The Executive Security Manual 2010

Orlando Wilson
International Risk Management Consultant
The Personal Security &

Kidnapping
Kidnapping Prevention Manual
Orlando Wilson
Risks Incorporated
Tel: 001-954-303-2326 (Miami, FL., U.S.A.)
E-mail: info@risks-inc.com
Website: www.risks-inc.com
Personal Security & Kidnap Prevention
No part of this document may be copied or sold without the permission of

Risks Incorporated, Victoria House, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles
Risks Inc. 2004

e-mail: info@risks-inc.com
Web site: www.risks-inc.com
CONTENTS:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
18)
19)
20)
21)
22)
23)
24)
25)
26)
Introduction
Real world incidents
How criminals operate
Improvised explosive devices
Emergency & crisis planning
Secrecy
Threat assessments (TA)
The orders procedure
Counter-surveillance
Advance security
Residential security
Travel security
Staying in a hotel
Attending an event
Searches
Electronic surveillance
Communications & meetings
Considerations for self-defense
First aid considerations
Vehicles
Route selection, ambushes and VCPs
Basic tactics
Kidnappings
Interrogation
Escape & evasion
Conclusion
O R L A N D O W I L S O N
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Glossary
AS: Advance Security
BG: Bodyguard
CPR: Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
CCTV: Closed Circuit Television
ES: Electronic Security
ECM: Electronic Countermeasures
ERV: Emergency Rendezvous
IED: Improvised Explosive Device
ID: Identification
MO: Modus Operandi
OP: Operation
PS: Protective Surveillance
PST: Protective Surveillance Team
RS: Residential Security
RST: Residential Security Team
RV: Rendezvous
TA: Threat Assessment
UVB: Under Vehicle Booby Trap
Tel/Fax: 001-954-303-2326 (Miami, FL., U.S.A.) Website: www.risks-inc.com

No part of manual is to be copied without the permission of Risks Inc. 2003.
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Introduction
In todays society, we all live with the threats from terrorism and crime. If you are a professional, the threat is
much higher because you may have what criminals want: cars, money, or jewelry. If you work in the emerging
markets, you are even more at risk from organized criminals and terrorists who see you as their means to a
potential ransom payment or a potential source publicity for their cause.
Many peoples view of a security-aware person is a big martial arts expert. This stereotype is a widely held
misconception. The real security aware person is someone who identifies and prevents any situations that
could be potentially dangerous to them or their loved ones from happening.
Unarmed combat and shooting skills are only part of what you may need to know. If you plan your personal
security properly and take the necessary precautions, you will, hopefully, never have to apply your shooting or
unarmed combat skills. When you take into account all the things that can harm you, the threat from shooting
is not at the top of the list, you are more likely to be involved in a car accident or suffer from some form of food
poisoning.
You must learn to identify all threats in your everyday life. When you learn the skills taught in this manual,
apply them in your everyday life. Do a threat assessment on yourself and work out what threats you are under
and make the necessary plans to minimize them. Apply what you have learned about residential security to
your home and office. Not all the subjects in this manual will apply to everyone, so when you read through the
manual take the information which is relevant to you and adapt it to your personal requirements. Just as
everyone is different, so are their security requirements- use this manual as a guide to planning your own
procedures. Once you have compiled your procedures you should then keep them as confidential as possible.
We put an emphasis on planning to avoid potential problems. Over the years I have had people attend my
courses who want close quarter combat training as they work or are traveling to a potentially hostile location.
When I ask them how they will be getting from the airport to their hotel 95% havent even thought about it.
Airports are a choice location for organized or express kidnappings. How will you know if your licensed taxi
driver is taking you to your hotel or to another location, do you research the routes before you travel? Do know
if his license is legitimate or someone elses with his picture on it; have your seen examples of legitimate
licenses? What will you do when the taxi stops and two kidnappers get in with 9mm pistols; shoot you way out
of it? Most people forget that in a lot of countries firearms are strictly regulated and the chances a tourist or
business visitor can take or carry a firearm are extremely slim. It makes more sense to do your research and
rd
avoid easily avoidable problems rather than ending dead in a ghetto back alley somewhere or in a 3 world
prison because you took a gun off and shot a kidnapper who turned out to be a police officer!
The information in this manual has been compiled from my twenty plus years of operational experience and
also from that of my close associates. Our experience has been gained while working within military,
intelligence units and in the international commercial security sector. Our major asset is our diverse and
constant operational experience that helps us understand firsthand the problems that can be encountered and
how to deal with them with sensible solutions. We live and work in the real world!

