// Critical Guidance
Stop. Before you do anything else — do not touch it, do not move it, and do not change your behaviour. What you do in the next few minutes determines whether this device becomes evidence that protects you, or disappears before anyone can act on it.
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// 01 — Do Not Touch It
Your instinct will be to remove it immediately. That instinct is understandable — but acting on it can cause serious harm to your safety and your legal position.
Many surveillance devices are configured to send an alert to the person monitoring if they go offline unexpectedly. A GPS tracker that stops transmitting, an audio device that loses power, a camera that drops from the network — all can trigger an immediate notification to your abuser that they have been found. That alert can escalate danger within minutes.
Additionally, a device that has been handled, moved, or damaged may be inadmissible as evidence. Police and prosecutors need to establish chain of custody — that the device was found where you say it was, in the condition you describe. A professionally documented Safe Sweep report provides exactly that.
// 02 — Do Not Change Your Behaviour
This is one of the hardest things to ask of someone in this situation — but it may be the most important. If your abuser is monitoring your behaviour and notices a sudden change — you stop going to a particular place, you start whispering, you avoid certain rooms — they will know something has changed.
Continue your normal routine as best you can. Make any calls or searches related to the device from a location away from your home and away from your vehicle — ideally from a different device, or from the phone of a trusted person outside the home.
Do not search for information about surveillance devices on a phone or device that may be compromised. If you are reading this on a device you are concerned about, use a different device — a trusted friend's phone, a library computer, or a new SIM — before taking any further steps.
// 03 — Document What You Found
If you can photograph the device from a distance without touching it or alerting anyone, do so. Include context in the photograph — where it is located, what it is attached to or concealed inside. This documentation will support any subsequent legal action.
Note the location, the time, and how you found it. Write this down somewhere safe — not on a device your abuser has access to. A note kept at a trusted person's home or stored safely outside your residence is appropriate.
Exact location found. What it is attached to or inside. Date and time. How you came to find it. Whether anything nearby looked disturbed. A photograph if safe to take.
Do not touch, move, or remove it. Do not show anyone in the household. Do not post about it anywhere. Do not search for it on a potentially compromised device.
// 04 — What Happens Next
When you contact Safe Sweep, we work with you and your support worker to plan a professional sweep around your safety plan. We do not arrive unannounced. We coordinate discreetly so our visit does not trigger suspicion.
Our sweep will locate, identify, and professionally document any devices found — including the one you have already found, and any others that may be present that you have not yet discovered. Our report is court-ready and can support an AVO application, criminal charges, or family court proceedings.
You do not need to have already found something to book a sweep. Suspicion is enough. But if you have found something, the sweep becomes even more urgent — there may be additional devices you are not yet aware of.
Safe Sweep can liaise directly with your local DV police unit. Our documentation is prepared with chain of custody integrity. We can attend jointly with police if that is the safest option for your situation.
// 05 — Types of Devices
Not everything you find will be obviously a surveillance device. Many are designed to look like ordinary objects.
Usually a small black or grey rectangular device, sometimes magnetic. Found under vehicles, inside wheel arches, behind bumpers, under seats, or in the boot. May have a blinking LED or appear dormant. Some are hardwired to vehicle power.
VehicleSmall, coin-sized or slightly larger. White (AirTag) or various colours (Tile). Often placed inside bags, jacket pockets, children's backpacks, or a car's interior. Can be detected with the AirGuard app as an immediate first step.
Personal / VehicleCan be hidden inside smoke detectors, power adaptors, clocks, USB chargers, picture frames, air purifiers, or everyday household objects. May have a small pinhole lens visible on close inspection, or none at all.
HomeA bug that transmits audio in real time. Can be concealed inside furniture, behind wall plates, or inside appliances. Silent, no visible output, and cannot be found by any consumer app — only by professional RF detection equipment.
HomeYou have found something. Do not wait. We will coordinate a professional response around your safety — completely confidentially, no name required to make first contact.
You have found something. Do not move it. Tell us what you found and where, and we will advise immediately.