friendship. 1944. Print.
• Roberts, S. C. A note on the Watson problem. Cambridge: University Press, 1929. Print.
• Roylott, Miss. Validity of Interpretation in Sherlockiana: A Philosophy of Art Paper. Archive.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20050923120827/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/8950/holmes/validity.htm
• Sayers, Dorothy L. Unpopular Opinions. London: Victor Gollancz, 1946. Print.
• Starrett, Vincent. The private life of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Macmillan Co., 1933. Print.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Enormous Loss of Value Due to Employee Absences

Sick leave is a common occurrence in the workplace and is often completely normal, for example during a widespread flu outbreak, an especially cold winter, or due to work-related health issues that are difficult to avoid in the long term (back problems for furniture movers, hearing loss from construction work, lung and bronchial diseases in mining, etc.). However, statistics published by Statista on the costs of absenteeism reveal staggering figures: in 2009 alone, German companies incurred €129 billion in costs due to employee sick leave, with lost productivity amounting to €225 billion – nearly one-tenth of the €2,397 billion GDP that year.

It is therefore no surprise that more and more companies engage the services of the Kurtz Detective Agency Munich when employees have repeated or suspiciously long sick leaves, in order to investigate potential wage continuation fraud and, if confirmed, have it documented in a court-admissible manner. Our Munich detectives are happy to assist your company: +49 89 7007 4301.

My Employee is Frequently Sick – How Should I Proceed?

Although employees’ privacy is generally protected against the interests of employers and supervisors, suspicious and repeatedly recurring sick notes do allow for enquiries that intrude into the private sphere of the employees in question. Our commercial investigators from Munich are particularly frequently engaged in cases of sick pay fraud, or sick pay fraud combined with simultaneous work for competitor companies, in order to gather evidence of the unlawful nature of the sick note and the suspected breach of contract. When a company approaches the private detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich to have an employee observed, the supervisor must already be able to demonstrate a reasonable suspicion of a feigned illness. If such suspicion is not present, detectives are not legally permitted to conduct surveillance, as both they and the client would risk committing an offence by unlawfully and groundlessly infringing the employee’s personal rights — even damages may be payable.

If, however, this justified suspicion exists — for example if the secretary is conspicuously often ill directly before or after her annual leave — our Munich private detectives become active and may observe the employee outside the workplace. If an employee has presented a sick note for acute migraine, for instance, and is then observed by the detectives shopping leisurely in Munich city centre or attending a cinema visit, and this can be documented photographically, this is at least surprising. Yet the boundaries between “conspicuously active” and “necessarily active” are often fluid and not easy to define: some people prefer to cure a migraine with an extended walk in the fresh air, while others lock themselves in a darkened bedroom for 24 hours. It only becomes truly relevant for the employer and for Kurtz Detective Agency Munich once the documented behaviour is manifestly contrary to recovery — for example, if an employee on sick leave for a shoulder complaint is photographed carrying bricks while working on their own house.

Sick Note vs. Playing Truant on Sick Leave

Not every sick note automatically equates to malingering. Our detectives in Munich and throughout Bavaria are regularly deployed to either dispel or confirm suspicions and thereby contribute to a better-functioning and more economically viable business routine. Apart from the few cases in which an employee is accidentally observed by third parties or inadvertently reveals information about their period of illness in conversation, employers can rarely, if ever, provide evidence for a contractual breach without independent assistance. This is why engaging Kurtz Detective Agency Munich is advisable to obtain court-admissible evidence and to take legal action against the breaching employee. After all, cases of feigned illness often involve large sums of money (see above) and a substantial backlog of work left undone.

If it even transpires that the suspected employee worked for a direct competitor during their sick leave and is thus guilty of competition fraud, compensation claims often run into five figures — especially if the detective fees are regarded as necessary expenses for proving the offence and are included in the claim for reimbursement.

