Close protection - what being a bodyguard is really like

Thanks to movies and television many people have some fairly significant misconceptions

about what working in close protection - what being a 'bodyguard' is really like. Whilst it's true that close protection officers are tasked with protecting a high profile or threatened individual from external threats, those threats and the way they are dealt with are hardly as exciting as you might think.

Perhaps the easiest way of demonstrating this is to call upon the clich of "diving in front of a bullet". For a start, you can't dive in front of a bullet. They travel faster than sound. Also, the chances are that by and large, being a bodyguard will not require you to exchange small arms fire with a team of fanatics or outwit a deadly yet charismatic sociopath.

In truth, working as a bodyguard is a much more careful yet mundane affair. The 'threats' that you face tend to be more in terms of harassment, obstruction, or the potential loss of confidential information. These are the major hazards facing high profile figures ranging from celebrities to public figures, rather than assassination or kidnap threats.

That said, these hazards do exist but really this is only for those at the highest possible risks of personal safety. More often than not, this kind of danger is focused upon very particular individuals or particularly hazardous environments and situations (e.g. conflict zones). Even in these cases though, the real life work of close protection differs vastly from the exciting lifestyle depicted on-screen.

The reality is that working as a bodyguard is mainly about organisation and teamwork. This might sound like the description of an office job but its an inarguable fact that the best way to avoid danger is to do exactly that - avoid it.

Careful planning is a much more powerful and practical tool for a bodyguard than the ability to dive headlong into danger; with the right approach, potential hazards can be eliminated or prepared for before the client ever comes under threat of them. Therefore 'bodyguards' tend to specialise in screening danger from an environment or situation - vetting people who will come into contact with their client, carefully planning routes and alternative routes for travel, searching rooms, buildings and vehicles, or preparing detailed plans-of-action for a variety of likely scenarios.

Another big jump from the movies is the idea that bodyguards work alone. This may be true for low-profile and low-risk clients but in those cases, the work of a bodyguard is more one of general efficiency; getting between the VIP and the public, to put it bluntly. Generally this means that the bodyguard is largely a driver with additional responsibilities rather than some sort of loner action hero.

For riskier situations though, close protection is never left to just one man. Even if that man is a decorated ex-special forces veteran with a reputation for daring-do. Instead, a team of security personnel will always be on hand to provide personal security, breaking responsibilities down to individuals based on the circumstance and their particular specialities. This can be anything from a dedicated driver, skilled in defensive driving techniques, or an electronics/surveillance specialist who can check for bugs or set up security systems as needed.

Obviously the demands of the job change drastically depending on who the potential target is and what the potential threat is. By and large the main role of a bodyguard is in general close protection - maintaining a perimeter around the client - which is obviously much different from protecting a head of state or a religious leader. Yet like all things depicted on the silver screen, your perception of being a bodyguard is likely more than a little different from the way things really are.

Close protection - what being a bodyguard is really like

By: Andrew Marshal

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