He says he is not Ace Ventura
A pet detective whose hundreds of solved cases include a landlord taking a dog over unpaid rent has said he is a “terrier who won’t give up” and not Ace Ventura. Simon Henson, 50, a private investigator and the managing director of Titan Private Investigation from Derby, started his career in the police force before moving on to pet crimes and mysteries involving cats, dogs and horses.
From dealing with spouses and family members stealing pets out of spite to reuniting a woman with her beloved childhood horse who was sold some 15 years prior, Simon said every day is different and he tries to “get to the bottom of every single case”. Although Simon does not wear Ace Ventura’s signature Hawaiian shirt at work or shout out, “Alrighty then!”, he said he is asked about the 1994 film starring Jim Carrey at least once a fortnight, saying it makes him “laugh every time”.
With 2021 statistics gathered by The Kennel Club revealing 98% of dog theft criminals are never charged, and in more than half of cases a suspect is never identified, Simon feels his work is more important than ever. Offering his top tips, Simon said pet owners must get their dogs microchipped, as it is compulsory in England, Scotland and Wales; ensure their gardens are secured; invest in insurance such as Napo Pet Insurance; and not leave their pets unattended.
Simon told PA Real Life: “When I speak to people about it, they just relate you to Ace Ventura and Jim Carrey and think you’re a bit of a laughing stock … but it’s very different in reality. Everything we do has to be intelligence-based and the evidence needs to be gathered lawfully, unlike Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura.
“We’re certainly seeing more and more pet thefts coming through, the industry’s booming. I’m like a terrier, I just won’t give up.”
Simon spent nearly two decades working for Nottinghamshire Police, before leaving the force to see “what’s on the outside”. With his investigative skills and love of animals, Simon, who has a sausage dog called Frank, was drawn to life as a pet detective and launched Titan Private Investigation.
“Only 2% of all pet thefts are detected, so that’s 98% which are unsolved and I just thought that was a massive injustice,” Simon said. With 10 offices around the UK, Simon and his team typically receive three to four calls a week about a pet crime or mystery – but he said pet thefts appear to be on the rise.
Out of the 295 cases they have investigated thus far, 191 have had a successful conclusion, equating to a 65% success rate, and Simon explained that dogs such as chihuahuas and spaniels are the most popular to steal because of their re-sale value.
From solving one case in four hours to another lasting nearly three weeks, each investigation varies both in scale and cost. Describing one “shocking” investigation, Simon said a client contacted them to say their dog had been stolen, but they had “no idea” how this had happened.
After securing CCTV footage and imagery of the pet and suspect, they put the images of the individual through some software and managed to get a positive identification on social media. With further investigations, they discovered the suspect was in fact the client’s cousin.
“We decided to fly a drone over their house, because you couldn’t see the garden, and from the drone footage, you could see the pet in the back garden,” Simon said. “So at that point we presented our findings to the client and they were just absolutely shocked.”
On another occasion, Simon was contacted by someone who said their dog was missing but there had been no forced entry to their home. After four hours of investigations and surveillance, they managed to secure imagery of the client’s landlord walking their dog.
However, it was not until the evidence was presented to the client that they admitted they “owed rental arrears for the last three months”.
“In that case, although the investigation was sold to us as a theft, it was actually all legal because the landlord was entitled to take assets,” Simon explained.
Simon said investigators are initially assigned to a case for 10 hours and this costs £60 an hour, plus VAT, equating to £72 an hour in total. While each case varies, Simon said the most expensive investigation, which took nearly three weeks and required surveillance every day for 12 hours a day, cost nearly £10,000.
“In that case, budget was just not an issue,” he said. “It was a high-net-worth individual who had a pet stolen, and they just wanted that pet back.”
For every case, Simon said he and his team will gather lawful evidence to create a “comprehensive report” to give to the client. If the client wants to pursue this, he said they will then hand this to the police and the evidence can then be used “criminally to prosecute”.
Simon said the best parts of his job are putting “vile people” behind bars or seeing the perpetrator receive a criminal record. “The worst aspects are when we’re not successful … because the clients are absolutely heartbroken and they just want results,” he said.
While each day varies, Simon, father to Emily, 13, said he will usually do the school drop-off before going to the Derby office, where he will take calls and help organise the best way to pursue a case.
He said it is important for clients to do their research and find a credible detective before pursuing an investigation, as there are scammers who will just “take the money”. While some people relate him to Ace Ventura, Simon said he takes his role very seriously and will do whatever it takes to solve a case.
He said: “This is a completely unlicensed industry, so anyone can have a glossy website and say they’re a private investigator. You need to do your due diligence because there are a lot of cowboys and cowgirls who will take your money and they’re just as bad as these people who are stealing the pets.”
To find out more, visit Titan’s YouTube channel @titanpitv or visit the website at: titaninvestigations.co.uk.