Meeting a diversity of individuals with the widest range of experiences behind them. Despite being in the sector for 30 years, the one thing I know is that there are always things you can learn from other practitioners. We are all advanced beginners and sharing information and ideas can only help improve and enhance our sector and in delivering the optimum service. 

We must also never lose sight of the precarious line we often walk when delivering executive protection and the more experience and knowledge we acquire along the way will always make that walk more stable. 

My experience has found that even one helpful adjustment in either the delivery of the service or the considerations needing to be taken beforehand in preparation can make a significant difference in not only the team dynamics but also those of our principals. 

It can often be in times of great duress that our services are required and we should consciously place ourselves in the Principal’s shoes to ensure we also see things from their perspective.

Firstly, is the environment you’ll be visiting with the Principal/s a permissive or non-permissive location? If the latter, you have to be honest with yourself; are you trained for it? I have seen people in these types of locations that should not have been rightly there. 

Naturally, the ante is up and there is a very real prospect that, despite all best efforts, you, your principal or even your colleagues might sustain injury or even death. I’ve had Principals who’ve had a false sense of security because they have an EP team  – but remember they’re placing a lot of trust in you. 

Therefore, it’s essential that the Principals understand that their EP Team’s word is final. No argument, no discussion, they must do what they’re told. But very importantly, you must do everything in your power to work with the Principal to ensure they complete their tasks – which is why excellent communication skills are ultimately essential.

When preparing, do you know the cultures you’ll be interacting with? Do you know their customs?  Can you speak some of the local language? Consider you not only don’t wish to insult your host country but maybe help your Principal/s to do likewise. Establishing good local contacts and even fixers can be imperative.

Will you be permitted to carry firearms? Will you carry them overtly or concealed? I’ve worked in some extremely hostile environments and not carried. Sometimes by carrying a firearm, you can up the risk. It’s often too easy to rely on the comfort blanket of carrying a firearm, but the moment you draw or reveal it, you can exponentially increase the threat by doing so. 

What are the local medical support capabilities? Hospitals? Dentists?  Sometimes if may be worth considering having an EP Paramedic as part of your team if these resources might be scarce. One thing I’ve always made part of my travel kit is clove oil – having had a root canal impact while on an operation.

Route planning and journey management are going to be an invaluable foundation. Always plan for various different routes to your destinations. Run those routes at all times of day and night, monitoring any changes that occur in those times. Also, include a comms survey along those routes for any cellular ‘dark spots’ where you might lose comms.

Check what you can bring into that location. There are countless locations where you could be arrested at the entry point for carrying or packing something that you’d otherwise consider inert.

If you are going to deliver EP, you must be on top of current affairs. Every morning I turn the international news on or review via a news app X (formerly known as Twitter) can be very helpful in getting more perspective on any incidents. 

However, you must be caveat emptor (buyer beware), especially with breaking events as there can be often many contradictory reports and inaccurate reporting and analysis in the first hours or even days. When giving a comment of assessment, always be careful about being too definitive as there can be many factors that can impact and influence that might not be known at that time.