Lions Gate Investigations Group is a multi-disciplinary firm which supports litigators. Lawyers are highly trained in their own specific fields of endeavour. They are not investigators. Lions Gate offers a broad network of senior, highly experienced evidence gatherers and specialists who have a long history of working with counsel in support of litigation. We offer counsel the following expertise:

• Asset location and recovery
• Dry judgment solutions
• Forensic computer analysis
• Data mining and recovery
• Witness location and recruitment
• Intellectual property
• Major police case reviews
• Due diligence and background investigation
• Undercover operations
• Behavioral sciences
• Forensic accounting
• Threat evaluation and management
• Employee and executive integrity testing
• Expert witness training

Lions Gate Investigations Group understands search authorities, continuity, admissibility, evidence preservation and the advanced techniques set out above. We are highly trained professionals in the field of investigation. We can be engaged at any stage of a file, and will perform no unlawful act in the conduct of our investigations. We have an appreciation for the laws of disclosure, and we have demonstrated the capacity to gather evidence of complexity in a timely, cost effective manner to the satisfaction of our many clients.

A behavioural and / or geographic consultation, in the early stages of an investigation, can provide a perspective or an interpretation of the facts that may not surface during the course of the traditional investigative process. This process is less than a full profile or personality assessment, and changes as more information is known. This service can be useful in generating early leads, providing an alternative investigative direction, identifying the significance of existing information, or interpreting the crime scene.

Behavioural and geographic analysis and consultations can provide investigators with a means of examining a case or series of cases from a much different perspective. During the early stages of an investigation, advice can be provided about the behavioural and geographic components of the offender(s), crime(s) and crime site(s). Suggestions regarding investigative tactics and approaches, threat assessments and the utility of covert operations can flow from this process.

Sensitive investigations, stalled investigations, investigations outside the realm or interest of law enforcement, and investigations where another perspective is required, are all suitable cases for the members of Lions Gate Investigations Group. Our collective training and experience places us in the unique position of being able to offer a perspective that few police officers or private sector investigators can.

Each member of the LGIG team has successfully completed a rigorous training program that was developed and is managed by the ICIAF (International Criminal Investigative Analysis Fellowship). The training and certification program takes between 24-36 months to complete. It involves various courses of academic study, 3 one month practicums, an examination case and an oral examination board. Our members are qualified experts who are relied upon by the Courts to provide opinion evidence on a variety of these specialty areas.

Indirect Personality Assessments

Indirect Personality Assessments discreetly evaluate information about a problematic person in a work setting. These assessments determine a basic personality type and key motivational factors. They provide valuable insight to select and plan best strategies to manage the person and the situation.

Interviewing Strategies

Appropriate techniques or approaches maximize the success of an interview and overall corporate investigations. We have developed successful interview strategies for reluctant witnesses, problematic victims, persons of interest, suspects and offenders. We've successfully developed strategies for people with a variety of mental difficulties. Interview support in
monitoring important interviews and critical advice about deception, and personality based interview techniques is available.

Statement Analysis

Statement Analysis detects deception and additional information by examining a person's word use, in written or recorded interviews. Our staff have analyzed countless witness, victim, and offender statements; and identified people responsible for a variety of complaints. This assists investigators to quickly focus and allocate resources cost effectively. Questionnaires can be distributed and analyzed in an effort to prioritize the most likely suspect among a group of people.

Forensic Linguistic Analysis
Forensic linguistics involves analysis of language evidence from emails, letters, text messages, and other documents in which authorship is anonymous or questionable. Sociolinguistic analysis makes it possible to identify demographic information about an author. Forensic authorship comparison is performed to identify an author on the basis of his or her known writing attributes, including preferred grammatical structures, collocations, lexical choices, and other distinguishing features.

Analysis of Anonymous or Threatening Documents

Analysis of anonymous or threatening documents provides insight into threatening, unusual or inappropriate anonymous communications. Recognizing core traits can assist to identifying the author of a document. This provides an understanding of the reason for sending the message and their intentions. We have considerable experience in anonymous threats regarding extortion, stalking, and harassment. We have also successfully identified falsely alleged crimes and complaints.

