Because of the nature of the work, professionals that want to work as bodyguards or security guards etc will require approved SIA qualification. SIA stands for Security Industry Authority, the governing body for the private security industry including the close protection sector. Achieving an applicable qualification will involve professionals undertaking a Level 3 Award in Close Protection Operations. It’s important to note that SIA approved qualifications are level 2 apart from the close protection courses which are certified at level 3.
You might assume that close protection jobs are linear, that they can be broken up into very simple components, that they involve skills like conflict resolution but not much more. Of course this is one aspect, however there is a multi-dimensionality to the role that is only addressed with well devised training programmes.
What do close protection courses offer professionals?
It is very important that professionals are able to understand what a close protection role involves and the nature of the job beyond any clichés you might have. This foundation is an important one on which to build a career that utilises all the necessary skills.
Many close protection professionals are working as part of a team, and so developing good team working skills is extremely important. You should also have good interpersonal skills and a desire to work well as part of a team, which is related to other necessary skills such as conflict management.
We can generally say that the role of security professionals is to identify threats and mitigate these threats. Therefore courses should have clear focus on this aspect, ensuring that you have the necessary skills and confidence to address threats across various contexts and have the ability to deal with them safely and effectively.
Another important aspect is understanding relevant law and legislation. Without a keen awareness of the laws surrounding close protection and related industries the professional runs the risk of law violation.