rticle close protection CP top 5 tips for bodyguard training was written to assist all aspiring bodyguard trainees and fully qualified CP officers the opportunity to delve deep into security issues not generally covered in any close protection or bodyguard training programmes.

Furthermore, CP top 5 tips for bodyguard training highlights an executive protection perspective for a CP bodyguard seeking close bodyguard jobs with executive protection agencies. The security industry is booming and the executive protection bodyguard sector is leading this boom particularly the sector of providing executive protection for corporate clients and VIP’s. These CP top 5 tips will help bodyguard students understand the security industry.

Close Protection Top 5 Tips For Bodyguard Training #1

Know The Limitations of CP Agencies

After nearly 20 years of active involvement in all aspects of extremely high risk executive protection security as a bodyguard and instructor of CP courses for hundreds of CP agencies in 42 different countries. One of the best kept executive protection security tips is to know the limitations of CP related executive protection agencies.

I cannot stress how important this is. I have frequently listened in to fellow CP trainers working full time direct for various CP agencies informing trainee executive protection students about how their CP course is the best in the world and how their protection bodyguard are the elite forces of the CP security sector.

In many of these executive protection agencies the poor level of the CP courses delivered for every aspiring protection bodyguard was sadly insufficient to prepare them for anything above basic CP jobs within the domestic executive protection security industry.

Close Protection Top 5 Tips For Bodyguard Training #2

Know Your CP Enemies Before You Consider A CP Bodyguard Profession

From the great many CP agencies delivering close protection courses globally, I have only come across two within the CP security industry who teach every protection bodyguard to know your CP enemies before you consider a CP bodyguard career. The significance of this issue cannot be played down as I have witnessed executive protection agencies pumping out production lines of CP trained protection bodyguard whose only focus is on the most evident enemy.

In the real world of executive protection security every CP bodyguard knows that the greatest confrontation faced by every individual protection bodyguard comes from one of the other four enemies, i.e.

The first enemy of every CP bodyguard is him/her self.

The second enemy is the spouse, girl/boy friend and family members of the executive protection security team members.

Third is the local system of government of the country in which you are running your executive protection security contract.

Fourth is your CP client, VIP or Principal.

The fifth enemy of every CP bodyguard is what every security consultant deems the obvious enemy in the executive protection security threat assessment, typically a terrorist, organised crime organisation or the obvious perpetrator.

Close Protection Top 5 Tips For Bodyguard Training #3

Know The Level Of Your CP Security Team Members Executive Protection Courses

During my CP security occupation I have survived several terrorist and organised crime gang attacks as well as many spontaneous attacks against the principal or VIP clients under my direct protection. The closest I ever came to losing my life was in a dark alley shared by Russian soldiers and Russian and Latvian Mafia villains in Riga, Latvia.

At the time I was working for several CP agencies as a freelance CP security unit commander. Most of the CP individual protection bodyguard I led had graduated as an executive protection bodyguard from some of the world’s most reputable CP courses run by some of the world’s finest executive protection agencies.

However I was frequently tasked with leading teams of protection bodyguard who were hired in on a temporary ad hoc employment basis. Their close CP agencies were supposed to have checked their qualifications and as a given, should have ascertained they were highly skilled alumni of specialist CP courses.

In the pursuit of short term revenue many of these CP agencies failed in their attentiveness prior to hiring every protection bodyguard. Consequently these badly trained protection bodyguard caused many serious problems some of which compromised the safekeeping of the more professional executive protection security unit members.

The closest I ever came to losing my life during a CP security contract, was because I didn’t know the level of the executive protection courses taken by one of my CP team members. I vowed never to compromise my personal protection ever again by making that mistake.

If you learn one thing from this article let it be that you need to know the level of your CP security team members executive protection courses.

In my experience there are more than enough professional CP trained protection bodyguard working the six continent circuit to ensure you don’t have to work with a less than competent CP bodyguard.

Close Protection Top 5 Tips For Bodyguard Training #4

Know Your Close Protection Security Client/s

One of the most difficult aspects of being a CP bodyguard is getting to know your close protection security Principal/s. After conducting hundreds of CP jobs for VIP principals in four continents, I still sometimes struggle with occasional new business clients.

Even though I carry out robust profile assessments and threat assessments for every individual close protection security Principal and close protection contract, it is never easy to really dig below the surface to get to know your close protection security client/s.

When I deliver close protection courses for global close protection agencies I always counsel every close protection bodyguard in the programme, that most close protection security client/s will only tell you half the story.

It’s no great secret that when a client hires the close protection services of a protection bodyguard team, there has been either an actual or perceived threat against that client or a member of his/her family or business associate.

Hiring a protection bodyguard from any of the recognised close protection agencies is an expensive undertaking and it is often this reason why a close protection security client/s fail to provide all the pertinent facts.

These close protection clients, many of who are from a corporate owner background have been taught at business college how to save money. If they downplay the threat against them they know the close protection agencies will allocate less close protection bodyguards or a lesser paid protection bodyguard to protect them.

Although it is obviously false economy and it’s pre-programmed for failure I have personally experienced this with several close protection Principals.

Never scrimp when you have to produce a well researched profile and threat assessment prior to close protection contract engagement for any of the close protection jobs you undertake.

It is during the profile and threat assessment stage that you have the best chance to get know your close protection security client/s.

Close Protection Top 5 Tips For Bodyguard Training #5

Know When To Say No To Close Protection Security Close Protection Jobs

When a would be protection bodyguard first contacts one of the close protection agencies to sign up for their close protection courses programmes with a view to gaining close protection jobs, it is very appealing to say yes to every close protection security contract that lands on your desk.

The chance to recover their close protection courses tuition costs and all-consuming longing to get their first close protection security contracts under their belt are the main two reasons why they say yes to every contract.

In reality, although it’s a bitter pill to swallow, it is precisely at this early stage of your close protection career when you have to know when to say no to close protection security close protection jobs.

I am the first to admit in the early stages of my executive protection career my wish to prove myself as a professional bodyguard forced me to say yes to many executive protection services contracts when I should have said no.

It’s one of those lessons that most executive protection training programmes fail to teach you. In reality if you don’t learn to know when to say no to CP security close protection jobs your career can be over before it’s really got off the ground.

I have myself experienced many a protection bodyguard who has cut corners to save money when conducting their own CP courses foolishly accept close protection security contracts which sadly delivered fatal consequences on various close protection jobs.

Dr. Mark D. Yates is globally acknowledged as The British American Security Expert. He has 20 years experience in high risk close protection operations, counter terrorism & SWAT training in 42 countries. A recognised close protection specialist & security company business growth expert hired by government & corporate clients. To claim his FREE 52 security tips visit him at => http://www.closeprotectiongz.com or e-mail him at drmarkdyates@aol.com