Determining Falsely Alleged Incidents

Determining falsely alleged incidents avoids wasting valuable investigative resources. Hoax complaints can be the basis of false accusations in a variety of settings, such as stalking, sexual assault, workplace problems, or can underlay fraudulent insurance or benefit claims.

Investigative Consulting

Investigative Consulting incorporates behavioural analysis, investigative experience, and consideration of physical and forensic evidence. It assists to develop investigative approaches to efficiently conclude investigations. Consideration of motivation, techniques and sophistication can assist to determine identities in extortion and product tampering cases. Psychological profiles, undercover strategies and suspect evaluation are also available.

Our goal is to provide a more organized and comprehensive understanding of the behavioural, personality and motivational characteristics of the people involved in corporate investigations.

Psychological Profiles

Psychological Profiles offer a description of a person's traits in an unknown case. They assist to identify suspects responsible for a variety of incidents. Our staff has experience in developing profiles that have aided investigations of arson, extortion, product tampering, criminal harassment, and threatening.

Threat Assessment

Threat Assessment is the evaluation of risk factors, inappropriate behaviour, communications or verbal or electronic threats; to determine the level of risk posed by an individual or group. Specially designed case management strategies enhance organizational safety. Victim safety plans and contact strategies for threateners reduce the risk of a violent outcome. Threat assessments are regularly used include: stalking, relationship conflicts, workplace conflicts harassment and threats, threats to medical professionals, politicians, celebrities or other public figures and investigators. Threat assessments offer a prediction of what an offender might do, and assists clients to regain control of potentially dangerous situations.

Equivocal Death Analysis

This product provides a written opinion as to the most likely manner of death (accident, suicide or homicide), based on a thorough analysis of all the information known about the victim and the circumstances of the death. This process involves a thorough examination and review of the subject of interest and the details of the event surrounding the death.

Geographic Analysis

The geographic analyst provides a service related to the geography of a crime or crime series. The objective of the geographic analysis process is to determine the most probable location of the offender’s / subject’s anchor point, which is most frequently his/her residence, based on the location of the crime sites. The analysis involves the interpretation of the offender’s hunting methodology and victim selection process. There are a variety of analytical methodologies that can be applied depending on the case requirements and data available.

Time/Speed/Distance Calculation

This product is designed to provide the client with an approximate idea of how far a subject can travel in a given period of time. Calculations can be done on a person who is walking, jogging, riding a bicycle or driving a vehicle.

Mapping Assistance

Clients have requested assistance mapping out locations related to a crime, series of crimes or an incident that is subject to a judicial investigation or hearing. Mapping can be useful when reconstructing historical cases, data or for presentation purposes for briefings and court.

Training

Training is available on a variety of topics including: Corporate Interviewing and Risk Assessment for Corporate Threat Management Teams and *Workplace Violence.

Our Behavioural Analysis Team

Keith Davidson

Lorna Fadden

Lorna Fadden, Ph.D. is a forensic linguist who consults in cases where language is evidence. She performs forensic linguistic analysis on documents of questionable authorship, including threats and other anonymous communications for purposes of attribution or sociolinguistic profiling. She also examines spoken or written discourse to clarify intention and meaning, assess competence, and resolve ambiguities.  

In 2008, she completed her doctorate in the Department of Linguistics at Simon Fraser University. Her dissertation research on the language of police interviewing focused on discourse and speech properties. She conducts ongoing research on the discourse of police interviews, particularly addressing issues of suspects' competence as well as suspects' and investigators' discourse strategies. Fadden's research also focuses on the linguistic differences between Native and non-Native citizens in their interactions with police.

A current member of the International Association of Forensic Linguistics, and the International Language and Law Association, Dr. Fadden publishes and presents her work nationally and internationally.

Since 2001, she has taught linguistics at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia in the areas of sociolinguistics, syntax, and forensics.

