HOW TO BECOME A BODYGUARD

In the European private market

by
Henrik Bramsborg

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 Table of Contents

1INTRODUCTION.........................................................................3
A BIT OF HISTORY.........................................................................5
My first big mistake!.......................................................................12
NECESSARY (AND UNNECESSARY) GEAR............................27
THE SOCIAL ASPECT..................................................................29
REGULAR EVILS/OPPOSITION..................................................32
JOB SEARCHING.....................................................................37
EXAMPLE OF A RESUME:..........................................................39
GETTING HIRED...........................................................................42
RESUME EXAMPLE.......................................................................46
THREAT LEVELS..........................................................................53
MISCELLANEOUS TIPS...............................................................58
SUMMARY:....................................................................................78
The most important doctrines of the business:................................78
THANK YOU!................................................................................79

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 INTRODUCTION

Its been about 12 years since the first edition of this booklet was published, and
much water has run under the bridge since then, both for the world in general and
for this writer. The western world has been through an economic downturn that has
broken many companies (otherwise known as bodyguard clientele), stacking the
odds against the industry. On the other hand, this has created new growth markets in
Asia. Furthermore, many of those who used to make a living as private soldiers
have had to find their way into private bodyguarding, as the American Department
of Defense cut down on aid to the restoration of Iraq. The same is true for many
European government employees. Several new companies have popped up with
former intelligence people or elite soldiers. Common to them all is the fact that they
have had to realize how difficult it is to survive in a field where only the best make
it in the long term. All in all, it has meant quite a few more applicants for the
individual jobs.

THAT being said, there are not many fields that can give you what bodyguarding
can. I was born into a poor family. Even so, I have flown in private jets, sailed in
luxury yachts, and driven the most mind-blowing cars. Its all part of the job. In the
past, Ive had clients that gave me swanky watches and pieces of art for my
birthday. BUT, even if Ive occasionally clubbed with Rihanna, had breakfast with
Liam Gallagher, and dined with Britney Spears as part of my job, the other side of
the story is that Ive spent much more time sitting in a car freezing my ass off or
having to leave my family behind on cold winters nights to go take of some
strangers family instead.

The costs have been considerable and have led to an extended break from the
industry, since I ended up as chief of security for one of Europes most notorious
female swindlers, Amanda Jacobsen, subsequently being sued by her after writing a
few truths in the book Fraud in 1. Class. Today, Im back in the swing of it, both
protecting people and writing.

This book will provide you with an easy overview over the industry, what you need
to know, and where you can find more information.

Happy reading,

Henrik Bramsborg

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 A BIT OF HISTORY

Historically, a bodyguard is merely a soldier trained to guard his emperor, king, or

other leader.

Merchants in ancient Arabia hired armed men to guard themselves and their
caravans through the desert. Later in history, merchants in England did the same to
defend against highwaymen.
In both ancient Greece and the Roman empire, they had royal guards to protect
regents, kings, and emperors. In Japan, the Samurais functioned as bodyguards for
their shoguns.

Today, modern bodyguards must be able to adapt to any conceivable environment,

therefore making them more specialized than their historical predecessors, but the
job is always the same protecting the boss against threats that are more or less
real.

Here, I have to mention the International Bodyguard Association as being a leading

reformer in personal protection, both in the private and public sectors. I 1957(?),
Major Lucienne Victor Ott ostensibly founded the IBA for the purposes of bringing
together and training bodyguards from all over the world (a good idea, which
unfortunately has been diluted over time and misused by any number of people.)

Ott was very much a military man (foreign legion), but he was ostensibly also a
stuntman and writer who had the rank of 7th dan in karate, 7th dan in Ju-Jitsu, and 1st
dan in judo. Furthermore, he collaborated with sensei Murakami to develop the
martial art Kun-Tai-Ka (KTK), and he had his own dojo in Brussels. In Brussels, he
may also have held the post as Chief of Education for the Belgian police academy
and a post as vice-president for the World Ju-Jitsu Federation.

He is said to have been the chief of French president Charles de Gaulles

bodyguard, men this has since been disproven. The fact is that most of IBAs history
has been revealed to be pure fraud, but whatever the case may be, they have
delivered bodyguards to several world governments, so they havent been
completely without merit.

Their business model has made IBA the greatest of any organization of its kind
worldwide via a superb marketing strategy based partially on franchising their
training and partially on exaggerations or unsubstantiated claims.

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Thus, today the IBA has taught more students than any other bodyguard
organization in a series of techniques, for which there to date is no uniform or
complete instruction book.

On the other hand, you might say that there are so many great manuals for sale now,
that all you need to do is buy between one and three of them to thoroughly cover the
theoretical aspect. There's a list later in this booklet.

Over the past years, there have been immense technological advances, and as a
bodyguard you need to keep up. Therefore, it is important that you have a good
head on your shoulders in addition to being physically strong. Whereas before we
had to handle security issues with inadequate equipment and therefore with
similarly inadequate preventive options, today we have a technological jungle with
exotic constellations of technology and mechanisms to help us.

Since the heyday of terrorism in the 1970's and 1980's, the bodyguard industry
has grown explosively. The growth has continued in spite of the more rabid terror
organizations from the 1970s having been stopped, dissolved, or otherwise
eliminated in the 1980s. Here, in the new millennium, terrorism has new faces and
new names, but the primary methods remain the same with few exceptions. The
growth of the bodyguard business has taken place primarily in the United States and
in South and Central America, and after 1989 also in the former Soviet states. In
Europe, the growth has taken place inorganically by new bodyguard schools
finding a market and cultivating it by telling potential students that there is a need
for this or that number of bodyguards in the world. The increase in the number of
instructors may be due to personnel being cut throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and
2000s in the special forces of both military and police in many countries (my own
assumption), and these people appear to have had difficulty finding work in the
private sector. And if thats not it, then there is too much money in training!

The growth of the industry has not slowed after 9/11/2001. When the Twin Towers
fell, the industry was almost dormant compared to the development it had
undergone within the prior 10 years. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq resulted in a
never before seen demand for bodyguards.

Unfortunately, there are not enough professionals with an interest in working in

war zones, so the companies hire regular soldiers and other volunteers for protection
assignments, the so-called PMCs (private military contractors). After Iraq and
Afghanistan, the turn has now come to Kurdistan and Syria. When there are no
more war zones, many of these former PMCs will flood the civilian market, unless
they settle into a tax shelter.

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As far as is known, the largest bodyguard unit is still the American Secret Service,
which handles security for the current United States president, several former
presidents, and several other VIPs.

The historic and natural enemies of the bodyguard are revolutionaries/terrorists

and professional hitmen. In recent times, a few others have been added to the list,
such as regular criminals, organized gangs, and stalkers, a common problem in most
countries that a bodyguard may be hired to handle.

Today, there are more than 200 schools, organizations, and companies that
educate/train bodyguards - and together they produce about 5-6000 new candidates
each year. A Google search of the words Bodyguard training returned over
179,000 links in 2002 (original edition of this book). Today, the same search returns
almost 600,000 links!

Before, a maximum of 1-3% of them found security work at a high level, while the
rest continued their careers as regular guards, policemen, soldiers, or other jobs.
Today, the number is somewhat greater. Unfortunately, the number of losses is
greater as well.

Different work assignments require different educations.

Photo: Trojan Securities Inc.

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 THE JOB IN GENERAL

You can work in this industry under the auspices of either the police, the military,
the diplomatic corps, the UN, or the private sector. In this book, I primarily describe
opportunities and limitations for the private sector, since this is where I have
worked. In the private sector, the terms short contract and long contract are used
regularly. In this book, these terms refer to contracts under 30 days or over 30 days.

As noted, the job consists in protecting other people (and sometimes even animals!)
It takes education, training, mental acuity, training, analytical skills, training,
business acumen and more training. The clients are found in every class of
society. As a colleague in England said, I have protected everyone from welfare
recipients to multi-millionaires, but basically the job is always the same, only the
budget changes.

Here, I have opted to divide clients into 3 main categories in the private sector,
since it would be a book unto itself if I included every facet!

1. Regular people:
It is typical for problems to arise from things like divorces. One party leaves his
or her partner. The partner doesnt want to recognize the break-up and keeps
calling the person who moved out. At some point during the process, the partner
becomes threatening and violent, and the one who moved out (now the injured
party) cannot get help from the authorities, or is unwilling to receive the help
offered for some reason.
The victim then contacts a company with professionals who can help.
As a bodyguard in these types of cases, you need highly developed analytical
skills and psychologic understanding!
Sometimes its hard not to sympathize with the abandoned party, but since this
person is a potential threat against your client, you must remain strictly
objective.
When we get assignments of this type, one possible solution may be to contact
the abandoned party and explain who hired us, why we were hired, and which
police reports we intent to file if the harassment doesnt stop immediately. At the
same time, we make sure the clients home is secured as well as possible under
the budget.
Once these measures are taken, we do a mini-training where we try to imbue the
client with a few safety procedures. Im not going to go into this further beyond
saying that it works!
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 In the vast majority of cases, this is sufficient, and relatively quickly the client is
left in peace by his or her tormentor.

In the few cases where this is not enough, we help the client submit the
necessary reports along with relevant documentation, and we implement further
defensive techniques.
Personally, I have only experienced a couple of times that a person became
violent in my presence in such a case, and those few times, the aggressor was
pacified without anyone getting hurt. In those individual cases, by the way, the
clients received help to establish new addresses.

These types of assignments are typically short contracts. They are certainly not
glamourous and they rarely last longer than 8-14 days.

Note: More than a million women with marks from being hit/kicked seek
treatment at emergency rooms in the United States every year. Stalking and
criminal harassment is reported more than 1,400,000 times a year. In
Denmark, it is estimated that one in 8 women and one in 20 men have been
stalked at some point in their lives.

2. Business people:
In order to be able to protect business people properly, it is necessary to have
some understanding of their business. Since time is usually a precious
commodity for them, they frequently cant travel/drive the safest route or show
up at certain times. This requires special knowledge on the part of the
bodyguard. Some dont have the required knowledge, nor the understanding of
the great pressure many business people are subject to.
The reason why business people want protection can usually be found in the
work they do. It may be that the company they represent has been a target for
terror historically, it may be that their position is so important and their
personality so powerful that their death or even absence from the company will
cause the stocks in the business to fall, or there may simply be a clause in their
contract requiring that they be guarded for the above-mentioned reasons. There
are several possibilities: they are unpleasant people, their company destroys the
environment in one or more countries, they do business with the "wrong" people
or governments, etc.

There are plenty of possibilities, since countless individuals are envious of the
rich, and few become rich without giving someone next to them or in front of
them a little shove or two, creating enemies along the way. Many old-school
business people will claim that it was always that way: the strong sweep the
weak out of the way. And sure, thats true, but today the weak have become a
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 little more aggressive in their behavior, which often comes to bear in physical
altercations.

Furthermore, there need not be a reason for business people to have a

bodyguard, they may have a bodyguard for the singular reason that a person in
their position should have a bodyguard!

As a bodyguard in a permanent position in the business world, you are often part
of the regular guard force of the company, which means in practical terms that
you may have regular guard assignments at the company for X number of
weeks, and then have bodyguard duties for one or more managing directors for
X number of days/weeks.

There are several advantages to this type of work usually you travel a lot, you
may be fortunate enough to do on-site advances in faraway places, you may be
assigned to a surveillance detection team or a counter-surveillance team, and
there is usually an option for paid training/education, which is something you
dont see as frequently in other niches of the industry.

Some companies are large/experienced enough to have an in-house travel

manager, who does nothing but arrange travel with the associated booking of
hotels, limos, and bodyguards. In most companies, an (executive) secretary
handles the logistics, but regardless who is booking, one thing is important
dont think they dont know what theyre doing! Many of these people have
tried booking bodyguards before, so they know which qualifications they want
in a bodyguard, not to mention that they are often very price savvy as well!

As an employee in a security company specializing in executive protection or in

a department of the same, assignments are usually short, lasting 1 to 14 days,
where you handle protection of an executive visiting the country where you
happen to be working. In the western world, these assignments are usually not
particularly demanding with a few exceptions, and I would definitely
recommend it for beginners wanting escort practice or the like, as long as the
threat level is low.

