The commercial close protection industry is even difficult for most people to enter, it is just that it is a much closed tiny world where usually doors will only open for you if you know someone. That is why networking is the first among the keys, important for opening the doors.
I am drawing from the interaction we have had practicing over 30 years in the security and close protection and risk management industry in the African continent and in Europe and Asia in operations and managing the operations.
As for ideology, I also became aware of one European close protection school whose students were informed that it is necessary to take control of the client’s passport, the client should not be ordering their security team around, etc. This might be good for the instructor’s ego in talking in front of his students, but he has no idea whatsoever of how to deal with clients.
Door Supervisors (Bar/Club Bouncer)
People in the security industry for some reason have so much disdain for club and bar security, but all the basic skill sets are there to be learned. As long as you are in contact with other professionals, you learn good manners of dealing with people, you are conscious about your surroundings, you know how to read other people’s body languages and how to diffuse any incidents and potentially handle violence and the medical and legal consequences and procedures of the same.
If you intend to work for some of the high-end clients being located in luxurious environments, one has to learn how to handle force and force majeure or in other words, if in the course of ‘business’ you find a customer with a weapon, then you must know how to handle it for more if you want to be a professional in protection career then visit Pacific West Academy.
If you are working with people you will still develop good interpersonal skills to include recognizing your environment, reading body language and defusing volatile situations and possibly addressing violence and its physical and legal ramifications. Despite the fact that force should always be the option of last resort, even if and when you are working for a high profile clientele in up market hotels, night clubs or restaurants, you must be able to cope with acts of violence and physical aggression.
Hotel Security
We have from experience noticed that in the close protection business one has to travel a lot between, in and out of hotels. You need to know fundamental points of view of hotels security measures and their employees. This is as helpful especially when doing an advance, in cases where you are the one to choose and arrange for hotels and venues which the clients are to visit in the future.
Employed in quality hotels, you get to learn people skills and customer services addressing different clients with different issues. Another place where one can easily source business is the up market hotel because the clients are also potential clients who may need close protection services. One also gets a chance to observe how close protection teams from other states operate with their clients, and even if they were not able to get their cards, they should let the protection teams know that they are available to assist at any one time in the future.
Manned Guarding/Cash in Transit
Manned guarding is always on the lookout for reasonable employees but to get a good company to work for though can be a problem since the wages’ taken are low, working hours long and unfavorable to say the least. I know there are good outfits out there and so much can be gained in terms of experience working in this segment.
Learning about how the security and operation of offices or industrial premises work will be useful knowledge for you and useful throughout your career. If your client operates out of an administrative block or a couple of floors in an administrative block, do you not as his close protection need to know how the building is protected, how the internal security team works? If the client owns an industrial business, wouldn’t it be logical for the CP team to learn about safety risks accessible within the site?
The manned guarding industry can be a long way from glamorous. However, at the same time it can throw cash in your direction and provide you with useful information and experience ,which of course are relevant in the close protection business.
Purpose of a body guard
Without close protection services a client may decide he needs protection from his manager or a close friend although this can provide some level of security at best it lacks the professionalism safety and detail that comes with the service of a bodyguard. That’s why body guarding is not something that can be done by an inexperienced man who does not meet the requirements of the minimum as in extreme cases he protects the client from assault harassment theft kidnap and assassination.
Specifically the work of a bodyguard is focused on defending a particular person from any possible dangers and risks as well as from any unauthorized individuals who might want need or have the resources to threaten or harm that individual and/or take their property/personal belonging Be it a celebrity leader or a rich businessman
Conclusion
In case a person is committed to a close protection career, he must have a good base and I think the only way to obtain the base is to get the first job in the security field in one way or another. We all have to work to get to where we want to be and should not expect to be placed at the top upon entry into employment. To get your foot in the door and get a foot into the close protection industry you will have to spend hours, effort and a lot of networking. And then if it all ever pays off, then at least it has been worth all those efforts.
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