Prior to her work in forensic linguistics, Fadden spent several years in the high tech industry where she provided linguistic expertise in artificial intelligence and natural language processing.

Scot Filer

Mr. Filer graduated from the Law and Security Administration Program at Niagara College in Welland, Ontario in 1977. He moved on to a thirty year career in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Mr. Filer spent twenty-six of his thirty years in the area of Major Crime Investigations in British Columbia, the last eleven in the highly specialized area of Behavioural Sciences. Scot concluded his policing career at the rank of Staff Sergeant in charge of operations and investigations for the Behavioural Sciences Group.

Mr. Filer is a very experienced major crime investigator and has led several major investigations and multi-jurisdictional projects. Mr. Filer has received law enforcement certifications in the areas of geographic profiling, threat evaluation and management, tactical human tracking, surveillance and executive protection. He has provided law enforcement services to agencies across Canada, as well in the United States, England, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Belize and South Africa.

He possesses an extensive track record of expertise with more than 1700 criminal cases, including complex, multi-jurisdictional cases involving agencies at the local, provincial, national and international level.Multi-certified in best practice pre-emptive and investigative techniques, Scot is one of the foremost experts globally in the use of geographic profiling methodologies to analyze crime patterns and offender hunting behaviours. Scot has experience building collaborative partnerships and working relationships between the law enforcement community, private sector companies and the academic community. He is an insightful analyst and strategist whose advice has been sought by law enforcement agencies and private sector clients around the world.

Scot's policing experience is diverse and includes, residential and commercial burglaries, arsons, auto thefts, criminal intelligence, gang related crimes, sex crimes, robberies, homicides, executive protection, interviewing and interrogation, statement analysis, crime linkage analysis, threat evaluation and management and tactical human tracking.

Robert Hare

Robert Hare is Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of British Columbia, where he has taught and conducted research for some 35 years, and President of Darkstone Research Group Ltd., a forensic research and consulting firm.  Dr. Hare has devoted most of his academic career to the investigation of psychopathy - its nature, assessment, and implications for mental health and criminal justice.

He is the author of several books, including Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us, and more than one hundred scientific articles on psychopathy. He is the developer of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and a co-author of its derivatives, the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version, the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version, the Antisocial Process Screening Device, and the P-Scan (for use in law enforcement).  He consults with law enforcement, including the FBI and the RCMP, sits on the Research Advisory Board of the new FBI Child Abduction and Serial Murder Investigative Resources Center (CASMIRC), and is a member of the FBI Serial Murder Working Group. He was also a member of the Advisory Panel established by Her Majesty’s Prison Service to develop new programs for the treatment of psychopathic offenders.  His current research on psychopathy includes assessment issues, developmental factors, neurobiological correlates, risk for recidivism and violence, and the development (with S. Wong) of new treatment and management strategies for psychopathic offenders (Guidelines for a Psychopathy Treatment Program).

He and Paul Babiak have extended the theory and research on psychopathy to the business and corporate world, with the development of the B-Scan-360, a 360º instrument used to screen for psychopathic traits and behaviors, and a book, Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work. He lectures widely on psychopathy and on the use and misuse of the PCL-R in the mental health and criminal justice systems. Among his most recent awards are the Silver Medal of the Queen Sophia Center in Spain; the Canadian Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Applications of Psychology; the American Academy of Forensic Psychology Award for Distinguished Applications to the Field of Forensic Psychology; the Isaac Ray Award presented by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law for Outstanding Contributions to Forensic Psychiatry and Psychiatric Jurisprudence; the B. Jaye Anno Award for Excellence in Communication, presented by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, and the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy. He is an Affiliate Member of the International Criminal Investigative Analysis Fellowship.

Matt Logan

Dr. Matt Logan completed a Ph.D. in Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia with a focus on Crisis (Hostage) Negotiation and Major Criminal Conflict Management. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for 28 years serving in five communities within British Columbia and a tour of duty in Ottawa and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia. Matt was working as a Psychologist with Correctional Services Canada (CSC) from May, 1999 to November, 2001 where he did Psychological Risk Assessments for the National Parole Board and worked in therapy with predatory sex offenders. He is currently working as a consultant and has joined Dr. Robert Hare in forming HALO – Forensic Behavioral Specialists.