3. Musicians, actors, and other artists:

Artists have a particular problem, which the bodyguard has to deal with they
are constantly recognized!

4. Since artists are a product and are marketed as such, the fact that they are
recognized is just an indication that the product is famous. And that, in and of
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 itself, is one of the prerequisites for success in the entertainment industry. But
the hordes of fans and press people constantly seeking contact with the artists
can be hard to handle at times. And if there is an actual threat against the
client/artist in question as well, it will take relatively significant force to protect
him or her.

To some extent, fans can be avoided by using a "look-a-like" to draw them away
from the artist or simply by using several vehicles, entrances/exits, and
disguises.

5. The press, if uninvited, is handled the same way, although here you have to
consider that the press has more resources than most fans. For instance, it is not
uncommon to use scanners in order to listen to the radio communication from
the police and other first responders. In foreign countries, it is also not
uncommon for paparazzi to try to bribe you for information in the faint hope of
getting that one photo thatll make the photographer in question almost as
famous as the prey he or she is pursuing!

Just once, I experienced a bribery attempt myself in France, and Ive been told
by other bodyguards that it is much more commonplace in other countries.
In the entertainment industry, there are both short and long contracts. But its not
very likely that you will get a long contract, not as a beginner, and not later.
Basically, very few stars need bodyguards, and even fewer want to have
bodyguards around them 24/7.

The bodyguard profession generally pays well if you are good and have the right
contacts. However, with a field that is "overcrowded" by several thousand
percent, the market is considerably more competitive than it was 15 years ago.
Therefore, it is important to become educated, train hard, and choose a specialty
in the industry, if you hold any hope of making a living in this profession.

Only the best can make a full-time living in the profession. This is not to say that
you cant get jobs unless you are part of the elite. Its actually not uncommon for
mediocre bodyguards to get the short-term contracts, simply because they have
mad marketing and sales skills, or else because they just happen to know the
right people!

The last category I want to mention is bodyguards in high-risk areas. Whether it

is Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, or Colombia makes no difference. You need a
great deal of extra training to take on assignments in these places. The risk is
very high, but obviously, the pay is correspondingly better.

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 A bodyguard in these places typically works in longer cycles, for instance 6 days
of work (8-12 hours) - 1 day off, another 6 days of work - 1 day off, and then 5
to 10 days off. Assignments are of the military type, meaning Personal Security
Detail (PSD), Observation Team (OT), Residential Security Team (RST), etc.
You often get varied assignments, so it doesnt get tedious with the same old
thing. If you are not cut out for this type of assignment, you will inevitably
become scarred by it psychologically. Even professional soldiers cant handle
the pressure for an extended time and will develop Post Traumatic Stress a
disorder that remains with them for years afterwards.
This is far and away the hardest job you can find in the business and for that
same reason, it is also one of the best paid.

Meeting before a major assignment all security staff are briefed!

Photo: Reboot Security Ltd.

My First Big Mistake!

When I had just started in the business, there was a time when I was working
perimeter security at a party with lots of VIPs. It was a birthday party held on the
Ferry Zealand (a ferry anchored in the Harbor of Copenhagen that serves as
restaurant and event venue!), and the birthday celebrant was a well-known German
industry leader with his own security staff recruited from the German anti-terror
corps, GSG-9.

As would be expected, these experts were the team leaders, and we were four men
under one leader plus three to step in for breaks.

When quite a few bouquets of flowers and gifts were delivered, two men from our
team checked them.
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For security purposes, we were receiving gifts and flowers down on the pier.
At one point, I received some flowers with no sender or card. Since I wasnt sure
what to do with them, I called my team leader, who said, bring them up here if you
think its safe. I thought it probably was, and I let a colleague take my place.

On my way up the boarding ramp, my team leader noticed that the flowers werent
unwrapped and said stop! Obviously, I stopped, and he asked me to unwrap the
flowers.

Since they were wrapped tightly, I took out a pocketknife, and as I opened it, I
happened to look over at my team leader, and I noticed a marked change in his eyes
and posture.

I checked the flowers, nothing was wrong, they were placed in a vase, and I
continued as though nothing had happened.

It was only 2 years later when I met the same security people at a conference, and
we were talking about the old assignment, that it occurred to me that my former
team leader, at the moment when I was opening my pocket knife, was mentally
preparing to kill me, should I confront him!

But it makes perfect sense - He didnt know me. I was just hired help from the
outside. I was coming up the boarding ramp with something that may actually
contain explosives, and to top it all off, I pulled out a knife!

This mental shift is the hallmark of a professional bodyguard. He needs to be

smiling and relaxed, but at the moment he is uncertain as to whether a situation is
developing, he only has a nanosecond to get ready to 1. remove his client or 2.
remove the threat.

I have since discovered that the Israeli martial art Krav Maga trains people in this,
making it one of the few direct recommendations I will offer in this book!

Second Mistake

At a huge show in southern France a few years ago, I was part of Janet Jacksons
security entourage. The task was simple:

Day 1. Assist in escorting Ms. Jackson from the airport in Nice to her hotel, and
from there to rehearsal at the stage area and back to the hotel.

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Day 2. Escort Ms. Jackson to rehearsal at the stage area, secure the backstage area
during the actual concert, and then escort Ms. Jackson back to her hotel. Later,
escort Ms. Jackson to the airport in Nice.

I had just been hired as a regular bodyguard and I had my place in the formation.
When we left the airport with Janet Jackson, all went well. We stayed in formation
and managed to shield her effectively from the photographers. BUT, we hugely
underestimated the paparazzi when we got to the hotel. With a 6-man team, we were
at least 6 man short. We were simply overrun by as many as 30-40 photographers
and journalists. We had to evacuate Janet Jackson into the hotel instead of escorting
her inside in a calm and orderly fashion. It was very embarrassing and made us look
like complete amateurs. Fortunately, nothing happened, although our team leader
was taken to task by Ms. Jacksons manager and agent from the William Morris
Agency. Vi changed our protocol and added a few more men. Note to self: Never
underestimate your clients popularity or the interest of the press!

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REFLEXES

There are various types of training in this industry. Certain schools/organizations

emphasize searching cars and houses for bombs. Others believe that weapons
training or counter-surveillance is more important. I dont know whats more
important. Again, it depends on the background and chosen specialization of the
bodyguard, but I can say one thing for certain, your reflexes need to be trained! If
you have slow reflexes, there is no room for you to be active in this business.

An example:
A bodyguard is protecting a business man from a major oil company. On the way
out of the main building of the oil company headquarters, the business man and the
bodyguard are stopped by another business man who appears to be an employee at
the same company. This man introduces himself by name, opens his briefcase,
reaches into the briefcase, apparently to retrieve some documents, takes out a glass
of crude oil, and throws it in the face of the business man. Of course, until the
appearance of the glass, the bodyguard couldnt predict the situation. After all, it
looked like a regular conversation between two employees from the same company.
The fact that a former employee had become an environmental activist is
information the bodyguard should have had, but didnt. If the bodyguard had
excellent resources, he could have moved his client before he was doused in oil.
Alternatively, depending on the location, he could have taken down the aggressor
before the glass was thrown.

Another example:
Its not easy to be a bodyguard for a superstar. At a large music event in Monte
Carlo around the turn of the millennium, about 30 major stars from all over the
world were gathered. I was part of the local security team, and had actually been
given a pretty cushy assignment. I had to assist the individual bodyguards for the
various stars if need be. Before my going to work had ever been discussed, I was
talking to the chief of security and a colleague in the lobby of Hotel De Paris. In
comes Rod Stewart with two of his own security people. As Rod Stewart steps
through the revolving door to the hotel, he blocks it and then takes off running to
the back elevator. He takes the elevator up alone, and by the time his bodyguards
reach the elevator and hit the button, the other elevator door opens It is full of
stanchions, meaning the kind of poles that might hold up the rope next to the red
carpet. The Rod simply filled up the elevator to tease his two security guards. The
poor guys pissed and moaned, while the rest of us got a good laugh. Of course, we
locals had secured the hotel and the rooms where the stars were staying, but even
so, it was the job of the two bodyguards to keep up with Rod Stewart. Most people

14
who have followed his 40-year career know that he is/was a prankster, so it
shouldnt have come as such a surprise.

These two examples are not extreme. They are a perfectly natural part of a
remarkable profession. If the aggressor in the first example had been prepared to
kill, both the client and the bodyguard would be dead today. If Rod Stewart had
tripped on the stairs, he could have been badly hurt without his bodyguards being
able to help.

Aside from the fact that reflexes could have saved the jobs of the bodyguards in
question, it is also worth noting that in the worst of these two instances, the
bodyguard worked alone. Nobody can be 100% on top of things all the time, and
this is one of the reasons why it is necessary to have two or more bodyguards rather
than just one.

INTUITION

Another element under the category of instinctive behavior is intuition. Its an odd
fellow, intuition. Its called the sixth sense, but it is actually a mixture of experience,
knowledge, and the five senses. Regardless what others say, I would insist that
intuition can be trained. I usually give my students a copy of Gavin De Beckers:
The Gift of FEAR. A brilliant book, which at first glance seems to be written for
women. With closer study, the book, with all its examples, will convince even the
most critical opponent that you not only can, but simply MUST, use and train your
intuition.

15
 JOB TYPES

Personal bodyguard usually responsible for the entire security for the client, and
as such functions as chief of security as well.

The personal bodyguard may be responsible for hiring staff for short or long term
contracts.

May also be in charge of travel planning in collaboration with either travel manager,
tour manager, manager, personal assistant, or an agency.

Often responsible for / disposes over budget for property security and the personal
security of the client.

"Regular" bodyguard hired for short or long term contract. Often used as "local
help" when the permanent bodyguard travels with the client to countries with which
he is unfamiliar!

The regular bodyguard may occasionally need to be detail leader or shift leader,
meaning being responsible for a team of X number of bodyguards for a number of
hours.

Security driver In principle, the security driver is merely a private chauffeur with
security training. It is increasingly common for drivers to be security-trained, since
they, through their work, may be in the position of identifying a possible threat
while driving or waiting.

The driver must also be trained in surveillance detection and counter-surveillance.

The driver spends a lot of time on route planning in consultation with the personal
bodyguard / chief of security.

Normally, the driver is NOT a bodyguard, but he may function as perimeter security
and he is the eyes and transportation of the bodyguard.

Surveillance detection / counter-surveillance - bodyguard specializing in working

stealthily. Counter-surveillance guards usually work in large teams and are tasked
with discovering any pursuers. If any such are discovered, there are several
possibilities, among them doing a "source search" following the opposition back
to their base.

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Frequently, counter-surveillance guards also function as photographers at large
gatherings, so they can compare photos in order to possibly recognize stalkers.

From time to time, counter surveillance guards are used to monitor possible threats.

Security technician SecTech. Technician specializing in various security systems.

The SecTech usually works as part of the home team and often has the general
responsibility for the alarm system, communications system, and video surveillance
system. May also be on a travel team where he/she sets up operations rooms in
hotels where the client is staying, etc.

SecTechs are usually very well paid and can often function as debugging experts,
sweeping (searching) rooms to make sure they are not being bugged.

CAT - Counter Attack Team / Counter Assault Team. CATs exist primarily in the
rougher corners of the world and as part of governmental protection. In the private
market, there are only very few CATs. It is hard to become a member of a CAT,
since people almost always use former professional soldiers along the lines of the
British SAS & SBS, the American Delta Force (they use rangers as well!), or the
German GSG-9.

There are several varieties of the different functions. For instance, a regular
bodyguard in the private market can specialize in entertainment or corporate
protection.

A bodyguard in the entertainment business can be high-profile, so its okay for him
to be a hulk of a guy with enough weight to keep away hordes of fans.

A corporate bodyguard must be relatively low-profile, meaning that he must look

like a business man, as he is often introduced as an assistant or something along
those lines, which must be supported by certain office skills.

If a bodyguard claims to specialize in both fields, you should first look at his/her
stature, since a 300-pound powerlifter would have found it hard to get a corporate
bodyguard job, but if it is a person of normal stature, there need to be references
available (as mentioned earlier, references should always be available!)