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Real World Incidents
In this section, we will outline some examples of real life incidents. As you read them, you will see similarities, even
though they took place in different parts of the world and over the past 15 years. I regularly monitor numerous credible
media sources and keep a database of incidents that take place in areas where I have interests. By monitoring these
incidents, I can build a profile of how the criminals and terrorists in those areas operate.
What you want to do is monitor how the criminal and terrorists operate in your area and build a profile of their likely
method or attack. For example, do they carry weapons? If so, what types? What is their favored time of attack? Do
they operate in groups? Do they have military experience? You get the idea.
As you look through the following incidents, think about what the victim could have done to avoid it and, if possible,
counter it. You will see the criminals and terrorists do not give their victims much opportunity to defend themselves.
Unlike the movies the criminals and terrorists do not want to get into a shoot out, they want to kill or kidnap their victims
as quickly and easily as possible. Many people are usually shocked when they find out that criminals and terrorists
dont play fair!
NOVEM BER
1996,
RUSSIA
Paul Tatum was an American businessman involved in a dispute over the ownership of the Slavyanskaya hotel in
Moscow. In the early evening on the day of his assassination Tatum received a phone call to attend an "emergency
meeting" in the Moscow subway.
He left for the meeting with two bodyguards, as they approached the nearby subway station they were followed by two
unidentified men who had been waiting close by in a parked car. As Tatum went down the steps into the subway
station a gunman armed with an assault rifle exited another parked car and ran to the top of the stairs. The first five
bullets of the twenty fired hit Tatum in the back of the neck. His bodyguards did not draw their weapons and no
witnesses ever came forward, even though the area was busy.
Considerations
Early evening and busy times and places are favored by criminal as it is easier for them to blend in
and escape. Also police reaction time at 5pm in most cities will be slower them 3am due to traffic
congestion and the fact they will be busy attending to other tasks.
Always be wary of meetings as they can be set ups for kidnappings or assaults, the bad guys will
know where youll be at a specific time.
Always be suspicious of people waiting in parked cars or vans, people dont wait in parked cars for no
reason. There is an old saying that there are only two reasons why two people will sit in a parked car,
they are either doing surveillance or having sex.
The chances are his bodyguards did not have time to react to the shooting but I would also not be
surprised if they received a phone call, did they want to make some cash or get shot! Its common for
security personnel to be targeted by the criminals to assist in the kidnappings or assaults or just look
the other way.

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DARFUR
Three aid workers including a female U.S. citizen were kidnapped as they were traveling in two vehicles. They
were stopped at a road block by an armed gang on the road to Nyala a major town in Darfur.
Considerations:
Routes need to be selected carefully, varied as much as possible and kept secret. Drivers should only
be informed of routes and destinations at the last minute.
Where routes are limited consider using advanced security.
Kidnappers will try to block your vehicles in so you cannot escape, if approaching an unidentified road
block turn around ASAP, avoid it.
Make sure you are using trusted drivers who are not working with the criminals
APRIL
2009,
NIGERIA
A Canadian citizen was kidnapped in northern Nigeria. Julie Mulligan, was kidnapped by four armed men as
she was returning to the house she was staying in on Thursday night. The kidnappers blocked in the car she
was in by the entrance of the house, ordered her and a local male companion out of the car at gunpoint, they
robbed the man and kidnapped Ms. Mulligan. The kidnappers issued a ransom demand of $136,000 for her
release.
Considerations:
The victim was kidnapped by multiple armed attackers, even if you had a weapon, could you get to it
and successfully engage multiple targets.
The victims car was blocked in so it could not escape.
The location of the kidnapping was at the victims residence.
OCTOBER
2002,
RUSSIA
The mayor of Taganrog was shot dead outside his home. The mayor had just got out of his car, outside of his
home when an assassin approached and shot him twice in the back. The mayors driver was also wounded in the
incident.
Considerations
The victim was killed outside of his home as he left his car. The shooter must have been waiting near the
victims home for the car to turn up.
The victim was shot in the back. Criminals want to get way with their crimes, forget the Hollywood shootouts,
we are talking murder.
JUNE
2010,
MEXICO
Enrique Barrios Rodriguez, the Secretary of Roadways and Reynaldo Ramos Alvarado the Director of Transit,
were kidnapped from their homes in Monterrey by gangs of armed men. Reports state, Barrios and Ramos
were kidnapped in the early morning after the gunmen broke into their homes. Their family members who were
in the houses were left unharmed.
Considerations
Again the victims were taken from their homes by multiple armed attackers. When planning the
security for a residence you need to consider not only how to keep people out but also long you would
need to hold out before help arrives.

APRIL
2003,
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State Duma deputy, Sergei Yushenkov, was killed in Moscow, apparently in a contract killing. He had just left his
chauffeur-driven car and was walking towards his apartment block in the early evening. He was shot in the back
4 times by an assassin armed with a silenced Makarov pistol.
Considerations
This is virtually the same as we saw in a previous incident in this chapter. We have the home as the location,
the car turns up and the victim killed with shots to the back.
JANUARY
2010,
NIGERIA
Three British citizens and a Colombian were kidnapped in the oil-rich Niger Delta. They were kidnapped when
gunmen ambushed the bus on which they were traveling. A police escort was killed and the bus driver was
wounded in the attack.
Considerations
I expect the bus was traveling a regular route and the oil workers used the bus frequently. Basic rule
of personal security is avoiding routine!
I expect the police officer was the only one with a firearm and was executed straight away. Most
security guards and bodyguards dont realize if things go bad they are going to be the first ones to get
shot!
JANUARY
2005,
IRAQ
Gunmen killed six people during the abduction of a Turkish businessman, Abdulkadir Tanrikulu, outside the Baghdad
hotel, where he was staying. About 10 gunmen opened fire on a minibus which, contained personnel who had
come to pick up Mr. Tanrikulu.
Considerations
MAY
The location for the kidnapping was at the targets hotel, his place of residence.
How did the kidnappers know when the target was leaving the hotel and he was worth kidnapping, did they
have contacts working within the hotel?
I expect the six people killed in minibus were security personnel who had come to escort Mr. Tanrikulu, they
should have been armed etc. This is a good example of how a bunch of guys with guns are a waste of time;
they might look intimidating but...
2005,
AFGANISTAN
An Italian female aid worker, Clementina Cantoni, was kidnapped in Kabul. A gang of men armed with
Kalashnikovs, blocked in her car as it was leaving the residence of another aid worker; they smashed in
the cars windows and dragged her into another car before escaping. Cantoni's driver did nothing during the
abduction as he was told if he moved he would be executed.
Considerations
The victim was kidnapped by multiple attackers with assault weapons.

