By Cecilio Andrade

The most efficient close protection operations need to be planned and revised to the smallest insignificant detail. All of these details will be the product of a well-prepared investigation and unity of hundreds of factors. Amongst several different factors, one of the most determined is the intelligence gathering or advanced work.

The first signal to have in mind is simple; there is no route or place 100% secure. Having this in mind, all preventive measures will be done in advanced, maintaining security at all times.

Creating an alert and professional state of mind will allow us to detect individuals that observe the security team and/or VIP´s. We will avoid becoming complacent, preventing predictable movements and/or activities of our VIP´s.

We will increase our state of alertness and vary the security protection team´s formations maintaining a vigilant attitude and ready to react with all capacities, abilities and knowledge required of an authentic security professional.

All, professional, protection officers know the importance of the use of route maps that highlight the exact location of all chokepoints in the area. These details help in the planning phase of a successful protection operation, when all the alternate, secondary, evacuation, and escape routes are studied. Having this knowledge helps to minimize risks to our VIP´s.

The importance of having a well formed, trained and well-equipped protection team for any security operation can save, not only the VIP´s life, but also the lives of the protection team, and the lives of innocent civilians that are present.

The basis of all of the above is a good protection officer, and this is the personality of the same, personality that differentiates them from the great mass of pseudo-professionals in the image of cinematic “bodyguards.”

It is necessary to develop a personal and professional ethical sense, generate and establish the principles that trace the rules that lead you to it and put them into practice with enthusiasm, perseverance and discipline on a daily basis.

These, apparent, simple steps are the basis of the protection attitude.