What does the celebrity or billionaire do when his head of security is the biggest threat to him?
For high profile clients, such as celebrities and billionaires, there is often a large number of individuals who they come in contact with. This can create more opportunities for threats and risks to personal well-being and even crimes like blackmail. Criminals who get near the client will do anything in their power to take advantage of the client for personal gain.
Sometimes these criminals are connected to the client through their family or friends, but other times the criminals gain access through employment. In some unfortunate cases, it turns out the celebrity or billionaire client cannot even trust their head of security. This does not always mean that the head of security is a criminal or poses a direct threat to the client. However, they may still put the client in harm’s way or put the client’s sensitive information or privacy at risk.
What can the client do in this difficult situation? Firstly they need to be aware of the warning signs that their security or protection detail is subpar and actually putting them at risk. Some risks are unintentional but the client still needs to pay attention and realize that their security is actually making them unsafe.
Unprofessional Behavior
One of the biggest threats to high profile clients is when their security detail, including head of security, acts unprofessionally. Professional boundaries are not only important for individuals to maintain for their personal and professional lives. When it comes to security, these boundaries can also keep the client safe.
What exactly does unprofessionalism look like in the security industry? There are a number of common missteps that many security professionals make without realizing they are putting the client in danger.
First of all, the misuse of social media by security professionals. When the head of security or their team posts pictures with the client or on their property, it can signal to criminals exactly where the client is in real time. This exposes the client to all types of threats, including home invasion, burglary, and even stalking threats. Clients need to stay alert with how their security detail uses social media and only trust a good executive protection company who will always ensure their employees have a strict code of conduct when it comes to these matters.
Another professional boundary that is often crossed is when the security detail, including the head of security, become friends with the client or even romantically involved. These types of relationships happen more often than one might realize, likely due to the large amount of time that the client spends with their security team.
When a professional relationship becomes personal, it can often blur the lines of what the security professional should be doing on a day to day basis. For example, the protection agent may be asked to run errands, walk the dog, or let the client take a separate car from their security team. Even when it is the client asking for these things to be done, it is an unprofessional team that allows it to happen. Ultimately, the client is being put in harm’s way and no head of security should allow this to happen. A well-trained head of security is comfortable and confident enough to say ‘no’ to the client and stand their ground.
High Quality Protection
High profile and status clients need to choose the highest quality protection team in order to protect themselves from this type of danger. Clients need to remember that those who are closest to them can actually be the ones who put them at risk of all sorts of harm and crimes–even unintentionally.
This is why finding an executive protection company that prioritizes stringent standards and ethics codes is so vital. These companies will put the client’s safety above all else, including convenience and, at times, comfort.
Additional services, such as home security assessments and drone surveillance, accompany the best private security firms with the best personal protection agents in the industry.