Commission a Reputable Detective Agency, Otherwise You Risk Paying Damages

As the Federal Labour Court’s decision of February 2015 (case no.: 8 AZR 1007/13) shows, various sick notes alone do not automatically constitute sufficient justified suspicion to engage detectives. In that case an employee had received successive diagnoses from different doctors — first a bronchial illness and then a slipped disc — which aroused the employer’s suspicions. He hired detectives who monitored and filmed the woman, including instances of repeated bending. The private detectives employed had insufficient understanding of the limits to their powers and undertook several unlawful intrusions into the target’s personal rights, thereby damaging the reputation of the detective industry. The Federal Labour Court ruled in favour of the employee, as there were no concrete facts to justify the surveillance and filming. Due to this unlawful conduct by the client and particularly by the improperly operating investigators, the employee was awarded damages of €1,000 for the violation of her privacy and personal rights.

The private detectives at Kurtz Detective Agency Munich are IHK-certified investigation specialists who know the permissible boundaries exactly and can advise their clients accordingly on the legal safeguards for detective operations. The above case failed chiefly because the employer’s suspicion was not concrete enough, but the choice of methods (including video surveillance) by the detective team was also disproportionate. It remains a special case in which the Federal Labour Court ruled in favour of the employee.

Professional Employee Screening in Munich

When an assignment is carried out professionally by a reputable detective agency, the client need not fear liability; on the contrary, they will be able to enforce their legal claims against fraudulent employees. The case described above would likely have been judged differently in court with regard to the claim for damages if the detectives had not filmed the person outside the company but had merely observed and, if necessary, photographed them and produced a professional investigation report. The investigators could then have been called as witnesses in court to give testimony accorded weight equivalent to that of video evidence, without having committed an intrusion into privacy by filming.

What You Can Expect from Kurtz Detective Agency Munich in Employee Surveillance:

• Professionally conducted observations
• Proportional choice of means
• Court-admissible investigation report
• Confident and truthful witness testimony by deployed detectives in court
• Fair and proportionate billing with a claim for reimbursement against the target person if they are found guilty

When in Doubt, the Deployment of Munich Commercial Detectives Helps

To obtain tailored advice for your case and to decide how best to investigate a suspicion against your employee, contact our legally trained private detectives in Munich at any time: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Uninvited Guests as Bad Omens

The origins of this case go back several years: Mr Weiland, the client of Kurtz Investigations Munich, had been visited multiple times in his apartment by Russian and Ukrainian individuals, without having invited or even knowing them. In hindsight, Mr Weiland and our detectives in Munich now suspect that these Eastern European visitors were scouting his apartment and habits in preparation for a burglary or robbery. This conclusion seems likely, as Mr Weiland was indeed attacked in his own home by unknown individuals shortly after these visits. Apart from the indication of the possible origin of the suspected perpetrators, there is to this day only one clue: a handbag left by the intruders on Mr Weiland’s property.

Highly Unusual Handbag as Starting Point

The task of the investigation by Kurtz Private Detective Agency Munich is now to determine the origin of the handbag in order to draw conclusions about the perpetrators’ origin. If it were a commonplace product, such an investigation would, of course, be largely pointless. However, this is a very special model: the material is undoubtedly leather, or at least leather-like, yet of a texture never before seen by Mr Weiland or anyone at Kurtz Investigations Munich. A stitched emblem, strongly reminiscent of the luxury brand Louis Vuitton but slightly altered, adorns the front. The bag is lined with velvet. The combination of these features is extremely unusual, which is why our private detectives from Munich—and Mr Weiland himself—hope to gain insights by determining the manufacturing region.

Material Puzzles Even Experts

To gain an initial hint, the lead investigator from Kurtz Investigations Munich visited several common handbag shops in the city centre and questioned the sales staff or, if present, the branch managers. No one knew of such a bag, and no one could identify the material. Consequently, the detective visited several fur shops, where he was again told that the material was entirely unknown. Suggestions ranged from cowhide to snakeskin. Further inquiries to suppliers and manufacturers of leather and textiles were mostly answered, but no one could provide information on the material of the handbag.

