Regulation 1 – MVPI General Regulations
Regulation 2 – MVPI Site Safety and Miscellaneous Regulations
Regulation 3 – Client Related Regulations
Regulation 4 – Specialised Paranormal Enquiry And Response Team
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Regulation 1 – MVPI General Regulations
Subsections
1. All MVPI members must hold an MVPI authenticated identity card all member unique identity numbers are catalogued by MVPI.
2. All evidence recording will be conducted with MVPI equipment. All images, audio and video are the intellectual property of Marston Vale Paranormal Investigations.
3. Members can bring their own metering devices but do so at their own risk.
4. MVPI will not accept any responsibility for personal items brought onto any site.
5. All MVPI cases are catalogued and given a unique reference number, any MVPI investigation carried out will be done by certified MVPI investigators with a genuine ID card and URN relating to the event.
6. All MVPI members will conduct themselves in an appropriate, professional manner.
7. No one may attend any MVPI investigation under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicant.
8. Members are discouraged from participating in any investigation whilst recovering from injury or illness.
9. Any member who attends any investigation against Reg. 8 does so at their own risk.
10.Any member, guest or other person present who breaches any part of this code will be asked to leave the site.
11.Any MVPI member who breaches any part of the code a decision will be made at a later time by the Team Leads as to the continuing membership of that member.
Matters relating to dismissal from the group will only be made by the Lead Investigators.
12.Guests or Visitors can only attend investigations under the authority of the lead investigator, and all guests and visitors must conduct themselves in accordance with this code of conduct. All guests must complete an online application in order to ensure that they have read and understood the terms and conditions of attendance. (addition 28/05/2013)
13. MVPI accept no liability what so ever for any personal injury sustained whilst out on paranormal investigations. No indemnity for compensation will be entertained for any personal loss or any injury sustained. By completing our online form (presented to all new investigators) you are consenting that you understand this and are participating voluntarily and at your own risk of personal injury, damage or loss of any equipment you may bring. In other words, you participate at your own risk. (amendment 16/11/2014)
14.MVPI will not accept any responsibility for any effect that any ‘phenomena’ has on any member, client, premises or property. (correction 28/05/2013)
15.MVPI will not accept any responsibility for any loss or injury, or any responsibility for any such cases of loss or injury as a result of ‘alleged spirit activity’.
16.Any MVPI member who alleges such ‘personal activity’ will be encouraged to leave the investigation site with another MVPI member. If this member refuses to, or does not leave upon request, MVPI will not be held accountable for that members actions and will be subject to exclusion from future MVPI events.
17.MVPI will not accept any responsibility for any ‘alleged’ ill effect from an ‘alleged interaction’ to any member/client. (amendment 28/05/2013)
18.MVPI will not accept responsibility for any ‘subliminal effect’ of any investigation to any member/client. (amendment 28/05/2013)
19.MVPI DOES NOT ALLOW THE USE OF OUIJA BOARDS ON ANY INVESTIGATION UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. (correction 28/05/2013)
20.Any MVPI member who breaches Reg.19 will be asked to leave the site for their safety and that of the team. The circumstances will then be reported to MVPI Lead Management for a decision regarding their further membership.
21.There is no flexibility regarding Reg. 19, removal of membership will result in its breach.
22.All MVPI Investigations are to be conducted with the highest levels of integrity and all investigation evidence must be collected using approved equipment with approved methods.
23.MVPI will not tolerate faking of any paranormal event or experience where that event has been intentionally produced to be believed as evidence.
24.Any MVPI Member who breaches Reg. 23 will be subject to removal from membership upon the decision of the Lead Investigators.
25.No (Medium) Sensitive Member of MVPI is permitted to perform ‘personal readings’ on any active investigation site, with or without the permission of the person being read or requesting a read. (addition 08/11/2012)
26.Any sensitive who is asked by any other member (or guest) must bring any requests for a personal read to the attention of the Lead Investigator. (addition 08/11/2012)
27.No MVPI member is allowed whilst active on an investigation to ask for any ‘spiritual services’ of any of the teams’ sensitives. (addition 08/11/2012)
28.Any such requests must be brought to the attention of the lead investigators assigned to that case. (addition 08/11/2012)
29.All MVPI private investigations will be held in the strictest confidence, unless permission is given by the client to post evidence on the MVPI website, and any such evidence should not reveal the clients location. Any such posting will only be done by the website administrator.
