You know if you are good by making a comparison to those around you in the world.
This comparison is based in training - experience - knowledge.
Training in the military or government is different to the commercial world due to the students being constantly assessed. A constant 'Can I work with this man' policy by the instructors is achieved as opposed to the main purpose in the commercial world simply being profit. Of course, those involved in training companies will no doubt object but this is reality.
Experience gained by the operations conducted on a military and government level far exceed those in the commercial world - for the most part.
Knowledge gained from the tactical applicational ability in the pinnacle of operations provides a level that also far exceeds that of the commercial world.
How do I know I am good?
By a constant professional training ethos and effective operational methodology. Over 20 years of military, government and commercial training and experience resulting in the provision of services at the very pinnacle of close protection operations available.
It is very difficult to gauge how successful a CP Team is during an operation. One suggestion, albeit somewhat weak, is simply by the very absence of any incident. It is frequently stated that a CP team will never know if their operational presence, procedures or appearance have thwarted a potential attack with the threat preferring to choose a softer target. To a certain extent, this is true but with it brings a false sense of security that the very risk mitigation methods/ procedures used are effective and are working, and that any changes to these are indeed not required. This ‘So far, so good’ mentality is commonly adopted throughout the security industry but being more relevant to CP operations. I was once told by an ‘experienced’ BG who stated that with an operational experience of some 25 years; ‘This is evidence enough that my procedures do work, that whatever I am doing are the right methods to use and therefore I do not need change them’.
Of course, it is quite possible to have a lifetime ‘career’ in CP without experiencing any actions or incidents untoward. Many ‘operations’ are as a result of employing such services as a ‘life smoother’ as opposed to countering and/ or reacting to any threats posed. As a result, such operations do not experience any threats, actual, perceived or otherwise. The potential for real danger on a day-to-day basis, in the UK for example, although present, seldom arises. This gives the individual providing the service a false sense of ability and true market worth. It also provides the client with a false sense of security and a false impression that the service he/ she has received has been excellent in every sense of the word including proper assessment of and preparations for risk mitigation. This ‘false impression’ as experienced by the BG is a form of dangerous complacency. A complacency that will become ‘in-built into the individual’s operational mentality’ and will be subsequently taken onto future operations regardless of any possible increased threats –
‘Nothing has ever happened before and therefore I am doing the right thing’
- You are good because you are never complacent.
Rich H