Ultimately, our detective in Munich was referred to a leather specialist: the leather goods atelier "Jeannette" in Leipzig. The owner, a trained fine leather craftsman, kindly examined the handbag. In his assessment, it was most likely made from lizard leather. He ruled out snakes and other animals typically used for leather goods. Furthermore, he was able to narrow the production period to 1950–70. The velvet lining supports this assessment, as it was commonly used during that era. The manufacturer is estimated by the expert to be from Southeast Europe or Russia, though he is not entirely certain, as he has only seen velvet linings from Italy before.

Investigation of the Zipper

The zipper of the leather handbag is marked with the letters FES. This abbreviation could indicate a connection to the Turkish Friedrich Ebert Foundation. However, the foundation provides no information. Even the specialist from Atelier Jeannette was unfamiliar with this marking in relation to zippers. According to him, during the suspected production period, there were many small manufacturers with their own markings, most of which have since been forgotten. The specialist provided the name of the zipper manufacturer he works with for his own creations, but unfortunately, even they were unfamiliar with FES. Our private detective from Munich contacted numerous other manufacturers of zippers and leather goods, but received no useful leads, as FES was unknown to all.

Investigations at Louis Vuitton

To determine whether the handbag was an old Louis Vuitton model with a previous version of the brand logo or a poor imitation of the current logo, our Munich private detective contacted the world-famous luxury brand. This was initially done via email to the company’s German business department, describing the situation—no response was given. Growing impatient, our investigator reached out to Louis Vuitton via their Facebook page, receiving only the sparse information that the handbag was not a product of the brand. Expecting more assistance—after all, licensed manufacturers generally wish to protect against counterfeits—he finally contacted customer service by phone. There he was told that management would need to review the matter.

Since our Munich economic detective still received no response from Louis Vuitton, he tried again by phone, only to be connected to an advisor unwilling or unable to understand the issue. Louis Vuitton claimed they had no responsibility without a purchase receipt for the handbag. After some back and forth, our investigator impatiently explained that robbers generally do not leave receipts when ransacking houses, but Louis Vuitton could help in solving a crime if they wished. The employee refused any assistance or to forward the matter to a more helpful department. Kurtz Economic Detective Agency Munich therefore reluctantly abandoned the Louis Vuitton inquiry.

Meeting with an Expert

Finally, our Munich detective contacted a leather goods appraiser. The expert examined the handbag and stated that even he could not contribute to identifying the material or the origin. He had not seen such a bag in over 20 years. At this point, for Kurtz Private Detective Agency Munich, all known investigative avenues were exhausted, and the case had to be closed without a conclusive result. Any helpful information is greatly appreciated—please contact us at +49 89 7007 4301 or kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de.

Certain names and locations have been altered to ensure complete anonymity.

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich, gave an interactive radio interview to reporter Monika Werner in the summer of 2015. Below you will find a transcript of Part 2 of this contribution. Part 1 is available here.

Feigned Illness? Surveillance of an Employee

Presenter: “Finding missing persons, solving thefts, uncovering infidelity – these are typical tasks for private detectives here in Germany. Monika Werner, our reporter for special assignments, is out today with a private detective from Kurtz Investigations Munich. Today’s case concerns a man who is to be monitored. He is on sick leave but allegedly working on the side. That means observation and surveillance. Moni, you set off by car earlier — how far have you got?”

Monika Werner: “We’re just near the destination, and even a private detective like Patrick Kurtz buckles up — you try to comply with laws and regulations, even when driving?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Well, laws and regulations — for me, buckling up is more about personal safety.”

Monika Werner: “But a standard observation, where you might take a photo, is completely fine?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Yes.”

Legal Limits for Detectives

Monika Werner: “What we don’t have either are changing licence plates. There you can see the difference between reality and film — it’s not always the same. You smiled when I mentioned it. What is absolutely off-limits? What makes you shake your head when you see it?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Changing licence plates is of course a problem we would have with the vehicle registration office, because even our detective agency in Munich can only register one number plate to a car.”

Monika Werner: “And what we can’t do in the present situation is to confront the suspect in the act and apprehend him, as you sometimes see on TV?”

