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Occurrences of this nature (in combination with the rising tide of street crime and violent attacks, not to mention the ever-present threat posed by various national and international terror groups) have certainly sparked a rapid increase in interest among firms looking to protect their most valuable asset: their people.

As a result, security managers are now beginning to actively seek out intelligent and well-trained security advisors who can work effectively and efficiently in a service area where – hitherto, at least – the demand for such personnel has been exclusively the requirement of royalty, diplomats, vulnerable political figures and the aforementioned 'celebrity set'.

In truth, the personal security advisor of the 21st Century provides protection and advice in matters such as security in the home and workplace, in transit, hotels, restaurants and open air public spaces through to (and including) the provision of close body protection in the role of 'bodyguard'.

Close protection: the background
To understand where close protection sits today, we must first set the subject in context by delving into the history books a little. By doing so, we find that the first recorded political assassination of note occurred in the Senate building in Rome in 44 BC with the assassination of Emperor Julius Caesar. Closer to home, a study of the history of close protection within the UK shows its origins to be in the murder of Thomas Beckett – the Archbishop of Canterbury – in 1170.

Despite several similar assassinations during the course of British history (for example that of King Edward II in 1327, or the failed terrorist attempt by Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605), it wasn't until 1883 – following the murder of the British Secretary for Irish Affairs (Lord Frederick Cavendish) together with his secretary (Thomas Burke) in Dublin, and the commencement of a Fenian bombing campaign in London – that the Metropolitan Police formed the Special (Irish) Branch.

Many officers serving within this group were drawn from the Royal Irish Constabulary for their specialist knowledge of Fenian matters.

At this time, the commitment to provide personal protection was minimal. However, some of these Irish officers were part of the team providing protection for Queen Victoria by the time of her Jubilee. During the years that followed, responsibility for the protection of the Monarch largely fell to uniformed officers of the Metropolitan Police. Special Branch officers continued to provide some elements of Royal protection until after World War II.

Meantime, the provision of personal protection for Government figures and others remained minimal until 1922, when the first Vienna Convention (in respect of protection) was signed. This agreement came about partly due to the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo back in 1914.

The reciprocal agreement by co-signatories to protect visiting heads of state, heads of Government and foreign ministers remains at the heart of international conventions (in respect of protection) to this day.

Technical advances in travel and the media that were occurring in the mid-20th Century started to place politicians on the world stage, although even post-World War II global travel by heads of state remained limited purely because it was so time consuming. Air travel changed all that. The capitals of the new and old worlds were now only half-a-day apart.

In essence, the ability to hold face-to-face meetings – with all the publicity this brought – encouraged world leaders to travel widely.

Protests on the world stage
Come the 1960s, various terrorist organisations were waking up to the fact that they could generate more interest – and achieve greater notoriety – by moving their protest actions onto the world stage. International terrorism had most definitely come of age.

Such factors indicated the need for an urgent review of personal protection arrangements here in the UK. The unsuccessful attempt by Ian Ball to kidnap HRH Princess Anne from her car in The Mall in 1974 was an immediate catalyst for change.

Indeed, that same year saw the establishment of the Diplomatic Protection Group – an armed unit formed to counter terrorism on the streets of the Capital by providing armed guards to work at vulnerable diplomatic premises. The Group was also tasked with providing an armed response on a 24-hour basis for protection-related matters.

Protection of the Royal Family is a constitutional responsibility, and rests with the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis. Consequently, by 1975 officers from the Royalty Protection Department had commenced additional training at the hq of the Special Air Service in Hereford.

Politically, the continuing 'Irish problem' has meant that many UK Government officials have required protection because of their involvement in Irish affairs. Additionally, the number of VIPs visiting the UK who are judged to be 'at risk' continues to increase. The handful of officers assigned to protecting the Prime Minister and Home Secretary had to be augmented in some way.

As many of you will remember, in 1979 Airey Neave (Secretary of State for Northern Ireland designate in the soon-to-be-elected Conservative Government of Margaret Thatcher) was assassinated in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. A bomb which had been attached to the underside of his vehicle exploded, killing him instantly. This event began the long line of Northern Ireland Secretaries of State who now qualified for close protection both during and after holding this important Government post.

In 1981, bodyguard training began at Lippitts Hill. The course used remains the minimum training requirement for police officers performing personal protection duties.

Within the private sector, the training of close protection personnel remains (at best) variable, despite a significant growth in the industry. A number of training courses are offered at various locations around the UK, although no national standard (or formal accreditation procedure) has been ratified.

The lessons learned
Looking back on some of those incidents mentioned offers several areas for consideration. As has been said many times, 100% security can never be provided and, therefore, a protected person can never be considered to be truly safe (former President Anwar Sadat of Egypt being a good case in point). In light of this, serious consideration must be given to the notion of a 'safe place'.

Can such an environment really exist and, if so, what are its realistic limitations?

Second, attacks will frequently originate from a 'friendly' crowd. This isn't really all that surprising, since it's hoped an observant protection team wouldn't knowingly lead their principal towards an unruly gathering.

The most important weapon in the armoury of the close protection security advisor operating in the private sector is common sense. This, coupled with meticulous planning and preparation, will significantly reduce the risk of any potential problems that ma

Third, the majority of attacks will usually occur within a distance of seven metres or so and involve a gun, knife, bomb or grenade, etc. Consequently, in the recorded history of close protection, a protection officer has never drawn his weapon and prevented the attack. The actions of the attacker will always beat the reactions of the protection officer, no matter how fast they are or how diligently they have trained for the task.

