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Investigation Techniques

Code: 106679 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Prevention and Integral Safety and Security OB 3

Contact

Name:
Cesar Torrero Fernandez
Email:
cesar.torrero@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

This subject does not have any pre-requirements


Objectives and Contextualisation

The objective of the subject is to provide the student with the basic knowledge of the figure of the private Detective and the functioning of the judicial police. (Regulation, competencies, administrative organization, areas of action and performance of its functions)


Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Be able to adapt to unexpected situations.
  • Carry out analyses of preventative measures in the area of security.
  • Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and in professional activity developing curiosity and creativity.
  • Have a general understanding of basic knowledge in the area of prevention and integral safety and security.
  • Identify, manage and resolve conflicts.
  • Identify the resources necessary to respond to management needs for prevention and integral security.
  • Know how to communicate and transmit ideas and result efficiently in a professional and non-expert environment, both orally and in writing.
  • Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
  • Make efficient use of ITC in the communication and transmission of results.
  • Respond to problems applying knowledge to practice.
  • Show respect for diversity and the plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use the capacity for analysis and synthesis to solve problems.
  • Work in institutional and interprofessional networks.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the preventative interventions in matters of security, environment, quality and social corporate responsibility and identify the inherent risk factors.
  2. Analyse the sex- or gender-based inequalities and the gender biases present in one's own area of knowledge.
  3. Analyse the situation and identify the points that are best.
  4. Be able to adapt to unexpected situations.
  5. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern professional practice.
  6. Draw up management proposals for prevention and security in an organisation.
  7. Evaluate how gender stereotypes and roles affect professional practice.
  8. Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and in professional activity developing curiosity and creativity.
  9. Identify, manage and resolve conflicts.
  10. Identify the infrastructure, technology and resources necessary to respond to operations in prevention and integral security.
  11. Identify the resources necessary for managing security, the environment, quality and social corporate responsibility.
  12. Know how to communicate and transmit ideas and result efficiently in a professional and non-expert environment, both orally and in writing.
  13. Make efficient use of ITC in the communication and transmission of results.
  14. Propose new methods or well-founded alternative solutions.
  15. Respond to problems applying knowledge to practice.
  16. Show respect for diversity and the plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  17. Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  18. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  19. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  20. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  21. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  22. Use the capacity for analysis and synthesis to solve problems.
  23. Weigh up the risks and benefits of both your own proposals for improvement and those of others.
  24. Work in institutional and interprofessional networks.

Content

Research techniques oriented to Private Investigation

1.-Legal framework - Limits - Penal system.

2.-Concept - Methodology and sources of information.

3.-Typology of economic-mercantile, labor, family investigations, L.A.O.

4.-Services investigation in events and public establishments.

5.-Investigation of crimes at the request of an interested part.

Research techniques oriented to the interview

1.-Introduction

2.-The interview

3.-Collection of data of interest

4.-The lie

Public Police Investigation

.-Public Police Investigation professionals will take part in this part.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Evaluation 4 0.16 4, 5, 2, 3, 12, 15, 6, 1, 13, 8, 11, 9, 10, 23, 14, 21, 20, 19, 17, 18, 16, 24, 22, 7
Theoretical and practice classes with the active participation of students 40 1.6 4, 5, 2, 3, 12, 15, 6, 1, 13, 8, 11, 9, 10, 23, 14, 21, 20, 19, 17, 18, 16, 24, 22, 7
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials to support the realization of practical and theoretical work 12 0.48 4, 12, 15, 13, 8, 9, 21, 20, 19, 17, 18, 16, 24, 22
Type: Autonomous      
Personal study, reading of articles and elaboration of academic works of the subject 94 3.76 4, 5, 2, 3, 12, 15, 6, 1, 13, 8, 11, 9, 10, 23, 14, 21, 20, 19, 17, 18, 16, 24, 22, 7

The subject is divided into three blocks. The first block will explain the principles of private research, in the second block three experts in public research explain the main functions of the forces and security bodies in the field of public research and, at the same time we have the third block where we will deal in depth the interview as a research technique both public, private and in the field of occupational risk prevention.

In each of the blocks the teachers will expose the theoretical part and promote the debate on the proposed topics.

 

At the same time the students will have to elaborate the work of the subject. The information on the work will be made available to the students through Moodle.

Tutoring with teachers will be specify by email.

