ProfSec27-09ps

Interview
On Close
Protection
George Foster of
Intelligent Protection
International
Photo courtesy of IPI
Below: Hotels can
be at glamorous
destinations (pictured,
the InterContinental
London - The O2, at
Greenwich, with a view
of Canary Wharf ....
Photo by Mark Rowe
In our July issue we featured
Alex Bomberg, the group CEO of
Intelligent Protection International
(IPI), about counter-espionage. This
month we speak to that company’s
MD George Foster about another
arm of the company; close protection
(CP).
While the company has
done work in ‘hostile
environments’ and indeed
still does, in north Africa for instance,
the bulk of its work is in the UK
and the rest of Europe. Guarding
someone in Libya, and an executive
doing business on the Continent,
takes different skills, that the former
military or police man or woman
may have. Or may not. Softer skills,
that the SIA’s licence for CPs may
not cover well, or at well; holding a
conversation with a high net worth
individual, for instance, about current
affairs.
Categories compared
If you’re sending your CV to the
company seeking work - and they do
turn down most CVs they see - bear
in mind that having taken a course
in firearms will not be not much
use by comparison, especially as a
bodyguard cannot carry a gun in the
UK. IPI has just opened an office in
Paris, and is looking to open a couple
more this year. Their bodyguarding
work covers royal families and heads
of state; celebrities; and those high
net worth individuals. We asked
George to compare the categories.
With royals, it’s about etiquette;
and understanding their culture, and
its differences from yours, most
obviously about how to address them
when spoken to. That differs from pop
stars, where as George puts it things
can be a lot more ‘relaxed’. You
have to be more dynamic: “There’s
less of an itinerary, and things can
change at a very fast pace.” The star,
being in the public eye, can draw a
lot of attention. Whereas a royal may
be famous, but only in their home
country, and not if they’re on holiday
or honeymoon. George points out that
for a celebrity, close protection might
not be a requirement as much as a
status symbol; and it’s not something
that IPI like to cater for. The bodyguard
can become almost a bagcarrier,
and there may not be much of
a threat. Whereas someone of political
A to Z
of CP
stature may well face significant
risks. Alex Bomberg offered a word
here; ‘buddy-guard’; meaning that the
close protection for a celeb becomes
part of the entourage, and a bit of a
celeb themselves (on social media
for instance); whereas the job of
close protection demands you be firm
for the sake of security. You cannot
always say yes; sometimes the celeb
(like any other client, in fairness)
may have to be told that going
somewhere is not sensible. Looking
good - wearing dark sunglasses,
being The Bodyguard as in the Kevin
Costner film, rather than a bodyguard
- is different from providing a
professional service, Alex suggests.
We ask about hotels, as executives
and celebrities alike may use
them. IPI argue that there’s
a misconception about close
34 SEPTEMBER 2017 PROFESSIONAL SECURITY www.professionalsecurity.co.uk
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