CLOSE PROTECTION FOOT TECHNIQUES

AIM: To discuss and demonstrate close protection foot techniques.

Intended Learning Outcomes: By the end of the session trainees will be

able to:

1. Explain the role of a close protection operative on foot and as a personal

escort
2. Explain the roles within a close protection team whilst on foot
3. Explain the role of a Team Leader
4. Explain the need for flexibility whilst on foot
5. Explain the range of communication techniques to be used whilst on foot
6. Demonstrate a range of close protection foot formations
7. Demonstrate effective body protection of a Principal
8. Demonstrate foot evacuation of protected person(s).
 National Occupational Standards:

PCP 2 – Plan and prepare to minimise threat and risk to Principals

PCP 3 – Liaise and communicate with Principals and others
PCP 4 – Establish and maintain secure environments
PCP 5 (SLP2) Communicate effectively in the workplace
PCP 6 –
Maintain the safety and security of Principals whilst on foot
PCP 7 – Maintain the safety and security of Principals whilst in transit
PCP 8 – Maintain protection whilst driving
PCP 9 – Use control and restraint to support close protection
PCP 10 – Use physical intervention to support close protection
PCP 11 – Respond to trauma and medical crisis
PCP 12 – Maintain personal security awareness.

3
CLOSE PROTECTION - FOOT TECHNIQUES

CLIENT MOVEMENT

4
 BODY PROTECTION FORMATIONS

The Protection Officer needs to be at all times alert, courteous, tactful

and diplomatic. The level of protection given must be effective but
unobtrusive. Public figures will want to meet the community, to shake
hands and generally mingle.
The art of protection is to balance the Clients role with the best
interests of security, and produce a compromise acceptable to all
concerned

Protection should be carried out in a positive and confident way, as this

will gain the confidence of the Client. In addition it may have a deterrent
effect upon potential attackers, should they make a preliminary survey of
the Clients movements.

5
The CPO must know when to stand back in protected areas,
but when in doubt, too much protection is better than too
little. It must be borne in mind that the wishes of a VIP will
sometimes conflict with the requirements of security. Hence
the positioning of Close Protection Officers may not always
comply with the following ‘ideals’

The following pages show, in detail, several examples of

various formations, which may be used. Keep in mind that all
of these formations have both strong and weak points, which
the CPO should be aware of, in the pre-planning and planning
stages when choosing the best formation.

6
Flexibility is the key

Most of the escort formations must be flexible as must the

Close Protection Team providing the formations. During
training bodyguards learn the basic formations but practice
and experience teaches them to adjust to different situations.
Formations and scenarios should be practised, most new
team members will be judged on the formation techniques

And literally learn on the job.

7
Team Leader

The most common number of CPO’s in an escort section

formation is five. Although protective efforts may be carried
out with fewer or more. This number includes the Team
Leader or Commander; the T L will normally remain close to
the Principal and will be the decision maker when it comes to
adjusting the formation, changing the route or calling in the
vehicles evacuate the Principal

The T L will be in radio contact with the rest of the team

including the 2ic, drivers and others involved in the operation.
However he may use hand signals when in close formation
using arm taps to adjust formation without informing the public
or crowds of his intent.

8
Briefing the Principal

The Principal may have to be quickly informed as well,

although some Principal’s who have had protection for some
time will know how to respond to formations. However it is
not the responsibility of the Principals to adjust to the pace of
the Personal Escort Section, but their job is to match that of
the Principal

The Principal should be taught how formations work and

consequently may change on the move by the T L. He should
also be briefed on likely scenarios along with any
countermeasures that might take place.

9
 BODYCOVER
Bodycover, as the word suggests, means using your body as
a shield to protect your Principal from an attack. This is
where the term ‘Bullet-catchers’ comes originated as the
Bodyguard, by placing himself between the attacker and his
Principal will ‘catch’ the bullet as was the case with the
attempted assassination of President Reagan.

10
 ASSES – COVER - EVACUATE – A.C.E.

ASSESS:

As a CPO you are constantly assessing situations, looking out for possible
threats. In regards providing Bodycover you may be reacting to a gunshot
or a shout or even something that you simply don’t like the look of, such
as a suspect package or person, but before you can act you need to
assess the situation

It’s no good running away with the Principal if you are running towards
another threat or the wrong direction. Your actions will differ should a gun
attack be short or long range, or whether it is a knife, a grenade or even a
flour bomb!