As the first Operational Psychologist in Major Crime, S/Sgt (ret.) Logan has been involved as a consultant to Serious Crime Sections, Undercover Unit, Interview Team, Child Exploitation, and Crisis Negotiation Teams.  Psychological Risk and Threat Assessments are provided on suspects in serious crime investigations and Expert Evidence is given in Court on violent and deviant sexual behaviour.  An FBI trained hostage negotiator, Dr. Logan is a conference speaker and facilitator specializing in Conflict and Crisis Management, Psychopathy, Risk for Violence, Sexual Predators, and Trauma.

Brad Moore

Brad Moore has been a police officer with the Ontario Provincial Police for the past 22 years. He spent 10 years in the OPP Behavioural Sciences Section as a geographic profiler and manager of the OPP Geographic Profiling Unit.  He has prepared geographic profiles and conducted geographic analyses for police departments in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. He regularly lectures at police departments and educational institutions in North America and Europe.

During the course of his policing career, Brad has worked general duties at Sebringville Detachment in southwestern Ontario, as a ViCLAS analyst, as manager of the Systems Operations and Technical Support Unit, Information and Technology Services Section, and as team leader of Ontario’s Provincial ViCLAS Centre. Brad is currently one of only nine qualified geographic profilers in the world.

Jim van Allen

Jim Van Allen is President of Behavioural Science Solutions Group Inc., a private practice assisting investigators and others to find and pursue the truth.  He responds to a broad range of requests for Behavioural Science support in a variety of investigations. He also provides threat assessments and risk management strategies for private sector clients.

Jim is a Certified Criminal Profiler with significant public sector experience in assisting high profile investigations. He has internationally renowned expertise in crime scene analysis, and verifying truthfulness in written, audio or video recorded statements. His reviews of serious investigations have helped to identify criminals, their motives, and the significance of critical pieces of evidence. His extensive investigative background assists him to bridge the gap between what Investigators need and successfully closing a case.

Jim has assisted to determine the manner of death in many confusing death investigations that were open to diverse interpretation. He has considerable expertise in analyzing anonymous threats and cyber-communications. He is very experienced in identifying falsely alleged crimes and hoax events.
Jim is a highly experienced interviewer and has successfully prepared personality based interview strategies that have assisted to obtain admissions and confessions in serious and problematic investigations.

Jim has lectured across Canada, at colleges and Universities, and in The Netherlands and Belgium about violent crimes, crime dynamics and threat assessment. He has testified as an expert witness at various levels of the Ontario Court of Justice, and Coroners Inquests.

Glenn Woods

Following a long and storied career in a broad range of senior law enforcement roles, more recently as RCMP Director, Behavioural Sciences for the Criminal Profiling, Geographic Profiling, Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (ViCLAS) , National Sex Offender Registry and Truth Verification programs (Polygraph & Statement Analysis), Glenn is now lending his unique skills and talents to Lions Gate Investigations Group.

The majority of Glenn’s experience over the past 35 years has been in the area of investigating crimes of interpersonal violence. He has been involved either as an investigator or profiler in hundreds of major cases including homicides, sexual assaults, abductions (adults and children), armed robberies, arsons as well as other crimes of interpersonal violence.

In 1999 Glenn was one of two Canadian Profilers invited to an FBI symposium on school shootings where he had an opportunity to participate in the analysis of 18 school shooting incidents including Columbine. He is a co-author of a Threat Assessment Training Guide that is used in training school administrators, counsellors, psychologists and police officers, and is widely viewed as the best training available in this regard.

Glenn has been a regular lecturer at the Canadian Police College and has also guest lectured or presented at the Atlantic Police College, Toronto Police Service College, the Ontario Police College and numerous conferences in Canada, the United States and abroad.

