Identifying the Watchers

Unless they are wearing trench-coats and have the brim of their hat pulled well forward as they smoke a cigarette while standing half-obscured in a shop doorway, you would probably find it difficult to spot the average watcher on the street. In their cars, however, there is a different set of clues to look for, which we have already looked at in some detail.

Whereas a pedestrian is a pedestrian, unless he is wearing the incorrect clothing or as we hinted, over­ alls and shiny shoes, a vehicle user is a different matter altogether. Drivers do so for a reason. Very few of us these days simply jump in the car and drive around aimlessly for the fun of it. Seeing someone   else do just that should be enough to arouse your suspicions . If you are able to note the movements of vehicles passing your discrete observation point, watch out for regular "cruisers" who seem to have no specific purpose in mind.

Once they are stationary it becomes even easier. Look for the obvious signs such as the parked vehicle with occupants just sitting in it, or perhaps a car with darkened windows that appears to move a little from time to time. Vans are of course much harder to spot, but you now are aware of the possibilities and can treat any unmarked van with suspicion until you get the opportunity to find a reason to disregard the vehicle.

It is while moving that you need to be on your guard. If you have had no inkling of being watched until suddenly you spot something out of the ordinary in traffic, you may well have to call off your surveil­lance at that point in order to limit damage to your operation. If you are observing correctly, you will find that it is likely that this first time that you spot them is their first attempt at following you - so you can take them for a ride and totally disprove their theory about your activities. There are other options, such as calling for back-up and having them followed, but identifying them is the priority and for that you will need to be twice as sneaky, twice as cautious and twice as good as they are.

We will look a the issues involved in losing a tail separately, but for now consider the need to identify them yourself . Try stopping after completing a tun into a side-road. If they are following from a distance they will have little chance to avoid you and may well drive past while pretending that they wanted to travel that way anyway. Alternatively, stop at a garage or supermarket and let an operative disembark discretely to walk back past them and take details or covert photographs. Finally, consider letting the op­erative out at an opportune moment t0 collect their details while you drive an exaggerated circular route to pick him up again.

Once the basic information is gathered, you should have a plan. Ideally, disinformation is the key - use all your equipment and skill to show the vehicle being used in a totally genuine role - such as "delivering" packages or making calls at potential business premises should do the trick. Don't forget which identity your vehicle is using, nothing looks weirder than a plumbers van delivering parcels or call­ ing at a clothing manufacturers for example.

Expect your watchers to be better trained, better equipped and more of a threat than they probably are - you'll live longer. Consider the threat to be one which requires care rather than confrontation or aggres­sion. Whatever you think you may have spotted, there's always the risk of being wrong and legally you would be seen as the aggressor. It is better to avoid that kind of risk and to take a few simple precau­tions to protect your safety. Gather evidence, take photographs or video footage, notify your office or business partner as things take place and always keep them informed of your intended  movements.