Patrick Kurtz: “No, that would not be sensible either, because the work of detectives lies in gathering evidence that is then used in court. Any measures to capture the perpetrator would be completely futile and not in the interests of our clients.”

Provisions for Lengthy Observations

Monika Werner: “So we’re here now. You’re very brave — we’ve got neither food nor drink with us, or is there a secret drawer if it takes longer?”

Patrick Kurtz: “I’ve got that in my rucksack. For observations you have to bring provisions.”

Monika Werner: “Are there always nuts as brain food?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Nuts are exactly right — those are the things I most often eat on observations. Peanuts have very good nutritional values that will sustain you through the day.”

How Long Can Observations Last?

Monika Werner: “Do you have tricks for changing your appearance quickly?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Various. Clothing of course, with spare jackets, hats, etc.…”

Monika Werner: “And the beard? Is that sometimes shaved off?”

Patrick Kurtz: “For observations that last several days or even weeks, yes.”

Monika Werner: “The longest you’ve ever spent standing?”

Patrick Kurtz: “So far 17 hours in one day. That was a case of infidelity in a relationship. But nothing relevant actually happened that day.”

Surveillance Can Escalate Suddenly

Monika Werner: “Watch out! He’s got the first photo — so quickly I didn’t even see it — taken. I didn’t even see the door open (laughs).”

Patrick Kurtz: “Yes, the target person has just come out of the dwelling. We have to document this as corporate investigators to record any possible commute, and now we’ll see what happens next.”

Monika Werner: “Will we follow him?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Exactly!”

Monika Werner: “Meaning start the car immediately and follow. I’m very curious to see what turns up!”

Which Events Are Relevant and Which Are Not?

Presenter: “Monika Werner, the reporter for very special cases, is out today with a private detective in Munich. Theoretically anyone can call themselves that here, because you don’t necessarily need a state licence, but Patrick Kurtz, with whom Monika is out today, has a special qualification from the IHK. The detective hourly wage in Bavaria is around 75 euros plus travel costs. Moni, where are you exactly now?”

Monika Werner: “We’ve, truly, stopped outside a doctor’s surgery. The target person has gone to the surgeon. Is that a good or a bad sign, Patrick Kurtz?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Neither. We can only document that he is at the doctor. We knew he must have been there anyway, because otherwise he wouldn’t have received a sick note. Whether the illness is feigned is not clarified by today’s doctor visit.”

Documentation of Events During the Operation

Monika Werner: “He’s dictating this into his mobile using the recording function — and then it will be documented in the office?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Exactly: time and event are spoken into the mobile by the dictation function and afterwards everything is recorded in writing in the detective office.”

Monika Werner: “Because it may need to hold up in court?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Right. The reports of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich are admissible in court and are regularly used in trials.”

A Caught Employee Faces Summary Dismissal

Monika Werner: “I could imagine this will take longer, because in my experience you can wait at a surgeon for one to two hours. But that’s not the usual case with the doctor? What is typical? Does the suspicion confirm itself often or rather seldom?”

Patrick Kurtz: “The suspicion is confirmed very often. For sick note abuse we’re talking about 70–80 per cent of cases.”

Monika Werner: “How do you catch the perpetrators?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Some people do renovation work on their houses at home — they took a week off they otherwise wouldn’t have had, so they had themselves signed off; or they work for another employer.”

Monika Werner: “And then the worst-case scenario is dismissal? Then it can go to court if he sues?”

Patrick Kurtz: “That is normally grounds for summary dismissal.”

Observation Locations | Variety During Surveillance

Monika Werner: “Here in the car you can make yourself comfortable, but the observations by Kurtz Private Detective Agency Munich do not only take place in the car?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Not only in the car, but also on foot, on the train, in premises, in businesses, etc. For example, we once had a case of embezzlement in a business. An employee working at the till managed to embezzle over 100,000 euros in less than a year. It was an entertainment venue that was showing inexplicable losses for management and on the verge of bankruptcy, which is why they hired us.”