Workplace Violence Development, Training & Support Program

The Lions Gate Investigations Group (LGIG) develops industry specific, cutting edge workplace violence (WPV) programs for companies that want to provide the most complete and effective programs for their employees. The LGIG WPV program would place modern workplaces far ahead in the arena of Workplace Violence preparedness and response.

LGIG offers a range of workplace violence services which provides our clients with a complete WPV program that includes:

• An analysis of the existing program, corporate infrastructure, industry risk factors and requirements so a program can be developed that meets the exclusive needs of the client.

• WPV program development that includes corporate policy; response plans; reporting protocols; investigation processes for violent incidents, harassment and threats; as well as proactive and reactive assistance.

• Corporate training package which would include modules for front line personnel, supervisors and management.

• Operational support provided by the LGIG Behavioural Analysis Team. This team of behaviour and linguistics experts provides ongoing  operational support to the clients WPV Response Team.  Their objective is to consult on a case and to assist with threat of violence assessments and with the development and implementation of risk mitigation strategies.

 

Operational support topics:

• Legislated obligations

• Consultation and development of policies with respect to workplace violence, threatening behaviour and correspondence and harassment

• Consultation and development of an implementation program regarding a workplace violence Policy

• Operational support for investigation and or surveillance of identified subjects who pose an identified risk to the client or employees

 

Proactive Steps (Recommended):

• Develop measures and procedures to control risks. Establishing a relationship between workplace conduct and an appropriate measured response.  (This is generally a five level plan ranging from Call 911 to a hoax event.)

• Reporting and notification mechanisms (workers and managers)

• Development of a management policy to investigate and respond to workplace violence incidents, complaints and threats

 

Reactive Assistance of LGIG to the Client:

• Be a specialized resource to in house corporate Threat Management Teams, and /or

• Conduct independent specialized threat assessments

• Consultation regarding ongoing evaluation and development of intervention strategies

• Monitoring effectiveness of interventions and providing input to the threat management decision making process

• Workplace incident follow up

• Post incident reviews (This is important and often overlooked by companies and truly demonstrates their commitment to excellence)

• Assist to develop response to domestic violence that is likely to introduce risk of physical injury in the workplace

• Development of awareness programs of domestic abuse victims (Recognition of abuse indicators and risk factors)

• Development of strategies to support affected workers (Response to abused workers and referral to EAP and community resources)

  
  

Client Training Package:

• Training is independently tailored to a client's specific needs, risk, nature of business, and exposure to risk.

• Training is dependent on legislated needs in the location of business, and the existing policies, level of need, compliance requirements, and time availability.

• In general, most levels of employees require an overview of legislated requirements, corporate policies, position requirements, risk factor recognition, notification strategies, and response strategies. 

 

Depending on a worker's exposure to the public, they would benefit from:

1. Workers' Module - Suggested Duration - One day

- An overview of Workplace Violence policies and programs
- What is workplace violence - definitions and sources
- Recognizing difficult, dangerous, or disturbed people
- Recognizing workplace violence risk indicators
- Notification responsibilities
- Domestic Violence recognition and response
- Diffusing hostility
- Possibly including practical skills application exercises

2. Supervisors' Module - Suggested Duration - One day

- An overview of Workplace Violence - definitions and sources
- Implementation of policies and programs
- Measures for reporting complaints, threats and incidents
- Determining seriousness of reported incidents and threats
- Workplace violence intervention and response strategies
- Recognizing and responding to domestic violence in the workplace
- Critical Information process for corporate Threat Management Teams

3. Threat Management Team - Suggested Duration - Four Days (Maximum 10 people)

- An overview of Workplace Violence - definitions and sources
- An overview of Workplace Violence policies and programs
- General principles of Threat and Risk Assessment Screening
- Required assessment information and sources
- The necessity of documentation and note taking
- Basic interviewing tips
- Workplace Violence Risk Indicators
- The Violent Pathway
- Domestic Violence and Relationship Violence
- Information coordination and evaluation
- Measures of risk and notification
- Principles of risk intervention
- Utilizing internal and external resources
- Skill application scenarios

Most companies won't achieve a high level of expertise in threat or risk assessment.  LGIG recommends that a core group of employees with the necessary skill set and competencies be selected and trained to act as an in-house Threat Management Team to screen and triage incidents of concern that are reported, gather required information, make recommendations to management, and request the assistance of external specialized resources when required.

