The Bodyguards Bible

The Definitive Guide to Close Protection

Protect and Tell

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Angelina--brettIt 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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Princess Beatrice’s car stolen whilst out with her BG

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beatrice

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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