Consider, in light of this fact, the true importance of the firearm in the overall protection package, and realise that its absence in the private sector is not detrimental to the bodyguard's overall ability to provide adequate protection.

Close protection: today's perspective
In a nutshell, then, close protection is all about guarding people, with private sector service providers attempting to keep their clients safely distanced from the unwanted attentions of anyone – from criminals and the clinically insane to autograph hunters and those simply intent on causing trouble.

Much of the work involves threat assessment and planning. Teams of officers then deploy to protect people from high risk threats during business trips overseas or company annual general meetings attended by individuals with a 'high net worth'.

Much close protection work is actually carried out by individuals employed by the state (ie both military and police personnel). They'll be responsible for safeguarding royals, diplomats and politicians in a host of different and demanding situations. There are also what you might call quasi-official close protection tasks such as guarding important people overseas and others who are not strictly representing the country, but whose well-being is in the national interest. The latter can sometimes result in a cross-over of the security forces and the upper echelons of commercial close protection.

On occasion, commercial close protection concerns will be asked to operate with the tacit blessing or open support of a national Government, but without public acknowledgement of the fact. Here, contracts are not open to public tender, and even the most successful of close protection outfits will shun the limelight!

Security according to the threat
The level of protection afforded to a given individual will be influenced directly by the potential threat. For example, as the most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States will always be a legitimate target in the eyes of some fanatical extremists. As you'd expect, the quality of close protection provision here will be second to none. Similarly, someone prominent within the Italian judiciary will face very real threats and, as such, the level of protection would need to be high.

This would also be the case for the head of state in a central African country and similar Third World environments. Here, a combination of poverty, corruption, organised (and disorganised) crime necessarily makes operational conditions for western multinational corporations fraught with angst and danger.

That said, it's not only heads of state or high profile celebrities and politicians who could be under the threat of assassination, but also high profile businessmen and women working in regions like central America and parts of the old Soviet Union. Maybe there are such individuals in your company? And what about wealthy people and their families? Again, that will apply to individuals on your company's Board of Directors. People with a profile that could attract organised crime, kidnapping attempts or the possibility of violent robbery.

Often, it isn't necessary for the environment to be threatening for companies and their senior people to require advice and protection. Although not as ubiquitous as in times gone by, both factory closures and labour disputes have demanded the implementation of emergency security procedures – requiring very low profile personal protection or the establishment of so-called 'quick reaction' teams.

Requirements of the task
At the outset, it's important for end users seeking a close protection specialist not to confuse the operational practices and procedures of soldiers of the Special Air Service, who are the most highly trained in close protection techniques alongside members of Royalty Protection Group and the Royal Military Police Close Protection Officer (all of whom have the remit to carry firearms within the UK).

To this end, the skills emphasis and subject matter knowledge of the professional close protection officer lies squarely on unarmed skills, techniques and forward planning to ensure the highest levels of protection within the legal requirements of reasonable force.

The most important weapon in the armoury of the security advisor operating in the private sector is common sense. This, coupled with meticulous planning and preparation, will significantly reduce the risk of any potential problems that may be encountered before they ever materialise. Although it must be stressed once again that 100% security can never be provided at any time.

Consequently, almost anyone can acquire the necessary skills and attributes needed to successfully pursue a career as a bodyguard. The role is not confined to former members of the SAS (British Special Forces) or SO19 (the Metropolitan Police Specialist Firearms Unit) and, as such, any lack of relevant military or police experience shouldn't be seen as an obstacle to potential recruits.

That said, the provision of close protection services is a highly specialised skill. There's no substitute for training and experience, and that's what the end user should be looking for from their service provider.

Don't be drawn into the trap of thinking that it's all about firearms. It isn't. Fitness, unarmed combat skills, First Aid, defensive driving abilities and training to a high standard (on courses developed by training providers in tandem with national awarding bodies... see box panel 'Training for professional close protection officers: the essentials') all contribute towards the creation of the complete protection officer.

Lines of demarcation
In the executive protection arena, the company security director's brief to the close protection service provider is likely to contain little more than date (which invariably changes) and time of travel, the places to be visited, the names of executives involved and any resources the security director feels will be needed for the task at hand.

From then on, a reputable service provider will look at so-called security advances. In other words, the detailed planning and pre-visits that go into any travel arrangements. There will be a pre-advance (planning stage), trip advance (to finalise arrangements) and visit advance (immediately before your executives arrive at their destination). This will help avoid any element of surprise, suggest planned contingencies and circumnavigate any situations in which those to be protected could be rendered vulnerable.

If the venue is relatively unknown, and conditions and resources likely to be difficult at source, your close protection provider may need to spend up to one week 'on the ground' prior to the day.

The advance should also take in the arrangement of any necessary accommodation, transport arrangements, special events, liaison with local police and the assessment of local evacuation and emergency services provision. Initial duties on arrival should be worked out in detail, and site surveys carried out.

End users should speak to other company security managers that have hired a given service provider and ask them how good they were. If assignments have been completed without a hitch, it's because no stone has been left unturned in brainstorming what could have gone wrong and a contingency plan devised.