LGIG will assist with the selection of employees with the necessary requirements.

Operational Assessment of Risk:

LGIG Inc. can provide guidance in complex investigations that require an analysis of unusual, worrisome or menacing behaviour, and can help to develop an appropriate investigation process, and interpret and assess risk indicators and understand personal circumstances, and dynamics of the situation and assist to develop responses and safety plans to meet your obligations and safety needs.

LGIG Expertise:

Threats come from a variety of sources.  LGIG Inc. has experience in:

• Threats to public figures

• Co-worker threats

• Risk of violence from workers, clients, customers, contractors, and others

• Risk of domestic violence from inside and outside the workplace

• Threats resulting from mental illness and disorders

• Anonymous threatening documents and cyber communications

 

Methodology:

LGIG threat analysts use current research based risk assessment instruments and best practices to accurately evaluate the potential for violence and to develop intervention strategies and response urgency in a variety of situations.

Duty to Warn:

The right to personal privacy is sometimes difficult to balance with the need for personal or public safety.  LGIG will help you determine which situations present a likelihood of danger and require specific individuals to be warned of a specific danger or threat.  We'll assist you to deal with delicate matters of confidentiality in cases where reasonable professional judgment requires it.

Indirect Personality Assessments:

Stress, conflicts, and medical conditions can produce a variety of unusual symptoms or conduct.  It sometimes causes a pre-existing medical condition to be noticeable.  Evaluating conduct and behaviour can have a significant impact on determining risk and predicting future conduct.

LGIG has considerable experience recognizing and interpreting behavioural indicators and interpreting their significance.  Understanding contributing factors of potential dangerousness helps guide the selection of appropriate interventions and management strategies and enhances organizational safety and well being of all workers.

View Behavioural Sciences Services

 

Traditional investigation is the core activity of many of our engagements. Lions Gate personnel have a depth of investigative experience and skill unrivalled within the private investigation industry in Canada. This experience, acquired through decades of conducting criminal investigations, has resulted in the development of numerous efficiencies and best practices for the benefit of our clients. From missing persons cases to scene examinations and witness cultivation, to liaison with senior police detectives, Lions Gate has the proven capacity to deliver results quickly and cost efficiently.

Ultimately, it comes down to talking to people, and we're good at it.

Interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects is a skill that is developed through training and experience. The purpose of a statement is to solicit information in the form of supporting evidence or a confession. A thorough understanding of the case, the issues, the objective and the person being interviewed are all required by the interview team prior to designing the method of approach and the themes to be used in the interview or interrogation.

Lions Gate Investigations Group is regularly retained by law firms, insurance companies and individuals to identify and locate assets both domestically and internationally. We have the demonstrated capacity to conduct deep internet searches, forensic audits and bank inquiries at a level which is unrivalled in the field of private investigation. It has been our experience that successful outcomes are frequently brought about through a combination of these professional services with traditional detective work. We are deep in both categories, and well-connected internationally.

Your Brand is your business. You put in enormous sweat equity to build it and or your hard earned money to purchase it. Counterfeiters could care less. They search for a brand or a product that is popular, has brand recognition and a market to sell to. In short order, counterfeiters can cost you loyal customers and ruin your business. Trademarks, patents and other legal mechanisms are in place to protect Intellectual Property (IP) – your brand. However, once your IP is tampered with, the protection process can be costly, particularly if your business is conducted in multiple jurisdictions.

Intellectual Property Crime is one of the fastest growing crimes worldwide. Ignore it at your peril. Lions Gate Investigations Group has the knowledge, contacts and ability to protect your name, your product, its supply chain and its standing in the market place. We work closely with a diversity of businesses in order to protect their brands. We are well equipped to disrupt and interdict intellectual property crime and to reduce its impact upon private industry through criminal and civil processes. Our investigative pool is deep, experienced and multi-dimensional.