The car was blocked in so it could not escape. Criminals with half a brain will chose locations where
they can block in a car or where it cannot maneuver, that means sexy evasive driving techniques are
ineffective. You must plan routes and constantly access your environment.
The location of the kidnapping was at a residence of another ex-pat and I expect the kidnappers had
that location under surveillance for a while or they could have made the driver an offer he could not
refuse.

AUGUST
1997,
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Vice Governor or St. Petersburg, Mikhail Manevich, was killed by a sniper as his car turned slowly around a corner in
central St. Petersburg. The sniper was in a position several stories above street level and fired eight rounds from an
AK-47 through the car's roof and front window, five bullets struck Mr. Manevich in the neck and chest. Mr
Manevich had received threats from Mafia groups but still traveled regular routes, at normal speeds, in an unarmored
Volvo and without security escorts.
Considerations
The criminals had done their homework and identified where along Manevichs route he would have to make
a stop or take a slow turn.
The shooter was several stories above street level; Manevich would never have seen him and the shooter
only needed to identify his car. Think about how often you look up above street level, most people dont and
look behind them even less.
The Volvo S-70 was unarmored but even a lot of armored cars have unarmored roofs, if you or are going to
hire an armored car check and made sure the roof is protected.
APRIL
2006,
VENEZULEA
Three boys Jason, Kevin and John Faddoul - aged 12, 13 and 17 were found dead with their driver just over a
month after being kidnapped. They were kidnapped while been driven to school in Caracas by a gang
dressed in police uniforms. The family received a ransom demand for $4.5 million but was unable to pay. A
few weeks before this kidnapping an Italian businessman was kidnapped as he neared is home by men
dressed as police, he also turned up dead.
Considerations
The boys and their driver were kidnapped while I expect they were driving a regular route, basic procedures
always avoid routine.
The businessman was kidnapped near his residence, which is one of the main locations for assassinations
and kidnappings.
Both kidnappings were carried out by groups of men dressed as police. This is common and in many cases
the police are working with the criminals. This is a difficult issue; if you run from the police you can get shot or
arrested and if they turn out to be kidnappers your kidnapped.
Even if a ransom is paid there is no guarantee that the victims will be released alive.
JULY
2006,
HAITI
Two U.S. missionaries were kidnapped while they were driving to their church in Port-au-Prince. The
missionarys car was stopped in traffic and they were dragged to a waiting car. The kidnappers made one of
the missionaries call his wife in the U.S. to say they were OK and make a ransom demand of $500K, which
was brought down to $100K.
Considerations
They were driving a regular route when they were kidnapped.

The car was in traffic when the kidnapping took place, the condition of the roads and traffic congestion
in Port-au-Prince rules out any evasive driving maneuvers.
JUNE
2007,
NIGERIA
An armed gang of kidnappers blasted into the residential compound of an Asian-owned chemical company in the
Niger Delta and abducted three of the companys top managers, the managing director, general manager, the security
manager and their families.

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Considerations
An armed group, which appears to have received some training in explosives. In a lot of places the
kidnappers and criminals are former police and military personnel. The backgrounds and capabilities of the
criminals and terrorists would need to be identified in the initial threat assessment.
Again the location for the kidnapping was the victims place of residence. Plans, procedures and precautions
should have been in place to withstand such an attack.
JUNE
2005,
MEXICO
The police chief of Nuevo Laredo, Alejandro Dominguez, was assassinated by gunmen just after recently taking the
job. The assassins were in three vehicles and opened fire as Mr. Dominguez was getting in his car on a
Wednesday evening. They cut him off so he could not escape and initially opened fire from inside their vehicles,
then got out and shot him at close quarters. At least 30 rounds were fired by the assassins, who then slowly drove
away with their lights turned off.
Considerations
The location of the assassination was the place of business of Dominguez and he was shot as he got into
his car in the evening. The assassins would have located his car and just waited for him to return.
There were multiple assassins who blocked in his car so he could not escape, he did not stand a chance.
Best to try to avoid such situations!
FEBRUARY
2002,
RUSSIA
Vladimir Kanevsky, a top Russian advertising executive, was killed in what is believed to be business-related shooting
in Moscow. He was shot in his car, which was stopped at traffic lights, when a gunman managed to open his car
door and kill him before his four bodyguards, traveling in a car behind Mr. Kanevskys vehicle, could react.
Considerations
Kanevsky was shot in his car at traffic lights. The assassin could have been staking out that traffic light for a
month waiting for the onetime Kanevskys car would stop. I also suspect this was a route that was regularly
used by Kanevsky.
Having bodyguards does not guarantee protection, bodyguards need to be pro-active, if they just wait to
react to problems the chances are that their clients, themselves or both will end up dead.
AUGUST,
2005,
MEXICO
Leopoldo Ramos, who headed the Public Safety Commission of Nuevo Laredo, was ambushed and killed in
broad daylight near the offices where he worked. Ramos was ambushed by at least three men who sprayed
his car with automatic weapons fire and then escaped in another vehicle. Ramos died instantly along with his
bodyguard.
Considerations
The incident took place near Ramoss place of business, which he went to every workday. If you
cannot avoid routine in your daily life you need to identify the danger areas and be extra vigilant. The
gunmen must have been staking out the route waiting for the car to approach.
There were three assassins armed with automatic weapons, thats 90 rounds fired within a few
seconds, at tactical street distances they could not have missed.
The bodyguard who I expect was also the driver did not have time to react, you do not want to be
reactive! Bodyguards are bodyguards and drivers are drivers one person cannot do both jobs at once.

