What's your idea of close protection? Muscled bodyguards jogging alongside Madonna in Hyde Park? Slick, dark-suited agents in reflective shades forming a protective ring around George W Bush? Or a lonesome Kevin Costner 'breaking the rules' and falling in love with Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard? Robert Buxton of the Security Industry Authority explains what you really need to know about joining this growing profession.

After July's terrorist attacks on London's transport network, security has seldom been more in the public mind. Yet the Security Industry has been a growing sector for many years - taking in everything from the operation of CCTV systems, door supervision and the transport of cash and valuables to surveillance / private investigation, security consultation and close protection. Indeed, according to a 2004 MORI poll, two in three of the UK's companies now have a chief security officer, while four in five companies spend more on security than they did five years ago.

The growth in the use of close protection operatives (CPOs) - or bodyguards, in the old parlance - has been particularly notable in recent years. Once only the preserve of top politicians and the most reclusive of pop and film stars, CPOs are increasingly hired by private companies, media organisations and even government departments (such as the Foreign & Commonwealth Office) to ensure the safety of civilian personnel and premises at home and abroad - particularly in perceived dangerous locations such as Iraq, Nigeria and Afghanistan. (Indeed, while there are likely to be some 5,000 CPOs operating in the UK, it's been estimated that there are between 15,000 - 20,000 private security personnel currently in Iraq.) CPOs not only must be able to correctly assess and anticipate levels of risk and threat, but also respond to - and 'manage' - whatever situations may arise. Whatever your image of a CPO, one thing is certain - you've probably guessed that it's a tough job that requires training, discipline, skill and guts. Does that sound at all familiar? So it should; close protection is often the obvious choice of career for those leaving the Armed Forces. Until now, Security has been an unregulated industry in the UK. As a result, it's been an industry with both cowboys and excellent examples of good practice. Now, with the introduction of regulation and licensing for CPOs, the aim is to ensure the good companies will flourish while the cowboys are pushed out.

THE INDUSTRY
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is a government body created to regulate the private security industry in England and Wales - legislation has also been passed to allow the SIA, in the near future, to regulate the security industry in Scotland. The SIA will also licence individuals working within the security industry - estimated at up to half a million people, including door supervisors, wheel-clampers, security guards and close protection operatives.

The introduction of individual licensing has already begun for some sectors: from 1st September 2005 the SIA started licensing close protection, and - from 20th March 2006 - it will become illegal to operate as a CPO in England and Wales without holding an SIA licence. Before embarking on licensing CPOs, the SIA consulted extensively with representatives from close protection companies that both supply and train CPOs, as well as the armed forces, the police and other government agencies. The SIA also looked at other countries regulatory programmes and equivalent training courses, in order to ensure that the SIA Close Protection licence can be an internationally recognised standard.

COULD YOU BE A CPO?
CPOs may have to work long shifts, or spend long periods of time travelling, and it's a job that can involve long periods of time away from home, sometimes overseas. CPOs also need to be physically fit, have excellent powers of observation, and to be able to work both on their own and as part of a team. They also must be able to remain calm under pressure, have good planning and research skills, an ability to adapt to changing situations and a proper understanding of the risks involved in any particular situation. It's surely no surprise, therefore, why many CPOs were formerly in the Armed Forces!

QUALIFICATIONS
To qualify for a Close Protection licence, you will need to meet demanding criteria. First and foremost, you will need to demonstrate that you have the skills to do the job, by undertaking a set close protection training course, leading to an SIA approved qualification. You will also need to pass identity and criminality checks, and hold a recognised first-aid certificate. Close protection is rarely a first job for anyone. Most people entering this particular profession will have come from a security-related industry and it is likely that they will already have a significant amount of relevant knowledge and skills. The SIA took into consideration national occupational standards that have just been developed for the close protection industry and specified that the training and qualification to be set at Level 3 in the National Qualifications Framework.