Monika Werner: “It’s nice we can have a conversation now. Normally an observation by detectives is very boring — how do you keep entertained?”

Patrick Kurtz: “With audiobooks, CDs, etc.”

Monika Werner: “Let’s see what you have in the car: Edgar Allan Poe, of course crime stories.”

Presenter: “Always interesting when Monika Werner is out, because she is the reporter for very special cases. When do we ever get the chance to get into a detective’s car? Usually they work so well that we have no idea where they are and what they’re doing. Thank you for the contribution.”

A Contribution from MDR 1 Radio.

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich, gave an interactive radio interview to reporter Monika Werner in the summer of 2015. Below is a transcript of Part 1 of this interview.

Modern Munich Detectives: Pipe and Sherlock Holmes?

Moderator: "When you think of private detectives, what image comes to mind? The image that immediately appears for me is Sherlock Holmes with his pipe and hat – a funny hat back then, a kind of checkered cap. But how do detectives work today and what do they look like? Monika Werner wanted to find out and is today at Kurtz Private Detective Agency Munich. Moni met the head of the agency in one of his detective offices. Moni, what does it look like there?"

Monika Werner: "A bit nostalgic. You immediately feel like you’re in a Sherlock Holmes movie because at the desk you have, Patrick Kurtz, a lot of pipes – around 20 of them – do you actually smoke them?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Yes, I smoke them daily. I’ve been a pipe smoker since I was 14."

Monika Werner: "Really! And also a Sherlock Holmes fan? Seeing the books here..."

Patrick Kurtz: "The stories have always fascinated me. That fascination from my youth carried into my detective work and certainly influenced my choice of career."

Do Private Detectives Need to Be Physically Fit?

Monika Werner: "Otherwise, your age and appearance, Patrick Kurtz, are less like Holmes. I’d guess you’re around 30, well-trained – it looks like a gym body?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Gym now and then."

Monika Werner: "Is that necessary for a detective or just personal preference?"

Patrick Kurtz: "I know many colleagues who are a bit heavier, so it’s probably not essential."

Monika Werner: "But it’s certainly helpful if you have to run after someone as a private detective in Munich – has that happened?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Yes, it happens, and in those situations fitness is very helpful."

Legal Knowledge Is Essential for Detectives

Monika Werner: "If you want to reach Kurtz Detective Agency Munich, it’s best via the internet. You’ll find a phone number. Can you meet people quickly? You clarify some facts beforehand?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Yes, because in order to work a case, there must be a legitimate interest. If that exists, we can meet in private."

Monika Werner: "Legitimate interest? Translate that for me."

Patrick Kurtz: "It’s a term from German law, vaguely defined. It basically means the client’s interest in an investigation must outweigh the protectable interests of the person being observed or investigated. Naturally, the target also has personal rights, which are inevitably affected by our detectives’ work."

Monika Werner: "Where’s the big law book? Under the pillow? You have to be completely familiar with it."

Patrick Kurtz: "The law books are on the shelf, and I take them down when needed."

Monika Werner: "So we’re operating in a gray area. Next, I’m curious about detective equipment – what’s allowed and how. I’ve already peeked into the backpack – this will be exciting."

Detective Equipment | Technical Tools Used by Private Detectives

Moderator: "Today, we’re with detectives in Munich, specifically Monika Werner, who goes where we cannot and fortunately reports it on the radio. Moni is with a detective today. She’s at Kurtz Detective Agency Munich. There are original Sherlock Holmes editions, a pipe collection, and law books. But what does a detective take with them to work?"

Optical Tools

Monika Werner: "A good camera, an SLR, and a telephoto lens. How far can you shoot?"

Patrick Kurtz: "With clear line of sight – depending on weather conditions – 400 meters is no problem."

Monika Werner: "Do you also use a tripod? Like in crime movies, hiding somewhere all night?"

Patrick Kurtz: "A tripod is used for low-light operations."

Monika Werner: "And a small binoculars? That looks a bit nostalgic."