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JANUARY
2000,
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RUSSIA
Ilya Vaisman, the finance director of Baltika Breweries, was shot and killed in the evening, through the kitchen
window of his apartment in central St Petersburg.
Considerations
Here we have another shooting taking place at the targets residence and at the assassins favored time of
day.
The assassin shot Vaisman through his kitchen window, think about how many times you have the lights on
in your residence with the blinds open, which means people can look in at you but you are limited to what
you can see outside.
JULY
20,
2005,
MEXICO
Gunmen kidnapped Ruben Omar Romano, the Argentine coach of first division Cruz Azul, one of Mexico's
biggest soccer teams. At least eight gunmen in two stolen SUVs cut off Romano's car by blocking a road.
They then started shooting at him, dragged him from his car and beat him before taking him away.
Considerations
There were multiple armed kidnappers who overwhelmed Ramano, they took control of the situation,
if he resisted he would have been killed.
The location of the kidnapping was close to the stadium where he worked and his vehicle was
blocked in so he could not escape.
This was a very professional kidnapping and its what you can expect in a lot of places. If it gets to the
point that you are being kidnapped you have big problems. Best to take precautions and try to avoid
the problems!
As you have seen, we have highlighted some similarities in these incidents. You should noticed that the favored
places for attacks to happen were at the victims homes, cars or businesses. Think about it: If the criminals or terrorists
locate their targets home or car, they just have stake it out and wait for the target to return. You should have also
notice that many of the incidents were obviously well planned and involved multiple shooters armed with automatic
weapons. Always train to deal with the maximum threat that you are most likely to encounter and expect the criminals
and terrorists to be well trained and organized.

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How Criminals Operate
You need to be aware of how criminals and terrorists operate and what they look for in their victims; if you
know this, you can hopefully avoid becoming a victim yourself. Criminals and terrorists are generally business
people; they commit crimes to make money or achieve a goal- some are good at it and some are not. At all
levels of the crime business, criminals, to some degree, plan and organize their jobs, whether it is stealing
someones watch or assassinating someone.
In this chapter we will refer to the bad guys as criminals and will not differentiate between criminals and
terrorist, they are the same. You must remember that terrorists largely fund their terror campaigns from the
proceeds of crime be it street crime, providing protection for criminal groups, smuggling drugs/people,
protection rackets, kidnapping etc.
I tell my clients that the three golden rules to personal security are think like a criminal, keep a low profile and
always have an escape route.
Think like a criminal: Put yourself in the criminals shoes and think how you would rob or kidnap
yourself, how would you break into your home or hotel room.
Keep a low profile: Do not draw attention to yourself, consider what you wear and drive, dont be
loud and rowdy. And dont tell strangers to much about yourself, especially anything to do with your
personal security. If you are trying to impress someone use a cover story.
Always have an escape route: Make sure you know how and have the means to get out of your
location to a safe area. Know how to get out of the hotel and have the means to get out of the city,
then possibly the country and you know how to get to a safe location.
Be assured there is nothing listed here that criminals dont already know.
STREET
CRIME
In general, the type of criminal most people will come into contact with will be from the lower echelon of the
criminal world, such as muggers, car thieves, burglars and other petty criminals.
Think about if you were a mugger and you were going to rob yourself what three questions would you ask
yourself about the target. Muggers will generally ask themselves three questions when choosing their victims:
do they have valuables on them worth taking, will the target put up a fight and can they escape after
committing the crime? The criminal has just done a basic threat assessment.
Wherever you go, you need to blend in with the environment and the people around you, so dont make a
common mistake and wear expensive jewelry or clothing. Look online for some photos of street scenes from
the location youll be visiting and see how people dress.
It also makes sense that if you are dressed to blend in with your environment, so your luggage should blend in
as well. If you are a criminal taxi driver at an airport looking for targets for an express kidnapping who will you
want to pick up, the local with the sports bag or the foreigner in the tweed sports coat with the designer leather
luggage.

