The close protection provider, static security provider, or personal security detail personnel can have many roles when working with the client that are not directly security but all are security related. Their roles include the following:

• Planner, coordinator, liaison
• Facilitator (make things happen, fix it, make it work)
• Selling yourself as a service provider through additional conveniences
• Protection. You usually only get clients who have a threat against their life, or live and work in a high threat or high risk area. So during travel you will need to have someone there ahead of time, register early, check elevators and stairwells, go into the rooms to check sinks, check toilets, check the lights, turn on the television, go underneath the beds, and be aware of other personnel on the floor as well (times the maid service works and hours for room service).
• Escape artist. Always be aware of the nearest escape route, not only for security reasons but for safety reasons. For example never take a hotel room above the seventh floor because most fire trucks cannot extend their ladders past that (in some places however they go to the tenth floor).
• Fighter. You must have the ability to fight to protect your principal, which is your last option as a protection specialist, evacuation to another secure area being your primary goal.

The are three standard things you as a security provider will be trying protect the client from: assassination, kidnapping, and injury. Depending on the celebrity of your client you may also try to protect them from any embarrassment whether intentional or not.

Primary Objectives

The primary objectives of a full time security contingent, including both PSD and static security, are to deter anyone who has a hostile intent towards your client, detect any threats against the client through the use of intelligence and counter-surveillance, defend the clients when attacked, keeping them safe so you can do the most important thing for them which is to evacuate your client out of the area, get them off the “X”, out of the kill zone and to a safe area. You are not there to stay in place and fight a battle. You only engage as long as necessary to EVACUATE your client or clients. You are also not there too bully or threaten media, beat up people, or take other actions your client wants toward people that are not a REAL PHYSICAL THREAT. Be professional.

Fundamentals

The are five necessary fundamentals for the protective services provider to adhere to, regardless of whether he is providing services for movement or for static sites:

• Prior planning before the operation begins
• Proper assignment of responsibilities and ensuring everyone knows what their responsibilities are.
• Having the availability of resources to do the job. This includes personnel and equipment.
• Control of information. This is necessary to contain anyone attempting to gather intelligence on what you are planning and the plans of your client.
• Flexibility to change and adapt to any information, situation or circumstance as it arises to keep your client safe and allow him to complete his mission as you accomplish yours, which is keeping him safe.

Areas of Protection

There are THREE MAIN AREAS OF PROTECTION we will discuss when talking about PSDs being used for movement and protection while a client is away from his safe areas.

The INNER PROTECTION AREA is where the protective detail is the closest to the client or clients.

The MID PROTECTION AREA is when you have plain-clothes personnel conducting surveillance detection and keeping an eye out for any overt or covert threats that cannot be seen by the inner protection detail for various reasons.

The OUTER PROTECTION AREA is that area where you have outside agencies such as uniformed police, and or uniformed guards or protective detail members from your company. Using outside agencies requires good pre-event coordination but these people in the outer area are used as a visual deterrent. The outer area could also include counter sniper teams and other reaction forces as deemed necessary during the risk assessment.