Close Protection in the UK

Over the last few years close protection in the UK has grown drastically, this is due to a number of reasons, the bombings in London, the Olympics in 2012, the media and the increase in Knife-crime.

Most celebrities hire close protection officers to act as personal bodyguards and the role of the close protection officer would involve residential security, acting as an executive chauffeur and keeping the media at a distance so their client can have peace of mind.

Many sportsmen and celebrities use close protection agents for book signings and events where they know that the fans will be all over them. Many of the top sportsmen who are away from home for long periods of time are hiring personal bodyguards for their families.

The bodyguard would live in the clients home and form a residential security team. The main reason for this is because criminals know when the celebrity will be at home and they use this knowledge to their advantage and execute the crime when it suits them most.

In the Lonon region many celebrities hire close protection officers as they don’t need to worry about the paparazzi and fans all the time. These bodyguards would drive their clients around like an executive chauffeur and ensure the clients safety at all times.

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SIA Close Protection

In many countries all over the world you do not need to be licenced to be a Close Protection Officer but in the UK one has to be licenced through the SIA which is the Security Industry Authority. In order to gain a licence one has to provide personal details and a background check is done in order to see that you have no serious convictions.

This is the main reason why the SIA came about as before this anyone could have worked in the security industry and the stereotypical “Tough-Guys” who had previous convictions often ruined the reputation of the security industry. The SIA has made the security industry professional and it is really important that the standards are maintained.

You can visit the SIA website here

www.the-sia.org.uk/You

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