History

In 1981 Tony Imossi established an agency to provide discreet, confidential investigation services for the legal profession, as well as taking instructions from corporate businesses and individual professionals.

Tony leads Barringtons which specialises in corporate fraud, theft, due diligence and general litigation support.

Recognised Professional

In February 2012 as part of the government sponsored inquiries and reviews, which covered regulating investigation in the private sector, Tony gave detailed written followed by oral evidence to both the Judicial Inquiry chaired by Lord Justice Leveson and the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee.

During 2012 to 2013 and again in the revision in 2018, Tony played a key role in the BSI drafting of the Code of Practice for the provision of investigative services. The standard was written in anticipated it would be the basis for investigation business licensing.

In 2017 Tony was invited to advise the Hungarian Interior Ministry to advise on the licensing regime for investigations in that country. The consultation continued in 2018 when he was again requested to advise on the effects of GDPR to the methodologies and good practice policies for investigators.

Tony was the key designer of the compliance documentation and good practice policies for the Association of British Investigators (ABI) and continues to hold regular training workshops on data protection for investigations.

Investigation Associations

Tony joined the Association of British Investigators in 1986. In 1999, he was named Investigator of the Year and in 2003, was further acknowledged by the ABI when he was presented with the award for service to the industry, which he again was awarded in 2013. Tony was President of the ABI from 2000 – 2004 and subsequently re-elected as President each year from 2008 until 2015 when he was appointed Chairman.

During his leadership Tony oversaw the radical improvement of the ABI’s membership criteria to levels not hitherto experienced throughout the UK sector and to such an extent that led to the unique accreditation of the ABI by the DVLA and its endorsement by The Law Society of England & Wales and then inclusion in The Law Society of Scotland’s Service Provider Scheme.

In 2004, Tony was appointed Secretary General to the European umbrella body, Internationale Kommission der Detektiv-Verbande, which established under his leadership an EU common minimum standard and good practice recommendations for investigations in the iprivate sector, internationally.

In 2004 the Joint Security Industry Council recognised his achievements with the award Gold Medal for Excellence. A similar award was granted to Tony in 2013 by the World Association of Detectives acknowledging his worldwide contribution and professional leadership.

In 2016 Tony was appointed the head of the ABI secretariat. In that role he worked with the Information Commissioner's Office in the development of the ABI UK GDPR Code of Conduct for Investigative and Litigation Support Services, which was approved by the ICO and published in November 2024; the first industry-led code to have achieved ICO approval in the UK.

In 2023 the World Association of Detectives presented Tony with the industry's ultimate accolade, "The Norman J. Sloan Memorial Award"

Investigative Qualifications:
• July 2014 – Level 3 Award in Education & Training
• December 2013 – Standards Audit to BS102000/2013 (audited annually thereafter)
• November 2012 – QCF Level 3 Principles of Gathering and Using Information for Investigations
• November 2012 – QCF Level 3 Principles of Planning and Reporting Investigations
• June 2003 – Fraud Masterclass
• June 2000 – Fraud & Risk Masterclass
• August 1999 – Business Continuity Masterclass

Professional Affiliations:
• Association of British Investigators
• World Association of Detectives
• Asociación Profesional Detectives Privados de Espana
• Council of International Investigators