by PHILIPPE AIMEY

SINGLE BAJAN WOMEN are shelling out sizeable sums of money to private investigators to keep tabs on their men.

Personnel at some security services and private investigators told the WEEKEND NATION that their most popular cases were women who needed to verify the status and commitment of their male partners.

"We have a variety of clients, but recently females have shown much interest in having their partners followed. Not so much to see if they were cheating but to make sure of their status, especially before they are married," said managing director of Ultimate Security Services, Howard Rogers.

Of his 30 cases thus far for the year, 24 were women seeking to have their men followed for a two-week period. Basic private investigator fees start at $120 per day.

The remainder of the cases came from companies who had potential employees checked out following the submission of resumés.

Other services included videotaped movements of the subject and detailed outlines of their whereabouts – the when, where and with whom.

Senior manager at A & C Security Services, Bernard Atherley, who said 90 per cent of his clients were women, revealed that home tapping was also becoming popular.

Good sources

"To avoid tailing a target around the island, some companies have very good sources and can go in a home and set up [a] recording device."

Rogers said the females were often businesswomen who were very deep into their various careers.

"Barbadian women are very tough. My clients are professionals and they are often very hard to deal with. They want detailed information, not necessarily a specific result, but the findings must be compact enough for them to make a decision either way of the fence."

Given the small size of Barbados, many would assume that it was not easy for a private investigator to follow someone undetected. However, Rogers said it was quite the opposite.

"People in Barbados are not really aware of what is going on around them. There are special techniques when tracking a subject in terms of the distance and so forth but generally, it is easy for us to tail our subjects without their knowing."

With no male clients recorded, Rogers said men often fell in love, and at the stage of marriage were not interested in having their fiancée followed.

"Men are trusting; we fall in love very easily. But it shows that times are changing. Women are bent on knowing the status of their partner, his history and most of all if he is being faithful to them before they tie the knot. Not for the sake of their emotions, but more so their property and bank accounts."