Close Protection

Security consultant Clive Grant offers an insider’s perspective on a sector that is a popular choice with Service leavers

Overview

The aim of close protection (CP) – or VIP protection, as it is sometimes known – is to mitigate the risk to an individual or family who are considered to be at risk from an attack or kidnap. Examples of this range from the protection of an executive at risk from single-issue groups, via intimidation and harm to a prosecution witness, to the protection of an overseas minister and his entourage during a visit to the UK.

Depending on the level of risk, a close protection team can vary in size from one or two members to a fully equipped team who can provide residential/hotel security, security advance parties (SAP) and protection during moves by vehicle or on foot. It is important that the team leader or operator can assess the risk and be able to recommend the required level of security, commensurate with the perceived threat.

During the past ten years, the role of CP in the commercial sector has expanded to include armed protection and escort in higher-risk countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq.

AT A GLANCE: COMMERCIAL CP ROLES

The requirement for commercial/corporate CP teams can be broadly divided into the following categories.

Full CP team providing protection to a principle at his residence/hotel, and his or her movements throughout the day. This will generally be a more high-profile operation, using back-up vehicles, communications and enough personnel to provide a flexible protection plan throughout the 24-hour period.
Teams employed to provide access control and protection to a company board of directors during AGMs where risk of disruption is expected. In the same way, teams can be deployed to provide a similar level of protection at sporting or entertainment events.
A small, often two-man, team to provide a client with a very discreet level of protection. This will generally involve one man remaining close, but not next to, the principle, and the other travelling ahead to arrange ‘meet and greet’ at airports, and to check accommodation or venues prior to arrival. Female operators can often provide discreet protection, particularly for female executives travelling overseas.
A single man or woman – generally a very experienced operator, who travels with the principle and audits the reliability and professionalism of a locally employed team. This is particularly common when local driving knowledge and interpreters are essential.

CP skills gained in the Services

The CP operators most in demand are generally those from a Special Forces or military background, where experience has been gained over a number of years and there has been the opportunity to travel widely overseas. Notwithstanding the contracts that require operators to carry firearms, overseas contracts in the more high-risk countries (e.g. Pakistan) generally require the operator to have local knowledge and the ability to operate on their own.

It is possible for someone without this background to progress to this level, but they will need to establish their reputation as part of a team in the UK, often on a more mundane contract, but where they can prove their skills, reliability and professionalism. It is generally during such contracts that the opportunity to network can lead to more interesting tasks – luck can, of course, play a big part.

TRANSLATE YOUR SKILLS

Threat assessment, forward planning and anticipation of the unexpected are important aspects of all planning, and administration and logistics are among the most critical aspects of the task once the aim has been established. The principles of prior preparation and planning practised in the military provide a sound background for all CP tasks.

Corporate and private clients at risk have often been provided with a CP service before, and will know what they want. They will not want a stereotypical bodyguard with an ill-fitting suit and white socks, but a man or woman who is dressed for the occasion – whether it is black tie, business suit or tracksuit – and who provides the principle with a confident, but discreet reassurance. The ability to communicate easily with the client, sound general knowledge and an awareness of current affairs are invaluable assets, as is a quiet sense of humour.

Qualifications and training

A Security Industry Authority (SIA) CP licence is required for those ‘guarding one or more individuals against assault or against injuries that might be suffered in consequence of the unlawful conduct of others. This applies if your services are supplied for the purposes of or in connection with any contract to a consumer.’ It is illegal to be involved in CP in England and Wales without being licensed. There are two types of SIA CP licence.

A front line licence is required if undertaking licensable activity, other than keyholding activities (this also covers undertaking non-front-line activity). This licence is in the form of a credit card-sized plastic card that must be worn, subject to the licence conditions.
A non-front line licence is required for those who manage, supervise and/or employ individuals who engage in licensable activity, as long as front-line activity is not carried out – this includes directors or partners. This licence is issued in the form of a letter that also covers keyholding activities.

You must have one of the following qualifications (all level 3) before you can apply for a front-line close protection licence:

Buckinghamshire New University Certificate in Close Protection
City & Guilds Certificate in Close Protection
Edexcel Certificate in Close Protection
HABC Certificate in Close Protection

However, if you have attained a qualification that was previously endorsed by the SIA, you may use it to apply for a licence.
Front-line staff are also required to have attained an SIA-recognised first aid qualification: an HSE-approved ‘First Aid at Work’ four-day course or ‘First Person on Scene’ (FPOS) Intermediate Award.