Assessing the situation might take you a nano-second or ten seconds but
providing good cover and evacuation depends upon the accuracy of your
initial assessment. This is what is commonly known as the ‘Soak Period’, or
Condor moment as the older members amongst us remember the cigar.
advert
11
COVER AND CONTROL

Providing bodycover as we have already discussed, means placing your

body between the danger and the Principal to provide cover to his head
and vital organs. This action needs to be quick and instinctive and must be
practiced religiously in a variety of scenarios and positions to develop the
muscle memory required to react instinctively

You should practice whilst walking, static, sitting, driving and running. You
need to be able to run with your Principal providing bodycover, defend
yourself, punch or shoot a weapon and identify hard cover or an escape
route all concurrently

What type of cover you use will depend upon factors such as what is
actually happening and whether you have PES. It may be a case of running
for cover or using the PES to ‘Cave-in’ on the Principal to give maximum
body cover whilst facing the threat.

12
EVACUATE
The best evacuations are planned for, but the next best thing is just to
quickly remove the Principal away from the danger maintaining as much
bodycover as possible, which is easier said than done whilst moving at
speed, It is easier with the cooperation of the Principal, but must also be
practiced without cooperation as it is likely that your Principal may be
have gone into shock and be largely unresponsive or a belly full of
adrenalin and be experiencing ‘fight or flight’.
The technique you will be taught acts to counteract this possibility
however and you will need to communicate through this phase to ensure
the Principal does not hamper the evacuation

Bodycover must be practiced

Providing bodycover must be turned into muscle memory and become
instinctive. Practicing cover from left, right, front, rear and above will
cover most situations and by focusing and practicing the main directions
you will build enough instinctive muscle memory to react to an attack
from any direction.

13
“Actions On” or “Immediate Action Drills”

Responses to attacks are known as “Actions On” or

“Immediate Action Drills”. Your Actions On (AO) will vary
depending upon lots of different factors, such as:

1.The type of attack

2.Your location
3.Working one on one or as a team

ACE will almost always apply, but there may be occasions

where evacuation is simply impossible, or where the CPO’s
best Course of Action (COA) is to stay and fight. Common
sense combined with experience will be your only guide in
such situations, but as a way of developing the necessary
muscle memory we will practice ACE, which will need to be
as instinctive as ducking a punch.
14
We achieve this by ensuring we get the basics right from a
static position initially before adding other elements to the
equation such as movement or being in confined spaces
such as vehicles, stairwells or Hotel corridors etc. These
practices should be carried out with fellow CPO’s whenever
possible and not the Principal

However, once you have developed your skills and achieved

‘expertise’, you could and should run your Principal through
the drills, so he knows what to expect, but only do this once
or twice as he certainly will not forget the experience and if
he is not too robust, the risk of causing injury is too high!

15
Using weapons with bodycover

If you are on an assignment where you routinely carry weapons

then the AO must be practiced with the weapon. Most of the
following drills can be used with or without a weapon, as the
responses to attack aim to provide bodycover whilst at the
same time leave your strong arm free to punch, shoot or assist
in the Principal’s evacuation.

16
Start slow and stand still

Initially you should start from the classic position of behind and slightly to
the right or left of the Principal in a static position. You will have enough to
think about to begin with without having movement to consider which can
be introduced gradually as the muscle memory kicks in and the basics are
mastered. It is like learning to drive

Once you have mastered the art of moving the gear stick whilst depressing
the clutch and taking your foot off the accelerator without having to think
about it, you can then apply all of your attention on the road ahead

The same principles apply here, as once you develop the muscle memory
of instinctively taking control of the Principal in order to affect bodycover,
you will then have more time to think about the right COA to take
immediately and then during the soak period after the initial attack has
been avoided / dealt with.

