We Will Not Be Intimidated.
A direct response concerning external criticism, professional independence, alleged interference and investigative integrity
I, Jonathan Charl van Rensburg,
Co-Director and Lead Administrator of
ISS Investigations, am issuing this statement
because we will not allow external criticism, intimidation or
attempts to undermine our organisation to go unanswered.
ISS Investigations is an independent organisation.
We make our own operational decisions, we stand
behind our work, and we will defend our professional
reputation through evidence and lawful channels.
Our clients also deserve to know exactly who they are trusting
with sensitive information. A private investigation can involve
deeply personal matters, and clients should carefully consider
the privacy consequences before disclosing their circumstances
to any third party.
Formal Notice Regarding Mike Bolhuis & Specialised Security Services
Let there be absolutely no misunderstanding: neither Mike Bolhuis nor Specialised Security Services (SSS) is the superior, employer, regulator or governing authority of ISS Investigations.
Their public profile, reputation, experience or position within the private security and investigations sector does not create jurisdiction over our organisation.
If criticism is directed toward ISS Investigations, we will address legitimate and identifiable concerns on their merits. What we will not accept is the suggestion that another private organisation has the power to command, supervise or control our operations.
Our Position Is Unambiguous
ISS Investigations Answers for Its Own Work
ISS Investigations operates independently. Our investigations, client engagements, methodologies and operational decisions are managed by our own organisation.
We do not require permission from Mike Bolhuis, Specialised Security Services or any other private competitor to conduct legitimate investigative work.
Reputation Does Not Equal Authority
No amount of publicity, media exposure, professional reputation or industry visibility automatically creates legal authority over another independent organisation.
ISS Investigations recognises lawful regulatory and judicial authority—not self-appointed authority.
If You Have an Issue, Address Us Directly
If anyone has a genuine complaint concerning our organisation, our investigators or our services, they are welcome to raise it directly with us.
We will review substantive concerns, examine evidence and respond through appropriate professional or legal channels.
Allegations Are Not Evidence
An allegation does not become a fact merely because it is repeated publicly, published online or delivered by a prominent individual.
Our position is simple: produce the evidence, identify the allegation, and allow it to be examined.
We Welcome Scrutiny — But We Will Challenge Misrepresentation
ISS Investigations has no objection to legitimate professional scrutiny. Investigators, security practitioners and private intelligence companies are entitled to disagree with one another.
What matters is how that disagreement is handled. If claims are made about our organisation, our investigators or our work, those claims should be capable of being identified, substantiated and examined.
We will not simply remain silent because the person making a statement has a larger public profile.
A Direct Message to Those Attempting to Undermine Us
We Are Still Standing.
If the objective is to frighten ISS Investigations into abandoning legitimate investigative work, that objective will not succeed.
If the objective is to make our investigators question whether they are entitled to operate, that objective will not succeed.
If the objective is to damage our reputation through unsupported statements, we will respond with facts, documentation and evidence wherever appropriate.
We are not going to be bullied into silence.
Regarding Mike Bolhuis & SSS
Competition Is Not Command
Mike Bolhuis and Specialised Security Services may conduct their own activities and hold their own professional opinions. ISS Investigations likewise retains the right to determine its own professional position.
We reject any implication that ISS Investigations operates beneath another private investigative or security organisation.
We further reject the idea that disagreement, competition or criticism creates a chain of command between independent organisations.
There is no chain of command between ISS Investigations and Specialised Security Services.
Our organisation will continue to operate independently and will respond to legitimate matters through appropriate channels.
Our Standards
Direct Client Accountability
Come Directly to Us
If you are a current or former client of ISS Investigations and have a genuine concern about our service, investigation, communication or operational conduct, contact us directly.
You do not need an intermediary to raise a concern with us, and we do not expect clients to rely on third-party commentary when assessing our work.
We are prepared to examine legitimate complaints and respond to substantive issues with the same seriousness that we expect from anyone making allegations about our organisation.
Client Confidentiality & Privacy Warnings
CRITICAL CLIENT CONFIDENTIALITY WARNING
THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE TAKING YOUR PRIVATE MATTER TO MIKE BOLHUIS OR SPECIALISED SECURITY SERVICES.
If you approach Mike Bolhuis, Specialised Security Services (SSS), or members of their team regarding a private investigation, you should consider the potential consequences of any information subsequently being discussed or published publicly.
Once a private investigative matter is placed into a public forum, the people involved may discover that an investigation has taken place, that private investigators were engaged, and that information concerning their personal circumstances has been discussed publicly.
This can include the very person who is the subject of the investigation.
In other words: if confidentiality is important to you, understand that involving a public-facing third party may create a risk that your investigation—and the fact that you hired private investigators—becomes known beyond the people you originally intended to tell.
At ISS Investigations, we believe clients should be able to make informed decisions about who receives their sensitive information and what may happen to that information afterwards.
IMPORTANT CLIENT PRIVACY WARNING
Clients of ISS Investigations should carefully consider where they disclose private, confidential or sensitive information concerning their personal matters.
ISS Investigations is aware of public posts and publicly accessible material associated with Mike Bolhuis and/or Specialised Security Services (SSS) in which investigative matters and allegations have been discussed publicly.
For that reason, clients should not assume that referring a confidential matter to an unrelated private investigator, security organisation or public-facing investigative platform will necessarily result in the same level of confidentiality that they expect from ISS Investigations.
If your matter involves infidelity, family disputes, financial problems, allegations of criminal conduct, surveillance, digital evidence, personal relationships or other sensitive information, understand the potential consequences of placing that information in the hands of third parties who publicly discuss investigative matters.
Once private information is published online, its distribution may extend far beyond the original audience and may become difficult or impossible to fully retract.
ISS Investigations therefore strongly recommends that clients protect the confidentiality of their personal circumstances and carefully verify how any third party handles, publishes and distributes investigative information before making a disclosure.
Ask Yourself One Question
Do you really want the subject of your investigation to find out that you hired a private investigator?
If the answer is no, think carefully about who you disclose your investigation to, particularly where that person's activities include publicly discussing investigative matters.
Privacy is not something you should gamble with.
Your Private Matter Is Your Private Matter
When a person approaches an investigator, they may be disclosing some of the most sensitive information of their life. That can include photographs, messages, relationship problems, financial information, allegations, addresses, identities and other highly personal material.
Clients have the right to ask how their information will be handled, who will have access to it, whether it may be published, and what safeguards exist to protect their privacy.
At ISS Investigations, we believe that a client's private circumstances should not become public entertainment, promotional material or online content.
If you are considering reporting an ISS matter to Mike Bolhuis or members of Specialised Security Services, we urge you to first consider the publicly available material associated with their operations and make your decision with full awareness of the potential privacy implications.
“We will not surrender our independence because someone else believes they have authority over us. We will not accept allegations as facts simply because they are loudly repeated. And we will not be intimidated into silence.
If there is evidence, present it. If there is a legitimate complaint, raise it. If there is a legal issue, pursue the appropriate legal process.
Otherwise, ISS Investigations will continue doing what it is entitled to do: operate independently, investigate professionally and stand behind its work.” — Jonathan Charl van Rensburg | Co-Director & Lead Administrator | ISS Investigations
Final Notice
This statement represents the position of ISS Investigations regarding its operational independence. Nothing contained herein should be interpreted as a waiver of any legal rights, remedies or protections available to the organisation or its representatives.
Private Investigations • Corporate Intelligence • Digital Intelligence • Investigative Services