Life on Civvy Street - Clearwater Special Projects

Source: TT
By Alastair Good
12:00PM GMT 11 Nov 2012


Behind a set of unmarked gates, at the end of a long anonymous private road on a country estate outside Shrewsbury are the training grounds of Clearwater Special Projects Ltd a private security company teaching people how to protect others.

If you are ex-military, a former police officer or just someone who has watched too many action films, you can sign up for re-training in private sector close protection, more commonly known as body guarding.

"A lot of people come here from a variety of backgrounds, especially the armed forces from various different units. We get about 300 people a year coming through here," explained Kevin Horak, managing director of Clearwater.

"With what's happening with the governmental changes to the armed forces we expect those numbers to increase substantially over the next 12 to 24 months."

The course takes 14 days to complete and costs almost £2,500. Students are taught operational planning, reconnaissance and close protection vehicle techniques.

One of the students on the course is a former Welsh Guardsman who decided to use his 15 years of military experience in the private sector.

Ed Mills left the Army to work for a private security company called Vigilance Properties and now wants to expand into close protection work.

He used his resettlement grant from the Army to help pay for his place on the course.
"The basic template for this job is based on a military style. I think 88 per cent of the people who operate in the close protection world are ex-military," he explained.

As well as the hard skills of vehicle searching and operating in dangerous conditions, former military personnel have soft skills like teamwork and following orders which are readily transferrable to close protection work.

"Communication skills, the way they handle themselves, their punctuality, being smart, all of these things are very relevant to close protection work," explained Henry Pattison, Clearwater's head of training.
Mr Pattison joined Clearwater after 24 years as a combat infantry soldier and working in private security he found the same camaraderie and sense of achievement that he had in the army and this community spirit is what draws many ex-military personnel into the industry.

"Somebody who has spent a long time with the armed forces, (they) are used to challenges, they are used to be being put in positions of responsibility," explained Mr Horak "and quite frankly working nine to five in a factory just doesn't cut it."

To see the video follow this link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9636359/Life-on-Civvy-Street-Bodyguarding.html

IMHO it isn't really a good start for the trainees, they haven't even stepped into the profession and they already have their faces showing on a video done by the press.

If I was part of that course I would have asked to be off video or face blacked out.
OPSEC and PERSEC are highly important in CP and SV especially.

I do hope the video was done at the start of training and that more time was spent during the course explaining to trainees how to wear an earpiece and that "hands in pockets" don't go well with CP.

"Communication skills, the way they handle themselves, their punctuality, being smart, all of these things are very relevant to close protection work," explained Henry Pattison, Clearwater's head of training.”
 
I recently completed a task in London and unfortunately some of the team obviously weren't taught these basic skills during which ever courses they completed. It was not only embarrassing for me and the remainder of the team but there was, it seemed, to be no personal pride.
 
This goes back to standards in the industry. If TP's took a bit more time in teaching students the basics instead of just taking their money and pushing them out the door as soon as possible but that is another subject on its own.....

Good post Sol_pro and good point you put across.

I think TP's don't spend enough time (no time whatsoever for some TP's) on how one should carry himself, talk, respond, act, how to eat in a fancy restaurant, what to wear, what colours go well together, what to do and no to do etc….