BE MY GUEST

One Hyde
Park
boasts of
doormen
trained
by the
British
Special
Forces
providing security solutions to corporate and individual
clients worldwide.
“It’s not always the main individual that’s the concern,”
explains Franks. “Risk can fall on spouses, children,
relatives, employees and so on. Assessing the whole picture
surrounding high net worth clients is mandatory. If we
do our job properly, a solution or plan for all eventualities
can be accurately formulated. Everything connected
to the day-to-day routine, from driving to the office
or school, meeting agendas, dinner engagements to
holiday destinations can be assessed based on local and
international threat intelligence.”
Of course, the explosive growth in Chinese wealth
means there is more and more demand for this kind
of service. “Close protection is no longer considered
an intrusion into someone’s lifestyle or a fancy luxury
accessory but with the world more accessible to most
people and the dangers created from political unrest or
terrorism moving from place to place, it is a service that,
when professionally done, can give clients peace of mind
wherever they go,” says Franks.
Some clients request day-to-day ‘close protection’ even
in a seemingly low-risk city. Franks is keen to point out
that “this is not about weapons or being a Ninja. There
is no textbook on this, it’s purely a process dictated by
events at a particular time to which the CPO [client
protection officer] needs to react.”
Other companies are creating smaller but no less
serious gadgets for the cautious super-rich. China’s Leison
Global makes briefcases that turn into ballistic shields if
need be, while Miguel Caballero makes stylish bulletproof
clothing for the fearful but fashion conscious.
Sadly for the super-rich, even getting home doesn’t
necessarily provide a sense of calm, and some are going to
extreme measures to ensure their own abode really is ‘safe
as houses.’
One Hyde Park in London – apparently the most
expensive residential address anywhere in the world –
boasts of panic rooms, bullet-proof glass and doormen
trained by the British Special Forces. Here in Asia, many
have followed suit, with alarm systems and CCTV
networks to put off even the most expert criminal. For
those with substantial land, there are infrared cameras
that can read thermal heat signatures and fog screens to
confuse intruders should they somehow make it through.
It might all seem intrusive to some, but for many,
the thought of being left open to danger is far more
disturbing. And of course, the hope with all these security
measures – from the briefcases to the bodyguards – is that
they never need to be put to good use. R
THE
RESERVE 147