17
Assess the situation;

You need to be able to affect the bodycover without taking your eyes
away from the immediate threat. This will require you step in
between the threat and the Principal and get the bodycover applied.
You should always take hold of and control the Principal; this will be
done simultaneously, and can be both physically, by grabbing him,
and by voice commands; ‘GET DOWN’ or ‘WITH ME’

His fight or flight mechanism brought on by his sudden rush of

adrenalin, may well choose to fight, or, conversely, you need to
ensure that if you both decide on flight that you are both flying in
the same direction while you are giving bodycover as the last thing
you need is the Principal doing a Forrest Gump in the opposite
direction to you!.

18
Understand fully that when an attack is imminent or happening
‘YOU BECOME THE BOSS’ and will be the one giving the
orders. Your highest priority is to evacuate the Principal and
remove him from the danger and it is imperative that you provide
bodycover during those milliseconds of assessment
Hence the absolute need to dedicate copious amounts of time.
Attacked from the front

When attacked from the front, it is almost as though the

Principal is giving you the bodycover, which isn’t exactly what
the job is about! Therefore, your positions must be reversed
IMMEDIALTELY. Whilst keeping your head up towards the
threat, use your weak hand nearest to the Principal to take
control of him as you are stepping forward and across to put
yourself between the Principal and the threat

With practice, you will be able to draw your pistol or block the
attack concurrently whilst taking control of the Principal, rather
than having to wait until you are providing bodycover before
taking offensive action against the threat. Then you can
evacuate while you provide bodycover.

20
Attacks from the rear

By taking control of the Principal as you turn you head (head-

switch) to locate the threat, the Principal, who was slightly in
front of you, will now be close behind you and receiving
bodycover. You now have exactly the same options as attack
from the front because you are now facing the threat or attack
and can shoot, punch and run etc.

21
Attacks from the right

If you are right handed this is the quickest move to effect the cover. You
are already on the right side of the Principal and your head switch and turn
is made at the same time you are taking control of the Principal with your
weak hand. Pull him close behind you so that you are providing effective
cover and can shoot, punch or run in under a second

Attacks from the left

This one poses the most problems for a right-handed CPO. The weak
hand reaches to take control, taking hold of the collar or shoulder of the
Principal. With the weak hand, the CPO must swing the Principal behind
him as he moves towards the threat. As the Principal needs to move 180
degrees before the cover is on, this must be done quickly. This technique
will take lots of practice and will feel slow and clumsy to begin with, but
with practice you will be able to put in the bodycover quickly and efficiently.

22
Remember; Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast’

There are some schools of thought that suggest telling the

Bodyguard not to take hold of the Principal, but rather just
move between the Principal and the threat. This will be OK for
some situations, but you should first train to take hold and to
get control of the Principal

If you practice this enough it will become as fast and slick as

any other method, with the advantage that the Principal is
tight behind you and under your control, rather than
succumbing to his own fight or flight dilemma and doing
something foolish!.

23
Attacks from above

This type of attack could come from a sniper with a high firing
position, mortar or grenade. ACE will still almost always apply
except that sometimes finding hard cover or remaining on the
ground providing bodycover may become the priority,
depending upon the type of attack. A grenade style attack can
be better defended by remaining low and providing cover

Common sense and your wits being your very best weapon of
defense from an attack from above!.

24
Moving with the Principal

There are a few schools of thought as to the best and

quickest way to move the Principal into cover or away from an
attack after the initial confrontation has been dealt with and
bodycover has been applied

Through experience, I have found the most effective and

efficient way of achieving this does not necessarily conform
with many schools of thought as it can look as if you have
your Principal in a wrestling hold, which, I hasten to add is
certainly not the case. This technique needs to be practiced
with the Principal so he knows exactly what is required of him.

Continued.......
25
Once you are ready to move from the initial defensive position
after dealing with the attack, using your weak (controlling) arm
put the clients head under your armpit and bring him down
and across the side of your body. At the same time the
Principal takes a firm grip of the CPO’s belt with both hands
wrapped around the CPO’s waist

This position prevents any chance of legs becoming tangled

whilst moving off at speed in any direction whilst affording the
CPO a full field of vision whilst maintain full control of the
Principal.

