Is a bodyguard different to a Security Guard?
Bodyguards and security guards are both in charge of keeping people safe, but they are not always the same thing.
To simplify things, sort of, it is fair to say that some security guards are bodyguards but not all bodyguards are security guards.
Bodyguards, or personal protection officers are usually tasked with protecting a single individual or group from harm. You will often see celebrities walking around on TV with a bodyguard close behind, keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity or potential threats.
Whilst some security guards do take on bodyguard work, it requires a specialist set of skills that not all possess. In addition, security guards can also be tasked with protecting areas, properties, and the general public as a whole, and this makes up the majority of their workload, especially for those working for a professional security firm.
In this article, we are going to examine what it is that sets personal security guards apart from the ‘standard’ security guard, looking at what it takes to be trusted with the protection of a high-profile individual and the additional skills you need on top of the standard training that all security staff receive.
What do personal security guards do?
Close protection officers, or bodyguards, as they are better known, have a huge number of different responsibilities that all boil down to protecting the person or people they are employed by from harm.
Some of the tasks they are required to perform on a daily basis to do just that include:
Event planning
Many celebrities, businesspeople, and other high profile or high worth individuals are required to attend events. They might be performing at a concert, competing in a sports event, or hosting a business summit, or they might simply wish to be in attendance as a spectator.
Either way, they will be surrounded by other people and the centre of a lot of attention. Security guards tasked with their protection will need to prepare carefully for such occasions, identifying potential threats beforehand and using their expert eye to spot any potentially threatening behaviour on the day itself.
Should the worst happen and someone attempts to attack or harm the person in question, the close protection officer will protect them, putting themselves in harms way to ensure their safety.
As you can imagine, this requires a special skillset and mentality that few possess and is why that bodyguards are so highly trained in conflict resolution and physical fitness.
Liaising with other security
Bodyguards will often speak or meet with other security guards from a top security company Birmingham in advance if the person they are protecting is set to visit somewhere in the near future.
They may arrange to use a back entrance or sort out a way for them to arrive safely and without a big thoroughfare.
Communication
Bodyguards often become good acquaintances with their charges and build a strong bond over the years. They spend a lot of time together and a bodyguard that can be trusted is a highly valuable asset for anyone.
Many high-profile names have used the same bodyguard for years, if not decades.