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Luggage theft is also big business, in the early 1990s there were crews of Latin Americans who use to go to
London during the summers and just steal luggage from the lobbies of 5 star hotels. Think what valuables
people keep in their suit cases; jewelry, computers, cameras designer clothes etc. Whenever you check into a
hotel keep your luggage with you and look around at others luggage and see how easy it would be to walk
away with.
Luggage security is also something most do not consider, but consider this; you arrive at your hotel in a
developing country and let the bell boy take your bags to your room for you while you complete your check in.
You then proceed to your room and start to unpack, then there is a knock on your door. When you answer it
there is the hotel manager and two police officers who ask to search your room, are you going to say no, can
you say no? When they search your bags they find a small package of drugs, now are you going to pay the
rd
fine or go to a 3 world prison? Do you think anyone will believe the drugs were not yours; there are 3
witnesses who were present when they were found in your bags. Never leave luggage unattended, in some
places you need to be more concerned about things being put in your bags rather than taken!
If you are traveling to another country, it makes a lot sense not to advertise the fact that you are foreigner.
There are many police forces that supplement their salaries by stopping and shaking down foreign visitors. In
the late 90s I had an associate go to Moscow with a client who was dressed as he would in London, camelhair
overcoat etc. The Moscow polices spotted him and called over and asked for his wallet, they took $100.00 and
gave him his wallet back. A simple a painless lesion, which I hope, but doubt he learned from.
Another way to signal that you are a foreigner- and a potential target- is the language you speak on the streets.
If you are in a high crime area and dont speak the local language, try not to talk whilst on the streets and if you
must, keep it low. Criminals always look for people who are soft targets because they dont want a
confrontation, thus drawing attention, which is bad for business. You always want to act like you know where
you are going and what you are doing and not to look and act like a victim.
When traveling, it is important that you plan your trip in detail from start to finish. For example, when planning
the trip from the airport to your hotel, make sure that you use a reputable taxi company, such as one which is
recommended or supplied by the hotel. Then, when being picked up make sure to verify it is the real taxi that
has been sent by the hotel. Airports such as Simon Bolivar Airport in Caracas, Venezuela are very dangerous
places and the starting point for many express kidnappings.
Think about it: would you let close family members or friends get into a car with a complete stranger where you
live now? So, why do it in a foreign country, carrying a suitcase full of valuables? In many countries, the taxi
business is unregulated and often associated with criminal activity- taxi fares are a source of hard cash and as
long as someone can drive, they are qualified to be cab drivers. Licenses can be bought or copied. The taxi
business is also a good corporate front for organized criminal groups as it is a cash business and can be used
for laundering Narco money and the like.
Many tourists have found themselves left on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere watching their
luggage, passport and travelers checks being driven off into the night. The lucky ones just get robbed and not
raped, beaten senseless or murdered.
You should make sure you are staying in a reputable hotel that has good CCTV and professional 24-hour
security personnel (we will cover this more in depth in a later chapter). You also want to make sure that the
restaurants, clubs and bars you go to are reputable. Criminals like to go to restaurants or other tourist hangouts just as much as everyone else. In some places organized criminals are the only ones with the money to
set up and frequent upscale restaurants and clubs. Incidentally, criminal venues can be very peaceful places to
go but there is always the potential for problems and are therefore best avoided. Criminals will pay waiters or
bar staff to tip them off when a suitable victim is noticed at their venue; the foreigner with the Rolex, designer
cloths and the wallet full of cash and credit cards. When the victim leaves the venue they can be robbed on the
street or steered into a criminal taxi.
You also need to be careful that when you are in a club or a bar you do not leave your drink unattended. Think
about how many times when you have been at a hotel bar or club and left your drink unattended or with
someone you have just met who seemed like a nice person. How easy would it have been for someone to
spike you drink with drugs such as Rohypnol/Flunitrazepam. This commonly thought of as the Date Rape
drug but is also used in robberies.