30.All Private Cases are the sole investigative responsibility of the Specialised Paranormal Enquiry And Response (SPEAR) team, and all private cases come under their remit, all requested private cases take precedent over any posted open event. (amendment 08/11/2012)
31.MVPI members will be respectful of any equipment used either belonging to MVPI or each other.
32.MVPI members while on site will work in pairs as a minimum and be contactable by personal radio issued by the Lead Investigator.
33.All MVPI members are trained in house following a mentored modular course of skills during live investigations, as well as being issued with a MVPI Paranormal Handbook and the Training Manual.
34.MVPI members are expected to complete this course of modular training.
35.All Training is free of charge and forms part of the conditions of membership.
36.Any MVPI member who is on a current modular training program and on a live investigation site will be accompanied by a certified mentor.
37.‘Certified’ means a MVPI member who has completed the requisite training and has either ‘Certified Paranormal Investigator’ or ‘Certified Lead Investigator’ status and has been signed off as competent by an MVPI Lead, the Founder or Co Founder.
38.All new members will undertake up to 2 trial sessions with MVPI. Any new member may choose to pay their membership at any time during these three sessions.
39.No membership fee is refundable after payment.
40.After the trial sessions a mentor will be found for the member and they will start the MVPI Paranormal Investigator Modular training.
41.MVPI reserve the right to refuse continuation of membership by new members.
42.MVPI reserve the right to withdraw membership of current members based on any breach of the Code of Conduct or based on the decision to withdraw their membership by at least two Lead Investigators.
43.MVPI will not refund any memberships paid to any member or new member should they leave or be refused continuation of membership for any reason within the Code of Conduct or if for any reason that member becomes incompatible with the methodology that MVPI employs in its work.
44.MVPI members are encouraged to hold a first aid certificate.
45.(Repealed 17/04/2013 see ss53)
46.MVPI will not provide, reimburse nor fund any such training or certification.
47.Any other paranormal groups that agree to work alongside MVPI must also conform to this Code of Conduct.
48.No MVPI member is permitted to publicly bring into question Marston Vale Paranormal any other paranormal research groups’ work or activities.
49.It is the responsibility of every member, client or third party to acquaint themselves with these codes and regulations. (correction 28/05/2013)
50.All MVPI members undertake every investigation with these codes in mind.
51.All clients must engage our services bearing in mind the directions laid within this code. Guidance concerning clients is provided later in these regulations.
52.(Repealed 16/11/2014)
53.Any member applying to join Marston Vale Paranormal must be happy to submit a Criminal Records Bureau check should it be requested by MVPI. (amended 04/11/2012)
54.Any refusal to this request will result in the application not being processed. (amended 04/11/2012)
55.Any member that becomes subject to police or other enforcement authority enquiries must inform MVPI of this taking place, failure to inform us is a breach of the Code of Conduct. (amended 04/11/2012)
56.Any member who has been investigated for any theft or theft related offence will have their membership removed. (amended 04/11/2012)
57.Any member who informs MVPI of any such investigations by police or relevant authority a decision will be made by MVPI as to their continuation of membership. (amended 04/11/2012)
58.Removal of membership results in removal from the Facebook Groups used by Marston Vale Paranormal Investigations. (amended 28/05/2013)
59.Investigations will be posted via the closed group on Facebook and any members wishing to go to these investigations must respond up to 72 hours before the start of the investigation. A deadline date will be posted with the details of the investigation.
60.Members who cannot make any investigation must make MVPI aware of their inability to attend in any case as soon as practicable. (amended 28/05/2013)
61.Marston Vale Paranormal are not classified as traders under the current Unfair Traders Regulations 2008 as we do not charge for any of our services.