26
The Principals head is now also looking down and therefore
not looking at any secondary threat that may be taking place.
Remember the likelihood of your Principal being in a state of
shock at this stage is quite likely and if that is the case the he
will instinctively want to go into the foetal position and want
shielding from any threat. If he cannot see this threat this will
act to both calm him down and at the same time ensure he
only responds to your voice commands and movements

You will find that with very little practice you can then move off
at great speed in any direction with the Principal under your
complete control whilst your strong arm is able to shoot or
punch your way through any threat in your path as required.

27
To be effective, training to provide bodycover must be carried
out hard and aggressively. Sometimes there may well be
slight grazes and injuries, but should carry no more risk than
a friendly game of rugby!

The Personal Escort Section – Engaging an attacker

If a CPO / BG comes under a short range attack when working

with a PES, it is the PES’s job to engage the threat
aggressively while the BG employs ACE. There are no strict
rules about who does what, because this must be decided
upon at the time, given the circumstances that you find yourself
in.

28
Short range attacks

The instant a team member sees anything that looks like an

attack he will shout out the nature of the threat and direction.
E.g. ‘GUN–TWO-O-CLOCK – ROOFTOP’

Who does what next depends largely on where you are at the
time. If you are between the threat and the Principal then you
should engage the threat whilst concurrently moving in front of
the Principal and BG to offer a degree of enhanced bodycover.
If you are closest to the Principal and not closest to the threat
then you may have to decide whether to help with the
evacuation of the Principal or to assist your colleagues in
engaging the threat.

29
It is however, good practice for the member furthest from the threat
i.e. ‘Tail end Charlie’ in a Diamond formation to then clear a route to
hard cover for the Principal and the BG to in case this is a complex
ambush attack from more than one direction

Do not expect to be told what to do, you must use your common
sense and training to tell you what the right thing to do is. Once the
attacker(s) has been identified and is being engaged then the team
will then move tactically into an identified safe haven (rally point).
Good CPO’s are intelligent and able to think quickly and logically
under pressure. Unfortunately, no amount of training and dry-drills
can totally prepare you for the real thing, so CPO’s who appear to be
good in peace time have been known to fall to pieces when the chips
are down, which your instructors have witnessed on occasion!.

30
If you are part of the team that is engaging the threat, then you
must do this very aggressively and noisily. Engaging someone in
this way cuts down their angles and they have to convert their
attention from the Principal to you! This can buy your Principal and
BG precious seconds in which to make good their escape out of
the ‘Kill-Zone’ Two or three CPO’s charging aggressively at a lone
gunman or knifeman would be enough to ruin the aim of even the
coolest (or most psychotic) of attackers

Once the BG perceives himself and the Principal to be out of

immediate danger, he can then relax his grip on the Principal and
ask him to stand up from his crouched position and run freely
whilst keeping his weak hand on the Principals collar or shoulder.
All other team members should be alert and ready to step in and
take over should anything happen to the BG such as a trip or
injury.

31
Long range attacks

In the event of you coming under a long range attack the

PES is best employed providing full bodycover and
evacuation to the Principal out of the Kill-Zone. Because the
attacker is much further away from his target, trying to
engage him would be rendered futile

Some long range attacks such as a mortar or grenade attack

may require that you stay where you are initially and provide
bodycover if there is no natural or man-made hard cover
within close proximity until such time you can move swiftly
and safely into better cover, such as a duck and cover
shelter.

32
Bodycover using a Handgun
This classic picture showing Jack Ruby killing Lee Harvey Oswald
shows the detectives ‘WOW’ factor. Everything just happens so fast
they have no time to react as they were not switched on and in code
‘YELLOW’. Ruby had approached with an outstretched hand
holding the gun, so if the detectives had been alert and looking out
for an attack they would have had ample time to take action and
prevent the assassination.

33
One hand or two?

If you have time to - stand, get two hands on the weapon, bring it up
to the eye and take careful aim before shooting, as quite obviously
this is going to produce the most accurate shot. The chances are
however, you are never going to be in such a situation. You are going
to be relating to the sound or sight of a gun or maybe the threat of a
knife

Because your reaction time is not on your side and speed is

everything, you will need to get the weapon out and make a noise
with it, if only to ruin your attackers aim and get his head down. If
that first, quick shot can also be accurate, this is going to greatly
increase your chances of survival, so you must train to be prepared.