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There was one nightclub in Riga, Latvia where it was common knowledge that visitors who flashed their money
and Rolexs around could end up drugged and robbed, they would wake up in the morning somewhere missing
their valuables. When they reported the robberies to the police they would not take the victims seriously, what
was to prove they did not drink themselves unconscious, the victim could not remember what they were doing,
so they could have given their valuables away etc. As long as no-one got hurt the police in Riga werent
concerned. At this time while writing this chapter the police in West Palm Beach and Broward Counties in
South Florida are looking for a gang of females who have been drugging men in bars and nightclubs and
robbing them.
You dont have the go to nightclubs to be exposed to the risk of being drugged, one Gypsy tactic in Europe is
to get their small children to go out and sell glasses of tea or soft drinks to tourist, who would expect a little girl
to give you a spiked drink. The children are accompanied by teenagers who then watch and follow the victim
until they passed out or go and help them when they start to stumble at which time they rob them.
Rohypnol/Flunitrazepam is a tasteless and odorless drug; Flunitrazepam takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes
to take effect and usually lasts four to six hours, depending on dosage. The drug makes individuals unable to
remember what happened while under the influence of the drug. Flunitrazepam is commonly used in sexual
assaults; victims may not be able to recall the assault, the assailant and be uncertain about the facts
surrounding the assault.
Even street criminals can plan and organize their crimes to a very high standard. This is best illustrated by
something I witnessed in Central London in the mid-1990s. After working for a while on a surveillance job you
get to know who is who in an area. Central London, like most, cities has a constant stream of people coming
and going but it does not take time to identify the locals. We identified a group of teenage boys who were
obviously living off streets. Their favorite hangout was around a Dunkin Doughnut shop and there was usually
at least three of the group in the vicinity. It was not unusual for members of the group to leave the area with
older men and then be followed by other members of their group in what could be classed as a classic formal
foot surveillance formation. I was clear to us they were Rent Boys, or male prostitutes. Later on, when we
mentioned this to the local police and they knew how these kids were operating but could do little to stop them.
How these kids operated was that when one had picked up a client they took them to a quiet local parking
garage, the other members of their crew would follow. When the client and the Rent Boy were engaged in a
sexual act, the others would appear, rough up the client and take his wallet and whatever other valuables he
had on him.
The local police regularly got men, usually tourists or from outside of London, putting in reports that they were
mugged in the car park where these kids took their clients. Before the police took things further they informed
the men that they know this area was frequented by male prostitutes and then asked if they wanted to continue
with this report- they usually did not.
These street kids knew there was a very high chance that the victim would not take things further with the
police and press charges as they would have to explain why they were in a car park which was frequented by
male prostitutes. The street kids defense would be to let it be known that the victim had in fact solicited them
for sex, which is illegal. So, if the victim pressed charges, it would be very likely that he would ruin his
reputation, career, marriage and then be open to having charges pressed against him for solicitation, sex with
a minor and public indecency. As you see from this story when apparently law-abiding people, who think they
know what they are doing, cross the line into the criminal world, they are asking for trouble and many rightfully
get it.
These street kids were at the lowest level of the criminal world. They managed to repeatedly and successfully
rob outwardly respectable, professional men and then avoid prosecution from the law because they planned
their operation properly. So, how do you think the professionals will do things when there a hundreds of
thousands of dollars at stake?
It is a fact of life that people have vices and I do not judge people on what they do in private, as long as it is
between consenting adults. I have been asked quite a few times why I discuss prostitution etc. on my courses.
I discuss these issues as they are areas where unwary people can and do get themselves into a lot of trouble.
A consideration when hiring bodyguards is whether they are mature and streetwise, many are not. I was once
talking to someone who I know was working in the celebrity security business in Miami and they told me in
detail about the one time they had gotten drunk in their life, this concerned me. At this time I was use to dealing
with the emerging markets of the 90s Eastern Europe where everyone drank alcohol and business meetings
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took place or usually ended up in strip bars and nightclubs. My concern with using this guy was what if he had
to work with a client in an environment where drinking a little alcohol and going to clubs is expected. Would he
be focused, alert and protecting his client, or getting drunk, falling in love with a stripper or just joining the
party, I have seen this happen. Criminals will target your bodyguards first, remove the bodyguards, one way or
another and you can then do what you want to their client.
In most places prostitution is illegal but in some places it is a licensed business. Even where its illegal, you will
not have to look far to find sex for sale, I am sure there are sex ads online and escort agencies in the yellow
pages for the area that youre in now.
In some places you will get girls phoning your hotel room offering their services; your details having been
supplied by their associates working in the hotel or the concierge can arrange girls for you, everyone is making
a percentage of any deals that the prostitutes makes.
The main problems that come with prostitution are of course disease but also robbery and blackmail. If the
prostitutes can get your hotel room details, I am confident that for a few dollars more those that manage them
can get your hotel registration details, which will more than likely include your home address, business address
and credit card details. How much would most businessman pay to stop the photos or video from their hotels
security cameras showing him and a young lady getting cozy in the hotel bar and then going to his room being
sent to his wife? Get the picture?
Another criminal tactic which involves sex is the honey trap. This is where, lets say a female (The Bait) will
approach and start a conversation with a male (Target), who may be a pre-planned target or just a
businessman who looks like he has money. The aim of the female is to get the male to go with them to a hotel
room or apartment for sex. If the male goes with her then the trap can develop in several ways. A crude honey
trap would be where the target is drugged or beaten and then robbed. A more intricate honey trap would
involve the target being videoed having sex with the bait, the more deviant the better and then blackmailed for
business favors or hard currency. Some honey traps can go on for an extended period of time and can form
into what the target believes is a relationship; this will continue until the controllers behind the bait get the
information or results they are after. Another criminal tactic is to use a mature looking but underage girl or boy
as bait, that way they have a lot of leverage on the target how has without knowing committed a serious
criminal act, sex with a minor.
I have used the example of a female approaching a male but it can work all ways, male to female, male to
male, female to female etc. During the Cold War the East German Stasi successfully used male gigolos to
target female secretaries working in influential posts in the West German government. Its believed the Stasi
sex-spies managed penetrated all levels of the West German government, intelligence agencies and NATO
command.
A contemporary and imaginative honey trap happened to a French businessman in 2002. This gentleman had
