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As a protector, we’re charged with the safety of our principal. And in order to keep our clients safe, we must be aware of a multitude of situations that are happening in the background all at once. For example when protecting our principal in a large gathering, like a football game, we have to be aware of the larger crowd sentiment, the people in close vicinity of our principal, the presence of media and journalists, all available exits -- all while keeping an eye on the principal to ensure he or she isn't doing something to draw unwanted attention towards themselves.
In these kinds of situations, we are called on to test and sharpen our skills of situational awareness. One misstep and it could spell major trouble! In this week’s edition of On the Circuit, we bring you insightful contributions from leading figures in the industry on how we can harness and enhance our protector skills in situational awareness using our human instincts.
So, let’s get into it!
The Circuit Magazine Podcast
Guarding whether manned or mobile is the starting pathway many pursue in the security sector, so is it time to shine a positive light on skillsets developed that might be transferable to other sectors like EP?
This week we are very pleased to welcome Tim Keller, recently departed SVP for North America at Securitas to ask:
Is it possible to progress through the corporate ranks of a larger manned guarding provider when compared to a boutique firm?
What skillset are larger manned guarding companies looking for from entry-level candidates?
Is there a 'revolving door' between executive protection and manned guarding depending on the economic climate?
Will we ever see robot guards augmenting the service? What are the greatest challenges ahead for manned and mobile guarding?
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
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi convened a secret meeting with a weapons expert whose unusual skills the terrorist chief was anxious to acquire. Alarmed by the threat, U.S. officials launched an operation to kill the key weapons expert.
Government criticises broadcaster for documentary alleging Afghan civilians were shot in cold blood. The BBC claim there was a pattern of “kill/capture missions", in which an Afghan man or men were shot dead by the elite soldiers on night raids.
The U.S. government has warned Iran may try to assassinate current or former senior American officials to avenge the death more than two years ago of its top military and intelligence commander.
“This situation is untenable,” a committee concluded. “MI5 must be given additional funding to enable it to conduct these cases without other areas of work suffering as a consequence.”
Crime has risen during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of increased homelessness and a lack of treatment for mental illness.
The conundrum of overcoming enemy air defenses is currently on display in Ukraine, where Ukrainian and Russian air-defense capabilities are effectively canceling out the other side's air power arsenal.
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
Regardless of your profession, it is vital to consider situational awareness as your most valuable instinct. It is an instinct because you are born with it.
When the hair on the back of your neck stands up when you hear a dog growling behind you, or you suddenly find yourself surrounded by rain clouds… Instinct.
When you turn and throw a stone at the dog to avoid being bitten or run inside the house to keep from getting wet…Skill.
How effectively you use your instinct to protect yourself is a skill you must develop to survive in any environment.
In this article, Denida Grow explains why knowing the theory of Situational Awareness is not enough, on its own. The protector needs to learn how to combine and apply what's been learned and overlay it on top of your own natural instinct?
If you enjoyed this article and want more great content from across the industry then sign up for the Circuit Magazine >
Latest Issue of the Circuit Magazine
Issue 62 - Intelligence Gathering
"The Circuit magazine is an informative and interesting magazine which is well written and includes articles collected from CPO's and specialists around the world. Offering advice, experiences and work opportunities the magazine is a must for people in the security industry."
- Rob McGill
Geopolitical Analysis by RANE
For Europe, Nord Stream 1’s Shutdown Reveals the Risks of Supporting Ukraine — worldview.stratfor.com
Now, concerns are growing in Europe that Moscow is preparing to blackmail or retaliate against the continent by preventing European states from sufficiently refilling their storage before the winter heating season.
Moscow is likely to calculate that continuing to limit gas exports to Europe as a political and economic destabilization tool is of much greater value than the economic benefit of easing Europe’s energy crisis, as Russia does not need the extra gas export revenue because of high oil and natural gas prices.