There are several parallels between the criteria for becoming a bodyguard for a
business executive and the criteria for becoming a bodyguard with the UN
bodyguard corps. Among other things, a nice, neutral appearance is an important
criterion. Kenneth Larsen, former military police officer and bodyguard at the UN,
explains the criteria for admission into the UN bodyguard corps like this: You first
17
need to serve in one of the UN security divisions for at least a year. Then, when you
apply for a job as a bodyguard, the management looks at your general experience,
education, and the training courses you have completed. They also evaluate
personal appearance, since bodyguards are present at large political meetings and
therefore will be seen by many. If you are admitted, you will be trained by experts
from the nearest relevant specialized unit regardless of your background (in USA,
this is the State Department / Secret Service).

To the question of what is the most important quality for a bodyguard? his
answer is self-discipline!
Additionally, Kenneth agrees with the prevailing view on networking:
It is important to be able to get assistance and information from colleagues and
other sources. Here, the local authorities can also be of great help - police, special
forces, military, first responders, and political units, etc.
However, private guard and security companies can be just as important.

Kenneth Larsen has worked for 3 years as a bodyguard with the UN, for instance for general
secretary Boutros-Boutros Gali. Additionally, Kenneth has spent 25 years
working with police and security-related work. He has been an active participant
in UN missions in Namibia, Cambodia, and the former Yugoslavia, respectively.
Today, Kenneth is vice-president of Securitas.

Photo: Executive Security Services Int.

18
 EDUATION/COURSES

The requirements for a bodyguard are significant. Considering the threats the
clients are confronted with, it is important for the bodyguard to be well-educated
and continuously well-trained.

The requirements can be summarized briefly:

Strong and in good physical shape, intelligent and a quick study, social
understanding with the ability to conform to various environments, presentable
appearance, multi-lingual and with economic sense, psychological sense, and
analytical abilities, weapon use and close combat are important, and last but not
least, the ethics and morals have to be appropriate (judged by societal norms!)

The above isnt even enough! You also need to have a huge helping of patience
and be adaptable, meaning that there may be periods where nothing is
happening, and in the middle of such a period, everything suddenly happens.
You must be able to stay focused for extended periods, even if youre bored.

Yes, its a lot to bite off. This is why its important for you to be focused and
fired up for the long haul. People who claim they can make you into a
bodyguard in two weeks are full of it.
Its a simple as that!

Aside from the basic schooling, it requires advanced courses in things like
languages, economics, psychology, and not least the hard skills you need to
gain in the military or with law enforcement. The advantage of living in a well-
developed society is very noticeable here!
Almost any education required to be a bodyguard can be acquired through
public education if you plan your classes right.

Here you have "my" list over necessary basic knowledge before taking a
bodyguard course:

Language: at least one foreign language

Psychology: crisis psychology as an absolute minimum
19
Weapons: ability to use as many hand weapons as
possible
Close combat: become very familiar with at least one martial
art
Photography: learn to use digital + DSLR and video etc.
First aid: Advanced, as much as possible
Communication: Phonetic alphabet + use var. radio types,
perhaps Morse code
IT/Software; Image editing, encrypting, var. templates

There are many more skills, but the above are essential when presenting your
resume with a job application. Obviously, it isnt necessary to have a doctorate
in all these things, but a certain level of familiarity is necessary, if only on an
interest level.

If you have learned some of the above things, and if you want to take a course,
you need to select one based on the criterion of "value for money". There are
lots of shiny brochures promising to make you into a super bodyguard in 7-14
days. There are even some that claim to get you work after the course
(regardless of your ability to learn, you will be a super-duper VIP star bodyguard
if you choose their particular course, believe it!)
An examination of the different websites on the internet and the flashy multi-
colored brochures most schools send out to people give the impression that
marketing is a required minor for the industry.

Before selecting a school, you may want to make a list containing the following
questions:

1. What do I know about the relevant subject?

2. What can I do already physically, academically, and practically?
3. What do I even have to be able to do?
4. What are they claiming they can teach me?
5. Can they teach me things I cant get cheaper/better elsewhere?

If you want to be a plumber, you have to learn how to use a pipe wrench, a
polygrip, and an adjustable wrench.
If you want to be a carpenter, you have to know how to use a hammer, a chisel,
and a planer.
And if you want to be a bodyguard, you also need to become familiar with some
tools - and like all other artisans, you need to learn to use the tools and
practice.

20
 We chose to do introductory courses only in my old company, Bramsborg
Security & Safety, back in the day when the company existed. Not because we
didnt feel like making more money by training people, but simply because there
was a need for potential new, aspiring bodyguards to get a quick idea of the
business and an overview over the educational requirements for the individual.
Our course lasted 2 x 12-16 hours with a mix of physical and written exercises.

At these introductory courses, I often had the impression that the students
expected what we call a TV Shop education - an education you can take
quickly with hardly any physical movement and with lots of extras added to the
price.

Unfortunately, the only thing we could promise our students was that it is
HARD WORK!

COURSES

The subjects you need to look for in the various courses are, in my opinion:
Subjects
Terrorism
Driving
Protocol & tactfulness
Economics
Security advance party
Standard operations procedures
Formations on foot + car
Evacuation planning
Psychology and assertiveness training
Sweeping of rooms + vehicles
Surveillance / counter-surveillance
Familiarity with gear
Handling the press
Fire arms various
Regular security techniques
Improvised weapons
Minimum requirements
Ideologies, MO and scope
As much as possible
Social etiquette
Budgeting
EVERYTHING
EVERYTHING
The most common - double, V, box, diamond
+ Practice application
Aggression recognition
For explosives + listening gear
Observation techniques
As much as possible
As much as possible
Theory + practical exercises
Basic knowledge of CCTV and alarm systems
As many as possible + practical exercises

As you can clearly see, the stereotypical gorilla is fading. Those who believe
that bodybuilding is the way to go should become bouncers or venue security. I
should hasten to add that there are jobs where size is a consideration, but they
are few, and in my opinion they usually bore you to tears.

21
Having worked in law enforcement, the military, or a private security company
can be somewhat useful.
This gives you the option of getting paid while familiarizing yourself with some
of the above topics, not to mention growing as a person. When you feel youre
ready, take a bodyguard course at a private company or a private school. These
courses vary very much in both price and quality. There is a sad tendency to
create "bodyguard courses" when business is slow for a company.

There is a saying in the business - Those who can make a living by being
bodyguards do so - the ones who cant, train others! Thats a rather stark way of
looking at it, but the more so-called schools pop up all over, the more it looks to
be true!

How do you select a school?

I usually say that no matter how bad a course/school is, you will always learn a
little something. In the worst possible case, youll learn that you shouldnt have
taken the course / selected the school to begin with, but rather should have
selected something completely different.

Its hard to choose just based on your personal background, so you should select
a specialization first. If you dont want to complicate things ridiculously, you
can start by choosing whether you want a job as a PMC, in business, or in the
entertainment industry?

Im not going to recommend schools here, but let me just mention that there are
a WHOLE LOT of schools on the internet, and they most certainly arent all
equally good! Look for the above topics or find a school with a cheap starter
course, so you can see what its all about before you spend $5000 on a week
full of smoke and mirrors.

These schools have existed for many years, and each of them has a decent
reputation:

Executive Protection Institute (USA)

http://www.personalprotection.com

Vance Security International (USA)

http://www.vancesecurity.com/

Trojan Securities Inc. (USA)

http://www.trojansecurities.com

22
 Executive Security International (USA)
http://www.esi-lifeforce.com/

Excellentia Security (UK)

www.excellentia.co.uk

Best Alert (Holland)

http://www.bestalert.com

In addition, the following organizations offer courses:

International Close Protection Training Association

http://www.icpta.org

International Bodyguard Association (int.)

Several websites

Professional Bodyguard Association (UK)

http://www.the-pba.com

Remember that all bodyguard schools are pure business: They make MONEY by
giving you a little knowledge, so be demanding of them.

TIP!

Remember, when you contact schools / educational institutions, to ask if there

are networking possibilities after the course, if they help develop action plans /
training plans, and whether they help with job searching and filling out resumes,
etc. In other words - What do I get for my money in addition to here-and-now
training?

TIP!

An instructor whos an expert in everything is not an expert in anything at all!

Far too many instructors teach 4, 5, 6, heck even up to 10-12 topics. I dont
mean to impute anybody anything, but how can they be experts in all these
things? In government, both here and abroad, a few people teach particular
subjects. This is done because these people have specialized knowledge within
discrete areas. If a private school or a private company claims to specialize in
certain areas, ask how many instructors they have in these areas. Then ask how
many other instructors are teaching and which subjects they are teaching. At a
23
university, it takes several years to study a topic to complete your dissertation.
Then you become specialized. You dont become specialized by being a bouncer
for 5 years, having had 2 bodyguard clients, reading 3 books, and then opening a
bodyguard school. You may have more experience than the average bouncer, but
that doesnt qualify you for the titles of expert or specialist. So, if you meet
someone who claims to be a specialist in bodyguarding or something like it, ask
if you can read their dissertation! (And I bet their face will turn fun colors.)

Personally, I can say that 60-70% of what Ive read at bodyguard courses is
knowledge I have also been able to use in other areas of the security industry.
Therefore, if you are working in the security industry or want to a bodyguard
course is (almost) always a good thing to have under your belt.

Normal chaos at a political meeting

24
 NECESSARY (AND UNNECESSARY) GEAR

Aside from knowledge fundamentally being the most important tool we have, there
are a number of practical things we can/should use when traveling abroad. Below
are the things I remember offhand using over the years, either at home or abroad.

Clothing of every kind:

Black suit for formal meetings and court cases
Dark navy suit for meetings, lunches, and daily wear
Dark gray suit for daily wear
Leisure clothes for more sporty situations
Shirts, white, light blue, and marine. Solids
Ties, Clip-on or elastic, black, navy, dark with faint patterns.
Dark shoes, leader with ties, good quality (remember polishing kit)
Dark boots, Gore-Tex or other water-repellant material.
Jeans, dark
Sweater, preferably dark
Windbreaker, dark
Track suit/shoes, for the more fitness-oriented clients

Hardware
Flashlight, I use a Wolf-Eyes
Smartphone + backup dumb phone, charger, extra battery, and
belt bag
Zippo, primarily for showing off!
Phrase book, local
Telephone list, embassy/consulate, transportation, local bodyguards,
etc.
Pen + paper, use a tactical pen made of metal
Various check lists, route planning, hotel security, etc.
Camera, digital DSLR with powerful telephoto lens
Plenty of Gigabytes
GP300 Headset adapter, fits a whole lot of radios
First aid kit with cotton pads, gauze, mask, gloves, and bandages
Leatherman tool or
Buck folding knife
Bulletproof vest
Expandable baton with belt holder, buy locally
25
 Pistol, extra magazine, shoulder holster (individual opinion). Buy or
borrow locally

Standard equipment: Clip-on tie and Kevlar vest to wear under shirt

It goes without saying that the equipment must be tailored to the task. A bodyguard
in Iraq needs different tools than a bodyguard in London or Miami. Here, it helps to
be socially skillful, so others can tell you what you need where they are.

26
 THE SOCIAL ASPECT

Regardless which type of bodyguard you decide to become, the social aspect is
crucial!
You can take 100 courses and be both an action man and ever so smart, but if you
arent socially deft, you need to find other work. Already from the beginning, it is
important that you dont have an unpleasant disposition. During courses, you need
to be able to adapt to other peoples moods. These people may come from various
cultures and societal strata, and regardless of differences you need to learn to work
together optimally, as it may be a colleague from Uganda just as easily as it may be
a colleague from Pakistan who saves your life at your first assignment. The ability
to adapt to various circumstances also helps you develop very special relationships
with the people with whom you share training and assignments.

Your social skills also help you create a professional network and good contacts all
over. Both can get you a few contracts.

When applying/interviewing for jobs, it is important that you come across as

friendly and approachable without seeming unprofessional You also need to like
small talk, since much of what you talk to clients and colleagues about is just
shooting the breeze. Furthermore, you may experience, in case of mutual sympathy,
that the client uses the bodyguard as a strong shoulder to either lean or cry on. More
formally, it also requires social skills to blend into the crowd at a large banquet at an
embassy.