62.Any findings of any investigation (public or private) is based on our interpretation of the data produced by our equipment and our opinion is based on those readings and the best possible explanation available.
63.Marston Vale Paranormal conduct all of their enquiries as part of an ongoing scientific experiment. Marston Vale Paranormal are committed to the collection of information and evidence of any alleged paranormal activity at any place or location.
64.Marston Vale Paranormal are committed to following the Data Protection Act 1988 and we will retain all SPEAR case client details and any completed Client Contract Forms; signed by the client for a period of SIX YEARS.
65.Marston Vale Paranormal will not divulge any personal details of any of our private clients.
66.Marston Vale Paranormal Administrators will endeavour to notify members two hours before an event if there are any cancellations.
67.Cancellations due to weather or drop out of other members may not automatically require a cancellation unless certain exceptions apply.
68.All members must contact the MVPI events page to notify of any change of availability as soon as they are aware of any change of circumstances.
69.MVPI members are free to join as many other investigative groups as they wish. The only issue surrounds members of the SPEAR team where priority must be given to any private cases that may arise over time.
70.All MVPI Members are bound by copyright and the Code of Conduct to not share any training materials produced by MVPI. This would be a direct breach of copyrights held by Marston Vale Paranormal Investigations.
71.Any donation made by any member or non member to MVPI can only be accepted once the donator has signed over ownership of that property/item or fund. (added 25/1/16)
72.Any such property once signed over will become the property of Marston Vale Paranormal and the donator will have no proprietary rights to the goods or monies donated after that point. (added 25/1/16)
73.MVPI reserve the right to refuse any such donations. (added 25/1/16)
Regulation 2 – MVPI Site Safety and Miscellaneous Regulations
Subsection
1. MVPI investigations must be carried out in accordance with the directions of local bye laws, legal statute and any ground rules governing the investigation site.
2. Private Investigations shall only be carried out once the client has been briefed on
the regulations and site agreement contract.
3. MVPI members must not trespass on any land in order to carry out any investigation.
4. MVPI Lead Investigators will make any prior enquiries to any agent/landowner to gain permission to enter any private land/grounds/building(s). (amended 28/05/2013)
5. All investigations require as a minimum, three team members.
6. All investigations will be started first by a briefing by the Lead Investigator. (amended 28/05/2013)
7. An initial inspection of the site must be done by the Lead Investigator.
8. All MVPI members will be respectful of other members, clients, their property, visitors or guests.
9. MVPI members take responsibility for their own health, safety and welfare and will act in accordance to any safety guidelines set out by any location notices, or during the safety brief, or during any message arising out of any identified site issues.
10.MVPI investigators must risk assess any areas that they enter taking into account any warning signs or issues arising out of any risk assessment prior to the investigation taking place, any health and safety issues that arise must be brought to the attention of the lead investigator at the site.
11.All Investigations will be subject to a safety briefing before starting any investigation.
12.Entry into any area on any site is down to individual discretion.
13.During investigations there should be no smoking or dropping of litter, any spent batteries should be returned to the field pack and disposed of responsibly.
14.No MVPI member will be allowed to investigate any site whilst pregnant or undergoing any treatment for anxiety, stress or heart related condition.
15.(Replaced by Reg. 17 amendment)
16.(Replaced by Reg. 18 amendment)
17.MVPI will not be held accountable for any increased ‘spirit activity’ at any venue, location, dwelling or other permanent or non permanent structure, or any land or property on which that structure stands or sits.
18.ANY INJURIES SUFFERED ON SITE MUST BE REPORTED AT THE TIME OF/IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE INVESTIGATION.
Regulation 3 – Client Related Regulations
Subsection
1. (See Reg. 78)
2. Residential Investigations will be done with the owner present in an identified control area within the location. Commercial investigations will be done in a similar way.
3. MVPI accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage to any client property, all clients are encouraged to remove any personal items of value or if fragile to reduce risk of accidental damage.
4. MVPI cannot be held to account for any damage alleged to have been caused at any location, all investigators will risk assess any location for possibility of damage and those areas will be excluded in order to minimise risk.