The recreational marine/vehicle industry in Canada and the United States is worth several billions of dollars each year in sales of new and used vessels and vehicles. This represents a lucrative industry for petty and organized crime – locally, nationally and internationally. These assets can range from a twelve foot aluminum boat and trailer with a 10 horse power engine to a fifty-five foot luxury yacht, a tent trailer to a Class A Coach condominium on wheels or a dirt bike to an All Terrain Vehicle; there is and always will be an appetite on the black market for these "toys."

Marine and rec vehicles are typically covered by an insurance policy against theft and other perils. When one of these assets is stolen, the general sentiment by all concerned is a feeling of "oh well, it's probably covered by insurance." Police agencies are already over burdened and investigating a theft of a boat or a recreational vehicle is not high on their priority list. In reality, reports are frequently taken over the phone or online and the unfortunate owner is given a case number for their insurance company. As a result, insurance underwriters are paying out huge sums of money in claims without the benefit of a proper investigation of the legitimacy of the claim.

In tough economic times, the first assets to be liquidated are the "toys." Most claims of theft are legitimate, however in desperate times, desperate people act irrationally. What better way to relieve a chattel mortgage on a "toy" than to report it stolen and get paid out by the insurance company. This "toy" could have been sold to a "friend" at a very discounted rate or could be stashed in a storage compound. It's highly unlikely that the untrained first responding police officer conducting a routine stop on a vehicle pulling a 28 foot boat, valued at $100,000, even knows where to begin looking to determine if it's stolen; if the appearance and/or the Hull Identification Number has been altered; or if the insurance agent issuing a new policy on this freshly stolen boat has the experience and knowledge in the detection of stolen assets. Almost all insurance policies are issued over the phone or online where the agent hasn't physically seen the asset and is relying on a faxed document and possibly a photograph. Is it probable that the storage facility operator even suspects that the new customer leasing a storage spot is hiding the asset?

There are many ways to defraud insurance companies, and fraud schemes are only limited by the imagination and ingenuity of the criminal or organized crime group. Many fraud schemes not only involve the facetious theft angle, but arson involving recreational assets is seldom investigated by the police agencies due to a combination of lack of trained personnel, laboratory time and priorities. Lions Gate Investigations Group investigators can investigate fire scenes within a vessel or recreational vehicle to assist with determining the origin and nature of the fire and prepare the documents of proof for any criminal or civil proceedings.

Lions Gate investigators are trained and experienced in insurance fraud related schemes and possess the passion, motivation and dedication to pursue asset relocation and fraud detection within the marine and recreational vehicle industry. LGIG and its marine/recreational vehicle investigators are associated with other professional investigators across Canada, the USA and Europe through the International Association of Marine Investigators. Our people can reach out across the country and around the world to locate your asset and save Underwriters thousands upon thousands of dollars in fraudulent claims.

Lions Gate Investigations Group offers small or large group education and training sessions for most of the areas of expertise they provide. LGIG will organize and sponsor education and training sessions for professionals within the Law Enforcement, Justice, Security and Academic communities.

Due to the specialties within the LGIG service delivery model, the need to restrict attendance at these training and education sessions remains at the sole discretion of LGIG and its associates. The professional integrity practiced by law enforcement regarding these specialties will be strictly maintained by the Lions Gate Investigations Group partners.

Physical surveillance is a skill that may be required in various environments and situations. Surveillance operations can be performed by a single, skilled operative or in a team configuration depending on the needs of the investigation and the challenge of the target. The surveillance environment can change from urban to rural to remote and the approach of the operative(s) must be adaptable to those changes. Lions Gate Investigations Group has operatives who are highly trained to work in these environments.

Lions Gate believes that personal protection should encompass more than a mere physical presence. Our personnel are motivated and professionally trained to ensure that all aspects of our client's protection and security needs are addressed. We focus on the details to ensure that the Principal is not embarrassed or inconvenienced. A complete personal protection assignment includes more than just protecting the Principal from physical harm.  It should also strive to maximize the Principal's time by facilitating travel arrangements and verifying details to avoid delays. It’s all about preparation and planning.