Social skills can also be important in security situations. It requires insight into
human behavior to "read" a persons body language or judge the persons behavior
against cultural and geographic conventions in order to determine whether he/she is
a threat. This is learned and very much practiced by having an active social life.

Here, I can give you a few examples of bad social behavior:

At a big concert / awards ceremony, they were doing press control, meaning only
press with a certain color on their press credentials, in this case blue, were admitted.
Two professional bodyguards were tasked with controlling the throng of journalists
trying to gain entry regardless of the color of their credentials. (This is important
work, since the area where the artist will perform is supposed to be secure, and also
because pictures and interviews are sold for exorbitant prices and, as such, are
exclusive!)

27
One bodyguard had enough of listening to the members of the press after two hours
of please let us in - please, please and the opposite, whats your name - if you
dont let me in - I'll have you fired!

So, the bodyguard tells one of the journalists to get out of there Fuck off, you
wanker!

The journalist then provokes the bodyguard who said it to a point, where the
bodyguard starts to shove away the journalist while yelling that hell take away his
press credentials if he doesnt get the hell out NOW!

Unfortunately, this reporter wrote for a popular tabloid in England, and the next day
you could read about the "insanely violent bodyguards" that were hired by the
production company in question (complete with some lovely photos, by the way)!

The bodyguard depicted in the magazine was obviously fired, since this kind of
behavior is unacceptable!

With his temper under a little more control and a little social deftness, the
bodyguard in question could have avoided the situation and thus saved his job.

One option was for the bodyguards to get hold of packs of soda and start giving
them away (at these types of events there are often runners present to help with that
sort of thing!), while explaining to the journalists that they wouldnt like it either if
someone gained access to their exclusive reports.

On another occasion, a large hotel was expecting a royal visitor.

They hired a security company to maintain security in and around the hotel during
the visit, which would be lasting several weeks. Almost immediately, one of the
bodyguards dispatched to the hotel began to tell the hotel staff how to do their job
according to the instructions of the security people.

When this came to the attention of the hotel manager, he contacted the bodyguard
and asked him not to bother the hotel staff any more than necessary. The bodyguard
said sorry and that no-way-Jose, it wouldnt happen again, but he persevered in
asking a concierge to show ID while the concierge was speaking to one of the hotel
guests!

The company was asked to remove their people from the hotel and another
company was given the job.

Here, the solution could be that a few staff members from the hotel, preferably
trained in security, help the security staff from without by identifying all employees
28
and screening them. It probably would have served the company well if they had
assigned more experienced people to the job as well.

Another moral is, put your proverbial ear to the ground! No one is judged positively
for harassing others. Adapt to the environment in which you will be working, learn
the jargon, and familiarize yourself with the culture. Once you understand it, it will
come back quickly the next time you need to work in a similar environment!

Cooperating with hotel staff makes the work lighter in the long run.

Photo: Reboot Security Ltd.

29
 REGULAR EVILS/OPPOSITION

THE PRESS

Its always worthwhile to treat the press well, since they typically have lots of
contacts and can tell you which celebrities are in which country! In this regard, it
also bears saying said that no matter how friendly you become, you are NEVER to
break the confidentiality entrusted to you by your customer.

For several years running, I have run into the same photographer at a particular
event in southern Europe. We usually talk for a few minutes each time we meet. To
this day, I dont know his name, but I still look for him at this one event, so we can
chat.

At first glance it may seem a little strange to others that I waste my time on him,
but this guy has a lot of experience, and he knows almost all the photographers that
come to the various events. When a photographer is getting a little too troublesome
and aggressive, I tell my chat friend that so-and-so photographer is not behaving
properly, and then hell talk to the problem child, which often solves the problem.
(There is tough self-regulation among the established photographers, especially in
regards to new/unknown photographers).

Generally, I try to help the press as much as I can. First of all, the press can be a
good ally if you get into hot water someday, and secondly, there is always the
possibility that you / your client get a little positive publicity in other ways. (Read:
ADVERTISING!)

The concept of paparazzi is a chapter unto itself, which cannot be covered

exhaustively here, but they have a tendency for the extreme, that's for sure.

Ive had to defend myself physically against paparazzi who were trying to strike me
in the face with their camera lenses, and I have been part of removing a
photographer from a cornice eighth floors up!!

Thats just crazy as hell?!?

Danish journalists are not bad compared to those abroad. As for ME, however, I got
really angry on just one occasion. This was when one of my clients called and asked
me to come, because the tabloid press had stopped the clients 9-year-old daughter
and asked her about her mothers trial. The girl was scared out of her wits when two
30
full-grown men stopped her outside her home and followed her, through a fenced
gateway, up to the front door, all the while questioning the girl about something she
didnt know about, and which a 9-year-old shouldnt even have to deal with.

Expect anything from the paparazzi, they know that a single photo can make them
rich and famous, and for that reason alone, they will jump through the most insane
hoops to get close to your client! Make no mistake about it. Some are so skilled that
they know more about your client than you do, and if they think youre a problem,
they can make up all kinds of things to get you into trouble.

AUTOGRAPH HUNTERS

Autograph hunters can be a little insane as well, but theyre mostly just harmless
collectors with a peculiar hobby. Even so, they can be quite annoying, especially
when you need to have extra security guards at hotels and in houses simply because
of autograph hunters (they tend to move in groups).

I got a little tip from Andy Hollinson - When youre with artists, you always say no
to autograph hunters. Then, if your client wants to spend 5 minutes signing
autographs, the client can say yes, and that makes your client look extra nice, since
you just said no! (It makes you appear to be a bit of a villain, but that may be a
beneficial image when those 5 minutes are up!)

31
 Britney Spears autograph hell

BYSTANDERS

It happens a lot, when you start out in the business that you are holding back a
crowd, and people are begging you to tell them who you are protecting, because
believe or not (youll see this for yourself when you start in the business!), people
are more than happy to join a crowd without really knowing why they are there,
probably just because of a fear of missing out!

My answer is and was always, I dont know for sure, but I think its somebody
famous.

ACTIVISTS

These come in all persuasions. The more peaceful ones provide more food for
thought than they really should. By their mere presence, peaceful activists can be
extremely stressful. Youll encounter the more militant activists from time to time,
but rarely without the police being nearby. Still, you have to be on top of your
game. A paving stone thrown at a window or a police officer can miss too!
Extremists disguised as activists are an entirely different ballgame. There is no
doubt that extremists are dangerous.

If you get into a situation where you are involved in physical clashes with
extremists, the response from the bodyguard needs to be full force! Take action,
grab your client under one arm, and run. You cant reason with extremists of any
32
type. They dont respond to warnings, but happily continue to the point of death
(not necessarily their own) and therefore should be treated with eye-for-an-eye to
ensure your clients escape.

There are plenty of books and websites about the different groups, so I wont use
space on them here. A recommendation: wherever you travel, check which local
groups are around, and check what political/religious holidays or events take place
during your stay there. It prevents nasty surprises.

As for the more serious threats, we have become wiser over the past five years or
so. When Bin Laden challenged the entire Western world, he was fully aware of
what he set in motion. Today, everyone is looking for Muslim terrorists, almost to
the point of paranoia. Bin Laden managed to create racism to an extent not even
Hitler could match throughout his political career. And quite deliberately: Bin
Laden obviously wanted to create a setting where religious, political, and cultural
differences create common ground for xenophobia. A xenophobia to justify the
murder of civilian non-Muslims. And he was an accomplished demagogue, Bin
Laden. With the kind of backing he had, his particular mixture of ideologies would
be unstoppable. But the price was high as well - living in hiding for his entire adult
life until a young American soldier looked at him through a scope - and pulled the
trigger!

In order to understand terrorism, you need to study ideology and methodology. I've
given Al Qaida's terrorist handbook a cursory reading (excerpts can be found on
www.bodyguardskills.com), and I see several similarities between this handbook
and Marighellas Mini Manual of the Urban Guerrilla at the tactical level. At the
operational level, there are also several parallels between the handbook and several
bodyguard manuals. The most frightening thing is the strategic and tactical
structures recommended by that very terrorist handbook. If, for instance, you read
the thousand-year-old book, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, you will find that the
writers of the terrorist handbook have been very thorough.

If you dont have the option of studying terror at length, I can recommend
Executive Safety & International Terrorism by Tony Scotti or Prime Target by
Bruce Danto. Both are authors of great capacity within their respective fields.

You may also want to look at these links:

Terrorism Research Center

http://www.terrorism.com/

UN website with books about terrorism

http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/
33
Federation for American Scientists
http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror.htm

Centre for Defence and International Security Studies

http://www.icds.ee/

34
 JOB SEARCHING

You can seek work in a lot of different places. In the beginning, the easiest thing
is to seek work in an established security company. But there are certainly
examples of new people being hired into large production companies or
international firms. There are plenty of opportunities on the internet, but be
aware that companies looking for bodyguards / security advisors or military
advisors for well-paid jobs in places like Afrika may be private armies of
mercenaries needing cannon fodder in some war-torn area.

Here, in the more civilized part of the world, there are several good options for
looking for a job. Depending on your experience, these places may be good:

Security companies with bodyguards

Other companies with in-house guard functions (bodyguard functions)
Record labels, production companies, and film companies
Through certain foundations/organizations that plan large events
Through various professional organizations
Through the internet at sites like

www.ssr-personnel.com

www.securityjobs.net

www.careers.un.org

http://security.jobsearch.janes.monster.com

www.bodyguardcareers.com

Note that these websites only rarely list bodyguard jobs, but often have other
very attractive jobs to offer!

Here are a few general pointers for job searching.

1. Be realistic which job can I handle professionally, not to mention

responsibly
2. Always compile a professional resume, preferably with a photo. You may
want to have a professional create a great resume for you.
3. Call ahead and ask if you may submit a resume
4. Realize that you will meet rejection frequently
35
5. Keep looking
6. Call to follow up and ask that your information be kept on file for 3-6
months
7. At the same time, enquire about any other job opportunities
8. Dont be afraid of applying for a completely different job, as long as you
have the required expertise
9. Keep educating yourself and update your rsum continuously

The Job Interview

Plan your interview find out as much information as possible about the
employer, but use it only as a point of reference: Manager: yes, we need
extra staff in London these days! Applicant: would this be due to your
new office?
(This way you show in a way that doesnt seem forced - that you are
following the companys growth!)
Be on time in this job, time is a life-or-death factor!
Be prepared to answer all questions openly and honestly your
answers will probably be checked, and while honesty may be the reason
you dont get the job you want, honesty may also get you a different job
in the security department in question, so you can become qualified for
the job you wanted to begin with!
Ask questions nobody knows everything! therefore, ask questions if
youre in doubt. Even if you think it seems stupid. If you dont know who
the top manager is, you risk taking orders from the wrong person.
Dont smoke at a job interview, even if they offer! The same goes for
drinking alcohol. And you should avoid chewing gum and other candy as
well.
Make a good first impression smile and the world smiles with you!
An old saying that is still relevant. Remember to give the interviewer a
smile (not a goofy grin!), it will always make a good impression.
Never speak negatively about former employers or colleagues this is
very important. Nobody wants to hire a person who speaks ill of former
employers, as the employer you are currently applying with will assume
that this may happen again after your contract expires and you go apply
somewhere else.
Dont draw attention to yourself just talk about your skills and
experience.

36
 EXAMPLE OF A RESUME:

Your rsum should include:

1. A short description of yourself (and your personality)

2. A description of what you have done professionally, in (reversed)
chronological order
3. A description of your education
4. Other relevant information - courses etc.
5. Any hobbies
6. Any volunteer work
7. Any professional organizational memberships

In the John Johnson example, dont so much pay attention to the text, but focus
on the setup. A simple, clear setup makes for more pleasant reading, and for the
same reason it will be read more frequently than a resume with a messier setup. In
addition, it is now customary to keep your rsum to 2 pages or less, weeding out
anything not related to security and basic education. It doesnt necessarily portray
you correctly as a person, but most employers in the business receive between 10-
400 rsums a week, so it is important to keep your rsum as short as possible.

