A private investigation and personal research company has received international recognition and continues to go from strength to strength in Bermuda during its first year in business.

PbCu Research Ltd., which is run by senior investigator Julian Simmons and his team of two, and offers a professional, personnel and corporate research service, as well as product testing facility, marked its first anniversary yesterday.

And Mr. Simmons said he was also excited about the future and believes there is a big call and market for private investigation on the Island and further afield.

"Things have been going pretty steadily," he said. "I am excited that the business has completed its first year — usually the first year of business is the most difficult.

"All of our goals have been achieved and there are things to look forward to in years to come. Our service is quick, fair and done with the strictest of confidence."

Mr. Simmons, who is now working towards his CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner) qualification, put his firm's success down to the update of its website with a more professional and prominent look and feel about it.

But he said one of the business' biggest achievements was getting inquiries about the operation from companies in New York and England, with whom it has been liaising, leading to international exposure.

Other developments, said Mr. Simmons, include the addition of a number of new services like premises security, for which he is looking to take on more investigators or people interested in that field.

"A lot of people just assume that private investigation or personal research is just about lingering in bushes spying on people, but it is a little bit more involved than that," he said.

"You have always got to go by the letter of the law to obtain information and you do not want to jeopardise your licence."

The firm has also been working on some charity events with other businesses and using that to get the word out about what it does, said Mr. Simmons.

"We would just like to thank all of the local support we have had, both from private individuals and companies that have utilised our service and have told other people about it via word of mouth," he said.

Mr. Simmons, who hails from Somerset, graduated from Bermuda Institute in 1998 before attaining a BSc in Public Administration, and went on to work as a paralegal for Attride, Stirling & Woloniecki, where he conducted legal and case law research, before incorporating his own company in June 2007.

The business covers everything from background and professional accreditation checks to corporate searches and personnel audits, priding itself on professionalism, integrity, reliability and experience, in a bid to reduce risk exposure to personnel fraud for large and small companies alike, according to Mr. Simmons.

Among some of the tasks he has been charged with since establishing his company have been herding up long term absentees and enlistees who have failed to show up for regimental duty with Bermuda's Regiment to doing a personnel audit at insurance giant AIG.

To find out more about PbCu Research and the services it offers, email info@pbcuresearch.com or visit the website at www.pbcuresearch.com