Anastasia Spiridonova, 23, who speaks six languages and is described by several colleagues as ‘exceptionally charming’, is connected to the Putin regime through members of her family. Her grandfather was an MP in Putin’s United Russia party, while her mother Marina worked at the Kremlin in a department running resort hotels and presidential retreats around Russia.
EP Agent for Atlanta mayor indicted in deadly 2019 carjacking shooting
An Atlanta police officer who was assigned to former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’s Executive Protection Unit has been indicted and suspended without pay for shooting an alleged carjacking suspect at a gas station in January 2019.
US Supreme Court rejects appeal in case against Turkish president’s bodyguards
The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal to dismiss lawsuits against two of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s security staff who allegedly assaulted protesters outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington DC in 2017.
Haitian politician & Bodyguard killed in apparent gang attack
Haitian politician & Bodyguard killed in apparent gang attack Eric Jean Baptiste, lottery business magnate, and a bodyguard were killed in Laboule 12, a leafy hillside area in Port-au-Prince, after attackers opened fire on their vehicle, officials said. Jean Baptiste, 52, headed the center-left Assembly of Progressive National Democrats Party and once sought Haiti’s presidency. […]
Trump Settles With Protesters Who Said His Bodyguards Attacked Them
Trump Settles With Protesters Who Said His Bodyguards Attacked Them
Donald J. Trump on Wednesday reached a settlement in a civil case brought by protesters who said they were attacked by his bodyguards in 2015
So, you want to be a Hostile Environment Security Adviser?
“War correspondents” I mistakenly thought, were hand-picked for their skills set, fitness, mental toughness, awareness, and clean living. But no, what I found instead were individuals with many issues ranging from drug and alcohol problems to PTSD episodes to fundamental fitness concerns… the list goes on.
Training for When Time is Life
The 21-foot rule has long been an established firearm training standard. Simply put, it means an average man can close 21feet in 1.5 seconds, as we look at the below data of attacks on law enforcement officers the previous standard far from reflects the reality of the dynamic encounters in both distance and timing in enhancing your ability to prevail in a violent close quarter firearm encounter.
Keeping Your Edge: The Right Tool For the Job
Spend any length of time conducing protection work in the entertainment industry, and you’ll find that things work in cycles.
There are recording cycles, tour cycles, award show cycles and even sporting event cycles. A big portion of these trend annually, and are grouped with similar events, creating momentum, but being careful to avoid overshadowing or encroaching on another event’s moment.
Safety at Work and Its Meaning to Employees
It’s impossible to ever completely eliminate the presence of workplace accidents but in areas and industries where they are less frequent, entrepreneurs might get overconfident. In this state, they start looking at minimum requirements instead of going above and beyond to make their office as safe as possible.
The Dangerous Reality of Unmanned Drones
Governments have already developed the lethal capabilities of unmanned drones on the battlefield. And until greater regulations and countermeasures are introduced, protectors need to remain mindful and watchful of the threat this technology poses to ourselves and our clients.
Protecting Journalists
Personal safety and security is something many take for granted especially in Europe and the US, but these days there are extremists on all political sides, from all religious backgrounds. So, if you or your client are voicing your opinions on any form of media, especially if you know your views may upset or offend others, then you need to think about your security as well as that of your family’s and colleagues.
Dangers of being a Journalist
Politics and motives aside, I think everyone can conclude these are very dangerous days for journalists, advocates of free speech or anyone else for that matter that voices an opinion. For the security consultant who is providing services to journalists, activists or opposition politicians these clients can give you some unique challenges as the threats can include harassment and arrest by local or state police, as well as threats from opposing parties etc…
Close Protection Rip Off
The price of Close Protection is going down, and it is not helped by unqualified individuals who are prepared to do the job at a reduced rate. If you get yourself involved with a company that cuts corners and has a blatant disregard for the regulations governing this industry, you will end up being tarred with the same brush resulting in reputational damage.
The Changing Face of Surveillance Training Qualifications?
Things are things afoot in the surveillance sector in respect of qualifications, and I am hoping that the ‘powers that be’ do not let things slide down a slippery slope as they did with the Close Protection qualification when it was introduced in the UK, by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).
The eX-military Factor
I am the son of a soldier, I have a very high regard for the British Army, which in my opinion has been the best in the world since the days of Oliver Cromwell, who created the first People’s Army. Even in the days of conscription, the British Army and its personnel acquitted themselves with distinction in Malaya and Korea. In very difficult circumstances (isn’t all conflict difficult?) they continue to do the bidding of this nation’s rulers across the world in a way that is reflective of the society from which they have come.
Staffing an International Team
When it comes to staffing an international team, I have five major considerations I look for in the team’s composition: Operational Capability, Operational Chemistry, Operational Relevance, Operational Flexibility and Operational Capacity.
Residential Security
Just because someone has a security or private investigators license it does not mean they are competent or not working with the criminals. What a lot of people forget when hiring security personnel is that you get what you pay for.
Cutting Out the Middle Man
Tight defence budgets keep slashing headcounts for active duty personnel, leaving the military no alternative other than to outsource tasks when troops are stretched.
McDonaldization of Close Personal Protection
The process of McDonaldization takes a task and breaks it down into smaller tasks. This is repeated until all tasks have been broken down to the smallest possible level. The resulting tasks are then rationalized to find the single most efficient method for completing each task. All other methods are then deemed inefficient and discarded.
Why You Aren’t Working
Staffing a team is often as much about fit as it is function. It may not be a function of, does an agent have the skills to do a particular assignment, but can their ego stand down as they fill another role on the team, which may not be detail or shift leader?