A great many companies specialize in writing rsums for people, so if you dont
have the skill or inclination to do it yourself, you can pay to have it done. It is fairly
easy to do it yourself, since several of the new word processing applications have
templates.

You may want to have your family look it over and recommend
changes/improvements.

37
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Security Way 12345, New York, NY 10000 Tel. 12345678 - e-mail: XXX@XXX

John Johnson

Profile I am 33 years old, non-smoker, married without children.

I am leaving my current job effective 12/31/2001 after 11 years with the

military. The past 3 years, I have been managing instructor in the same
organization.
I have extensive security experience, most recently in management and
instruction.
I am naturally a calm and thoughtful person, very focused on work. I like
to delegate, but I am happy to help my staff go hands on.

Experience 01/01-1999 12/31-2001 Trenton, NJ

Chief sergeant
Responsible for training personnel
Responsible for shift planning
Supervisor of 12 employees
Development of procedures and codes of practice
Development of plans for close base security

01/01-1996 12/31-1999 Pope Field, NC

Master sergeant
Shift planning for the division
Developing educational programs for division personnel.
Teaching tactical marksmanship.

01/01-1993 12/31-1995 San Diego, CA

Sergeant
Yada, yada, yada
Yada, yada
Yada, yada

1992 San Diego, CA

Recruit
Regular soldier stuff
Avoiding flying objects, mostly lead and other metals
1991-1992 Galveston, TX
Bouncer

38
 Keeping the peace at The Hard Times and Misery Saloon
Avoiding flying objects thrown by miffed patrons
Daily questioning by the police.

Education 1985, Ball High School

High School Diploma.
Basic officers education
Intermediate officers education

Courses Courses in: weapons handling, Heckler and Koch, Neuhausen, Garand
First aid
Individual combatant course
Special ops
Patrol course
Parachute course
Several middle management courses
Driving classes / retraining
Online course at www.bodyguardskills.com

Interests Active Shotokan fighter. Marksmanship. Prolific knitter.

Volunteering Volunteer security guard for several festivals. Volunteer collector for the
Cancer Survivors Fund

Professional International Association of Close Protection Officers (IACPO)

memberships

39
 GETTING HIRED

When you are hired as a bodyguard, always get the engagement in writing! It seems
ridiculous to have to say that, but whats normal in one country isnt necessarily the
rule in other countries.

As a minimum, an employment contract should contain the following information:

1. Compensation
2. Duties
3. Working hours
4. Insurance and
5. Period of employment

It must be signed by at least one representative from the hiring company that hires
you. A stamp wouldnt hurt either.

Compensation

The compensation often depends on the nature of the task or on the threat level.
You cannot expect to earn a fortune being a bodyguard for a musician on vacation
in Hawaii.

Conversely, you can demand reasonable wages for a job with a former Russian
politician in Kazakhstan.

In Europe, the typical base salary in 2001 was about $400 a day (plus certain
expenses covered). Today, in 2016, it has fallen to about $350.

At the other end of the scale, the salary of a bodyguard in Iraq or Afghanistan was
between $13,500 to $20,000 a month. Currently, its about half that.

Duties

The duties should be defined on a separate piece of paper.

The overall title of the contract, such as bodyguard, should be listed along with a
separate note of the job description. Remember to find out how many colleagues
youll have!

Working hours

40
The working hours should be defined as well. Have you been hired to work during
the day or night?
Are your shifts 8, 12, or 16 hours?

Insurance

Are you insured through your employer?

Is your employer insured through you?

Period of employment

How long is the assignment / is the task split up over several separate periods or are
there several tasks in the future, such as 1 month every year for the next 5 years.

Are you ready for Mexico?

Photo: Trojan Securities Ltd.

41
___________________________________________________________________

EXAMPLE NOT SUITABLE FOR COPYING!

Employment contract (fixed-term)

Contract between: Exclusive Security, Reg. No. 26362200

12345 Protection Road
Los Angeles CA 90210

And employee: __________________, born

Address

The undersigned employer hereby is hiring ___________________ as a security

consultant / bodyguard.

Terms:
1) The employee is hired effective 04/01-2013 with employment terminating
12/31-2014.
The employee will work 5 days at a time twice monthly with at least 10 days off
between rotations (staggered). Each work day will last about 15 hours,
equivalent to 150 hours a month.

2) The employee will receive a salary of $500 a day, payable every two weeks
starting 04/01.
At the expiration of the contract, a lump sum of $1000 will be payable to be
considered a bonus.
All gifts, monetary gifts, other remuneration, and securities received by the
employee from the employer or his or her family must be considered gifts, thus
having no impact on the compensation listed above.

3) All work-related expenses incurred during working hours will be paid by the
employer. Outside of working hours, only receipts directly connected to work
will be paid. Travel to the work place before contract start will not be paid.
Expenses for clothing will not be paid by the employer, nor will dry cleaning of
the same. The only cases where this is done, is in connection with accidents
covered by insurance.
Documents required for work, such as visas, residence/work permits, licenses,
42
 and weapons permits will be paid by the employer.

4) The employee is responsible for insuring his or her own person for work, but is
not obligated to insure the employer or his or her own person against
kidnapping/ransom, as this is done by the employer. Furthermore, the employee
is insured against accidents by the employer.
No regular health insurance or similar benefits are provided by the employer.

5) Prior to starting work, the employee must undergo a complete medical checkup
at the employers expense and with a physician selected by the employer. If, in
connection with the examination, it is found that the employee does not have the
required physical condition to do the work, the contract will be cancelled.

6) If the employee does not fulfill EVERY obligation according to the job
description (appendix 1), the contract is cancelled, and the employee may be
charged an amount of money equivalent to the hiring expenses borne by the
employer in connection with hiring a substitute.

7) The employee must ALWAYS follow the laws in the countries where the
employer is located. If the employee is arrested or otherwise detained because of
illegalities in any country, the contract will be canceled. Thus, any expenses for
legal assistance are not provided!
However, in case of charges resulting from self-defense or the like, exceptions
may be made to this rule.

8) At any time during the employment, the employee may be required to test for
alcohol and/or drugs. If the employee refuses to take such a test, it will be
considered dereliction of duty, the contract will be canceled, and the employee
may be charged an amount of money equivalent to the hiring expenses borne by
the employer in connection with hiring a substitute. If the test is taken and it is
proven that the employee has been consuming alcohol and/or drugs, the contract
is canceled, and the employee may be charged an amount of money equivalent
to the hiring expenses borne by the employer in connection with hiring a
substitute.

9) The employee is bound by confidentiality, and any breach will invalidate the
contract. All information acquired by the employee about the employer and his
or her family, company, or acquaintances should be considered confidential and
is not to be discussed with any third party.
Breach of confidentiality will always end with legal action.

10) Anything additional:

43
 a) The employee reserves the right to resign with immediate effect if the
employer does anything illegal under the law of the relevant country.

b) The employee does not want to work with inexperienced security personnel
without a recognized diploma from one of the following providers: PBA,
IBA, WFB, EPI, ESI, VANCE-Sec. or Reboot Sec.

_____________________ D. 03/01-2013 _____________________

Employer Employee

EXAMPLE NOT SUITABLE FOR COPYING!

___________________________________________________________________

For good measure, retain an attorney to prepare/review your contract if possible.

Reading a contract can be clear as mud, so the money is well spent.

44
 LETTERS OF REFERENCE

In spite of considerable professional knowledge, many dont make it in the business,

because they have no references. If you are going to seek work internationally,
references are very important. References come in form of diplomas, hiring
contracts, evaluations, a phone number for the right person in a big company, and
in several other ways.

As the leader of a company, I have experienced people fabricating information and

making copies of copies in an effort to change data in documents in the process.
When stuff like that is discovered, you will find it VERY hard to work in this
business again! Those who are established in the field know each other and ask each
others advice even about hiring individuals.

Aside from being a great example of networking, the following letter is also an
example of a good letter of reference.
Notice that it says: A. that the job was done well, B. that the job was done abroad
(Artie is American), C. the date the work was done, and D. that future collaboration
is a possibility.

________________________________________________________________

05/15/2002 3:25 pm
Company name
Number and street name
Area
State and zip
Country

Attention: Arthur Belovin

Our Company profile

Dear Mr. Belovin,

45
As we have spoken about a cooperation of some sort, it would be beneficial for you
to know a little about www.exclusivesecurity.dk.

Therefore, I am sending you a copy of our company profile for future reference,
with the hope that you find it informative.

If you have additional questions, please contact me by cell: 0045-2636 2200 or e-

mail: hb@exclusivesecurity.dk

Also, once again, I would like to express my compliments on a job well done in
France on May 5th to 11th, and I am sure we will be contacting ProtectAstar again for
future contracts.

Best regards,

Exclusivesecurity.dk

Henrik Bramsborg
Managing Director
___________________________________________________________________

This is obviously just one example, and there are other ways of doing it, but you
definitely cant go wrong with the above. By now, I have quite a few letters of
reference, even though I dont collect them personally since Ive been lucky
from the beginning, but I always remember to send them to my employees and
people I work with. That way we help each other improve our chances for
getting work in the future. For employers a single letter of reference does not
guarantee anything, so employers should still check the reference, for instance
by calling the signer of the letter.

The following 2 pages are transcripts of real letters of reference from former clients.
In the first case, the client asked me to write one myself, which the client then
approved and signed.

46
RECOMMENDATION

Be it hereby confirmed that Henrik Bramsborg has worked as a bodyguard for

Annette Poulsen on 3/11/2003.

The assignment was handled professionally and to my satisfaction.

Subsequently, Annette has indicated that she never before felt so safe in this type of
situation. She could focus entirely on her daughter with no consideration for the
danger associated with the meeting.

It can be noted that the assignment was completed without any problems.
Sincerely,
JL
Vice president
-

RECOMMENDATION
From XX/XX/XX to XX/XX/XX, the undersigned needed a personal bodyguard and
can heartily recommend Henrik Bramsborg, since his presence everywhere, both
privately and at meetings, was barely noticeable.

I appreciate the bodyguards discreet and polite demeanor, and I felt 100% safe.

BJ
President
-

RECOMMENDATION
With this, I would like to give Henrik Bramsborg my best recommendation in his
role as bodyguard.
On XXXXXX, I needed the protection of private bodyguards.

From the moment he picked me up at a girlfriends place, Henrik was a rock of

security and calm. He was alert and calmed me down several times, giving me
advice about how best to handle the situation myself. The way he handled my ex
was satisfactory as well, and there was never an opening for my ex to get in contact
with me. Henrik radiated an authority and calm that assured me that the entire
situation was under control and that I was not in danger.

47
He also told me what kind of behavior I can expect on the part of my ex, and time
has shown that he knows what hes talking about.

If I ever need bodyguards again, I would ask to have Henrik as one of the
bodyguards.
Sincerely
ES
-

ABOUT Rent-a-bodyguard.dk

Be it hereby confirmed that from 5/2/2006 to 5/7/2006, the undersigned employed 2

bodyguards hired through rent-a-bodyguard.dk.

Both bodyguards (Lars and Kevin) made a great professional impression,

appearing authoritative with a discreet presence.

I will definitely rebook both of them, should the need arise.

Sincerely,

Lasse Eriksen
President

I have several statements of reference posted to LinkedIn and Facebook (with

permission), since quite a few clients check these two places before contacting me.

48
With Danish celebrity Rigmor Zobel With high-end jeweler Torben Hansen

With the late Mr. Robin Gibb (BeeGees) in Monte Carlo

49
 At a movie production in London

With HRH Princess Benedikte at a fashion show

Flying the diamond-dog to Zrich in a rental jet

50
 THREAT LEVELS

I wont turn this book into a dissertation, since there is plenty of reading material
available about the assignment of threat levels and risk analysis (to be perfectly
honest, Ive written about it myself, making it bad for business to cover the subject
here!)

In this business, the overarching threat description usually looks like this:

High risk
Medium risk
Low risk

But there are no fixed rules for defining the individual levels! This simply
depends on your education. Therefore, once you have learned one way of doing
things, you should explore alternative methods, so you avoid misunderstandings
when planning major assignments involving several bodyguards, trained in various
places.

