Executive Protection – Strategies on the Road
If you’re an executive looking to maximize your protection and stay safe on the road, understand that it’s less about James Bond and more about the lottery.
Unless ‘they’ already have a dossier on you and are planning an ambush, you are more likely to be targeted for an opportunistic crime.
This means you “look valuable” and become a target based on your expensive clothes, jewelry and perceived importance. While flattering, this is not a James Bond movie, this is real life and deadly serious.
Credit Strategy
You may be targeted because you “look clueless” and are wandering about, clearly lost or disoriented. You’re an ‘easy target’ and can expect trouble.
While deployed in the Marines, I saw acts of crime and terrorism first hand. There was nothing funny about the damage done, and I’m sure the family’s of those lost are still feeling the effects of their lose.
The Two Approaches to Executive Protection
First – You can hire a personal protection team to allow you (and any guests) to dress and act anyway you’d like without concern for your safety. Organizations like ours will do the worrying for you and advise you to stay within certain parameters for your protection.
Second – You can follow the tips below to minimize your profile and the likelihood of you being targeted for an opportunistic crime.
Dress in a manner similar to the culture you’re visiting. If they’re all wearing sandals and linen pants, and you’re walking around in a tailored suit and tie, you’re inviting attention.
Carry minimal valuables. A gold watch sparkling in the sun flashes like a lottery ticket to some down-and-out criminal.
Bring little cash (if traveling out of country) but rely on Travelers Cheques and one or two credit cards.
Consider a money belt in place of a bulging wallet or dangling purse.
Redundancy – Bring a 2nd pair of glasses or contacts if you were them. Make a copy of your passport, driver’s license and credit cards in case you need to report them lost or stolen. Leave additional copies with a trusted friend, along with your itinerary, in your home country.
Label your luggage with address and telephone number. Cover your address for added protection.
Only essentials – if you don’t need it on the trip and would be upset if it were lost or stolen, leave it behind.
Pack light. Mobility in a time of crisis is your friend.
Get telephone access codes for foreign travel. Codes for calling into and out of the country. Double-check your cell phone plan for cost per minute to and from that country. Consider getting a calling card in place of expensive phone charges.
Ensure your affairs are in order. Wills, Power of Attorney, Trusts, Insurance and other essential documents should be organized and placed in the care of a suitable professional or family friend. Make sure more than one person knows where to find them.
Opportunistic crime is, by far, your greatest risk to executives while on the road. By following these simple protection guidelines, you are taking steps to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of an opportunistic crime.
You never know where the next threat will come. Protecting high value executives is vital to any business.
Executive Protection – Strategies on the Road
How do protect those you care about? Discover the “2 Factors Essential To Your Personal Safety” Here and learn the simple steps you can take immediately to protect and, if necessary, defend against any threat. David Koons is the founder of Protect and Defend, a company specializing in self defense, personal protection and campus safety services. He is an expert in self defense, personal protection strategies and former member of an elite military special forces unit. http://protectanddefendinc.com
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