If you are a high-net-worth individual, CEO, or otherwise notable public personality, chances are you are at risk. And, presumably, you want to get rid of it ASAP. So, where do you find protection? On the internet, or do you ask a trusted fellow business associate to recommend a protection company? No matter your response to this question, we advise that you make sure you choose a team with the best close protection skills on the market. EP is relevant for a multitude of reasons, from the preservation of one’s life, family, and assets, to the prevention of potential attacks.
Due to technological advances, only two factors can limit your security nowadays: finances and imagination. Unfortunately, malefactors also abound in monetary resources and creativity. To stay a few steps ahead of potential attackers and intruders, your team’s close protection skills must be top-notch. In other words, they need to:
- Prepare for emergencies,
- Anticipate danger,
- Be aware of threatening situations, and
- Possess a good comprehension of risk, threats, and possibly vulnerabilities.
The chief aim of this posture is to deter the potential attacker. And it does not matter if it is a planned assault or an opportunistic attempt. Potential attackers will think twice before taking on a protective shield that your executive protection team has set up in advance.
Some security experts refer to this as a sudden change in the attacker’s mind. And that is precisely what your protective detail of choice should intend to achieve. By changing the malicious actor’s mind, your protection team prevents incidents and facilitates more leisurely day-to-day interactions for you as the principal.
Arguably, there is nothing more important than that.
If your EP team can offer services by solely deterring and preventing attacks, stick with them throughout your life. That is the type of protection you would want for yourself, your family, and your entourage.
In fact, the tried-and-true methods of companies like SCS are at your fingertips ― whenever and wherever you need them.
The Team With the Better Research Wins
When you Google protective details and similar phrases, you are bombarded by hundreds of images and articles that don’t do justice to this noble profession. EPAs put their life on the line for you, and they call it their job.
So, you would expect them to spend a little less time posing and more time doing the work. But, unfortunately, that is the inaccurate perception you will adopt if you only focus on search engine results while seeking your protective detail. You will see people feigning a luxurious lifestyle ― not an authentic depiction of their actual work.
In other words, before assuming that executive protection agents are something they are not ― you need to do your research. And that is precisely the domain your future security team with on-demand close protection skills needs to invest most of its time on.
Because guess what? The opposite side is possibly spending sleepless nights doing just that: researching your movements and your routine. They conduct what is known as reconnaissance, which means “a search for useful information; a survey.”
If an attacker knows or surmises what a protective team is planning, such a state of affairs constitutes a massive advantage for the intruder. Therefore, a security detail that is ready for any situation is a protective force that will succeed in securing the well-being ― and life ― of you as their principal.
As a matter of fact, the people protecting you need to comprehend that the opposite party:
- Employs the same equipment and expertise,
- Subscribes to the same methods and criteria,
- Collects accurate information on the target,
- Mirrors the intelligence agents, i.e., your protective detail.
All in all, the team with the more nuanced and detailed research wins. We advise you to keep this thought in mind while scanning for EPAs.
Blending in With the Crowd
The very appearance of your executive protection team must command respect. Although they are around you during public events, it is not always wise to expose them all at once to the nearby crowd. Not the least because potential attackers may also be part of that same group of people. Hence, discovering them would be easier.
To achieve this aim, the protective personnel ought to assume a casual posture in terms of clothing and an outward attitude toward the principal. Although this is among the least appreciated close protection skills, it is immeasurably helpful for them to appear like your close personal friend, a companion, or business associate rather than on-duty security professionals. However, we still acknowledge that this point may depend on the principal’s preference, risk, and sometimes budget.
Likewise, the attitude of this kind must spill over into other segments of your protection environment, including security driving. As a matter of fact, the person driving you around town or to another state should be familiar with how to blend in with other cars in specific areas. Yet, we are aware that this statement may ring untrue as some principals ride conspicuous cars.
In any case, in the words of one security expert, casualness draws little interest. And we completely agree with this statement.
The All Too Likely Medical Emergencies
Your protection agents have plenty of roles to perform. They are security specialists, confidants, logistics planners ― and even medical responders. If your protection team did their research well, then the probability of medical emergencies turning fatal is low.
Unfortunately, however, adverse events can happen from time to time. And these entail situations that nobody can control and accidents that simply get out of hand.
Despite applying state-of-the-art preventive measures to avoid injuries and life-threatening situations, these can still arise.
In such cases, protection agents can be an additional asset if they received training on how to respond in emergencies that involve:
- Asthma, anaphylaxis, epinephrine auto-injectors,
- Medical and trauma distress,
- CPR, AED, and airway ventilation,
- Pharmacological interventions.
It may sound strange, but many activities of your protective detail may not have anything to do with dealing with terrorists, attackers, or star-crazed fans.
According to the European Heart Network, cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes 3.9 million deaths in Europe annually. Similarly, 655,000 Americans die from heart disease each year. Sadly, many of these deaths occurred due to a lack of available and adequate emergency medical treatment.
Dare we say it, CEOs and high-net-worth individuals are not immune to this ailment. Especially if we bear in mind the heightened level of stress in their busy lives.
We are not saying that your executive protection team must flawlessly master the medical profession. But we attest that at least a minimal working knowledge of first aid could be priceless in certain circumstances. For instance, an in-house EP team could intimately study the health risks of the principal and seek training on related topics. However, be advised that, in some countries, it is not even allowed to provide aspirin to the client as it could lead to complications.
Breaking Down Teamwork
French writer Alexander Dumas put it magnificently in The Three Musketeers: One for all and all for one! This timeless phrase exemplifies the concept of teamwork even 160 years after this celebrated novel was first published.
In slightly different words, teamwork resembles a finely tuned machine, where all its constituent parts work in cohesion. If any element in the machine breaks down, other components must either reorganize and take up the burden ― or fail.
While scanning for a protective team to meet your security needs, know that teamwork is unavoidable. Preferably, we advise that you choose at least four members who will protect your surroundings. One as the security driver, the second with substantial experience in advance work, a third person specializing in medical emergencies, and the CPO.
We portrayed here an ideal situation for you as the principal. Other, less ideal circumstances include only one or two persons who would feel confident to provide a broader range of services than usually asked of them.
To help you assemble your qualified security team with superb close protection skills, reach out to us.