Patrick Kurtz: "Actually, it belonged to my great-grandfather, probably from the 1930s, made by Carl Zeiss."

Disguise | Masking During Operations

Monika Werner: "A mask? Seriously? And a wig?"

Patrick Kurtz: "The mask is rarely used, but when we are in the car and cannot rotate investigators, it helps conceal identity as it changes the face entirely."

Monika Werner: "By the way, it’s an old-man mask."

Use of GPS Technology by Detectives

Monika Werner: "And then there’s this plastic case, about the size of a camera."

Patrick Kurtz: "That’s a GPS tracker. In most cases it’s illegal, but there are exceptions. For example, if our Munich detectives have a vehicle that’s been embezzled, we may use a tracker legally because it belongs to the client."

Monika Werner: "So it attaches to a car and you can track it via phone?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Exactly: smartphones, computers, tablets – several options exist."

Forensics | Evidence Collection Kit

Monika Werner: "Then there’s another case?"

Patrick Kurtz: "That’s my forensic kit. We can detect and collect traces."

Monika Werner: "Let’s test it: I put a thick fingerprint on the desk. Dust it with powder, spread gently with a fine brush – perfect result."

Patrick Kurtz: "We could lift the print with adhesive tape, attach it to a carrier, and the trace is preserved."

Court Admissibility of Evidence Collected by Munich Detectives

Monika Werner: "But what is accepted in court?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Ideally, we also need witnesses. Generally, our Munich detectives’ statements are admissible, as we are objective observers and no success-based fees exist."

Monika Werner: "Speaking of observers: Our next job is a surveillance – I’m joining in now."

Part 2 of “Moni unterwegs” with Patrick Kurtz

The second part of the interview can be found here.

Contribution by MDR 1 Radio

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

For the programme “M19 – The Long Interview” on Mephisto 97.6, Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich, spoke for an hour with editor-in-chief Paula Drope about the detective profession. The third part focuses on surveillance and the daily work of our private detectives in Munich. The second part on detective training can be found here.

First Case: Observation for Breach of Non-Compete Agreement

Paula Drope: “Mr Kurtz, what was your first case?”

Patrick Kurtz: “My first case involved a breach of a non-compete agreement. An employee had an exclusive contract with a company – he was only allowed to work for that company and not for a competitor. But the company suspected he was working for a competitor, so our Munich detectives conducted surveillance on him. It lasted four days, I think, sitting around three days, each time 10–12 hours. At first, it was nice for the earnings, but nothing happened. On the fourth day, though, he showed up at the suspected company and was indeed working there.”

Paula Drope: “And what happened then?”

Patrick Kurtz: “I prepared the investigation report, submitted it to the client of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich, and, I imagine, a dismissal followed. There was probably also a contractual penalty. He would have had to pay a considerable sum for breaching the contract. But I don’t know the exact details.”

Paula Drope: “So, you usually don’t know what happens after a case?”

Patrick Kurtz: “It depends. If there’s an amicable settlement, I usually don’t know. If it goes to court, we receive updates for witness summonses, etc. To request images later, we must be contacted afterward due to copyright law. Some clients keep in touch, especially for private matters: ‘You helped us, thank you.’ I’ve even been invited to dinner by a client. But in most cases our Munich detectives handle, we don’t know how it continues.”

Detectives Must Read Target Behaviour

Paula Drope: “You mainly mentioned surveillance. I guess you sit in a car? You already said it can sometimes be boring.”

Patrick Kurtz: “Sometimes, yes.”

Paula Drope: “Have there been any really tense situations during an operation?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Yes, certainly. There are always moments where you are unsure: Are we still safe? Has the target noticed us? Some targets can look at our Munich private detectives all day and not recognise them, while others become immediately nervous after a second glance in the rear-view mirror. As a detective, you usually notice this very quickly. In other cases, a certain nervousness has nothing to do with our surveillance: Perhaps they are nervous because they are committing an offence. Then their unusual behaviour is not due to thinking they are being followed by our economic detectives in Munich, but simply due to the stressful situation they are in because of their crime.”

