The world of the Close Protection Officer or bodyguard as it is more commonly known is something that most people know only by way of the media. They have seen the role glamorised by way of the movies, or by reading magazine articles or fictional novels.

Although a portion of this imagined information is near the truth, the vast bulk of what is published and viewed is far removed from the genuine reality of the business.

The view many hold is quite extreme when it comes to their concept of what class and type of character they associate with working in Close Protection.

It ranges from one end of the scale where they believe that all bodyguards or close protection officers as they shall be referred to from now on are large violent people with very little in the way of intelligence, this then jumps to the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

Where we find our super skilled super intelligent agent, who is capable of taking on and defeating single handily, any major criminal or terrorist organisation. Both these perceptions are far from the truth.

There may be quite a few individuals who fall into the former classification, but they are not and never will be capable of working at a professional standard within the world of Close Protection.

Also the media view of the work of Close Protection Teams, which shows them defending their client against constant attack, is also pure fiction.

Yes, there are official teams out there who do provide protection for certain clients on whom there is a definite and ongoing threat. But it is intelligence and avoidance however, that are the defences used with these teams not mass shootouts.

So what precisely do we mean by the designation close protection and what is the job of the close protection operative?

The term close protection has many definitions; one that describes the role in simple and accurate terms is the following:

It is to reduce the risk of kidnap, assassination or criminal act by the application of certain principles and procedures to normal daily life.

So this then is the basic role of those working in Close Protection. Their duty is to protect their employer, their Principal, by way of applied procedures and security measures. What measures are required and at what level have to be correctly assessed by the team.