34
for such situations.
Most of your training should therefore be carried out using
one hand. As a CPO, your weak hand may well be doing
other thing such as controlling your Principal. Two hands will
always mean greater accuracy, especially after the first shot
when you have to handle the weapons recoil

We should always train for the worst case scenario, so if we

do most of our training with one hand and in a situation we
get to use two hands then this is a bonus. It follows that if we
always train with two hands and a situation occurs where we
are forced to use one hand then we could be found wanting!.

35
The Draw

We can safely say that 99 times out of 100 when we need a

weapon quickly, we will be reacting to something and the
weapon will not be in our hand but in a holster. In other
words, someone may well already have the upper hand on
us. Because of this need for speed this must take
precedence over all aspects apart from safety

When we draw, we need to have the sharp end of the

weapon pointing in the direction of the threat as soon as
possible. This is why cross draws are not recommended. In
a cross draw, when the weapon is clear of the holster, it is
still at least 90 degrees off target.
Compare this to a strong hand, straight draw and the
weapon can be making a noise the second it clears the
holster and the rounds are travelling in the right direction,
especially when the body is tilted back into the ‘Short Draw’,
which in America is known as the ‘Speed Rock’

The combination of your wrist bringing the barrel up on to

target as soon as the barrel clears the holster, and pushing
the hips forward and leaning back brings the weapon
trajectory up very quickly so that the round can hit someone
in the centre mass.
Above shows two slight variations of the drill. The one on the right is the
‘classic’ short draw or ‘Speed Rock’. The gentleman on the left, if you
notice, has brought the weapon up alongside his chest with his arm tight
into his side. The advantage of this option is that, if you get into a
wrestling match with your attacker then it is far easier for you to retain
your weapon due to the tighter leverage you now have

Both however offer speed, which is what we are after. But you must
remember to rock back as this will save valuable time in bringing the
weapon on target whilst at the same time using your voice commands to
control the Principal and get him in tight behind you.
Getting slick

Draws must be practiced repeatedly to become proficient and should

be practiced from a variety of positions. Many people only practice
drawing their weapon while standing in a very strong position such
as the Weaver, but you must condition yourself to draw quickly and
smoothly from all positions you are likely to find yourself in, such as
sitting in an armchair, in a vehicle, walking or running. Drawing a
weapon is an emergency drill and should therefore be a priority for
all CPO’s to develop the required muscle memory. Don’t be
embarrassed about facing yourself in a mirror and practicing your
draw and if a fellow CPO finds this reason enough to take the
Mickey, then, he is in the wrong business as it will be your slick drills
that may well save your life and that of your Principals one day!.

39
Practice each draw slowly to begin with making sure you have
a good grip on the weapon and don’t have to then adjust
before squeezing the trigger, thus losing valuable time and
accuracy. Take the safety off as soon as it’s safe to do so and
get the weapon pointing in the right direction (with a Glock you
don’t have to worry about this is it has no safety catch).
Remember ‘Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast’. When you
are training, do it right making sure you perform the drills nice
and slow and keep it as smooth as you possibly can. With
practice and while keeping it smooth, the speed will come, but
you have to be prepared to put the time in at first, and then
keep it slick by dedicating plenty of training time to the art of
drawing your handgun.

49
Weapons and Body cover

When someone is 100 percent safe and well drilled in the

basics of using a firearm when stationary, the training that is
specifically for Close Protection can commence. Firstly,
people need to be taken from the comfort zone of a static,
strong standing position and other positions such as
kneeling, sitting and lying should be introduced. Weapons
should always start in the holster and ready ‘ready’ weapons
in holsters are inherently dangerous as many CPO’s have
found out over the years!.

41
The CPO needs excellent concentration and safety awareness is
essential at all times, even when put under stress. When standing
and drawing from the hip, most of the body is already behind the
weapon, which is, of course, where you want to be. Drawing a
weapon when sitting or lying means some of your body will be in
front of the weapon when it is drawn and before it can be brought
to bear on the target. Sometimes, even experienced shooters
shoot themselves and when they do it is usually as a result of
stress or complacency, and it is usually with a Glock! Even if you
don’t die of your wounds you may well die of embarrassment in
front of your mates!