Even Private Detectives Cannot Always Make Everything Work

Patrick Kurtz: “I also had a case where a target approached us because they had noticed we were following them. The observation took place in a very small village, and within that village there was a small enclosed area with six or seven houses, which could only be seen from two rural roads. We couldn’t park inside the area, as that would have been immediately noticed – no chance. We could only cover the two access roads. Our Munich detectives positioned themselves accordingly. We were undercover, meaning we could not be seen from the street. The target person could not possibly have seen us, but agricultural vehicles passed by regularly, and on the second or third day it happened: Our Munich detectives followed the target and saw them enter a house. We positioned ourselves 200–300 metres away from the house.

Suddenly, the target person stood at my car window and said: ‘You can stop now.’ Yes, that was not a pleasant moment. I later analysed how this could have happened, but I could find no mistake on our side – the surveillance could not have been conducted differently. It must have been one of the farmers who had seen our Munich detectives and probably informed the target. Furthermore, the farmer must have known about the target’s situation [sick leave fraud]. There was simply no other way to carry out the surveillance at that location unless we had used, I don’t know, a helicopter – which would have been noticed [laughs]. No, even afterwards, no better solution comes to mind. Sometimes, it just isn’t possible.”

Paula Drope: “So ultimately, that’s just bad luck?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Yes. But with a clever trick, we were able to still prove the violation – even though the target already knew they were being observed. The employee became overconfident and made a mistake.”

Prior Information When Preparing a Surveillance Operation

Paula Drope: “How much does luck play a role in being in the right place at the right time, or conversely, not being in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

Patrick Kurtz: “That is highly case-dependent. For example, I always tell clients who call suspecting their spouse is cheating and ask about the costs: it is very difficult to generalise. I always need to know:

• Is there a concrete suspicion?
• When and where could something happen?
• Or is it just a general feeling based on circumstantial evidence?

If our Munich detectives only have a general feeling, we have to observe more or less randomly. But if we know there is an event or location on a particular day, where the person might go with another woman, for example, we can narrow down the observation considerably. It always depends on the situation and the prior information provided by the client.”

Detective Work and Cooperation with Police

Paula Drope: “Adultery is unpleasant for individuals but ultimately not something the police are interested in, right?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Exactly.”

Paula Drope: “You also handle larger cases. When does Kurtz Detective Agency Munich reach its limits, i.e., when do you need to involve the police?”

Patrick Kurtz: “For serious crimes, we are obliged to report them anyway. Otherwise, there are few situations in which involving the police would be beneficial for our Munich detectives. It usually depends on the client’s instructions – we cannot act against their wishes. For example, if we observe a child or adolescent suspected of taking drugs, we cannot just call the police, because that would harm the child and the parents as clients of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich. That is not the goal of the assignment. There are therefore very few cases in which we actively cooperate with the police.”

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen

Oktoberfest: Does Opportunity Make Cheaters?

Not only the Kurtz Detective Agency Munich during their observations, but also the general public experiences it every year: mini-scandals at Oktoberfest. Drunken celebrities, flashing incidents from minor celebrities, pornographic scandals – the tabloids are filled year after year with pictures and articles about mostly embarrassing events at the Wiesn. This year, our Munich private detectives were also on duty at the world’s largest folk festival. The reason: a young woman from Bielefeld suspected that her husband might overindulge while celebrating with his friends and commit an affair.

Regular Drinking Tours Raise Suspicions

Ms Hofmann (name changed) is in her mid-twenties, just like her husband. Once or twice a year, she tells the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich, he meets up with some old school friends and goes on a so-called “drinking tour” with them. This year, the group had booked tickets for the Munich Oktoberfest. Since there had been strange insinuations from Mr Hofmann’s friends after previous outings, suspicious photos, and even Mr Hofmann himself had behaved differently for a few days, the client of our Munich private detectives suspected that her husband might not take fidelity entirely seriously during these tours. Consequently, she commissioned Kurtz Detective Agency Munich to observe her husband from the central bus station at Hackerbrücke, where his “travel group” was due to arrive by long-distance coach from Cologne. Since the journey was very long, it was expected that the group would already have a certain level of alcohol in their system upon arrival.

