Polygraph Associations


 

We are often asked why we don’t belong to any of the myriad of British polygraph associations. There are several reasons for this but predominantly it is that all our polygraph examiners are accredited by the APA (American Polygraph Association) which is the most important one.

The APA has 2,800 members worldwide and all qualified UK polygraph examiners belong to it irrespective of whether or not they also belong to a British polygraph association. The APA is recognised for its high standards, morals and ethics. Usually it is the APA that is contacted by the media and government bodies when questions about lie detector tests need to be answered. We are proud to be associated with the gold star of polygraph associations.

 

Why we don’t belong to British polygraph associations


1. Membership of any association requires time and effort. With ongoing training a necessity of APA accreditation, not to mention conferences and meetings, we simply don’t have time to contribute effectively to other associations.

2. British polygraph associations are not regulatory bodies, even though some give the impression that they are on their websites. The Polygraph Industry is not regulated in the UK and we have no desire to give our clients a misleading impression that membership of several associations gives us more credibility than our APA membership does.

3. Some British associations charge a membership fee and others don’t. Usually membership fees are not high but if you belong to several the cost escalates. As applies to any business the costs are indirectly passed on to clients. We want to offer the best price possible to our clients so we see no benefit in accumulating unnecessary overheads.

4. Clients researching polygraph examiners need only visit the APA website to ensure that the examiner they choose is accredited. It saves time since all qualified British polygraph examiners are APA accredited. What is the point in trawling through endless other associations to check membership when you only need to go to one.

5. Most other associations have been formed by competitor polygraph service providers. While we believe in fair competition, we have no desire for our polygraph examiners to be poached by rival organisations. And we have a strict code of conduct that often our competitors don’t, hence our desire to remain detached from them.

British Polygraph Society


 

The British Polygraph Society is our own association which was set up solely for the benefit of our examiners and for people seeking to make careers in polygraph services.

Members of our Society meet up periodically to discuss training, ongoing training, latest polygraph technology and other news related to our industry. Upholding the same rules as the APA we pride ourselves on being the best we can be.

The BPS is not a regulatory body and won’t be unless the Government decides to regulate our industry. If it does, we hope we will be the front runner in helping to set standards that all should meet. We welcome a time when the Polygraph Industry is regulated in the UK. But until then we are more than happy to be accredited by the best Polygraph Association in the world – the American Polygraph Association.