In the UK Why three out of four women spy on their men
08 May 2005
Men beware: your partner may be watching you. Armed with sophisticated bugging devices, women are becoming the latest recruits to the hi-tech world of espionage.
Not that they are travelling the world as undercover agents: their targets are closer to home. A survey published this week will reveal that nearly three out of four women are prepared to spy on their husband or boyfriend if they suspect them of infidelity.
Nearly three-quarters, 72 per cent, of the 10,000 cohabiting or married women surveyed said they would snoop on their partner’s mobile phone text messages, and just over a third, 34 per cent, would secretly follow their partner.
They have seen David Beckham and broadcaster Rod Liddle get into trouble over text messages. But checking phones is not enough for many. Women are also flocking to courses to learn how to spy on their errant partners using a range of devices.
Gary Williams, director of a company which runs spy courses, and who commissioned the survey, said he was amazed at the number of women signing up. “Our course was aimed as a special day out for men, or for corporate sessions,” he said. “But then we noticed that a lot of women were coming along. When we asked them why, they said they wanted to spy on their partners.”
On the course, which is run by ex-special forces and police, women can learn to use covert cameras and UHF radios, bugs and lock-picking gadgets. They can also learn how to throw an axe and use a rifle, perhaps in case their suspicions are confirmed. About 100 people a week are taking the course in three centres across the country.
It is all part of the booming domestic spy industry – a result of technology such as text and email which makes it easier, yet more dangerous, to have affairs. Dave Allan, who owns the Spy Store in Leeds, the country’s leading supplier of eavesdropping gadgetry, said he has at least one woman a day coming in wanting to spy on her husband.
“The increase in domestic spying has soared, especially with women,” he said. “Our business used to be 60 per cent to business and 40 per cent domestic; now that figure is the other way round.