Russia believes that a sustained threat of cutting off natural gas supplies, which in turn keeps European natural gas prices high, will drive a wedge between different EU member states over the sanctions policy — leading the bloc, on the whole, to moderate its support for Ukraine and appetite for more sanctions, thereby pressuring Kyiv to accept a cease-fire favorable to Moscow.
The European Union’s push to reduce its reliance on Russian natural gas and its embargo on Russian oil means that Moscow’s window to use natural gas exports to pressure European states is closing fast, which increases the probability of Russia taking more drastic actions.
Special Offer for On the Circuit Readers
From the Community
A very important lesson that history has taught professionally trained protectors, protecting public figures in very open public spaces, is that even with enough budget, manpower and technology at your disposal; this type of protection isn’t as easy in practice as it’s theorised in textbooks.
Long-term NABA member, Ben Alozie shares what he believes are the three key reasons why protecting public figures in public spaces is so challenging stems from the following:
- [1] The needs of these public figures to be close to the public that they see as constituents or fan base
- [2] The unlimited number of unknown characters, possibilities and opportunities that very skilled to unskilled adversaries can take advantage of.
- [3] Crowd dynamics which could be a blend of a crowd that’s a mix of hard-core political supporters and fans of celebrities.
Do you agree? Is there anything you'd add to that list? What challenges have you personally experienced in protecting high-profile figures in public spaces?
Ask questions, get advice, and find industry resources from an active and thriving community of professional, working operators:
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Upcoming Events
Key Concepts in Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management (BTAM) - August 10 2022 — checkout.square.site
Learn the core components of threat assessment, what constitutes a threat, warning signs of violence, situational risk factors, risk factors for the mentally ill, protective factors, and principles of risk assessment and threat management to help your organization develop an effective threat assessment process and/or team.
Meanwhile...
A crook convinced bank staff to willingly hand over more than £150,000 without realising they were being robbed. Posing as a G4S security guard, the criminal approached a Santander bank in south London and told them he had come to pick up some money. The staff handed over the cash without question or hesitation.
A review of the CCTV footage highlighted many discrepancies between the usual collection procedure and the one conducted by the criminal, including not even wearing the regulation G4S uniform. So, it's probably safe to assume that, instinctively, some staff members picked up on these discrepancies, but because their level of situational awareness was low, no one stopped to question anything.
Elsewhere on the Circuit
Do you drive your principal in an SUV?
If so, you might become a target for a certain environmental activist’s group - The “Tire Extinguishers."
The International Security Driver Association warn that if you drive an SUV, you may become the target of the activists 'deflate one tire' campaign. Late last month (June), they deflated the tires on 40 SUVs on the Upper East Side of NYC. Their website claims they have done the same in Chicago and the Bay area.”
Final thoughts with Paul Moxness
During my university days, I once scraped enough money together to take a week’s holiday in London.
The best part of the hotel [I stayed at] was its bar. I dropped in nightly for a drink after a day of walking the streets of London.
On the third or fourth evening of my stay, the bartender said to me: “You’re not Norwegian, are you?”
When I confirmed, he said, “Hundreds of Norwegians stay here every month. I’ve never seen one of them with polished shoes.” I’d polished my shoes before I left on the trip.
“I always look at the shoes”, the bartender said. “They tell stories.”
Years later, when I was working as a security guard in a hotel experiencing a rash of thefts from the lobby and public areas, I remembered the bartender.
Video tapes of the thefts showed us that the professional thieves were always well-dressed and blended in with the guests. When on lobby duty, we stopped looking for “bad guys” and started looking at shoes. When we saw someone with well-worn soles, we had a closer look. Often, they didn’t blend in quite as well as at first glance. We’d approach them and offer help. They would quickly leave.
For a professional thief, it was always a better option to find a new mark than risk conflict or getting caught.
Situational awareness and observation are key for any good security officer. That includes looking at shoes and listening to bartenders.
Until next week...
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