Competencies a Close Protection Officer Should Have

?

Close Protection Officers (CPOs) play a vital role in ensuring the security of individuals who may be at risk due to their public profile, position, or personal circumstances. To ensure the safety and well-being of high-profile individuals in today’s evolving security landscape, CPOs must continuously adapt and develop their competencies. In the following, we will discuss essential skills that a CPO should possess to effectively safeguard their principals.

Surveillance: Surveillance is a fundamental skill of a CPO. It helps CPOs constantly observe and assess their surroundings. ?It is an essential weapon for finding out what is going on around them and any suspicious activity. It gives officers situational awareness and helps them respond quickly.

Route Reconnaissance: Raute Reconnaissance is a pre-close protection operation activity done by CPOs. It helps officers plan all possible alternative routes to ensure flexibility such as road closure, traffic congestion, a safe haven for taking shelter if an emergency arises, finding realistic travel time, possible threats such as high crime areas, an area where a recent security incident happened, etc.

Venue Reconnaissance: Venue reconnaissance is another pre-close protection activity where officers go to the venue and do an assessment. They find all the entry and exits, emergency exits, fire detection and protection systems, venue video surveillance system, and Parking security, and they practice evacuation exercises also. Based on the principal’s threat profile, CPOs reinforce the security system with the assistance of a local contact person.

Threat Assessment: Threat assessment is a very important competency of a CPO. Determining the threat that the principal might face in the venue, on the route, or while visiting any place is very important. The principal's nationality, religion, profession, geographic location, surrounding environment, and visiting area crime rate can be significant factors in determining the threat profile.

Unarm Combat: To make a defense between threat and principal Unarm combat such as Martial Arts or other techniques help CPOs control an attacker and safe the principal. So it is very important competency of the CPO.

Vehicle Search: Knowledge of vehicle search skills helps a CPO assess the principal vehicle and he/she can ensure a secure environment. They search before starting any movement.

Driving: Driving skills can be an added advantage. If the situation requires quick evacuation and the driver is not available CPO can drive the car or if the principal travels through the road and the driver feels any health emergency CPO can drive the car.

First Aid: CPOs First aid knowledge can save principals life so it is critical and important to know and learn this skill. It also increases principal confidence. First aid skills include CPR, AED, use of trauma kit, Burn treatment, Chocking treatment, Fracture and injury management etc.

Emergency Response: Emergency response is another very important competency. In case of any emergency CPOs should respond quickly and make sure principals evacuate from that area and take to a safe place. For emergency response, officers should have plans. They should know where the emergency exit is and all the entry and exits and safe zones of the area. Officers should do their practice on emergency responses.

Knowledge of Local Law: A close protection officer must know local laws. Without knowing them he/she may face a lawsuit because of not knowing them. Such as use of lethal or non-lethal weapons, use of force policy, arrest policy etc.

Situational Awareness: Situational Awareness is a core competence for CPOs. They should be aware of their surroundings which helps CPOs detect potential physical threat, suspicious movements or any threat development so CPOs can make quick response and ensure safe environment and neutralize the threat.

Teamwork: The success of Close protection operation depends on teamwork. The number of officers needed for a principal depends on the principal which CPOs are protecting, the threat profile, which area he/she is visiting, the political situation etc. So, it is very important that teamwork and understanding between CPOs must be strong and accurate. Everyone should understand their roles and responsibilities. Coordination meetings before operation with all parties involved improve teamwork.

Communication: Effective Close protection officers are required to maintain effective communication among the other members of the team (CPOs), Emergency command center, driver, local contact person, law enforcement agencies etc. From time-to-time Communication with the emergency command center will help CPOs get emergency response if needed and route updates, and contacts of nearest hospitals and police stations. Good communication with drivers will help CPOs get the vehicle ready when the principal is ready to move.

?

There is a saying “Close Protection is 99 percent is boredom and 1 percent is excitement”. CPOs should equipped themselves with the above close protection skillset for this one percent and make sure they can protect their principal.