COURSES
The SIA-approved training course is 150 hours (over four weeks) and is designed to build knowledge and practical skills training in a range of areas: roles and responsibilities, threat and risk assessment, surveillance, operational planning, interpersonal skills, reconnaissance and other important skills essential to the modern-day CPO. Although the training package has been specified by the SIA, they do not run the courses; they are delivered by approved training providers, with the examinations and practical assessments overseen by independent awarding bodies. In addition to the SIA qualification, a recognised first aid certificate - from the Red Cross, St John's or similar organisation - should be attained. Currently there are three awarding bodies that are planning to offer the new qualification from this September (see Further Information for contact details). Anyone interested in getting the training and qualification should contact the awarding bodies and they will be able to provide a list of training providers they manage. Under some circumstances you can do your training overseas providing the training provider is linked with an SIA awarding body. A four week SIA-approved training package could cost you in the region of £3,000, so before you spend your money it's advisable to shop around for the best deal to suit you. A word of warning, though; only approved qualifications are acceptable for licensing so, before parting with any money, always check with the awarding bodies that the course is acceptable. A 'cowboy' course that is not acceptable for licensing could be a costly mistake!

GETTING A LICENCE
As already explained, anyone undertaking close protection duties (as defined by the Private Security Industry Act 2001), needs to hold an SIA Close Protection licence - there are heavy penalties for anyone working without one! The licence is credit card sized and shows the holder's name, their photograph and their unique reference number. Although the licence need not be worn when a CPO is working covertly, it must be carried at all times and produced when asked for by the relevant authorities. A three-year SIA licence costs £245, with the application process taking around six weeks, during which time the SIA checks the applicant's identity, carries out a criminal records check through the Criminal Records Bureau, confirms the applicant's right to work in the UK and verifies that they have not been recently sectioned under the Mental Health Act. If you have spent a significant period of time on military duty overseas you will need to obtain an extract from your military record to demonstrate a clean record or to show any convictions. Not everyone with a past criminal record will automatically be refused a licence as we recognise that employment plays a significant role in rehabilitation. In these cases we take into account the seriousness and relevance of the offence and how long ago it occurred. The SIA website has a criminality indicator where anyone with a criminal record can enter - anonymously - their convictions and they will receive an indication of whether their history would preclude them from holding a licence.

PROSPECTS
In an increasingly uncertain world, good CPOs are always going to be in demand, both in the UK and abroad; an SIA licence, therefore, could well be your passport to a successful career in this sector. CPOs work with an increasingly wide range of people: not just Heads of State, politicians, celebrities, and heads of industry, but also skilled staff and business people working in perceived 'security hot spots' around the world. Anyone can start their own security company; the only condition is that all operatives, managers and directors have SIA licences. It's recognised that a licenced CPO will possess a whole toolbox of skills and qualities transferable to other sectors of the private security industry. So the SIA have extended the close protection licence to include other areas of security, meaning that it will not be necessary to obtain separate Door Supervisor, Security or Key Holder licences to undertake those duties.

PAY
Most CPOs are self-employed, with salaries dependent upon not only the profile of the client but also the risk involved - as well as their own professional reputation. Daily rates could be up to £200 per day, plus expenses, with experienced officers earning between £25k - £100k a year, depending on their clients.

CONCLUSIONS
The annual revenue of the UK's private security industry is between £3-£4 billion, so there is little doubt that the sector is both economically and politically important. Thanks largely to the new licencing structure coming into force over the next year, security is likely to become a much more respected and trusted industry, where both the competence and probity of individuals is recognised and trusted. This, alongside a continuing growth in demand for quality security services, means that the security sector could well offer you a potentially lucrative and highly satisfactory career - full of variety and opportunities to build on the skills honed by your time in the Services.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Security Industry Authority
www.the-sia.org.uk
Tel: 08702 430100

AWARD BODIES

Buckingham Chilterns University
College Prospectus
www.bcuc.ac.uk
Tel: 0800 056 5660

Edexcel
www.edexcel.org.uk
Tel: 0870 240 9800

City & Guilds
www.city-and-guilds.co.uk
Tel: 020 7294 2800