jim

Protect and Tell

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It would seem that plenty of close protection officers want to write a “Tell-All” book after protecting someone rich and Famous. Recently Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stopped an ex-bodyguard writing a tell-all book. They hired top US and UK lawyers to prevent Mickey Brett revealing details of their private lives in a book. According to the New York Daily News newspaper the book would have been detailed accounts about protecting a number of Hollywood stars that included Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Richard Gere, Sylvester Stallone and Tom Cruise .

Should you write a book like this? Depending upon who you looked after and what juicy tales you have to tell, a book deal might earn you a lot of money. However, be sure to balance the book earnings with any future earnings that you might have earned in close protection, because the chances are you will never work in the industry again! Being a confidant and keeping your clients private life confidential are fundamental to your employment prospects, a few quid now might be prove to be a costly mistake if you lose a few years earnings.

I am sure that some of these books are written “in spite” by disgruntled bodyguards who for whatever reason are no longer employed. You might feel that “dishing some dirt” and earning from it, would be adequate recompense. However this shows you to be completley unreiable and unprofessional which are two words that any bodyguard who wants to work is not associated with.

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The SIA and Licence Renewals

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Today I received form LAF02 from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) requesting that I renew my licence. There is no requirement for further training, they don’t ask for evidence of any continuation training. They don’t even ask if have been working in the industry keeping my skills current. In fact all they ask for is a repeat of the information they already have; such as my name, address and date of birth, oh and they ask for £245 which I suspect is really the point of the exercise.

Whilst they claim to want to

Raise standards of professionalism and skills within the private security industry and to promote and spread best practice.

Its clear they are not really interested in this, or they would have at least asked to see my current First Aid Qualification. The one they insisted I take prior to licensing, the one that lasts only 3 years! So as every Close Protection Licence expires so does those officers first Aid tickets. How hard would it be to insist on evidence of a current ticket with the renewal?

First Aid is the one skill that does need practise and continuation training. First Aid skills are so important in this industry. It’s bad enough that they settled on the First Aid at Work qualification as a minimum standard, but to then go on and issue licences and not check that the officers are at that standard beggars belief. Clearly the SIA look at renewals as a money making opportunity rather than a tool to “raise standards of professionalism and skills”

An official response when asked: Why is First Aid training not compulsory on renewal of the close protection licence?

“There is an expectation that close protection operatives would want to keep their First Aid
qualifications up to date. “

So they are not enforcing it, because they expect we will want to do it. Well the good officers will, but its not the good conscientious officers that need the regulation, its the rest and they will probably not bother. Where do all those £245 payments go? Its a shame you can’t buy common-sense.

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RMP Close Protection Course – Why Bother?

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Why bother doing that course when you can just buy a certificate on Ebay. Who would want one of these? It beggars belief that they would sell, but sell they are and like hot cakes. Be aware that the numpty you are working alongside might not have done a course at all. He may have just spent £2.99 on Ebay.

These are the buyers over the last couple of days, recognise any names? Lets hope its just girlfriends that these people want to impress and not potential employers! Walter Mitty is alive and well; he’s an RMP trained Close protection Officer and he shops on Ebay lol

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Princess Beatrice’s car stolen whilst out with her BG

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As a CPO you can work hard for years doing hundreds of things right with no one even noticing. Make one mistake and you will no doubt be remembered for it for a long time.

It has been reported that Princess Beatrice’s police bodyguard has been a little embarrassed after her prized BMW was stolen while he was on duty. It is understood that he will now be facing disciplinary action for failing to check that the Princess had removed her keys and locked the car doors before going into a shop for a sandwich.

The investigation is still under way, and the police have still not been able to locate the 1 Series BMW that was stolen in London’s West End. Beatrice, 20, told friends she was hugely embarrassed, but courtiers are questioning why her protection officer missed her mistake. How on earth he allowed her to leave the car unlocked and with the keys in, God only knows, the Daily Express quoted one as saying.

If there is a next time I am sure this BG will be more careful. Those who have read the Bodyguards Bible will know what I mean by “Salting the Step” clearly this BG did not.

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Beckhams Bodyguard in Punchup with Paparazzi

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David Beckhams Bodyguard gets involved in a punch up with a photographer. The story as reported is below appeared on a few news sites, this particular version was reported on Enews.

After being pursued by paparazzi today in Beverly Hills, the soccer stud confronted a photographer, with a fight breaking out moments later between one of the soccer star’s bodyguards and the shutterbug.

According to an eyewitness, Beckham went up to the car and tried to get the driver to come out. When the driver declined, Beckham’s bodyguard went to the passenger’s side and punches began flying. They started fighting right in the street in front of the police station

Once the bodyguards and the paparazzi started fighting David ran back to the car and he and Victoria drove off…The cops finally came and broke it up.

The Bodyguard should have been calming his principal down, and not making matters worse by assaulting the photographer. The upshot of it all is that the Principal ends up running off with no protection; whilst the bodyguard assists the police with their enquiries. How intelligent is that? The Press were doing their job, clearly the Bodyguard was not.

A few years ago, every newspaper had its own staff of photographers but these days this is not the case. Most of the photographers that you see on the street are freelancers. They sell their photos to the major agencies, which syndicate and then sell the rights of the photographs around the world. This syndication can earn a photographer massive amounts for ‘the’ photo, but the downside of all this is that not many photographers get paid a wage anymore; they are paid only when they take a picture that is worth selling. It follows that these photographers are very eager to get the photograph. This makes them more aggressive when things aren’t going their way, and more determined to take risks and liberties to get the picture. Increasingly, it would seem that when these photographers do earn money they do not spend it on soap! More than once in recent years I have heard the paparazzi pack referred to as ‘the great unwashed’

However much you hate the Paps you cannot assault them. Who is looking after the principal whist you are wrestling the Paps? And besides, the Paps are just too clever at recording the incident. Subsequently its you that will be charged and deservedly so. Assaulting the press is just not or never has been part of the job.

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