Being A Professional Security Officer Isn’t All about Defensive Driving and Firearms
If you are working as a close protection officer in the corporate or entertainment sector in the UK, do you really need to go on a tactical pistol course?
Being a professional security officer is like being a boy scout; prepared for anything. While I think it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with firearms, I don’t think most people really need to know how to tactically clear a house, after all, it’s our job to get the principal as far away from the threat as possible.
Forewarned is Forearmed
Working at a professional level isn’t just about the physical skills you have. I have acquired an extensive book collection over the years that details various different things bad guys might do. If you think like they do, you’ll know what to look for.
The nature of close protection means we spend a lot of time in airports, hotels and facilities, on the street and travelling. It’s worth arming yourself with the knowledge of what type of incidents happen in these types of places and the general response procedures. Learn and understand how these different places manage their security. You can find out a lot about hotel security if you look for it.
The internet can be a great asset and you can pretty much find eBooks on any subject. There are many free resources available online, for example Identifying Undercover Activity and Agents . While some of these resources may seem old, they can sometimes offer you one or two nuggets of information that you will carry with you forever.
Remember, it might be worth more knowing how someone can defeat the swipe card system in a hotel, rather than knowing how to do a high speed J-turn.
