Generally speaking, all professional close protection teams have an in-house training program which outlines minimum requirements for team members as well as providing for on going training and professional development. Like all professions, the necessity for professional development and maintenance of skills is paramount to maintaining the edge. Good Close Protection operatives (bodyguards) are made, not born. While a certain amount of on-the-job training will take place, classroom and simulation training are preferable. Just as we would not want our doctors learning on the job, we do not our protection personnel learning at our expense.
Threat/Risk/Vulnerability Assessment
Identification of Adversaries and Threat Assessment are possibly the most important and underestimated skills that a close protection operative (bodyguard) requires. The student must be taught the value of a proper threat assessment and how it is conducted. The importance of this subject matter can not be overemphasized and the skills necessary to perform proper and complete threat assessments can not be learned simply by sitting a static classroom environment. The student should be thoroughly briefed on any known, probable, and possible threats, with profiles on their numbers, past activity, methodology, known capabilities, and specific techniques utilized. Field exercises in intelligence gathering and threat assessment must be conducted, evaluated and errors discussed and corrected.
Surveillance & Counter Surveillance Skills
Security guards for hire should be by and large familiar with physical surveillance, audio surveillance and counter surveillance techniques. Training should prepare the operative in how to recognize surveillance on their principal as this is the first step in organizing of a professional attack. The close protection operative must develop counter surveillance skills or they will never be able to spot a surveillance team gathering intelligence and preparing an attack. The operatives must learn how to secure facilities so as to decrease the chances of electronic surveillance being utilized against the principal /or protective detail.
Organizational Skills
The ability to organize and prioritize are once again crucial elements of a close protection operative (bodyguard). The task of close protection is filled with a multitude of organizational nightmares to say the least. The skills required to perform these tasks are not inbred in us and must be ingrained into our psyche. Without this ability, the close protection operative (bodyguard) will not be capable of functioning in the organized and fast paced world of their principal.
Legal Aspects
Every operative should become familiar with, and understand, the civil and criminal laws that relate to his profession. They must know the extent of their authority, and the liability they and their employer could incur if they act negligently. Weapons laws must be taken into consideration and adhered to strictly.