5. All excluded areas will be brought up in the briefing.
6. Our investigators will point out any item they feel should be removed in the presence of the owner.
7. There will be a Lead Investigator at every investigation. They will conduct the initial walk around with the client and complete the initial team briefing.
8. The Lead Investigator will complete the disclaimer in the presence of the owner who will signify that no damage has been caused to any building, property or structure whilst MVPI were engaged in any activity on site. (amended 28/05/2013)
9. Any property not removed or made safe by the owner, that should become damaged MVPI will not accept any responsibility for its loss/damage as a result of the prior request for its removal.
10.MVPI will withdraw from any site if it is found to be structurally or electrically unsafe.
11.MVPI will withdraw from any site set up to produce a ‘paranormal effect’, if any such equipment or activity is found to facilitate this.
12.If MVPI have been engaged as a result of a client request, then any evidence gathered (or not), along with any debunks will be presented to the client. We will endeavour to give on appointment our findings after the evidence has been viewed and analysed to ensure that all investigative avenues have been explored.
13.MVPI will investigate any claims of paranormal activity, if activity is found beyond MVPI comprehension then with the consent of the client we may need to share/seek advice from other well respected groups.
14.MVPI will not charge for any services provided, we do however accept donations towards our running costs.
15. Any uncertainty concerning any of the regulations should be directed via email to marstonvaleparanormal@yahoo.co.uk
16. At the conclusion of any investigation we would invite the client to visit the websiteand complete our feedback form. This information will be sanitised but used as part of our online portfolio.
Regulation 4 – Specialised Paranormal Enquiry And Response Team
Subsection
1. The selection of SPEAR members is contained within these regulations and are as follows;
2. All SPEAR Team members are selected and approved by current SPEAR Team members who are also qualified as Lead Investigators within MVPI.
3. All members of the Specialised Paranormal Enquiry And Response Team must be subject to a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check. The cost of this on publication of the regulations is £31, but it is necessary to ensure the client has no reservations about any member within their home or premises.
4. MVPI nor SPEAR will not refund this expense.
5. Certain forms of employment may deem a CRB as not being necessary as they may already hold a current CRB or be members of local authority or law enforcement agency.
6. Any member selected to become part of the SPEAR Team has the final decision on joining the team.
7. The regulated activities of SPEAR teams is contained within these regulations and
are as follows
8. The SPEAR team has one primary role and that is the investigation of private or commercial cases.
9. Due to the nature and sensitivity of the investigation there are strict rules concerning confidentiality and this includes how cases are listed.
10.All commercial cases will be sent out via the SPEAR FB locked page.
11.All domestic cases will be sent out via the SPEAR FB locked page but only the date of investigation, the case reference number and county that the case is in will be published.
12.Domestic cases when accepted on FB, the details will be sent via SMS text via mobile phone.
13.Due to the nature and sensitivity of domestic cases they are to be held in the strictest confidence and not divulged to any third party either internally or externally.
14.Some SPEAR cases may require extra non SPEAR member assistance and for this those members that are assisting on these cases are subject to these regulations.
15.SPEAR cases are not suitable for guest investigators. This can be waived but at the discretion of the assigned lead investigator plus the authority of two SPEAR members.
16.The criteria for SPEAR cases come under these regulations and are as follows.
17.All domestic cases are SPEAR cases without exception.
18.Any case where the client asks for confidentiality will be investigated as SPEAR cases.
19.Once designated as a SPEAR case the priority must then be set for the case.
20.The criteria for the priority are as follows.
21.HIGH PRIORITY cases are any that are having immediate, detrimental effects on the household/business and are affecting those in the premises directly.
22.MEDIUM PRIORITY cases are any that the client has experienced events within their premises, have no major causes for concern but request a team to investigate.
23.LOW PRIORITY cases are any where the client has experienced events but have no specific requirements of immediacy.
24.With all of the regulations in mind no MVPI SPEAR member is authorised to publish or divulge the details of any client who at their request, do not wish their details to be publicised on any form of media or communication.
25.Breaches of confidentiality will result in removal from the SPEAR team.