Providing bodycover should initially be taught without weapons

and certainly not with live ammunition until the student is
proficient at providing the cover. It might seem a bit silly at first
but no one was ever shot with an index finger!.
42
Summary

Bodycover is a basic skill that you need to master. You need

to be an expert at providing bodycover in any given situation
from; sitting, walking, in a vehicle, with weapon or without.
Bodycover should always be applied in the very first instance
of something appearing wrong!

If you need to fight yourself out of a situation, then to do so

whilst trying to hold on to your Principal is folly. Unless you
have a pistol, you may well need to use your fists and/or feet
in an overwhelming counter-attack to eliminate the initial
threat to the Principal. If this is the case you should control the
Principal by using strong, loud and clear voice commands.

43
If you are going to be employed to carry a weapon you should
always impress upon your employer the need to practice. This
can be difficult (but not impossible) in certain theatres of
operation, due to the availability of ranges, but my experience
has found that ‘shy boys come last’ and as long as you
approach the military unit, who usually control the ranges
overseas on deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, in the right
manner, they are normally only too happy to help out. If you
are working in Europe or the US, see if you can get your boss
to pay for range time and plenty of ammunition for practice, as
one thing is for sure; you cannot rely on the skills you learned
with a weapon years ago to help you win a fire-fight today!.

44
If you are in a situation where there is even a remote chance that
you will need to draw your weapon you must ensure that you are
well practiced in its use. Remember that getting used to the fit of
the pistol is vitally important if it is not an exact fit for your hand
so you don’t drop it or worse, have an ND through having to
fumble your drills

If you are to buy your own weapon ensure try as many weapons
as you can before committing to buy the best fit for you. When
you are on the range practice a lot with one hand shooting, and
draw the weapon from situations you may find yourself in, like:

1.Sat in a car or on a chair

2.One hand controlling the Principal
3.From a gun port / hatch in a moving vehicle
4.Attacks from all different angles. 45
Practice firing as soon as the weapon has cleared the holster,
do not wait to take perfect aim, keep both eyes open and
shoot at the centre mass of the target

Remember ‘Practice makes PERMANENT’ and your aim

should be to practice these skills enough so that bodycover
becomes as instinctive to you as blinking or ducking!

NB:
Bodycover techniques, with and without firearms will be
taught from day one of this course and subsequently every
day thereafter in our purpose built training tactical training
wing. By the end of the course each student will be well drilled
in the techniques and tactics of bodycover (if a little scuffed
and bruised slightly!).

46
Communication techniques when in a foot-formation

1.Good communications within a walking formation is vitally important to

a protection operation. Anyone on the team must be able to pass on
information quickly and precisely. Likewise his fellow operators must be
able to hear and understand exactly what is said and meant

2.The preferred communication tools on protection operations are a

combination of the two-way radio (walkie-talkie), quietly spoken
commands, and subtle hand signals along with head & eye
movements

3.Remember that RADIOS ARE NOT SECURE; never talk in clear (use
code-words and spot-codes explained in Chapter 11). Always assume
someone is listening in to your transmissions. Change frequencies or
channels frequently and keep the transmission down to a minimum
and even then, keep them in short burst messages.
Also understand that your radio is capable of setting off an IED so
always turn it off if you are near anything suspicious.
47
4.Radio’s when they are raised to the mouth always raise the profile so
make sure that the team uses earpieces at all times and if you don’t
have an earpiece when in the car,
just rest the radio on your lap and you will transmit

5. Voice procedure (VP) will change between companies and countries, it

does not matter what you use as long as everyone knows the
procedure and it is designed around brevity and clarity.

48
 Protective Formations
‘Protective Formations Are the Last Line of Defence
in Close Protection’
Intelligence /
Surveys /
Threat
Assessment

Checkpoints /
Barricades /
Alarms /
Security Posts /
Motorcade

Protective
Formations

49
Purpose of Formations

1. To provide a last line of defence around a Principal

2. In position to provide physical control and restraint
to protect the Principal where necessary
3. Consists of concentric circles so arcs of
observation/responsibility overlap
4. 360 degree coverage

The two most basic five man formations are the box and the ‘V’,
however, the box is being phased out due to its field of view,
manoeuvrability and openness. The five man formations that are
easiest to control whilst offering the best arcs of observation and
protection are the 5 man Diamond and the ‘V’ Formations.

