Find a bodyguard

A bodyguard is a private security operative or government agent who is trained in safety techniques, crowd control and use of firearms, and who protects his client - usually a celebrity, politician or wealthy person - from assault, stalking or other type of physical harm or distress. There is a clear difference between the different types of role a bodyguard may be expected to perform, and the public perception of said roles. Most people are under the impression that the bodyguard is usually the guy who will throw himself in front of his client to protect them – this may be true for some bodyguards, but most bodyguards have more mundane roles.

In the next few paragraphs, we tell you how to find a bodyguard that fits your requirements. First we have to talk about why you may need a bodyguard.

Crowd Control

Bodyguards, or Executive Protection as they are known these days to avoid negative connotations that have come to be associated with the former word, fulfill the security needs of their clients. If you are a famous person, or have a client who is a famous person, you will need a bodyguard for personal security as much as for crowd control. Furthermore you may need not a single bodyguard, but a team of bodyguards, who will collaborate to make sure your safety is assured not just from stalkers, but also from crowds and other anonymous people.

Personal Security

If your requirements arise from a more real threat to your personal safety, you will need bodyguards who are trained not only in crowd control, but in the use of firearms, surveillance, IED detection, counter-sniper monitoring, electronic bug detection and other security precautions. Your threat assessment should tell you how much of a security is it that you need – depending on that you should employ a level of security that suits the threat perception. Some principals also employ bodyguards ho are part of the ancillary units who make backgrounds-checks or pre-search the facilities a principle will be visiting.

How and Where to Find a Bodyguard

Most bodyguards are in the direct employment of security agencies that specialize in providing Executive Protection services. The most famous such agency is of course the Secret Service. The private security agencies are usually run and managed by ex-military personnel, or sometimes even ex-Secret Service in the US. There are also many professionals who work as consultants, and who can help you devise a program of protection for you or your client.

Once you have located a number of such agencies, either through real life contacts or through the internet, you should look at their portfolio, or experience in protecting their clients. Most importantly you want to look at their experience in providing the type of service that you require. A security agency that specializes in crowd control is not a good fit for you if the principle is not a celebrity and requires a more low profile security.

Other Precautions for hiring a Bodyguard

• Make sure that the bodyguard that is going to protect you has his professional certifications in order.
• If they carry a firearm, make sure that they have the requisite license and other paperwork for that in order.
• Make the bodyguard, or the security service, sign a Non Disclosure Agreement, if you so require.