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Church Security the New Frontier Part 5

I want to start this article by saying that it is sad to have to write an article about the many concerns about the use of guns in church.

Whether it is from the standpoint of someone coming to cause a problem with a gun in a church or those called to protect the church from these types of situations, we are clearly talking about something new in the area of everyday church life. As I do church protection seminars in different parts of the country we cover a vast number of subjects dealing with church safety. Everything from aggressive friendliness to zero tolerance. There is always, however, one subject that people want to talk about to which I cautiously comply and that is this subject of guns and churches.

SYRIA… OH, THE IRONY

US foreign policy has been a dismal failure in the Region of today’s Greater Middle East. It has really had no end game at all, when we look at Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and now Syria.

Keeping Your Edge – I Finished Training, Now What?

It’s the final wrap up of the last day of your Close Protection training course. It’s been a long, and at times grueling, process but ultimately rewarding on multiple levels.

Along the way you’ve met some people you have really gelled with (and a couple that you have no plans on staying in contact with once class ends.) Overall, you enjoyed the experience, feel like you have gotten your moneys worth, and can say that you have some new, “tools for the toolbox.”

How To Stay Present On Task

To be present means to be pre-sent, to already be there when it happens. Since the nature of the mind is to wander, it must somehow be coaxed into the current moment, tamed specifically for protective work.

The Science Behind Protection On The Move

Any delay in the decision-making process increases the difficulty needed to survive an AOP (Attack On the Principal). In a vehicle, delays are measured in tenths of seconds. When you are driving 60 mph, literally in a blink of an eye, you are 17.6 feet closer to the problem and in a second 88 feet closer to the problem. Tony Scotti delivers the science behind protection on the move and how we can dramatically increase the chances of surviving the emergency.

The Conscientious Bodyguard

Given the nature of close protection and the conditions under which operators are expected to perform, it is imperative for those providing protective services to be highly developed, multi-disciplined individuals. However, beyond the obvious technical skills reqauired to execute well-drilled procedures, modern operators are expected to display more nuanced skills such as emotional intelligence, candour, judgement and resourcefulness to list but a few. So, how can understanding our personality type help us become better in our roles as close protection operatives? To answer this, we need to have a basic understanding of the factors influencing the various personality traits.

Stress and Self Care

Research by the American Psychological Association indicates that as many as 75-80 percent of Americans self-report their stress to be at moderate to high levels. Stress can come in many forms, and sometimes we may not even notice or seem bothered by it. So what constitutes stress? The normal daily routine of work or home responsibilities can cause stress, as can experiencing a sudden major life-altering event, such as losing a job, dealing with sudden loss, or a prolonged illness.

Church Security the New Frontier Part 3

I have many happy memories as a child going to church regularly being with my friends and family. One day however sticks out in my mind above all others. On this day, a man keeled over in the pew in front of me and the havoc that ensued is still clear in my memory… Emergency.

Since there are no guarantees that you will never be involved in an emergency, this article will help you to understand some of the things necessary to properly handle, or ideally help prevent, a crisis situation in a house of worship.

Anti-Surveillance Measures When Mobile

Anti-surveillance is defined as the actions that a person would take or do, in order to detect if surveillance is present. The person is aiming to draw the surveillance in by generating two things; multiple sightings and unnatural behaviour. As with our foot anti-surveillance drills, when mobile in a vehicle, these drills can also be covert and subtle or overt where it obvious to the followers what you are doing.

Countering Snipers Part 2

The first step in countering snipers is for everyone to be aware of the threat. This is where a threat assessment needs to be compiled and the realist threats need to be identified, if potential snipers are a threat then procedures need to be put in place.

In general, operational planning for a sniper threat should always be considered to some extent. Not only should counter sniper procedures be planned for but they need to be practiced, your people need to be trained at least in the basic reactions to fire and the use of cover, preferably before they are exposed to the sniper threat.

Insider Threat

The insider threat of crime to organisations is always present and can manifest itself in many ways. This has become more apparent because of the recent social-economic climate change within the UK.

Keeping Your Edge – Don’t Get Comfortable

That is the brass ring in our business, AKA the sacred cow, however, on the road to eating Filet Mignon, there are bound to be several Big Mac’s along the route.

So, as we proceed on this journey to success, we have to make sure we navigate the potholes, namely, doing the job as required without becoming too comfortable in our role, leading to potentially disastrous results.

I am a late developer

I left school at the age of sixteen with just three, very poor, O levels. Following that I floundered around doing various blue collar jobs: I’ve been a postman, a railway guard and a warehouseman, just to name three of the 20-odd occupations I have had.

I went to college and became a qualified secretary at the age of 30(ish) and after a prosperous career as a sports journalist, I went to University to get a degree in psychology at the ripe old age of 50.

VEHICLE-BORNE IED

The real subject matter experts in this field come from the military. Soldiers deployed to war & conflict zones are dealing with this threat on a daily basis. However, for the purpose of this article, let’s view the subject from the point view of an executive protection team. The knowledge gained through the examination of this threat will be particularly useful to RST teams (Residential Security Team), those charged with the guarding of critical infrastructure, and event security personnel.

Protecting Politicians

As recently as January of this year a man was jailed for a string of threating abuses against Mark Prisk, the MP for Hertford and Stortford. Perhaps the most worrying aspect of the story around this attack is that Prisk was so fearful that he failed to attending a hustings. He is not the only MP who has had to change his course of action due to threats. In February last year Diane Abbott, who was suffering cyber-attacks claimed she was fearful of walking the streets of her own constituency.

Preparing for the General Data Protection

When the Data Protection Act 1998 was implemented nearly two decades ago, fewer than 10% of UK households had internet access. The technological world has moved on at an exponential pace since then, and a new law was required to reflect and address the current and foreseeable trends in technology and the use and misuse of personal data by organisations. Massive data breaches seem to be in the news every day now – and it was clear that the security of personal data was not being given a high enough priority.

Global Risk Roundup – August 2019

Our Global Risk partners, Drum Cussac, provide in-depth analysis of global risks, here is your summary of the last 30 days. Including: Protestors in Hong Kong, Mosque attack in Iraq, IS abductions in Syria, shooting in Michigan.

ALWAYS HAVE IT TOGETHER

My job is to look after my media team first and foremost. With the right mindset and approach, most of the time, this can be communicated to the military in a way that not only will they understand but also gets them onside.

Intelligence 2.0

Although the underlying principle of understanding ‘capability and intention’ and the objective of ‘forewarned is forearmed’ have not dramatically altered overtime, the sheer scale of intelligence available in the Open Source environment means that the greatest risk today is information overload rather than information scarcity.

It is in this context that in order to acquire and analyse asymmetric and potentially outcome-defining intelligence, analysts are required to think more laterally than ever and be able to draw both strategic and tactical conclusions from intelligence which may be independent and accurate as much as it may be deliberately misleading or presented through an emotional prism. SOCial Media INTelligence (SOCMINT) is one such instance of lateral thinking. FINancial INTelligence is another.

Security in New Zealand

Your high profile principle has decided to come to NZ. The first thing that will hit the close protection officer is the Maori culture. A member of the local Iwi (tribe) will be responsible for explaining to your client the local customs, but the close protection officer will still see threats.