50
TYPES OF FORMATIONS:
KEY

PES

PPO

D.O.T.

PRINCIPLE

51
 ONE PROTECTION OFFICER:

A single protection officer should position him/herself slightly

behind and to one side of the Client.

As a general rule if they are right handed they should be on the Principals
right if left handed, his left. This rule is not invariable, however, and full
account must be taken of the ‘Main direction of any likely threat’ as
this is the weakest of formations and most vulnerable to attack.
52
 TWO PROTECTION OFFICERS
Classic formation.
Good for low profile and ‘last second’ physical protection of the
Principal, but cannot always spot danger early.

Can be used in busy shopping precinct, etc, to check areas in

advance of the Principal. Good if danger ahead is seen but leaves
physical protection to one officer.
One officer drops back slightly. This allows better view of overall
picture and protection from behind. Only one officer provides
physical protection, however the view ahead can be restricted.
 THREE PROTECTION OFFICERS
Classic formation. (Wedge Formation)

TL
1.One CPO in advance (sets the pace)
2.TL controls the formation
3.One CPO (TL) drops back several paces to gain a better overall
view of direction; but the front view is restricted. Also known as the
‘Tail Gunner’ or ‘Tail-end Charlie’.

54
 FOUR PROTECTION OFFICERS (MOST COMMON)
Variations on the previous can be used as circumstances dictate.

TL
1. This formation offers the ability to change direction without losing
formation
2. Front two CPO’s also known as the ‘Front Left and Right Horns’
3. T.L. controls from the ‘Tail end Charlie’ position, to enable maximum
observation of all arcs. (but may end up in the front of the formation).

55
 FIVE MEN FORMATIONS
It is not suggested that five men must be used, but this is about the maximum that a
T.L. is able to operate closely and efficiently, whilst maintaining full control.

1. Diamond Formation (Open and Closed):

Symmetrical & Fluid able to instantly change direction whilst maintaining

formation

1. One CPO in advance (sets the pace).

2. Excellent for protection and ease of
control when changing direction or
adjusting from an Open Diamond when
threat situation is low, to a Closed
Diamond if the situation deteriorates.
3. Can present a bad image and can draw
attention. Used when crowds push in or
danger threatens.
4. Offers excellent arcs of observation
coverage and all round protection. TL
5. One CPO (TL) drops back several
paces to gain a better overall view of
direction; but the front view is restricted.. 56
2. Box Formation

This is gradually being phased out as is difficult to control for the

TL during a change in direction and offers little cover from the
flanks
TL

1.Difficult to maintain formation when changing direction

2.Image is not that good and offers poor protection
3.Open at the front & sides, but staff can fill the gaps.
57
3. Open ‘V’ Formation

Symmetrical & Fluid able to instantly change direction whilst

maintaining formation

TL
1.Allows reasonable public image
2.PPO only one step away from covering the Principal from the front arcs of
observation and fire
3.Good all round cover and observation.
As with the Open ‘V’ formation, the Wine Glass, with one extra CPO is
Symmetrical & Fluid able to instantly change direction whilst maintaining
formation, with the added benefit of affording the TL the ability to drop off
to gain betters arcs of observation.

Wine Glass Formation

TL 59
 LINE OF ROUTE: (Public Barricades/Rope-Lines)
1.Prearranged security is a must
2.Two detail members walk near Principal (One on each side)
3.Detail members should be as unobtrusive as possible.

Crowd

Rope 60
Formation used for high profile public events when the Principal plans to meet and
greet the public e.g. The Oscars

The PES need to be fully focused on potential threats from both; the front row of the
crowd; and also in depth. The PPO and one other member of the PES are close
enough for him to be able to instantly thrust himself between the Principle and the
threat, whilst the PPO takes control and moves the Principal towards safety.

Crowd

Rope

“Most assassinations attempts take place within 10 feet of the victim”!