More generally, you might say that an assessment must be made for each individual
assignment to determine how dangerous it is. This must be done based on
information provided by the client, the clients professional and social circles or
family, possibly the press, the internet, and other sources and static materials.

For most of my assignments, the threat has been of a private nature - a former
spouse or a family member wanting to harm my client.

For other assignments, the threat is professional in nature.

This is when my clients have expressed some opinions that might offend other
people, are known from the media, or have simply been employed in a company
with enemies/opponents.

The threat is often distant, but dont let that make you complacent as a bodyguard,
since there are more enemies than the ones you can see with the naked eye.

You most definitely should take regular crime into consideration as well when doing
a threat assessment. Preferably, a client who wants to stay at a cheap, anonymous
hotel abroad should not be accommodated in a ghetto where the murder statistics
are high. This is why local knowledge is important and should be utilized when
preparing for an assignment.

51
It is important that you consider the geographical aspect, even in your assessments,
since mother nature can be a formidable foe as well.

You may have an entire army at your disposition, but if your client freezes to death
or dies of thirst, all those warriors arent much use, are they?

When the incident happened on 09/11/2001, the world was shocked and as far as
threat assessment goes, in one fell swoop, it became a much greater science than
many bodyguards had ever imagined. Now, the threat assessment is suddenly far
more extensive and complex, as various buildings and areas must be categorized
according to the relative likelihood that the place becomes a randomly selected
terror target!
But, wait thats what everyone should have been doing all along! Thats very
possible, but few actually spent any time doing it.

Now that youve been reading this book for a while, I assume you are interested, so here is
a little exercise: A Dutch politician is shot. It happened outside of a TV station after a live
show. The man is right-wing, homosexual, and known for his lavish lifestyle. How would
you have prevented it? What advice would you have given him?

Kidnapping is a popular fundraiser for terrorists in South America

Photo: ESSI

More about risk assessments:

http://www.scribd.com/hbramsborg

52
 BOOK LIST

The following books have been very helpful over the course of my career:
TITLE AUTHOR PUBLISHER % RELEVANCY
The Bodyguard M J Tombs Prof. Bodyguard 75%
Training Manual Assoc.
Basic Bodyguarding Craig Pedersen Lulu.com 90%
Skills
Close Protection Richard Aitch Cpbook.co.uk 90%
Providing Executive Richard Kobetz Exec. Protection 80%
Protection II institute
The Modern Peter Amazon 80%
Bodyguard Const
erdin
e
Prime Target Dr. B. Danto Amazon.com 70%
Bodyguarding: A B. Rapp/T. Loompanics 60%
Complete Manual Lesce
Hotel Security Harry Smith Amazon.com 60%
Protection Officer IFPO IFPO 40%
Training Manual
Security Supervisor IFPO IFPO 50%
Training Man
Secrets of Surveillance ACM IV Sec. Paladin press 50%
Covert Surveillance Bill Moran Paladin press 30%
Shadowing and Burt Rapp Loompanics 60%
Surveillance
Executive Security & Tony Scotti Securitydriver.com 80%
Int. Terrorism
The New Executive M J Braunig Amazon 90%
Protection Bible

It should be noted that several are obsolete, since the job and its functions change
over time, making books with higher percentages more useful than those with the
lowest.

53
In addition to the non-fiction books mentioned, it is advisable to read about
management. This is a huge topic, but I would recommend these books to
beginners:

TITLE AUTHOR Pub./Dealer % RELEVANCY

Leadership from Peter Urs Bender Amazon 60%
within
The Brainsmart Buzan, Israel and Amazon 60%
Leader Dottino
Never be lied to Dr. J. Lieberman Amazon 70%
again
Reading people Dimitrius & Amazon 75%
Mazzarella
Top Team Dennis C. Kinlaw Amazon 60%

There are also tons of resources in the various organizations. I have been a member
of several different organizations, but have chosen to leave when it became evident
that they served no other purpose than enriching the founder/board of the
organization. Even so, I want to recommend that you choose to join some
organization and try to network with the other members. After all, the members
get each other work, not the organization.

If you happen to be a member of a bodyguard organization somewhere, and

youre not sure of the professionalism of the organization, then ask them three
things. 1. Ask if they have any copies of contracts laying around that you can use as
drafts. 2. Ask if they can provide you with assistance in a foreign country. 3. And
ask if they can help you with an education plan. If the organization cant help you
with some of these things, its worthless!

At the time of this writing, January 2016, I am the national director in Denmark for
IACPO and a member of both American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) and
ISDA. The first 2 are strictly network-oriented and the last is mainly for educational
purposes.

One free place to get tons of information about relevant topics connected with
bodyguarding is various articles. Articles are frequently a better source of
information than the manuals that are available in the market. The writers know that
articles are read by many professional, experienced bodyguards. Therefore, they are
subject to more objective reading than a bodyguard manual. The target group for
bodyguard manuals are newbies in the security industry, and it stands to reason that
54
newbies are less critical readers. I regularly do an article tour on the web, and I
subscribe to a number of newsletters in order to stay current.

55
 MISCELLANEOUS TIPS

The following chapter contains many tips I have written down along the way, when
I have made mistakes (maybe thats why its the longest chapter in the book?).
Other tips have been supplied by my colleagues and are from summaries of
conversations in which I participated.

A clients point of view:

After working for Christine R.-F. Y. (Name abbreviated in the interest of protecting
Christines privacy!) on a few occasions, I was sitting with her, Andy Hollinson, and
Peter Van Dartel in a restaurant in Italy. Since 3/4 of the party consisted of security
personnel, quite a few of the conversations were naturally about security.

At one point, the conversation turned to future collaboration, and Christine

mentioned that she most definitely intended to use the same people again (us)
regardless of the cost!
This statement prompted me to ask, why? I mean, why not use people that may be
10-20% cheaper, but are just as good?

The answer is every bit as obvious as it is rare, and I have asked Christine to
elaborate on her motivation, since all future bodyguards can learn a little from this
wise woman.

Christine:

You are a talented team, you know your stuff, and you dont enter into dialogue for
no reason. But even more importantly, we know each others moods! When I am
cranky or stressed, you give me space to be that way without getting irritated or
otherwise affected by it. Furthermore, our discussions always reflect a real
situation, rather than a threat assessment, which never materializes or becomes
too hysterical. That is to say, there is room for humanity and professionalism
without anything bogus. This is why Im more than happy to pay for someone I
know 100% trust, both ways!

So, for Christine the price is less important, because she felt safe and well-treated.
This is probably due to the constellation of bodyguards working together being able
to collaborate at a high level of stress without it affecting them visibly. When one
was getting burned out, another would step up and take charge and make decisions.
This requires all members to be able to function as leaders and make rational, safe
decisions. Thats a product of long and hard training combined with book
knowledge.

56
Many production companies in the entertainment industry operate under the
assumption that a cheap bodyguard is just as good as another that fixes the price
according to the type and scope of the job! This makes people like the paparazzi
ecstatic, since they have an easier path to access the private lives of the stars.

On the wrong side of the law, people are probably equally satisfied, since its quite a
bit easier to attack and kidnap a person surrounded by relatively inexperienced
security personnel. In one case, I heard of people being paid 12 an hour ($15) for a
job! What are the chances that a person is well-trained and able to analyze a
particular situation, quickly recognize a possible threat, not to mention willing to
sacrifice his health for a client paying 12 an hour?

I have thought long and hard about this and discussed it with several people, among
others with a lead figure in a British rock band, who used a named British firm -
they are okay and cheap. I have also discussed the topic with a member of a
world-renowned Danish pop band and their tour manager. This took place in the
early morning hours at a hotel in Monaco in the spring of 2001, and the night had
been long and wet, but the conversation went as follows: We discussed why they
(the Danish pop band) chose to use a Brit as their bodyguard. The simple answer
was that it was cheaper. Then I said that price, quality and service must go hand in
hand, to which the singer replied that Danish security professionals needed to lower
their prices a little or, alternatively, offer an introductory special for an initial
period, so the band could see if the bodyguard was good or bad at his job. This is
where the conversation stopped, but now, 15 years later, it still makes me wonder:
Do you do that as a pop singer? Lower the price of your albums until youve
proven your worth? Are Danish security professionals just too expensive seen from
an international standpoint? Regardless, that particular pop band had a talented
British bodyguard (Graham) working for them at a cost of about $30 an hour (I
dont know if he was part of a company or hired privately).

I dont want to reveal my price, so let me just say that I only work as a bodyguard
for that kind of money if I know the client cant afford more, but really needs help.
Conversely, the example above is probably illustrative of the fact that people who
wont pay the price have little need for real security. In that case, security personnel
in Denmark have to lower their prices, regardless of education, at least if the client
is in the entertainment industry. Supply and demand, plain and simple...

57
TIP!

Payment:
When working for companies you may want to suggest that they pay you in whole
or in part in stocks or stock options, if this is a possibility. In tax-heavy countries,
this will give you a better turnover.

TIP!

Payment:
When you finally get paid, you need to save up. You can go a year or two without a
contract before getting a contract that pays you 10,000 a month for 6 months. It is
tempting to blow all the money at once, but believe me you will need every penny
when your contract expires, making frugality and moderation a sensible plan.

TIP!

Work and demeanor:

Make sure you get along with everyone in the company, regardless of status, even
travel managers and secretaries. They may be asked for their input, for which reason
they may have a lot of influence when it comes to hiring and firing both part-time
and full-time employees. Make sure you treat people decently in general! - "Do
onto others, as you would have them do onto you"

TIP!

Protection:
After starting in the business, spend some of your money on a bullet and stab proof
vest preferably a vest with the option of inserting a trauma plate (extra protective
plate, often made from ceramics or synthetic material!)
The vest cannot take up too much space, since it needs to be wearable under a suit
or shirt without being overly visible. It should also be light and comfortable, since it
may need to be worn for a long time. And even though its uncomfortable USE
IT!
Remember it is hard to protect others if you, yourself, are riddled with bullets!

TIP!

Literature:
As far as knowledge and wisdom, its been said that you can learn a lot about a
person by seeing what is on the persons book shelf.
I dont know if thats true, but Ive discovered that Im becoming more and more
interested in book knowledge with every passing year.
58
The more I have worked with people, the more Ive wanted to learn. Today, I own a
fortune worth of books and a considerable number of the books are non-fiction.
Since this book is about security, most would probably venture a guess that the
majority of the books are about this topic, but they arent.

Obviously, I have several books about the topic of bodyguarding, and I also have
books about hotel security, counter-surveillance, data security, terrorism, regular
residential security and general guard duty. But most of my books are books about
management/leadership!

This is mostly because you have to speak quite a bit with business leaders,
executive secretaries, and diplomats when you are employed in bodyguarding. In
order to understand the differences between the security-oriented environment and
the executive environment, one of the parties has to approach the other, and you can
hardly expect a client to start studying security in order to better understand the
provider, although it does happen.

In addition to management books, I have books about psychology, politics,

biographies, and history. All boring stuff for a young person who thinks being a
bodyguard would be wicked awesome, but even so, a lot of this material is, if not
critical, at least a part of making being a professional bodyguard easier.

TIP!

Cash on the job:

It is very important to have cash on hand. Your client may ask you without prior
notice to pay a bill, and not every place accepts Visa, MasterCard, or American
Express.
In fact, in many countries cab drivers accept nothing but cash, especially from
foreigners.

I was also at a very exclusive nightclub once, where I found myself without any
more cash! For this reason, I tried to take out money on my credit card, but all I got
was a flippant reply and a condescending look from the waiter!

Its a little embarrassing, having to tell your client that you cant afford cab fare
home!
Credit cards also have the disadvantage that their use can be traced! So if you
dont want to be found, thats important information!

59
 Rehearsals are no fun in 90-degree weather, but theyre necessary!

TIP!

