Surveillance is the service people picture when they think of a private investigator, and it is also the one most often done badly. Done properly it is patient, lawful observation that produces a record a court will accept. Done badly it produces a grainy phone video, an alerted subject and a matter that is now harder than it was before anyone got involved.
We provide surveillance in Adelaide and throughout South Australia, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run surveillance in Adelaide
A surveillance job starts with a briefing about what you actually need established, because that determines everything else. We work from public vantage points, plan for the subject’s likely patterns rather than reacting to them, and keep continuity of the record from the first observation to the last. Operatives work in shifts on longer jobs so that the same vehicle and the same face are not sitting in the same street for three days running, which is how subjects notice they are being watched.
What South Australia law means for this work
South Australia licenses investigators under the Security and Investigation Industry Act 1995, administered by Consumer and Business Services rather than by police. Section 6 creates an investigation agent’s licence, and it comes in two categories: restricted to inquiry work, or restricted to collection work. Only the inquiry work category covers investigation. Licences are renewed every twelve months, and licensing appeals go to the Administrative and Disciplinary Division of the District Court rather than to the state tribunal.
South Australia is the only jurisdiction with an express exception for licensed investigators. Section 5(4)(a)(iv) of the Surveillance Devices Act 2016 disapplies the optical surveillance prohibition where the device is used by the holder of an investigation agent’s licence authorising inquiry work, in the course of their functions, and where the use is reasonably necessary for the protection of a person’s lawful interests. Every element of that matters. It does not help an unlicensed operator, a collection only licence, or a client acting on curiosity.
The investigator exception does not extend to tracking. Section 7 prohibits determining the location of a person without consent, or of a vehicle or thing without the consent of the owner or person in lawful possession, and there is no carve out for investigation agents. Covert vehicle tracking in South Australia is not lawful.
Section 9 is the sting in the tail. Material gathered under the licensed investigator exceptions may only be released to prescribed persons and in prescribed circumstances. It cannot simply be handed to a client to use as they please, and that needs discussing at the start of a matter rather than after it.
None of that is a formality. The rules differ genuinely between Australian jurisdictions, and evidence gathered outside them is frequently inadmissible and can expose the person who gathered it. Working inside the SA framework is what makes the result usable.
The federal statutory tort of serious invasion of privacy, which commenced on 10 June 2025 under Schedule 2 of the Privacy Act 1988, applies on top of SA law and contains no exemption for private investigators.
This is general information about how we operate, not legal advice. For advice on your circumstances, speak with your lawyer.
What you receive
You receive time stamped video and photographic material, a written log of observations, and a report written to be read by a court or an insurer rather than by us. Where nothing of significance was observed, we say so plainly. A surveillance report that finds nothing is a legitimate result and often a useful one.
Where we work in South Australia
Metropolitan Adelaide breaks into the CBD and inner ring through Adelaide, North Adelaide, Norwood, Unley and Prospect, the north through Salisbury, Playford, Elizabeth and Gawler, the north east through Tea Tree Gully, Campbelltown and Modbury, the eastern foothills through Burnside, Mitcham and Stirling, the west through Charles Sturt, West Torrens, Port Adelaide and Semaphore, and the south through Marion, Holdfast Bay, Onkaparinga, Noarlunga and Aldinga. Beyond the city we cover the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa, the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island, the Limestone Coast, the Murray and Mallee, Yorke and Mid North, Eyre and Western, and the Far North.
Where the evidence ends up
- Magistrates Court of South Australia. Summary crime and smaller civil claims, with country registries at Berri, Mount Gambier, Murray Bridge, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie and Whyalla.
- District Court of South Australia. Mid tier criminal and civil work, including the Administrative and Disciplinary Division.
- Supreme Court of South Australia. The highest state court, including the Court of Appeal.
- SACAT. Tenancy, guardianship, mental health and review of government decisions.
- South Australian Employment Tribunal. Workers compensation under the Return to Work Act 2014, the main forum for insurer commissioned evidence here.
- Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Family law is federal, so a family matter runs under Commonwealth law even though the conduct investigated is governed by SA rules.
Frequently asked questions
How long does surveillance take?
It depends entirely on the pattern you are trying to establish. Confirming a single suspected meeting might take one evening. Establishing a pattern of behaviour reliable enough for a court usually takes several sessions across different days. We will give you an honest estimate before you commit and tell you if we think the odds are poor.
Will the subject know?
Not if the job is run properly. The most common cause of a subject becoming aware is an under resourced job where the same operative and vehicle are used repeatedly. That is a budgeting decision as much as a tradecraft one, and we would rather tell you the real cost than run a job that burns itself.
Do you cover regional South Australia as well as Adelaide?
Yes. Adelaide work can generally be mobilised faster and at lower cost. Regional work carries travel time and expense, and we will tell you honestly whether the likely result justifies it before you commit.
Talk to us about a SA matter
Every enquiry starts with a confidential conversation about what you actually need, and sometimes that conversation ends with us saying an investigation is not warranted. Call 1300 792 283 or get in touch for a free consultation and a written quote before any work begins.
See also Surveillance in Melbourne, our South Australia coverage and our Adelaide page.