CPP Operators are driving a ‘chase car.’ They are close behind the Primary Vehicle providing direct cover and line-of-sight protection for the vehicle and its occupants. At one point, despite the best driving techniques, they find themselves 50 meters behind the Primary. Whereby it goes through a set of traffic lights.
As soon as the Primary crosses the intersection line through a green light, the light goes orange. As a result, the Chase Car driver accelerates gently to 4km/ph over the speed limit and passes the intersection through an orange light.
I described here a scenario that many will have faced and can relate to. Is it a big deal? In the scheme of things: probably not.
CPP Operators have to coordinate many things at once in a changing and uncontrolled environment. So these scenarios are likely to occur. For example, we’ve likely all parked in a ‘No Parking Zone’ for a short time while waiting to collect a principal because it was the closest and safest way to complete our task. And these scenarios extend across the spectrum of compliance requirements.
The Developmental Path of CPP Operators
When I was young and trying to break into the ‘cool jobs,’ my opportunities started with washing the cars, organizing the equipment room, etc. Then, they evolved to guarding the vehicle fleet in basement car parks and sitting in hotel halls night after night.
One time I worked a 17-hours night shift doing absolutely nothing in below 0 temperatures for a task that I later found out didn’t exist. It was a test and a training drill. It was supposed to ensure I had the stamina to concentrate and last out the shift, defeating the cold, fatigue, and boredom.
When we messed up in training, they punished us physically. When they asked us to do something, we did it without thought of anything other than completing the task. It was all for our own good and to prove ourselves to the team and be allowed a place.
Today, after some 20 years in the market, I still work 20-hour days on the task. I travel regularly, operate in all conditions, and still wash the cars. But, in a socially conscious world and with a new generation of operators destined to run the market, will the new work ethics and expectations that come with it work in the market, and can the market adapt?
What About Flexibility?
The keyword for me ― and there are, of course, many ― when discussing the number one quality of CPP Operators would be Flexibility.
We can’t always simply change shifts. Days off aren’t at our fingertips all the time. CPP Operators can’t always just take that break.
We eat when we can and sleep when we can. Going to the bathroom happens even when we don’t have to go because we don’t know when the next opportunity will arise.
Even though I am a huge believer in fair work conditions and compliance with workplace laws, the nature of our industry is unique. It requires some flexibility, the occasional running of that orange light.
As I compare our industry to a corporate office or a government department with their water coolers, break rooms, massage chairs, quiet spaces, bean bags, ethically sourced coffee pods, job sharing, hot-desking, social responsibility training sessions, and flexible working hours ― I wonder how we will fare.
Will this drive recruitment solely to the Military and Paramilitary pathways? And if that’s the case, is that appropriate? Many corporate employers seek University Qualifications for Executive Protection positions. This state of affairs may not suit many in this stream anyway.
So can EP as an industry keep up with modern-day work environment expectations? Is it the industry that will have to change or those entering it?