met and had been exchanging messages with an attractive Russian female over the internet and agreed to go
to Moscow to meet her in real life and spend some time with her. She met him at Sheremetyevo airport and
took him to a waiting car where he was kidnapped- she had been working with a criminal gang! The first thing
the Frenchmans wife knew about him going to Moscow was when she received a ransom demand for three
million dollars. Luckily, the criminals were not that professional or brutal and Frenchman was rescued by the
Moscow police. This case made the international media, now think about the damage it done to this
Frenchmans personal and business credibility, not to mention how he would explain the situation to his wife.
A more common and accepted side of the sex industry are the strip bars. They can be found in most placessome are respectable and well-run businesses but others are not. If you must go to a strip bar do your
research and go to one of the higher profile ones. One type of scam which is often used in smaller strip bars or
clip joints is to vastly overcharge on drinks. For example, a man may go into one of these places and order a
drink, say a Coke, and then possibly buy a drink for one of the hostesses. When he is presented with the bill,
however, he finds it to be for a few hundred dollars. When he protests he is confronted by a couple of thugs
who shows him the price list for drinks, which is well-hidden behind the bar. It is not unusual for a glass of
Coke to be 3 to 4 hundred dollars. How things develop will depend on the club and the victim. In most cases
the victim will have his wallet emptied and may be escorted to an ATM machine and instructed to draw out
more money or just beaten and robbed. If there is more than one victim, one may be held in the venue while
the other is sent to get more money. These operations rely on the fact that the people going into these places
will not report these incidents to the police as they would not want people, such as their wives and bosses to
know that they were in a sleazy strip bar in the first place.
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In most countries, recreational drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, are illegal. Drugs mean problems- full stop!
Being caught with illegal substances will land you in a lot of trouble and the fact that you are a foreigner could
make things even worse for you. I am sure in most places the local authorities would love to make an example
of you. To buy the drugs, you must first associate with street criminals, which opens you up to the threats of
robbery and blackmail. Why should the dealer only take $40 off of you for a bag of drugs, when he can take
everything you have on you and still keep the drugs? If this happens, what are you going to do? Tell the police
the guy you were buying drugs off robbed you? The only people who benefit from drugs deals are the dealers.
I have never understood why people take drugs, some people are fussy about what they eat but will put
unidentified chemicals in their body they bought from a scummy street criminal.
In most countries, alcohol is legal and is regularly available. Alcohol is the oldest and most extensively used
drug in the world and the amount of alcohol-related problems are vast. If you must drink know your limitations
and never over do it, especially in an unfamiliar environment. Street criminals look for easy targets; people who
have drunk too much are easy targets. Even though drunks may believe that they can take on the world, they
cant. Alcohol makes you unsteady on your feet and slows your reactions; these are two of the main things you
need to defend yourself. The street term, Rolling Drunks, comes from the fact that to rob a drunk you just
have to give them a push and roll them over to take their wallet.
Alcohol also lowers peoples inhibitions and can cause the usually responsible businessman to accept the offer
of company from a young lady calling their hotel room after they return from celebrating a successful business
meeting, then the fun can commence but it may be short lived for the businessman!
KIDNAPPING
AND
ASSASSINATIONS
I have linked kidnapping and assassination together, because the initial planning for both of these crimes is the
same. We will talk more about kidnappings in a later chapter; here you will learn how criminals would plan such
crimes.
If you are working in any of the emerging markets of Africa, Latin America or Eastern Europe, you need to be
aware of the threat of kidnapping. The fact that you are a foreigner is enough to make you a target, as does the
fact you are wearing expensive clothing and jewelry. In some places, if the criminals can make a few hundred
dollars off you, they will be happy. The days are gone when only wealthy and high profile people were targeted
for kidnapping.
Most people should never be faced with the threat of being targeted for assassination. In some of the emerging
markets assassination is the unofficial way of solving business disputes, assassins are cheaper to hire than
lawyers! I tell my clients that I place the threat from blackmail and kidnapping a lot higher than that of
assassination. Think about it, if someone is executed what use are they, none! They have just been removed
from the equation. If someone can be entrapped, blackmailed and manipulated they can provide the criminals
with an ongoing source of funds or information etc. If someone is kidnapped they are a valuable asset which
can be sold for a ransom. You must take all this into consideration when faced with business problems in the
emerging markets, even if the disputes are over a minor amount of funds or assets.
Now we will talk about the main points of how a criminal group plans a kidnapping or assassination. If a
criminal group is looking for sporadic targets of opportunity for an express kidnapping, they would have been
looking for nearly the same characteristics in their victim as a mugger. The criminals will watch you to see if
you look like you are worth kidnapping, listen to which languages you speak to shop keepers or waiters, what
is your level of personal security, and can you defend yourself? The easiest way to assess someones
personal security is to go up to them and ask them a question, like whats the time. The criminals will be able to
assess from your reaction and body language if you are security aware or not. Always be suspicious of
strangers, male or female, who approach and talk to you, even if they seem nice. You must always be aware of
your surroundings and watch for anyone following or watching you, if you see the same person several times in
different locations start to take precautions and be ready for a problem.
If a criminal group is specifically targeting you for a kidnapping or assassination, they will need to select a time,
place and method to carry out their plans. To do so, they will need to build a picture of your routine and
lifestyle. They will be looking for a pattern in your daily schedule, so that they can predict when you will be at a
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It is difficult for people not to form predictable routines, humans are creatures of habit. The most common
places for kidnappings or assassinations to take place are at the victims place of business, their residence or
when they are in or around their vehicles. Almost every day you will be at least one of these locations- if not all
three. The criminals will want to assess your standard of personal security; for instance, are you armed, do you
use security personnel and are they competent, does your home have alarms or watch dogs?
The primary way to get this type of information on someone is to put them under surveillance. Methods of
surveillance vary and can include getting people to watch and follow the targets or using remote listening
devices and cameras in their place of business, home or vehicle. With todays technology, surveillance
techniques can also include hacking a targets computer and intercepting their e-mails. Think about it: if you
were going to a foreign country on business and a criminal intercepted your e-mails for a week or so before
you left, they would probably have a very good idea of your whole itinerary.
These days most people have at least one computer and when traveling take a laptop. Think about how many
people can access you computer, for example colleagues at the office. If you leave you leave your computer at
the office overnight can maintenance, security or cleaning staff get access to it. There have been cases of
