Celebrities and high-profile executives are always making huge mistakes when it comes to hiring personal protection. They want the biggest security agent they can find, someone with huge muscles who stands at 6’10 and flashes a gun.
All of these things might seem tough and intimidating, but really, they could end up putting you in harm’s way.
Here is what I recommend for any celebrity that needs protection. Don’t hire untrained big people, or a Buddyguard who posts about guns on social media. They know nothing about protecting you.
A professional executive protection agent should never need to flash their weapon or rely on their height and weight to keep their client safe. This can lead to drawing attention to the celebrity and endangering them. Showing a gun in public or thinking it looks cool is also a surefire way to draw threats or too much attention. They should not be postings on social media. If they ever get into a use of force or deadly force incident it will be a huge liability for the client.
Celebrities need to ditch their giant bodyguards and security agents and ask for protection agents with formal training that understand how to keep them safe at all times. This does not require a big gun, military past, or rippling muscles. What is needed is thorough executive protection training with experience, a vigilant mind, and a professional attitude.
A good protection agent never wants to be the center of attention. Instead, they just want to keep their client safe and blend in. Keep reading to find out more about how untrained big bodyguards are big trouble and that all you need is a highly trained and extremely skilled agent.
Celebrities need to choose someone who has hundreds and thousands of hours of high-level training ready to be used at any moment. This will keep them safe no matter the threat or concern that arises.
Why Untrained Big Bodyguards are Dangerous
When celebrities choose giant bodyguards rather than trained protection agents, they do not anticipate how the professional boundaries can often become blurred.
Untrained bodyguards who like to flash their guns around are often in it for attention. Maybe they want to steal their client’s spotlight and gain fame of their own. They might even post on social media about their work and try to involve their high-profile or celebrity client in the post.
This reveals true colors, huge egos, immaturity, and a real lack of taking the job seriously. They are also crossing the line and becoming completely unprofessional.
Another danger is a bodyguard who slowly becomes friends with their client. This leads to the bodyguard or protection agent not even paying attention to their client when out and about. They become what we call, Buddyguards.
You can find countless videos of celebrities being attacked or assaulted in public and their giant bodyguards standing around uselessly, unable to do anything to help or are even attacked themselves!
Not only is this humiliating but it can lead to bad press, client liability, and more security threats in the future. Now, dangerous individuals may even feel emboldened and try to assault the celebrity because they know security will not actually be effective.
A security agent who wants to flash his gun around can be even more dangerous and stupid. This shows that the agent cares more about how they look than their client’s safety. They can be charged with violation of criminal penal codes.
Elite Executive Protection Agents
There are even some celebrities who think that they need a protection agent who is ex-military or ex-marine. While these individuals are no doubt highly trained and very skilled, they have been trained for completely different scenarios.
When a tense or dangerous situation arises it will not be their security agent training that kicks in. Instead, they are more likely to revert back to their military training. While this may be effective in combat, it will not be useful for an attack on a celebrity client.
Instead, you need an elite executive protection agent who has been specifically trained for this line of work. Many will have hundreds if not thousands of hours of training under their belts. They will know exactly how to react in numerous real-life situations and can even anticipate how they might unfold. This kind of awareness and knowledge is unbeatable.
What You Need in Your Executive Protection Agent
You do not need someone twice your size with a gun on each hip. You need an elite executive protection agent who is specially trained and takes their job very seriously.
Instead of trying to get followers on Instagram, your protection agent will be improving your security wherever possible and ensuring that you always have an exit strategy no matter where you are.
Executive protection agents know that what really matters is being aware of their surroundings so that there is always a safe room to go to in case a threat emerges. That means that when there is a threat or a nearby danger, they can get their client to safety as soon as possible.
What Makes a Good Executive Protection Agent?
A good executive protection agent knows that in order to keep their client safe every day they need to bear in mind two things which are speed and distance. Whenever there is a threat, a security agent’s priority needs to get their client as far away from the danger as quickly as possible.
Being a good protection agent does not require giant muscles or a shiny gun. Knowing how to keep a client safe comes down to being aware of your surroundings, being trained to have good personal security instincts, and having a grounding in choreography. Together these three skills enable a protection agent to always keep their client safe. It is about using the brain and preplanning.
While it can be easy to be persuaded to look for a security agent who is bigger than all the rest, it should now be clear that this is not a good idea and can actually put your life at risk.
Looking intimidating and large is simply not enough to keep your life and property safe and secure. Choose a well-trained protection agent over a well-fed one who cares more about looks than your life.
