Close Protection – A Closer Observation of the Protection Equation
ISBN: 978-1-3999-2661-4
Hugely Successful Launch of the Industry’s Best Selling Publication
In 2012, Mobius International Director of Operations, Richard Aitch, published his first book, Close Protection, A Closer Observation of the Protection Equation, as a result of experiencing first-hand the blasé attitude towards Close Protection by the SIA, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), Awarding Bodies and other assisting organisations together with a combination of both a frustration of the deplorable commercial training and operational standards on display, other publications on the subject and a passion to strive for industry excellence in this elitist role. The book subsequently went on to become the internationally leading publication on Close Protection, having been ordered by government protection units responsible for the protection of Presidents, Prime Ministers and Heads of State throughout the world, security departments of Embassies & Consulates and NATO HQ, Central Security and Protection Division/Centre for Knowledge & Expertise, The Hague, commercial training providers for use as their training manuals and student reading. It has been used as a referenced textbook by degree academics in the fields of criminology and security & risk management, ordered by academic, public, government, corporate and specialist libraries including the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in addition to being translated into Arabic with publication rights being acquired by The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research.
A decade later, in 2022, as a result of research and lobbying the Government throughout the previous 16 years, the author confirms the SIA as being merely a vehicle to rationalise the obscene imposed by the United Kingdom’s Home Office with their focus and priority of protecting the revenue in taxation the private security industry generates and to reduce the payments made by the Welfare State. He also confirms, that contrary to the instructions dictated by the Private Security Industry Act 2001, the SIA is a servant of the Home Office and by design, must fully comply with its demands and remits. This book unearths the closed door response when challenged, of both the Home Office and the SIA, the failings of getting people into work using a specialist occupation as its mechanism, the reprehensible approach to the selection and training of private sector Close Protection operatives and the disastrous recognition of prior learning of those who conducted the role within a government service.
As a direct consequence, this book has been written to provide the investigation into the restrictions and limitations imposed on operational performance and the workaround solutions for best practise. From the lack of private sector industry entrance benchmarks to poor training, to poor contract service providers, to laws, to budgets, to Governments’ prying eyes, this book will unearth and highlight the problems, difficulties, complications and underhanded practises of the commercial Close Protection world, whilst providing the necessary solutions to maximise CP operations to an effective, workable and professional state. The aim of this book is to right the wrongs, to correct the methods of ‘best practise’ contrary to those stipulated by industry authorities, organisations, training/ service providers, and online/ offline commentary; to provide realistic, practical and effective advice concerning methods of operation and tactical doctrine to detect, confirm, identify and thwart any hostile action whether the nature of it be technical, physical or socially engineered from tactics, techniques and procedure that have been both personally tried and tested in most countries and in all threat regions throughout the world. The book is less concerned with those requirements of a red-carpet celebrity nature or those so often used as a ‘life-smoother’, but more aligned to the high-level international corporate world where real threats to life exist both direct and environmentally generic, and where the presence of UK and foreign government interest invokes operational practise not required or experienced at the lower end of typical CP provision. It is written from the perspective of a UK based BG/ CPO who undertakes ad-hoc operational deployment in both the UK and on foreign soil. The approach to tactics, techniques and procedure, laws, equipment and the very general nature of CP that remains the same regardless of your country of origin. Not as a conflict between real world versus text book – but as a real-world text book.
The content of this new Revised and Updated Edition is divided into two parts; Part 1, The Ascertainment of Operational Performance and Part 2, The Ascertainment of Foul Play:
Part 1, The Ascertainment of Operational Performance examines and determines the requirements for maximising the effectiveness in operations. From candidate selection to training to operational conduct and best practise, the content will not only highlight the omissions of imposed regulatory standards and hence, course content of training providers but will, as a result, serve as a manuscript to benefit training processes to enable an individual to function effectively in the operational environment.
Part 2, The Ascertainment of Foul Play examines the very beginning of any hostile threat action; Surveillance, and will expound protective security operational conduct to detect, identify and thwart those hostile actors using a real example of where the author detected, disrupted and compromised a UK government surveillance team on his client, the surveillance operation critique, the subsequent 3-year complaint process and the conclusion. This publication delivers all the facts that work in concert and conflict to the provision of professional Close Protection within the private sector whilst providing best practise solutions when and where they [legally] can be utilised.
Having been delivered to over 60 countries, Close Protection – A Closer Observation of the Protection Equation First Edition quickly became the leading publication on Close Protection. Effective, realistic and bluntly to the point, the book covers all aspects concerning operational and training requirements for both typical corporate and hostile environments without the inclusion of subjects that are simply not required.
The Revised and Updated Edition expands on the first and continues to be ordered by various government departments as well as commercial organisations including
- Government protection units, operational and training, responsible for the protection of Presidents, Prime Ministers and Heads of State throughout the world
- Security companies and organisations worldwide
- Security departments of Embassies & Consulates and NATO HQ
- Police | Central Unit | Central Security and Protection Division | Centre for Knowledge & Expertise, The Hague
- Commercial training providers for use as their training manuals and student reading
- Used as a textbook by academics in the field of Criminology and Security & Risk Management Degree study
- Recommended and used as background reader for the Foundation Degree in Protective Security Management at Buckinghamshire New University
- Arabic translation & publication rights acquired by The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, Abu Dhabi
Sourced to provide books to academic, public, government, corporate and specialist libraries worldwide including the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
A copy of this book is held in the legal deposit of the British Library
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Copies of this book are also held in the libraries of:
- The British Library, London
- The National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
- The Bodleian Library, Oxford
- Cambridge University Library
- Trinity College, Dublin
- The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
Close Protection
A Closer Observation of the Protection Equation
Revised Edition
ISBN: 978-1-3999-2661-4
Due to the sensitive nature of its content, this book remains the only one concerning Close Protection that was required to be submitted to the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence for clearance.
Richard Aitch
Director of Operations
Mobius International UK Ltd &
Mobius International Ltd
Mobius International UK Ltd Close Protection Operators/ Bodyguards are all former specialist government protection unit having served as Personal Protection Officers to the British Royal Family, UK Prime Minister and other ministers, British Ambassadors and Senior Military Command Staff together with the provision of protection to specific persons of a targeted threat. In effect, we have re-written the commercial/ private sector approach by the delivery of the highest standards in Close Protection. By solely using former government CP trained operators, our level of service is unsurpassed.
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Mobius International Ltd &
Mobius International UK Ltd