To get one of the qualifications linked to CP licensing, you will also need to attend and take two training modules, and take and pass an exam (the training should take 146 hours). The core learning and qualifications for a close protection front-line licence are as follows.

Close Protection Specialist Module (138 hours)

Roles and responsibilities of the close protection operative
Threat and risk assessment
Surveillance awareness
Operational planning
Law and legislation
Interpersonal skills
Close protection teamwork and briefing
Conduct reconnaissance
Close protection foot drills
Route selection
Close protection journey management
Search procedures
Incidents management
Venue security

Conflict Management Module (8 hours)

Avoiding conflict and reducing personal risk
Defusing conflict
Resolving and learning from conflict
Application of communication skills and conflict management for security guarding and close protection

Those with previous CP experience or who have been trained by certain organisations may require only a 24-hour Guided Learning Hours Refresher Course, or a knowledge test and practical skills assessment. Licensing will include a criminal records check, and operating without the correct licence is a criminal offence.

Organisations approved to deliver this training must show that their staff have proper training or an instructional qualification or programme. All trainers not currently delivering CP qualifications and wishing to deliver CP training will have to achieve the ‘Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector’ award before approval can be granted. Trainers who met the previous requirements now need to ensure that they comply with the new framework of qualifications needed by those teaching in the lifelong learning sector. (Details are available on the website of Skills for Security (see ‘Key contacts’), the Sector Skills Body for the security industry.)

New modular training from the SIA

The SIA is introducing a new modular licence qualification structure, which will mean less overlap and duplication in training content across the sectors; it will also make it easier to gain qualifications for additional sectors, as just the relevant additional modules need to be taken. To find out more, visit its website: www.sia.homeoffice.go.uk

For anyone wishing to enter the industry, the quality of both the training and the instructors delivering it is all-important. However, continuation and pre-deployment training will often be required. Because reputation is everything in the CP environment, simply being trained by an expert helps students. The downside of this is that reputable trainers will not automatically pass everybody who attends a course.

Another thing to consider is course content. Those interested should think about whether they need firearms training, for example. While residence security in the UK or preventing the public lynching of the ‘fat cat’ chairman of a utilities company hardly call for the use of a rifle, protecting expatriate workers on a far-away oil installation might well require some revision of shooting skills. So, think carefully before spending your money on training; you will also need to find the right course for your needs.

Employment

Very few training providers can guarantee a job in CP because the industry simply isn’t geared to permanent payroll employment. In any case, they cannot gauge the quality of an individual until they have seen them on a course. So beware of companies that promise too much, and be wary of those that offer too little. There is currently a shortage of female CP operatives, who are in particular demand for guarding female principals, family members and children, especially in some cultures and environments.

Shop around, compare like with like, talk to anyone you know who is already working in the industry and find out which training providers are respected. Best of all, go along to seminars and briefings where you can meet the trainers and ask them exactly what they can offer.

Salaries

Many of those working in CP are recruited for contracts (short or long term) by agencies. Most will be paid a daily rate, from £100 up to £400, depending on type of contract and experience (it is now fairly rare, however, to achieve the top rate). Wages may be round about £150 per day for an established operator in London, while an experienced team leader in a hostile environment might earn anything up to £400 a day, with the most junior team member on £200. An average guide would be £200 a day for weeks or months. Bear in mind that these figures can only be a guide as actual rates of pay vary depending on location and employer. The hugely inflated pay rates of recent years in very high-risk environments have now reduced, largely due to increased competition for fewer contracts and less CP being undertaken by expatriate companies.

About the author: Clive Grant MBE

Before joining Control Risks in 2001, Clive was an independent security consultant for a number of international clients and commanded a close protection team based in the Middle East. Since joining Control Risks, he has been responsible for protection services and event security, providing advice and support to clients who have been subjected to threats by both individuals and single-issue groups. He is currently a security consultant with the Global Security Centre, part of Control Risks’ joint venture with International SOS, based in London.

Clive spent 35 years with the Royal Marines, 30 of which were with the Special Boat Service. He served in a number of operational theatres, including Northern Ireland, Oman and the Falklands, as well the Gulf War.

KEY CONTACTS

Security Industry Authority, PO Box 1293, Liverpool L69 1AX Tel: 0844 892 1025 Website: www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk

Skills for Security, Security House, Barbourne Road, Worcester WR1 1RS Tel: 0845 0750 111 Website: www.skillsforsecurity.org.uk