Dealing with crowds

If your Principal is a celebrity who is likely to attract crowds of

well-wishers / fans / paparazzi etc, then you should discuss with
the Principal what his priorities are because crowds, no matter
who they are, should always be best avoided

If you need to face the crowd, then in order to move the Principal
around you must be very assertive and positive. Use your
communication skills and always use your voice to move people,
touching them only as a last resort and even then with a positive
“Excuse me Sir / Madame”. Never swear or get aggressive when
working with crowds unless absolutely necessary to maintain the
safety of the Principal. He won’t thank you for the snarling
pictures of you in the News of the World standing with your arm
on his shoulder!.

62
If you are trying to prevent the paparazzi from getting
pictures of your Principal then place your body between the
camera and the Principal. Do not place an outstretched
hand towards the camera as this can make for very
dramatic pictures that can be damaging to the image of
your boss! If photographs are taken you cannot demand
that the film or memory be given to you as the law will more
often than not always be on the side of the photographer.

63
If crowds are surrounded a car that you need to exit from or
gain entry to, you must try and control the crowd with your
voice. Fans can be told to give you some room, and
photographers can be told that they will get their pictures if
they move back. This can be a difficult position to be in if
you are working alone, but if you have a PES, then they can
of course clear a channel to the door of the venue or back
to the car

With the press, unless your Principal wants to talk to them

you should always keep moving. If they are in your way just
walk right at them. Photographers will try and move out of
the way as their best pictures are obtained when they are at
least a metre away. They are experts in the art of walking
backwards, taking pictures as they go.

64
Most press photographers these days really do have to
work hard to make a living and the ‘Press-Pack’ seem to be
getting scruffier, more aggressive and much more
determined to take risks and liberties to get the picture

You do not want to make enemies of these people and

should always treat them with respect, but if you are too
nice to them, they will see that as a weakness and exploit it
to the max! Always be firm and professional in your
dealings with them.

65
 EMERGENCY FORMATIONS:
Defensive Circle Formation

1. Used to move Principal through dense crowd that cannot be avoided

2. All detail members move to the Principal and interlock arms, facing inward
3. Each person visually covers area across from him/her
4. Weapons can be extremely vulnerable to theft in this formation

Cave-In Formation

1. Formed immediately when a Team Member

“WARNS” after spotting a weapon, thrown object
or an attacker

2. PPO puts Principal in a crouched position while

rest of the detail close in and cover the Principal.
(see Defensive Circle Formation Diagram).

66
 EMERGENCY FORMATIONS:

SITUATION MODIFICATIONS

Stairways and Escalators

1.Keep Principal in center of formation
2.Stagger the detail to obstruct any direct attack
3.Advance person clears the stairwell
4.Trail person protects the rear
5.Secure all entrances, exits, landings
6.Secure floor above and below Principal

Lifts
1.Block for exclusive use of the Principal
2.Entry
3.Principal, PPO, other detail members, Advance
4.Exit
5.Other detail members, Principal, DL, Advance
6.Must reform quickly after exit. 67
Corner Adjustments

When carrying out a movement on foot, members of the protective team

must be trained to adjust the formation to fit various circumstances.
When approaching a blind bend for example, the PES in the lead position
opposite the corner, should move ahead to confirm that the route is clear.

TL
68
Training in team formations

All team formations will need to be practiced on a large

scale. Other formations will need to be learnt when
dealing with the following:

1.Lifts
2.Staircases
3.Doors
4.Double corners
5.Escalators
6.Ski lifts

7.Corridors and alleyways.

69
Other Considerations

1.Principal’s personality / feelings toward security / image he wants to

portray
2.Detail not permitted to walk in front of Principal
3.Principal wants security out of site
4.Errands
5.Don’t talk too much
6.Converging dignitaries
7.Psychological effects:

8.Bonding
9.Principal becomes overly dependent
10.Respect Principals space
11.Remember your mission/purpose.
70
Summary

Remember the protection of the Principal is paramount

to any close protection operation. Learn your drills well
but above all you must make the drills flexible. The
appropriate formation must be selected based upon the
threat and situation on the ground

Constant vigilance must be maintained while

conducting formation drills, along with the flexibility,
sharpness of mind and ability to change formation at a
moment’s notice.

71
QUESTIONS?