LGIG has a diverse network of local, provincial and national contacts that can be valuable assets to a security detail. We are certified in threat evaluation and management, experienced in counter surveillance and we understand the responsibilities of a protection detail. Our protection details prefer to operate discretely, but are also capable of functioning efficiently and effectively in high alert situations.

LGIG is very dedicated to preserving our clients preferred style of movement and social interaction while they are in our care.  It is important for us to recognize the unique needs of each client and to ensure that we help them to maintain their lifestyle and corporate persona that is so important to their personal and professional image and comfort.

Personal protection of a client is a relationship; one that requires a level of comfort and trust between the Principal and the service provider. Our protection specialists recognize the high degree of faith, trust, and confidence placed in a personal security provider. We value each relationship and are diligent in protecting the confidential nature of the association and the clients need for discretion. Our security specialists are former police officers with specialty training in executive protection. They are comfortable operating in a variety of environments with finesse. We demand professionalism in performance and appearance. We are articulate, well organized and are capable of addressing all aspects of the social, business, and personal needs of our Principal and his or her family.

We have provided protection services for Heads of State, government officials, religious leaders, sports figures and corporate executives.

The application of covert operations to private sector investigations is a niche where Lions Gate Investigations Group excels. LGIG’s group of trained operatives have all been certified through the RCMP Undercover Program and are experienced veterans of this craft. Covert operatives are investigative specialists who are highly valued within the law enforcement community. These operatives secure evidence which cannot be obtained through traditional police investigative methodologies. The introduction of well planned covert operations into private sector investigations changes the landscape of investigations and demonstrates very positive results to clients, particularly in the areas of internal theft, fraud, corporate espionage and employee/executive integrity.

Human Tracking is a visual tracking skill that was learned from the Tactical Tracking Operations School in the United States. It has several applications for law enforcement and in some situations, for private sector clients. Law Enforcement can utilize tactical tracking for a variety of applications, including locating and capturing persons who have fled into a rural or remote environment, locating and collecting evidence, locating crime scenes, collecting intelligence, and search and rescue operations among other things.

The knowledge and skill of a human tracker can be enhanced when combined with the knowledge and skill of a geographic profiler. Together, knowledge about human movement through the environment, human decision making processes, local area knowledge, knowledge of human behavior, specifically criminal behaviour and “woodsmanship”, can have private sector applications. This knowledge, skill and experience can be applied to missing person’s cases and suspicious disappearances. An assessment of the overall geography of an area, when analyzed in association with the specific dynamics of the case, may provide a different perspective or surface other possibilities regarding the unresolved case.

Lions Gate Investigations Group provides expertise in the area of Risk Assessment and can interpret and analyze inappropriate behavior that may be attributed to a mental or behavioural disorder and/or criminality. LGIG provides personality assessments in addition to threat and risk evaluations concerning disorders such as psychopathy. LGIG also consults on scenario development preceding covert operations and theme development for interviews and interrogations.

Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) is the business of "Sweeping for Bugs". TSCM is a very complicated process, and requires a great deal of knowledge in the field to properly address the problem. Additionally, very unique and costly equipment must be used to locate and detect these installations.

To perform a proper TSCM inspection, a firm must:

• Be licensed under the Ministry of the Attorney General to perform TSCM tasks
• Be insured and bonded in this field
• Have the equipment to deal with all issues of electronic surveillance
• Be trained and certified by the manufacturer
• Be knowledgeable in current detection procedures

Lions Gate Investigations Group:

• Checks the perimeter for signs of intrusion
• Checks for microwave and infrared transmitters
• Checks for radio frequency signals
• Performs RF mapping and trace analysis
• Checks telephone, fax and computer lines
• Checks all existing wiring
• Reports suspicious devices or events
• Assists in providing a secure environment

LGIG uses start-of-the-art equipment to identify and locate bugs, eavesdropping and wiretap devices.