If you are a business or organisation that is looking to hold an event, one of your key considerations should be regarding the security of the premises and protection for your guests. Especially if any of the attendees would fall under a VIP remit or would normally have close protection in other areas of their lives.
Close protection security services are typically carried out by Close Protection Officers (CPOs), who are usually from a police force, military or intelligence services background, giving them the skills needed to assess a situation, plan for any eventualities and protect their client.
This expertise and skills are ideal if you need close protection security for your event. By providing close protection services, you don’t simply get a ‘bodyguard’ but a comprehensive security solution to ensure your event runs smoothly and without incident. This is vital to preserve your business reputation and reduce risk for insurance purposes.
So, what can close protection security services offer?
- Risk assessments
Risk assessments are an essential part of any event. Close protection officers need to assess and evaluate the venue in the time leading up to the event. This helps with covering the circumstances and location of the attendees, access areas and helps with planning. This also may include a thorough inspection of staff as well as looking for vulnerabilities in any corporate security already present. By doing due diligence like this, most threats are removed or prevented before they can cause damage or harm. Diffusing threats before they become an issue should be the aim for any close protection service.
- Travel and escort
If you need any of the event attendees to be personally escorted to and from the event, then a CPO will not leave the side of the client needing to be kept safe during travel. CPOs are often tasked with planning and assessing routes for safety and depending on the severity and likelihood of the threat, using security drivers who are highly trained in tactical driving. This ensures that you reduce the risk of anything happening before or after the event.
- Close protection during an event
If you have VIPs attending, then as part of your security procedure you may want to consider having close protection officers provide surveillance and bodyguarding during the event itself. This will require a specialist team and they can be overt to provide an obvious deterrent, or they can blend in with the crowd to provide a more discreet protection service. This can be arranged with any security services already at the event or the personal services or any of your guests.
How to choose the right people for the event
There are a number of security firms you can choose from, or you can hire a private investigator. However, there are certain factors for you to take into consideration when choosing the right firm for your event.
- All close protection officers must hold a Security Industry Authority (SIA) Close Protections Licence. To get this, they need to have completed the Close Protection training course and hold a Level 3 certificate for working as a close protection operative within the private security industry. It is a criminal offence by the person and their employer, to work in the private security industry without an SIA Licence, unless the employer has been given the necessary exemptions under Section 4(4) of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Therefore, if you are looking for close protection for your event, please check the credentials and accreditation of any close protection officer or private investigator.
- To get the licence above, a close protection officer must also be a current, certified first aider.
- All firms must be fully compliant with GDPR and data protection laws.
This accreditation helps protect clients from fraudsters and ensures that when you purchase event security, your close protection officer or team are the right people to handle any crisis or high-pressure situation that may arise during the event.
Security solutions from OpSec Solutions
Here at OpSec Solutions we are private investigators UK and have the knowledge and expertise to keep clients well protected no matter the challenge.
We understand the qualities needed in our security personnel, so whether it is for close protection, site protection, event protection or any other risk management solution, we ensure our security personnel and close protection officers can spot potential risks before they become a threat, and work to effectively mitigate and eliminate them.
That is why all our close protection specialists are select, fully trained, individuals that can assess and mitigate any threats to either a person or an event and are experts in their field. We are fully authorised to lawfully undertake any protective services required and have the experience needed to keep a client safe in any environment.
We have years of experience in the security industry and combined with our state-of-the-art technology, you can be sure our safeguarding of clients during an event is handled professionally and with minimum disruption to the client. By choosing OpSec solutions, we can also advise clients on the correct security measures and create a bespoke solution tailored for any needs or requirements that will significantly enhance their safety and ensure your event runs smoothly and is a success for all those involved. If you would like to reduce the risks involved for attendance at an event, or simply close security for an event appearance, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Give us a call today on 0844 6641125 to talk about your requirements in more depth and see how we can help. Our team can provide a free consultation and assessment with a clear security plan and bespoke pricing. Alternatively, use the contact form on our website or email [email protected]