Wireless installations are often seen as an easy replacement for cables, particularly in situations where running wires or fiber optics is impractical or too costly. While wireless solutions can be convenient, even the simplest application of a wireless networking standard can come with challenges that need careful planning and troubleshooting. This article provides insight into the planning and deployment of a successful wireless installation.
Operating as a Commercial Sniper The Myths and Facts
To start with, let’s kill a central myth right off the bat. And that myth is that jobs for commercially employed snipers are widely available and accessible. That is not true. You will not do a sniper course and then be hired as a sniper in a war zone. You will not find any companies that are advertising such jobs. If they are, then I’d be dubious.
Having “Opinions” Can Make or Break You
We live in a time where people’s opinions invade, dictate, and in some instances, ruin lives. Businesses opinions sell merchandise. Financial and political people tell you where to invest your money or who you should vote for. Opinions are very personal, varying from person to person, but they all have in common that they are nothing but a singular view of a singular event or action.
Security and Technical Debt Collection
Technical debt is what you are adding to every time you choose an easy or quick solution now, rather than looking at longer-term strategies. It is the technical expression of ‘failing to plan is planning to fail.’ And it has consequences.
Keeping Your Edge: Raising Your Profile
This is not so much by the overt actions we take in close proximity to the Protectee, but by the intentional maneuvering of chess pieces behind the scenes, in the form of risk analysis, advance-work and logistics. With the exception of very high profile, or high threat assignments, our default state could be described in many cases as, invisible. This mindset has successfully shepherded many throughout the profession, being passed on from generation to generation to the benifit of the craft.
The Anatomy of a Bank Robbery
Even as banks deal with the fallout of the pandemic, bank robberies on the whole since Covid-19 are actually down. And while banks have always denied access to people wearing masks, the challenge posed by mask wearing during the pandemic has invited a greater security risk to banks, according to Paul Benda, Senior Vice President for Risk and Cybersecurity Policy at the American Bankers Association.
Conspiracy Theories Can Increase the Risk of Targeted Violence
A social climate of uncertainty provides fertile ground for conspiracy theories. Pandemics, for example, are predictably unpredictable—no one can say with certainty when one might begin, when it would end, or how long it might last. Combined with political and economic instability, a public health crisis like COVID-19 is rocket fuel for conspiracies. Under conditions of uncertainty, any information, even rumors, that helps direct negative emotions toward a specific target is psychologically comforting—it helps people manage their fear and anxiety. What if that target is your principal, a powerful business person, political figure, celebrity or high-wealth individual, who unwittingly becomes a central figure in an elaborate conspiracy theory due to their publically-known views, financial activities or associations?
Executive Protection in the Middle East
Good EP professionals understand the importance of thorough preparation and research before even accepting a task. This is arguably even more relevant when it comes to working in the Middle East where culture is king, and misunderstandings have the potential to ruin operations and future business partnerships. To add a layer of nuance and complexity, each Middle Eastern city – be it Dubai, Cairo, or Riyadh – calls for a slightly different approach, making things that much more interesting.
SHOOTING RANGE CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR NEXT TRAINING COURSE
My conclusion from 30 years in this space is that firearms are safe if handled properly. And gun ranges are safe if managed properly. Whether you’re shooting a .22 air rifle in your back garden or a light anti-armor weapon on a military range, as long as the basic principles of firearms/weapons safety and range management are followed, you shouldn’t have any problems.
In light of that, my aim with this article is to give you some foundational points you need to consider to run a safe shooting range and shooting events. And if you are attending a training course, this will give you the knowledge and key insights into proper course setup.
Longevity in Executive Protection
As a newcomer to the industry, I had huge eyes when it came to EP. Everything was exciting and new. Nothing seemed to matter but trying to get seen by agency owners and progressing along—all in the hopes of one day being among the best in the business.
I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to protect people that had important or extraordinary lives while being recognized as a professional. So off I went like a herd of turtles (things are slow at first). I had no clue what I wanted to obtain but knew that it was going to be what I made of it. All I needed was an opportunity.
Formations, Body Cover, & Professional Distance
The key words to remember when escorting a client on foot are flexibility and adaptability. You must be flexible enough to constantly adapt your formations to the environment you are working in, the threat level, and the manpower available. Whatever formation you are using will only be as good as the people you are using in your team. You must select your team carefully. Vet all potential members of your team before you employ them, even if you have known them for a while. Many people can talk the business, but when they get on operations, they are useless. When time allows, conduct rehearsals of all your team drills so in the event of an emergency, everyone knows what to do and what everyone else is doing.
