Do Security Companies Do Background Checks on the Security Employees they Hire?
When it comes to client security, executive protection companies need to ensure that every person who comes in contact with the client is safe, including the security employees. A security team will inevitably be in very close contact with the client and their family and have access to nearly every aspect of the property. This means that the client–as well as the protection company–has to have solid and reliable trust in every security employed.
There are many things that an executive protection company needs to do to ensure that they are hiring the right type of individual. This includes a skills and instincts assessment, a character assessment, and a background check.
While executive protection companies should have the foresight and thoroughness to run background checks on their agents, not every company will. Some companies and agencies have lower standards and may even contract out the security and protection work. These lower standards can land the client in physical and financial dangers. Keep reading to learn more about these risks and why background checks are a must.
The Dangers of Having Lower Hiring Standards
For those protection companies that do not run background checks, there is a high chance that they are missing things during the hiring process or even that they do not fully understand the types of agents that they should be hiring in the first place.
One unfortunate practice is contracting out the security work, which can lead to underqualified protection and security agents who may lack training or may even have checkered pasts.
It is one thing, of course, to hire an agent with the wrong type of training and instincts and another thing entirely to hire those with criminal behavior in their backgrounds. This can open up the client to all kinds of risks. Not only could the agent take advantage of their position in close proximity to the client and their family, this can also lead to any type of criminal activity, such as stealing from the client or extorting them if the protection agent witnesses or discovers sensitive information.
The agent may also leave the client open to liability should force be used when they are being protected. If the protection agent has a questionable past–such as assault charges–or posts videos or photos with a weapon, then the client may be implicated in any excessive force charges. This is more likely to happen and be a successful suit if the agent is contracted by the company rather than being a full time employee.
This also brings up the question of the agent’s behavior online, which can be incorporated into any checks that the company runs before hiring. The executive protection company should be aware of careless social media posts that could land the client in dangerous situations. As stated above, posing with weapons does not only come across as unnecessarily flashy, but can lead to lawsuits. Another thing for companies to check is for any social media interaction that could place the client in danger. Some agents might choose to post photos with the client or photos when traveling with the client. This exposes the client’s locations and habits which can make the client vulnerable to attacks and threats.
Executive protection companies need to be thorough and very careful when hiring their protection agents. It takes a certain type of agent with the right skills to ensure that high profile executives and celebrities are kept safe.
The Right Type of Executive Protection Agent
The right type of executive protection agent is not always easy to find. These are highly trained professionals who have spent years honing their skills and instincts in order to keep their clients out of harm’s way. The best protection agents come with the knowledge of how to remove their client from dangerous situations as quickly as possible and will only ever engage in an altercation or violent interaction when absolutely necessary.
It is not enough to hire former military or law enforcement professionals who might look the part. This is because they come with a different set of skills that are not transferable to the protection industry. Instincts need to be focused on removing the client from harm, not about what action or altercations should be taken.
Therefore, alongside carrying out thorough background and character checks on their security personnel, a high quality protection company should also be ensuring that they are hiring the highest caliber of agents. This is the only way to ensure a client’s safety at any given time.
