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THE country's first private detective agency for gays has come out. Pink Detective has been launched specifically to cater for members of the lesbian, gay and transgender communities. The pioneering firm, which officially launched last week, has adopted the iconic image of cartoon sleuth the Pink Panther in its advertising. But it insists it has the very serious goal of offering protection and support to individuals who are being threatened or discriminated against because of their sexuality. The agency's founder, Nigel Parsons, claims that significant numbers of gay people are still finding themselves at risk of blackmail or involuntary "outing" in 21st century Britain. The veteran private investigator said: "In the past 25 years things have moved on greatly and gay people today have far greater equality and acceptance than ever before. "But it is a sad and unpleasant fact that prejudice still exists, particularly in the workplace, and we want to offer friendly and discreet support to those who feel they can no longer cope on their own." Parsons insisted there was a huge demand and need for a service that catered directly for a gay client base
He said: "When people pick up the phone to call us they tend to have gone down quite a long road already. "If you are in that situation, you feel bad enough without worrying about whether the stranger at the other end of the line will judge you. "Our staff are aware of the specific needs of the gay community and we pride ourselves on being able to make people feel at ease as well as being able to deal with sometimes difficult issues." The firm's founder said the rise of online communication has sparked a marked modern-day increase in the age-old problem of blackmail
He said: "In the past few years there has been an explosion of cases involving the internet." Parsons said the potential pitfalls of 21st century liaisons were demonstrated by a recent case he was involved in. "The client had a consensual sexual relationship with someone who, completely without his knowledge, had filmed their intercourse using a camera hidden behind a wardrobe. To his horror he learned that the videos had been placed on a pay for view website. With the victim at the end of his tether, and unwilling to go to the police, the firm managed to track down the other individual and persuade them to remove the footage from the site. "In around 90% of cases we are able to get a result which our clients are satisfied with
The firm also offers a range of services including surveillance and "computer forensics". Parsons explained: "People in relationships, whether they are heterosexual or homosexual, are worried about their partners being unfaithful to them. "We have a variety of ways of being able to let people know if that is the case, or to put their minds at rest." The firm is based in the south of England but operates all over the UK, including on recent cases in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Orkney and Shetland. But Calum Irving, the director of gay rights group Stonewall Scotland, said ideally established companies should meet the needs of gay customers. But he added: "The setting up of this company proves that we still need to work hard to create a climate where people are comfortable being out at work, home and beyond