Target Person Staggers from the Bus | Observation by Our Detectives

About half an hour after the scheduled arrival time, the two deployed Munich detectives see six men staggering out of the bus with beer bottles in hand, while receiving a few harsh words from the driver – which seems not to bother them. The group’s first stop is the main train station, where they eat at a well-known fast-food restaurant and use the restrooms. Afterwards, they fill the backpacks they brought with alcoholic beverages, primarily beer, in a supermarket, and finally make their way on foot to a nearby hostel, just a few hundred metres from the Theresienwiese. The private detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich split up: the younger colleague positions himself in the lobby area to keep an eye on the main entrance, while the older one monitors the rear exit from a café.

The Target Quickly Makes New Acquaintances

Nearly two hours pass without incident. Perhaps the young men took a little rest after the long journey and beer consumption in preparation for the planned festival night. In the early evening, the target and another person from the group appear in the lobby, where the younger of our two Munich private detectives sits among other young adults, blending in to appear part of the group. The target and his companion now clearly wear inferior lederhosen with ordinary shirts. They look around the room, their gazes resting on a group of young women, and whisper briefly to each other. They then approach the group directly and boldly ask if they may join them. Amid giggles, permission is granted. Quickly, both men seek physical closeness with their new acquaintances, patting legs and putting arms around shoulders – all observed by our detective in Munich.

In the Left Arm a Stranger, in the Right Hand a Beer

After an extended period of mingling, and once the rest of the target’s friends have entered the lobby, the two groups apparently decide to head together to the Theresienwiese. On the way, some couples already start to form: three men walk individually with women, one of them keeping his arm around his chosen companion the entire time – unsurprisingly, this is the target. With a stranger in his left arm and a beer bottle in his right hand, the following Munich detectives manage to capture several revealing photos.

At Oktoberfest, the binge that started in the morning continues, with the women also showing signs of thirst. As the group visits various stalls and attractions, the first kisses occur between the new acquaintances – notably, two people initiate who had not walked side by side or arm in arm to the festival grounds earlier.

Target Dances Closely in the Festival Tent

Later on the party crowd seems tired of walking and they enter a marquee where the target’s group had, as is known, reserved seats. Some of the people sit, but as no reservations are apparent for the women, seating is limited. This suits the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich, who were unable to reserve at short notice after Mrs Hofmann’s assignment. People from the target group are constantly in the dance area and the investigators can be reasonably sure the target will not leave the tent unobserved. Keeping sight of the group’s table in the crush is not always possible.

When the target appears on the dancefloor, his dancing with the woman he had taken by the arm becomes physical and clearly of a sexual nature. At one point one of our Munich private detectives makes the most of the situation and secures, by a pretext, a vacated seat with a view of the group’s reserved area.

Clear Evidence for Our Munich Detectives

When the target and his conquest return to the table holding hands, they need only one free seat, as she straddles him rather lasciviously while they kiss passionately. The target repeatedly attempts to put his hands in sensitive areas of the woman’s body but is repeatedly rebuffed. Eventually a minor dispute about this arises and the kissing subsides. She continues to sit on him, both looking increasingly bored while Mr Hofmann drinks beer ever more rapidly. Late into the night he no longer appears to be in full control or good spirits. At a very late hour the woman is no longer on the target’s lap and his eyes grow smaller until Mr Hofmann finally falls asleep with his head on the table. The woman now turns her attention more to other men.

Abrupt End to the Wiesn for the Target of Kurtz Investigations Munich

The evening ends with Mr Hofmann being roused with some difficulty by his friends (who had enjoyed a little fun with their sleeping mate) and he is led back to the hostel in the company of the group. Although another trip to the Wiesn is planned for the following day, Mrs Hofmann informs the operations management of Kurtz Detective Agency Munich that her husband will certainly not take part again but will return home immediately after receiving some very pointed words from his wife.

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-muenchen