 

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Partial exam(s) and Final exam of continuous evaluation 70% 0 0 4, 12, 15, 13, 8, 9, 21, 20, 19, 17, 18, 16, 24, 22
Preparation and delivery of academic papers on the topics covered in the subject 30% 0 0 4, 5, 2, 3, 12, 15, 6, 1, 13, 8, 11, 9, 10, 23, 14, 21, 20, 19, 17, 18, 16, 24, 22, 7

Continuous evaluation

The assessment system will consist of the preparation and submission of a project on private and/or public research (30%) and two final continuous assessment tests (70%):
 
A content test on private research (30%) and a content test on public research and interview techniques (40%).
 
All continuous assessment activities are mandatory for the course evaluation.
 
The work of the subject must have a grade of 4 to be able to add to the continuous evaluation. The final continuous assessment test must have a minimum grade of 4 to be able to add to the continuous evaluation.
 
The mark to pass the continuous evaluation will be the result of the sum of the test and the work of the subject, provided that the minimum marks required to add are obtained. To pass the continuous evaluation, this average must be 5 or higher.

 

Single Evaluation

Students who opt for the single evaluation will take a final synthesis test of all the content of the course (50%) and will hand in the work of the course (50%).

The date for this test and the delivery of the work of the subject will be the same scheduled in the timetable for the last exam of continuous evaluation.

The same recovery system will be applied as for the continuous evaluation.

 

Evaluation of the students in second or more summons

Students who repeat the course must take the scheduled tests and exams and hand in the course work on the dates indicated in the Moodle classroom.

Recovery Exam

The student who does not pass the course, who does not reach 5 (total) out of 10, according to the criteria established in the two previous sections may take a final exam if he/she has been evaluated in a set of activities that is equivalent to a minimum of two thirdsof the total grade of the course. If he/she has not been evaluated in these two thirds because he/she has not taken the tests or handed in the work, he/she will obtain a grade of Not Evaluable accordingto the EPSI Evaluation Regulations, without the possibility of taking the final exam.

In this exam, all the contents of the course that have not been passed in the continuous evaluation will be re-evaluated.

In the case of passing the final exam the subject and/or the delivery of the work, will be approved with a maximum of 5, regardless of the grade obtained in the exam.

 

Changing the date of a test or exam

Students who need to change an evaluation date must submit the request by filling out the document found in the EPSI Tutoring Moodle space.

Once the document has been filled in, it must be sent to the subject teacher and to the Grade Coordination.

 

Revision

At the time of each evaluation activity, the faculty will inform the students of the grade review mechanisms.

For single evaluation students, the review process will be the same.

Consult the EPSI Evaluation Regulations.

 

Other considerations - Plagiarism

Without prejudice to other disciplinary measures deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current academic regulations, "in the event that the student performs any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an act of evaluation, this act of evaluation will be graded with a 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instigated. if     several irregularities occur in the acts of evaluation of the same subject, the final grade of this subject will be 0 ".

If during the correction there are indications that an activity or work has been done with answers assisted by artificial intelligence, the teacher may supplement the activity with a personal interview to corroborate the authorship of the text.

If there are unforeseen circumstances that prevent the normal development of the course, the teacher may modify both the methodology and the evaluation of the course.

Use of IA

In this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed as an integral part of the development of the work, provided that the result reflects a significant contribution of the student in the analysis and personal reflection. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a penalty in the grade of the activity, greater sanctions in cases of seriousness.


Bibliography

Private Investigation
 
Private Security Code (Updated) https://www.boe.es/biblioteca_juridica/codigos/codigo.php?id=58&modo=2&nota=0&tab=2   
 
Private Investigation. Theory and practice (2020). Delta Publications. https://elibro.net/es/lc/uab/titulos/227437 
 
Dominguez, P. (2011). Private Investigation Techniques Manual.
 
Ferro, J.M. (2011). Investigation of internal and external fraud in the corporate (insurance companies) and institutional environment. University Club 2011
 
Martínez. (2021). FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AS LIMITS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF PRIVATE INVESTIGATION. Teoría y realidad constitucional, 47, 129-159. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2535895556?parentSessionId=SpxEAgzhDvIvmzGCBOIdAGUzm4wVedY4mURdCvvCnpQ%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=15292
 
 
 
Public Investigation
http://mossos.gencat.cat/ca/inici/
 
 
The interview
 
Presentation and articles available in the moodle classroom of the subject.

Software

This subject will use the basic software of the Office 365 package


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan/Spanish second semester afternoon
(TE) Theory 2 Catalan/Spanish second semester afternoon