Talking about the competition:

You often see colleagues standing around talking while they wait for their clients to
finish a meeting or a lunch. Naturally, the conversation turns to other bodyguards or
security companies, and unfortunately, very often it turns to unfortunate experiences
with the same. For heavens sake, stop speaking ill of the competition! You may
speak negatively about an experience you had, but one experience is not sufficient
basis for judging a person or a company. I have personally been the object of quite a
bit of gossip from my competition over the years. That has given me plenty of gray
hairs, since I always try to conduct myself as a decent human being. But today, I
only have one thing to say to all the gossip: You just keep talking. Ill be over here
reading my books!

That being said, it obviously bears emphasizing that if an experience with a person
or a company has been so bad that it made you or your client look bad or even put
you in direct danger, the natural thing is to warn others against that persons or that
companys lack of knowledge, aforethought, and experience.

But generally speaking dont speak ill of others. There is also the consideration
that if your client walks by and hears you speaking ill of others, he may mistakenly
60
think you talk behind his back as well, which isnt exactly conducive to your future
success.

If a colleague asks or starts a hate speech about a person, during which he asks
your opinion, you can always say:

Ive learned that if I dont have anything good to say, then say nothing at all! And
thats what Im going to do!!
That way you have affirmed what he is saying, while also telling him that he
shouldnt keep talking behind the backs of others in your presence.

TIP!

Sewing Velcro on suits:

Some of the older bodyguard manuals recommend that you have Velcro sewn into
your suits and have the buttons sewn down onto the buttonholes, so you can use the
Velcro to close the jacket, rather than using the buttons. The reasoning is that you
should be able to tear open your jacket as quickly as possible to get your weapon for
defense. Afterwards, you can close your jacket again and look like a million
bucks!?! Destroying a suit that cost somewhere between $500 and $1500 is insane!

The way I look at it, the reasoning is a little ridiculous. If a situation develops into a
crisis with shooting and the works, youre more than happy to tear off your buttons,
and there is NO ONE who will demand that you look like a million bucks
afterwards, because 10 out of 10 times, you are on your way away from the threat
with your client, on your way to questioning by the police, or busy bleeding all over
your suit!

I have chosen to have my buttons resewn with a very thin thread, so they are
relatively easy to tear off and wont ruin the fabric. I refuse to use Velcro, as you
often wear your jacket open, and everyone whos tried knows that Velcro ruins your
tie and/or vest.

TIP!

Hotel stays:
When staying in hotels, you need to contact their security manager and explain who
you are, who your client is, and which threat level applies. After that, you can ask
politely if the security manager would show you the hotel. During the tour, you
need to at least note the locations of firefighting equipment, emergency exits, and
alternative escape routes.
If possible, explain that you dont want people to know that you are there with your
client.
61
You may try to call from an outside telephone and ask for your client without
indicating a room number.

If you receive confirmation that your client is staying at the hotel, go ahead and
report it to the security manager. Make it clear that if it happens again, your client
will be moving immediately.

You may want to ask if they have written procedures, and if they dont, suggest that
such procedures be developed.

Weapons are a necessary tool

TIP!

Travel abroad and weapons:

As a basic rule, bodyguards always obey the law of the countries where they are
working. There are moral and ethical reasons, but also a practical one: no
bodyguard can make a living in prison! If you need to be armed in a country with an
extreme threat level, it would be advisable to apply for a permit first. If you dont
receive one, it is quite easy to buy weapons on the black market in the vast majority
of countries. In the northern part of Africa, there are a fair amount of old British and
German weapons. In the old eastern bloc countries, there are mostly 9 mm Makarov
and CZ 75 pistols or licensed copies, and in southern Europe, there are lots of
Italian small arms in circulation.
62
Its a little harder with the larger weapons. Heckler & Koch have flooded the market
with their old G3, and the Kalashnikov factories have done the same with their
AK47/AKM.

However, if, as recommended, you want to obey the law (and if the threat level
justifies it), you may choose to settle for a melee weapon. Knives are available in
every country and are legal to carry in most. Their use is limited, but they are
terrific as surprise weapons at close range.

In some countries, you can also hire local bodyguards holding weapons permits,
which I recommend only in absolute crisis situations, since you rarely know what
kind of training they have, wherefore they risk accidentally shooting your client or
mowing down innocents during a shooting episodes! Both large and small
companies have a hard time keeping up their staffs weapons training and mental
training.

TIP!

Outside assistance:
For certain assignments, you need help. Realizing this in a timely fashion is a
significant factor for the successful outcome of the assignment. Therefore, you
should always use police assistance when needed. This applies abroad as well. The
police are more than willing to help if it is a serious matter, but it is a prerequisite
that you dont cry wolf too many times. For larger jobs at home, there are times
when you may want to tell the police whom you are guarding, when you are doing
it, and the scope of the assignment.

TIP!

Driving and vehicle transportation:

Keep your distance! When stopping, keep 5 to 10 feet from the car in front of you.
If possible, place yourself where you can evade an attack by turning and driving off.
Take driving courses regularly update your driving skills. When possible,
commission a professional security driver instead of driving yourself.

TIP!

Reference check:
I previously mentioned a job where I was perimeter security on the ferry Zealand.

63
On that particular job, we were 11 Danes. Of those 11 Danes, 2 of us were
experienced bodyguards and only 1 had been trained in bodyguarding and counter-
surveillance.

Even so, the client had been told that all 11 were experienced guards/bodyguards,
and the services were sold at an hourly price exceeding $50 per person (1998
prices)! Maybe this could be expected from a small amateurish startup company,
but in this case the company was one of the worlds largest security companies.

Here, I must admit that on a different occasion, when I was talking to one of the
Germans, I made a big deal out of telling him that he had been taken to the
cleaners.

This kind of lackadaisical handling of peoples lives is wholly unacceptable! The

CEO we were tasked with helping protect had received death threats at one point. In
a worst-case scenario, people could have become badly injured, and for what?

Because of MONEY!

Plenty of security firms deliver bodyguards, but I implore every

employer/client/customer: Check their references for crying out loud! few security
firms have more than 4-6 men with education and experience in bodyguarding! -
And if you choose a large company, ask them to show rsums for their bodyguards,
including reference points. Dont trust the security firms to check the references.
Frequently, they dont have the time! You only spot the consequences of using
amateurs instead of professionals to guard a VIP when a terrorist, an assailant, or a
mentally ill person picks your particular VIP as his next victim.

I dont know the procedures in the rest of the world, but I can say that in quite a few
companies in England, Germany, France, and Canada have fixed procedures for
reference checking. In Scandinavia, security companies are generally poor at
checking their staff, so if you choose security companies from Scandinavia, you
have good reason to be particularly careful with background checking the
bodyguards!

For the individual person getting ready for your first bodyguard job Be honest.
Tell them its your first job, and for that same reason, ask for a little less
compensation. That way you have shown that you are honest and that you are aware
of the market value for new versus experienced staff.

This is also meant as a suggestion to the security companies: train your people and
check the references of new employees You can make good money on honesty
and well-trained staff.
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TIP!

Contacts/training/networking:
After taking a course and discovering that you cant find work as a bodyguard,
because you are new to the industry, try to get an unpaid assignment or two with
some established bodyguards, perhaps working for charity. That way you gain
experience, and you might get lucky and get some contacts.

TIP!

Breakfast = Sleep:
If you get a customer/client who goes clubbing a lot and who is in the habit of
keeping the party going well into the morning with no concern for the rest of the
activities of the day, then read this: At some point preferably during the morning
hours your client will probably get hungry. Make arrangements with the kitchen
or your hotel to serve food when you return. When your client gets hungry and asks
about places to eat, tell him or her that there probably isnt any place open, but that
youve arranged for food back home / at the hotel. This tells the client that you are
thoughtful, and in certain cases it can give you a little extra sleep.

TIP!

When traveling abroad:

Check the political conditions in the area before departure. Check the religious
conditions in the area before departure. Get a local calendar from the area with the
holidays listed before departure. Check the crime statistics for the area before
departure. When you realize that all of this isnt possible, then get as much
knowledge as possible about the place you are traveling to, and if necessary, use
local help to get information.

TIP!

Hygiene:
Your hygiene must be top notch at all times! Nobody wants to work with a
bodyguard who smells or is wearing dirty clothes! If you smoke, then stop. At
least while youre working. The smell of smoke stays in your clothing, and smokers
can have concentration problems because of nicotine cravings / smoking urges.

TIP!

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Education/instructors
I have e-mailed and talked to many bodyguard instructors who, by and large,
didnt know the difference between night and day. These instructors are amazingly
well-spoken, but unfortunately, when asked directly, they couldnt provide concrete
examples of assignments they had completed in private service. As far as it goes,
there is nothing wrong with that, but the truth should be told. For everyone who e-
mails or talks to instructors, keep this in mind:

A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a
good man because he is a good talker.
- Chuang Tze

Check your instructors skills before choosing a course!

Many TIPS:

I have interviewed and sent questions to a few colleagues from different countries in
order to answer as many questions in this book as I possibly can. The respondents
are all experienced bodyguards, and I have been lucky enough to work with them on
more than one occasion.
Some of the answers arent necessarily important to you, but read them anyway,
because there are some nuggets among them.

66
Andy Hollinson is the founder and president of Response Security Solutions ltd.
The company is located in Kent in England, has upwards of 70 employees, of which
the majority are part time. The company has an annual revenue of 1.15 million
dollars.

In addition to the managerial duties associated with the company, Andy is also in
charge of all bodyguarding under the companys auspices. The company has been
in charge of security for a number of major events in England and has participated
in large events in Germany, France, and Monaco.

? 1: What prompted you to consider a career in bodyguarding?

Andy: From the time I was very young, I was always attracted to modern
bodyguarding. It always seemed like a career I would enjoy. After having
seen various documentaries about the job and the training that was required,
I decided to take one of the most important courses. I sent in my first
application to a training establishment when I was as young as 16. As you
probably guessed, I was turned down, so on my 18 th birthday I sent in
another one and was accepted.

? 2: How do you measure the qualifications of your employees and based on

which criteria do you select them?
Andy: I measure their qualifications by observing them in work situations. If I
pick up on too many little missteps, I wont work with them! Therefore, I
cant expect others to work with them either, and consequently, they dont
work for me very long. Right now, I am working with a fixed team and Im
lucky enough to have found a solid staff that I believe I can trust 100%.

? 3: Is there a school or organization you prefer for your applicants to come

from?
Andy: Since we train people ourselves from outside, my answer will be fairly
subjective. But I have heard that Task International is okay too.

? 4: In your opinion, is past experience with the police, the military, or

governmental security always an advantage?
Andy: In my opinion, it can be a relatively significant disadvantage. In most cases,
people I have worked with whove had a military background, have had a
penchant for being immortal (insert words here that shouldnt be
repeated...!), and over-confident personalities have no place among my staff.
As far as former police officers go, it probably depends on the land theyre
from. The police here in England doesnt learn much thats relevant to a
bodyguard.

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? 5: Which is the best specialization to choose, if you want a contract today
(2013)?
Andy: Based on my own experienced, I have discovered that many employers focus
a lot on which first aid or nursing courses, you have taken. Personally, I
prefer to look more generally at qualifications that can help prevent injury,
so first aid wont be necessary at all. To each his own.

? 6: And same question, but for the next 10 years?

Andy: When I look at todays market and have to guess about the future, I would
think that multi-lingual bodyguards will do well form here on out. Especially
in Europa, since the common market makes way for new markets with a
more flexible workforce across borders.

? 7: Do you believe that terror techniques and surveillance recognition are

equally important sciences for a bodyguard?
Andy: Yes, I do. Without these sciences, I cant work as a bodyguard. At least not
internationally. There may be regional differences as to the importance of
those subjects, but still

? 8: Why do so many in the industry never get a job in spite of spending

many hundreds of dollars on courses?
Andy: There are too many amateurs who are lucky enough to get contracts at the
expense of the professionals or at the expense of the newly educated who are
actually qualified for lighter assignments. There is a need for regulations
that can separate the Kevin Costner types from the real security
professionals.
Another reason is that the schools training the young people dont tell them
how demanding it really is. Besides, the instructors dont tell you how to
proceed after the course. Because by then, the student has already paid!

? 9: Should business planning and networking be part of the actual education

the way it is in places like the big schools in the United States?
Andy: Networking is almost everything in this industry. Without a network, you get
nowhere. The upside is that networking doesnt cost anything. 95% of all
jobs come from networking with other bodyguards. Thats how I met you,
among others!