Why Consider A Career in Executive Protection?
It requires a lot of training and specialized skills. It can be a thankless job when things go well and a firestorm when there is a breach in the protection. And if nothing dangerous is afoot, it can get somewhat boring. It’s physically taxing and mentally grueling. So why do it? Once you get past your misconceptions about the industry and learn what you are really getting into, you’ll find that it is a great career full of incentives.
![That of the person who has a degree in Psychology and has also spent many hours studying behaviours.[Fragment] I would like to combine my two educational backgrounds and discuss how specific behaviours can negatively affect the security industry.](https://circuit-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pexels-andrew-neel-2312369-750x400.jpg)
The Importance of Emotional Control in the Workplace
If you are a service provider, you must always have in mind that people you employ and place with clients are the people who represent your brand. Their mistakes will harm you more than it will harm them. Most companies are losing contracts due to the toxic or unprofessional behaviour of their operatives.
Keeping Your Edge: Listen in Totality
Someone said this quote to me a long time ago and it really resonated. It was one of those things where the more I thought about what it actually meant, the more insight I gained from just those few short words. The quote itself originated from the American poet, Maya Angeolu. And while it’s very unlikely social media was on her mind, or even a thing, when she drafted it, I think it’s very fitting on how it plays into society today.
Does Everyone on Your Team Speak the Same Language?
It’s an anomaly then that so little importance seems to be attached to ‘comms’ both during planning and training. Having a competent ‘signaller’ on the team, who is well-trained and well-versed in multiple forms of communication has to be an advantage, right? Think back to the military example I gave earlier, the signaller clearly forms a vital part in any unit, whether on the frontline or back in the Ops Room. But most security-related courses only pay lip-service to the importance of communications, if it is ever mentioned at all.
Pistol Shooting
It amazes how many people attend supposed tactical firearms training classes and come away having never been shown or understand the importance of shooting one handed.
Yes, shooting a pistol with a two-handed grip is for most people more accurate and is better for competition shooting or passing range qualifications. But, in the real-world when your reactions need to be quick and you need to respond to attacks in all environments you may not have the space or time to get into your range perfect position.
Social Media Engineering
Take just one example the conspiracy theories around 5G were quickly re-tailored to incorporate Bill Gates and George Soros as targets, and were effective enough that there were arson attacks against 5G infrastructure. In other words, a few memes and videos, along with the use of these techniques (whether deliberate, or accidental, but there is strong evidence of deliberate action) were enough to cause homegrown domestic terrorism attacks on UK soil.
Selecting Firearms for Close Protection Details
I recently had some gun store commando in Europe trying to push the benefits of the 12 gauge Saiga shotguns on me over say a regular AK-47… Something to do with the kinetic energy of a 12 gauge slug at 100 meters… Saiga shotguns are very nice guns but I take it they were all this guy had used or could sell due to the restrictions on semi-auto rifles in his country. Some unwitting buyer could easily take this gun shop owner and firearms experts advice and end up buying firearms for use in hostile environments that were not suitable, overpriced and the ability of being able to buy effective ammunition, spare magazines and parts locally would be extremely difficult if not impossible.
Preparedness & Perseverance
. To prepare is to, make (something) ready for use or consideration, to persevere, is to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success. Among the many skill sets we must attain, practice, and master over time, preparedness and perseverance are two less talked about traits of a solid EP practitioner. There are many reasons why the focus on these skills are over shadowed by wrist locks, positioning, being the body man, fancy martial arts, and firearms. What’s a significant reason you ask? Well, in my opinion it’s because there is no immediate gratification, or “look at me” moment(s). There are plenty of instances where all of the before mentioned skills are useful, however, how and when they can be used start with being prepared.
The Great Divide – Keeping Your Edge
In many cases this occurs with such frequency that it not only paints a part of the picture of the individual, it becomes the entire painting. In fairness or not, the act of retransmitting news media can be interpreted as an endorsement of the totality of the views. Adding an additional layer, readers/viewers are allowed to engage and interact with the news in ways that far surpass the past. Gone are the days where you could agree or disagree with a newsperson and have to mail a letter into the editor in the hopes that it would be read, and in extremely small cases, reprinted.
