When it Comes to the Crunch, How Will You Perform?

Author

Circuit Magazine
May 07, 2022

It seems the performance and readiness of operators is susceptible to scrutiny as more and more of our principals get mired in the spotlight. But do you know how you will react in a stressful situation? Would you stay calm and composed and fall back on your training and experience? When it comes to the crunch, what’s more important— training or experience or equipment?

This week On the Circuit we have viewpoints and perspectives from all sides. So without further delay, let’s get into the headlines sparking discussion and debates this week. 👇

The Circuit Magazine Podcast

Executive Protection Agent, Eric “Swayze” Gifford runs Shadow Company. As a former rock climber and MMA fighter, with over 35 years of experience in the martial arts, Eric talks about his winding and circuitous career into protection.

"Growing up in a single-parent home with a younger sister, protection has been in my blood since I was a cub. I left home at seventeen and lived the gypsy life for ten years, becoming a professional rock climber and MMA fighter and training all over the country and globe. My MMA coach got me my first gig. Combined, I now have been in martial arts for 35 years, security for over 20 years and EP for 10."

In addition to working operationally in the field, Eric also teaches Close Quarters Combat and tactical firearms.

If you enjoy listening to the Circuit Podcast and can spare a minute, please rate/review us. Your rating will help us to rank higher making it easier for others to find the podcast.

The Need to Know

Control Risks have released kidnap for ransom data and possible trend projections for 2022. Key takeaway: Upward trajectory in global kidnapping rates through 2022. underpinning factors:

  • Socioeconomic disparities

  • under-resourced law enforcement agencies

  • weak judiciaries

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated all three factors, and its effects are unlikely to recede in 2022.

The FBI will reportedly use the information to pursue catching terrorists, hackers, and spies. The FBI conducted up to 3.4 million warrantless searches of Americans' electronic data in 2021 alone.

Former SAS, Paratroopers and other UK and US special forces are playing a ‘pivotal’ role in rescuing key individuals from Kyiv as Russian forces hunted targets on a hit list at the outset of the invasion.

Britain said it has uncovered a new large-scale disinformation campaign launched by Russia targeting world leaders and Kremlin critics across various social media platforms.

Disappointed with the lack of US response to the Hermit Kingdom's attacks against US security researchers, one hacker took matters into his own hands.

Russian billionaires and entrepreneurs have been arriving in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in unprecedented numbers. Property purchases in Dubai by Russians surged by 67% in the first three months of 2022.

Thousands of Belfast-made ‘tank killer’ missiles sent to Ukraine could end up in the hands of local gangsters and terrorists, a counter-terrorism expert has warned. The weapons could be smuggled out and end up in the hands of groups such as the UVF, UDA and dissident republicans.

Israel has chastised Russia and demanded an apology after its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that German dictator Adolf Hitler had Jewish blood in an effort to justify Moscow’s call to “denazify” Ukraine.

For more timely global updates like this, get the Circuit Daily Briefing delivered to your inbox... daily! Get on the list >

From the Pages of the Circuit Magazine

Whether an Executive Protection officer or security advisor for a High Net Worth client and family you should prepare to deal with the early stages of a kidnapping.

It may happen when you are not even responsible for the client and least able to prevent it – when your client is alone and most vulnerable.

This article, by Steve Romano & Frank Figliuzzi is offered to enhance your understanding of the first key stages of a kidnap and ransom negotiation and your role in the event the unthinkable happens.

If you enjoyed this article and want more great content from across the industry then sign up for the Circuit Magazine >

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Geopolitical Analysis by RANE

Chinese citizens have been converting social media content about the Shanghai lockdown into sharable non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that cannot be deleted in order to protect such content from being censored. 

These efforts follow a report that Chinese social media platforms were planning to launch a new campaign against ''historical nihilism'' that encourages users to report other users who insult Marxism or China's current or past leaders, dispute or spread rumors about China's history, criticize China's culture, and/or ''whitewash'' Western history.

Over the past few years, Chinese social media platforms have become increasingly overrun with government-paid trolls, rent-seeking nationalists and CCP sycophants.

If platforms successfully deputize (or worse, monetarily incentivize) nationalists and even ordinary users with a personal grudge to report on their fellow citizens, China could quickly return to Cultural Revolution-era levels of social strife, wherein online communication becomes a constant witch-hunt for views that are pro-Western, anti-Chinese or simply inconvenient truths for the political milieu of the day.

Special Offer for On the Circuit Readers

From the Community

After the recent AOP (Attack on Principal) against comedian Dave Chappelle, the keyboard warriors directed the focus of their criticism on the point of contact (and aftermath). But to what extent did the layout of the venue affect both the attack and response?

With a set-up similar to what you get with the Hollywood Bowl (limited white space, minimal stage to audience pushback, or barricades) it's always going to become a race of who-can-get-to-who first.

So, what else could be done to add extra layers of (discreet or invisible) protection to the artist?

See what touring experts, Elijah Shaw, Mark James and others recommend >

Ask questions, get advice, and find industry resources from an active and thriving community of professional, working operators:

🇺🇸 NABA Protector >

🇬🇧 BBA Connect >

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Kit & Equipment

In this article, Hayley Elvins, who contributed a great article to the current issue of the Circuit Magazine (Pen Testing a CP Team) shares some simple steps to reduce the likelihood of you or your principal becoming a victim of Air tag stalking.

"My team tested one recently during a training exercise in Central London and were able to track our target for over an hour without any of Apple's safety mechanisms activating."

On the Ground

On April 22, 2021 Security officers Leo Prinsloo and Lloyd Mthombeni were escorting goods when they came under attack by a gang of criminals.

This incredible video sequence not only showcases the proficiency of the security driver but also highlights the stages of response during a high-stress incident. In Leo's words, this is his account of the incident.

Leo: "Unfortunately the criminals in our country are well-informed, and both former and current police and military have been arrested in connection with the bad guys. Because of that, the hit can come anytime during your work shift. You have to be at the top of your game the whole bloody day. This time the first shots came just 15 minutes after we started the job, half past 10 in the morning.

The modus operandi for the jackers is to come from behind and open fire on the guards. No warning. They want to obstruct the windows, and if possible take out the crew so that they can get to the vehicle easily. They come ready to kill, and the justice system isn't any kind of deterrent.

From the first shot to the last, 13 rounds struck the vehicle, and more than 30 were fired at us. It was the first time that I had been in a gun exchange since I left the police 17 years ago.

The driver of the car jumped out and ran, which is when I jumped out with my rifle. I made the decision that he wasn't a shootable target in that public place. He ran across the street and got away, to my great frustration."

Final thoughts

Make sure that you walk all sides of the paradigm because it is easy to:

  1. Believe it will be ok because we have the tools. Gear without training is nothing.

  2. Believe it will be ok because it worked in training. Training without experience isn't enough.

  3. Believe it will be ok because "we always did it like that." Experience without recent operational experience is also not so hot!

It is harder than you think, it is time-consuming and frustrating, but it is about the lives of others and your own, so it should not be easy!"

Until next week...

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