Here is the surprise, then: Andy started Response Security Solutions (then called
Reboot Security) at the age of 19, and today he is 38 years old and more
experienced than most.
68
Andy has started up two new companies concurrently.
.Andy with the British model Caprice

Photo: Reboot Security Ltd.

Peter Van Dartel is from Holland and is also a bodyguard, but does freelance work.
Peters background is hard to figure out. I was at a party he held in 2001, where I
met a bodyguard instructor from the Dutch police, among others. In addition, Ive
discovered that Peter knows people in various military units all over the world. In
other words, he travels a lot and he is good at developing contacts.

? 1: What made you consider a career in bodyguarding?

Peter: In 1995, I was working in a German finance company in Holland. All top
leaders had bodyguards, and it was interesting to see how they worked.
Then, in 1998, I saw a documentary on TV about a bodyguard school in
England. Since I thought it was exciting, and since I was tired of the job I
had anyway, I took a few courses. They were tough and good, but afterwards
I was disappointed in how little the school followed up on the education /
their students.

? 2: Did you tell your family and your friends about the decision, and if you
did what kind of reaction did you get?
Peter: Yes, I did. The reactions were rather mixed. Some were impressed and
thought it was way cool. Others, among them my dad, thought it was stupid
to throw away a good job as a financial advisor for something so violent
and unreliable as a career in bodyguarding. But the reactions are rooted in
bias. Those people dont understand that there is so much more to the job
than just looking menacing. On the contrary, people skills are a huge
advantage, and the broader your education, the better your chances of
finding work.

69
? 3: Has it had any impact on your social life that you work as a bodyguard?
Peter: Yes, very much so! my level of alertness has been sharpened markedly by
this industry. That can be a problem right after completing a job, when you
need to unwind, but in my daily life, its actually an advantage. Where I used
to pay very little attention, my senses are now far more effective, even in
mundane situations.

? 4: What is the best thing about being in this industry?

Peter: Traveling and working with people from many different countries and
cultures. It holds a permanent challenge that you need to anticipate
problems and plan according to what you anticipate.

? 5: What is the worst thing about being in this industry?

Peter: The fact that you sometimes work with or for ignorant clowns that dont give
a flying fart about their surroundings and behave irresponsibly without
considering the consequences. These people put both themselves and others
in dangerous situations. It isnt too exciting to work with know-it-all
bodyguards! Remember this: People with very little experience can learn a
lot from the more experienced guys, but it may be that the more experienced
guards could learn quite a bit from the less experienced guys. A pair of fresh
eyes can make a big difference, and those bodyguards that took a course 10
years ago dont necessarily have the same tools as a new bodyguard
today.

? 6: What has your education/training cost you over the years?

Peter: I havent kept track of that at all. I suppose my courses have cost $4000-
6000, but if you add in the rest of the training, its a huge sum of money.

? 7: How much time have you spent on training?

Peter: Again, I havent kept track. Its a work in progress. You never stop training.
It could be training of sensory, physical, or social skills. You are always
learning, and a number of things you learn in the day-to-day can probably
be stored as useful bits that can also be used for security purposes, so its an
impossible question to answer.

? 8: Do you believe that youre a good bodyguard?

Peter: Why, of course (he-he... chuckles as he answers). Seriously, if you dont think
youre good, you should stay away from this industry. Thats not to say that
you cant learn more, but self-confidence and self-criticism should go hand-
in-hand. I am very good at anticipating and assessing situations, and my
reaction to physical problems is, when possible, to run like the wind with
my client under one arm, obviously! So yes, Im good.

70
Today (2013), Peter is working as a teacher in economics and as an NLP coach,
when he is between bodyguard contracts.

Peter with actor Daniel McVicar

Carl Johan Schultz is a former soldier, freelance bodyguard, and he is studying to

be a physical therapist. In addition, he is an elite Muay Thai fighter with medals
from both EM and VM, as well as 3 Danish championship titles. Carl Johan has the
following observations for newbies:

1. It is important to understand and accept the risks that come with the job,
regardless of the size of the job. You have to be settled and focused, since it
diminishes the quality of your product if you arent. Not only do you put yourself in
potentially greater danger, you also reduce the security for companions, guests, etc.
So be focused, be passionate about what youre doing, since without it you wont
perform adequately when it counts, always keep your responsibility in mind, not just
to yourself, but also to your client.

2. Make sure youre prepared for every assignment. Always think out various
scenarios. Make sure there is good communication between you and your
colleague(s), so you can perform as well and as quickly as possible when it counts
since in stressed and acute situations, you dont have the time!

3. Keep in shape, even when youre not working! Its a hard and demanding job,
making it important that you keep your body physically active as well as keeping
mentally ready and prepared.

71
 Another Clients Point of View

Lone C. H. is co-owner of an unusually successful company. I happened to be hired

as a subcontractor to be a guard at a reception for the companys customers and
employees. When I arrived at the company, I was told that a former employee had
verbally threatened the company in general and therefore wasnt allowed on the
property. Later I was told by a private detective hired for a case involving the
former employee that the employee should be considered dangerous. There is no
elaboration on this!?

Prompted by nervous curiosity, I found out, by questioning both owners of the

company, the parents of one owners, and a couple of employees that the man we
needed to stop if we saw him was probably a psychopath. The indications for this
were as follows:

He was described by several people as having extreme mood swings

He had difficulty showing emotion or did so abnormally
He would call to check on the doings of his friends (obsessively controlling!)
He was described as very vain, very preoccupied with his looks
On several occasions, he had told stories of violence featuring himself
(the story cannot be confirmed by witnesses or otherwise!)
On at least one occasion, he had told a story about amazingly good luck
(the story cannot be confirmed by witnesses or otherwise!)
He called and threatened the owners of the company directly
He had had difficulties fitting in socially in several jobs
He had threatened former supervisors in at least one other job
He openly talked/bragged about a shady circle of friends
(the story cannot be confirmed by witnesses or otherwise!)
He had maladaptive behaviors manifested in loss of control
(During a meeting at an attorneys office, he repeatedly left the office,
slamming the door behind him, only to return a short time later. He placed
his legs on a table in the front office on the same occasion. On another
occasion, he was observed yelling at a legal secretary.)
In cases of simple disputes, he tried to lie his way out of trouble. If the lies
were discovered, he tried to cover the lies with new lies. Another variation
was the remark, Oh, you/I must have misunderstood

And a few other minor details. For example, he was thought to have been spotted
lurking around Lones residence on several occasions. In other words, quite the
charmer! Based on the above, I could guess that he had either been institutionalized
72
as a child (this was confirmed subsequently!) or had experienced insufficient
bonding as a child. Furthermore, it was likely that one person in the company had
been emotionally involved with the man, since people that are neglected as children
often attach themselves firmly to one certain person, only to hang on like a tick.
When asked, Lone said that she had been a personal friend of this person, and that
she had known him upwards of 6 years.

Thus, Lone was his friend, creating the likelihood of a successful attempt at
contact. We now started to protect Lone 24 hours a day.

Immediately afterwards, the company started to receive phone calls where nothing
was said! Two days after we implemented protection, a new alarm was installed at
the residences of both of the owners of the company. The next day in the morning,
the alarm sounded at Lones, although it happened after she had left for work.
Nothing was removed from the apartment, and nothing was destroyed. At first
glance there was no sign of a break-in either. This is when Lone informed us that
the man had had free access to both her regular key and her extra key.

I could write an entire book about this case, but Ill just say that the case ended well
and leave it at that. After the case, I asked Lone if she would contribute to this book
by answering three questions. Lone said she would be happy to, and a summary of
her answers follows:

?: Whats the worst part of having a bodyguard?

!: Limited freedom! not being able to do what you want the way you usually do. I
constantly have to remember that there is a human being right next to me.

Interesting point of view, as this limitation is not just a security consideration but
also personal.

?: Whats the best part of having a bodyguard?

!: Feeling safe. Not having to be afraid all the time. The fear impacts every part of
my life, and feeling safe enables me to do things like go to work.

?: What are the main things new bodyguards should keep in mind?
!: Make sure the business side is in order. For instance, it is nice as a client to
receive an order confirmation and a security plan. By now, I have tried a small
company and a large company, and neither one of them remembered the order
confirmation! It is incredibly nice to get a rsum for the bodyguards thatll be
assigned to you, since youre placing your life in their hands. Furthermore, it is also
very nice to be able to see their backgrounds, since you have to be able to put up
with each other for an extended period. The best thing is if the bodyguard knows
what he is doing. Its not enough if hes just there. He also needs to know enough
73
about the various things, so if I, as a customer, become scared and start imagining
things, he can say: Well, it could be him, but it could also be
In other words, the bodyguard must be able to see things from every side, as well as
have the ability to reassure the client.

?: Is there anything the young guards should know as far as pricing?

!: I dont know about that, but future clients need to shop around. Dont just take the
first the best you can find. Paying for quality is definitely worth it.

74
 SUMMARY:
Here is a brief summary of the book:

1. Make sure you are ready, both physically and mentally, to take on the
responsibility of protecting others.
2. Determine which type of bodyguard you want to be.
3. Plan your educational process over perhaps two years
4. Develop a realistic budget based on the course prices you are quoted
by the schools and on your own calculations.
5. Start your educational process Read a lot. Knowledge is valuable.
6. Start by training the things that dont cost a fortune, for instance your
physical condition work hard. Laziness kills.
7. Develop and maintain a good, active network
8. Apply for lots of jobs they dont come to you.
9. Accept that you will experience plenty of rejection.
10. When you do get a job Do it well! You only get one chance!
11. When you do get a job give others the opportunity to participate.
They will reciprocate when they have a contract.
12. Always distance yourself from people with no morals and honor.
Sooner or later, they will get you into trouble.

The most important doctrines of the business:

Avoid confrontation
(plan and prepare)
When a situation escalates, remove the client
(instinct and common sense)
When confrontation is unavoidable, control the situation
(training and reflexes)

75
 THANK YOU!

I owe a debt of gratitude to all the people who have put up with me and my
incessant talk about security over the years. Im a real nerd when it comes to my
profession, I know - sorry!

There are many people I need to thank for the creation of this book, and if I leave
anyone out, I give them my unqualified apology I can be forgetful too.

Thank you to my mom. More than anyone, she taught me that you should follow
your goals. My mother was also, indirectly if not directly, the reason that my sense
of justice was developed to the point of my deciding to be a bodyguard.
Furthermore, she was an incredibly forgiving person. My mom died of cancer in the
summer of 2001, and part of the proceeds of this book will be donated to the Danish
Cancer Society to thank them for the help they provided during my moms illness.

Thank you to Andy Hollinson, Peter Van Dartel, and Artie Belovin from England,
Holland, and the United States, respectively. They have also helped with many ideas
for this book.

Thank you to Tony Scotti, who has been a great help and a great role model over the
years.

Thank you to Dr. Kobetz, Stephen Mastalerz, Sunil Ram, Andy, Lars, and Peter for
letting me use the pictures.

Thank you to my course participants and students: I am not perfect, but I am always
striving to get better. You help me do that.

And thank you to all those who have contributed to my knowledge in some small
way. Really, this book is just a small part of the knowledge I have been given by
colleagues, instructors, clients, and friends over the years.

Paradoxically, the book is also a product of all the questions I have been asked
about the topic throughout the years, making it a product of ignorance. Thank you
to all of you who have e-mailed or called me to ask: How do I become a
bodyguard?

76
 If there are readers who have questions about the content of the book or questions
about training, I can be contacted by e-mail: hb@exclusivesecurity.dk

Since I personally teach online at www.bodyguardskills.com and therefore cant be

objective, I dont answer questions regarding the quality of my colleagues
teaching!

And finally, a bit tongue-in-cheek, but a promise kept: If any of you readers find
yourselves anywhere near Monte Carlo looking for a bite to eat and some great
wine, I will recommend a caf on Rue Princesse Caroline called Le Dauphin Vert.
The place is run by Fredie, a friendly and sexy gal, who is the life of the party and
knows quite a bit about the town, so if you get into a scrape she can come in handy
as well.

77