Religious extremist whether Al Qaeda or ISIS have long called for the use of Vehicles as Weapons even going back to 2010, when we saw an article in Inspire Magazine titled, “The Ultimate Mowing Machine.”
Vehicle Attacks Against Pedestrians – 12 Ways to Mitigate the Risk
It irks me when I hear security specialists giving overly simplistic advice like ‘be more aware of your surroundings,’ when it comes to guarding against vehicle attacks on pedestrians. In this article, I share 12 practical methods for mitigating this increasing terrorist threat.
The Kidnapping of Pericles Panagopoulos – PART 1
Since I did not open the doors as requested, the sound of the window bursting came crashing into my ear. The kidnappers used a large sledgehammer to smash the driver’s side window. Two blows were all it took!
Anything that Can Happen Will Happen… Even the Inconceivable
It seemed the whole city had turned out to catch a glimpse of Mr. Nixon. The plan was to drive to the ramp of Air Force One, put the president into the car and drive from the airport to the city. The motorcade was all aligned according to standard protocol; police lead motorcycles and escort, a lead car with police and the advance agent, the new presidential limousine, Secret Service follow-up with agents and a doctor; White House staff in appropriate cars, the traveling press, a tail car and tail police car. Everything was in preplanned order, What could go wrong?
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.
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.
Vehicle Security Tips: How to Stay Off the ‘X’
Providing protective services requires a mind set that differs dramatically from the norm. This line of work demands a forward-thinking anticipation of what might occur and developing solutions on how to mitigate those risks. How does this differ from the norm? Half of the people on this planet are categorized into below average intelligence. Humor […]
Vehicle Selection – Getting it Right.
When tasked with Vehicle Selection for a client you immediately imagine ‘kid in a candy store’, right? But get it wrong and there are serious repercussions. This is a list of considerations that I’ve used to ensure I’m recommending the vehicle that the client needs, which might be different to what they think they want!
Vehicle Selection For Security Professionals
Several times I’ve been charged with purchasing vehicles for safely transporting clients, here are my tips for vehicle selection for security professionals.
How Criminals Operate
You need to be aware of how criminals and terrorists operate and what they look for in their victims; if you know this, you can hopefully avoid becoming a victim yourself.
Vehicle Security Tips
When considering the threat to a principal, the most significant are likely to occur while in transit. Additionally, the majority of incidents on protected individuals occur in, or within close proximity to, their vehicle. Therefore, vehicle security is paramount and should be heavily reflected in your training hours, research and protective intelligence.
Driving in Hostile Areas
Over a 24-year career, I have seen little need for evasive driver training, however, I have seen a great need for people to learn how to handle vehicles at high speed and in hazardous weather conditions. The main thing you need to practice is how to drive safely, identify any possible threats and avoid them.