corporate espionage where private detective companies have placed agents in the cleaning and security staff
working at their targets offices, so they can access the target companies computers and trash after work hours.
Most people would not consider the threat from fat and bumbling night shift security guard downloading
business data from their PC and copying papers, but you should! When youre traveling do you leave your
laptop in your hotel room and is it password protected? You cannot carry your computers around with you all
the time so, one thing to do is to keep minimum information on it, keep all your sensitive information on a
thumb drive, which you can always keep on your person. Then if someone accesses your computer or its lost
or stolen the criminals wont get any worthwhile information.
Another common way to gain information on someone, a technique which is used by criminal, intelligence and
law enforcement agencies alike, is to go through their targets garbage. These days a lot of people shred
sensitive papers to prevent identity theft but do they shred their grocery store recites, which have time, date
and location on them? For example, if over a three week period, the criminals were able to find receipts from a
local grocery store in your garbage, which show a checkout time between 10 am and 11 am for the past three
Saturday mornings, they would have identified a potential routine. On the next Saturday, it would make sense
for the criminals to send someone to the grocery store at nine oclock in the morning to wait and see if you
turned up, who were you with, and where you parked your car and if you paying attention to the environment.
They could also use this opportunity to test your security by getting a young lady to ask you for help carrying
her bags to her car.
All sensitive paperwork needs to be destroyed; shredded papers can be put back together, so you need to
ensure they are burned. Another method is to soak the papers in water until the ink runs and the paper turns to
mush.
Criminals will also look to recruit or blackmail your employees to give them your itinerary and information on
your business- thats why you must insure that all you employees are vetted out, supervised by trusted
personnel and all sensitive information is kept on a need to know basis. I do not blame people that are forced
by criminals to provide information on their employers, in the emerging markets a lot of times they have little
choice but to comply with the criminals demands. The initial approach usually offers the employee cash or
favors if they assist the criminals, if they reject the offers then family members will be contacted directly and
threatened with violence or sexual assault. Whats the employee to do, go to the police, who in many places
are scared of, or working with the criminals. Consider what you would do if you are working in a volatile Latin
American country and you find out that one of your employees daughters has been threatened with being
gang raped if the employee does not give the criminals your travel schedule. This is not a joke, consider what
you would do!
If the threat is coming from, say, a known business rival, or if you frequently meet personally with new clients
the criminal will just have to arrange a meeting with you at a place suitable for the kidnapping or assassination.
Meetings should be considered high risk as people know where you will be at a specific time; we will discuss
this more in a later chapter. When the criminals have identified your routine and have chosen a place to kidnap
or assassinate you, they will then have to choose a method. If your threat is from professional criminals, and
you do not identify that you are being targeted before the criminals strike, the chances are you will be
successfully kidnapped or assassinated. You must learn to identify and avoid potential problems, forget martial
arts and Hollywood fight scenes; if it gets to the stage where you having to fight the chances are you have
screwed up somewhere or are somewhere you shouldnt be. There are usually two outcomes of fights,
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rd
someone goes to prison and someone goes to hospital, in the 3 world you defiantly dont want to go to prison
but if you dont, there is a very good chance youll be going to the morgue.
METHODS
OF
ASSASSINATIONS
I will talk about kidnapping in more detail in a later chapter, here I have listed some methods of assassination and
weapons that can be used by criminals. The reason I am listing them here is to make you aware of some techniques
and weapons that could be used against you or by you if necessary and what their capabilities are.
Unarmed Combat: Unlike the movies, killing someone without the use of weapons is not a one punch deal
and success is not guaranteed. The disadvantage for the criminals would be they would have to get close to
the target, which means the target could identify there was a threat against them and react. It would
therefore be noisy and messy, drawing the attention of anyone in the area and there is a chance that, unless
a number of assailants were used, the target could get away or win the confrontation. If someone is going to
rob, kidnap or assassinate you, chances are that they will have some sort of weapon on them. The only
times people are beaten death are usually in domestic violence situations or bar fights. Even if the criminals
cant get hold of conventional weapons, they will be able to get hold of things such as hammers, axes,
wrenches, screwdrivers, kitchen knives, lengths of chain or wire. Virtually anything can be improvised to be
used as a weapon.
Edge Weapons: Knives are available virtually everywhere and are a favorite criminal weapon. Knives are
excellent close quarters weapons and have a lot of advantages over guns, like legal availability for one. If
traveling internationally 98% of the time you can't take firearms but you should be able to pick up a pocket
knife at the end location. When dealing in Eastern Europe in the mid 90's I was surprised to hear from
several law enforcement sources that gypsy kids trained with knives and were a not to be taken lightly. If a
criminal knows how to use a knife, you are going to have severe- if not fatal -problems. The best defense
against a knife is a gun.
Blunt Weapons: Items such as hammers are commonly available and can be generally carried without
arousing the suspicion of authorities. A blow to the head from a heavy, blunt weapon can immediately
incapacitate a target and prove fatal.
Stun Guns and Chemical Sprays: Electric stun guns and chemical sprays, such as Mace and pepper are
freely available in a lot of places. These weapons will not kill but can be used to incapacitate a target,
allowing them to be kidnapped or robbed. Most stun guns require the assailant to touch their target, pepper
sprays can have a range of up to 20 feet.
Accidents: Usually, criminals like assassinations that are planned to look like accidents, unless they
are trying to make an example of someone. If the assassination looks like a accident, law
enforcement personnel will not be too interested in following things up. Accidents can be planned by
tampering with someones vehicle, blinding them with a spotlight while they are driving at night or
pushing them from a height of 20 meters or more onto a hard surface. The list of possible accidents
that can be arranged is endless.
Drugs & Chemicals: As previously stated, street criminals often use drugs to knock out their victims,
so they can easily rob them. So, why not use them to assassinate people? There are many freely
available legal and illegal drugs that can be used. Methods to administer them include spiking drinks
and food, using chemical sprays or by injection. A high profile cases where chemicals have been use
are the assignation of the former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London 2006 and the attempted
poising of the Ukrainian President, Viktor Yushchenko in 2004.
Handguns: In general, guns are only as effective as their user. The further away you are from the
shooter, the more skill they need to hit you. Handguns are meant to be used at close quartersconversational range, 50 yards is a very long shot with a handgun. If someone is shooting at you with
a handgun, your best defense is to simply run away. Handguns, in the hands of unskilled criminals,
are most effective at distances of under 5 yards.
Shotguns: Again, these are close range weapons. The effectiveness of the shotgun depends on
what ammunition is being used, the length and choke of the barrel of the gun. Shotguns generally fire
shells containing pellets and not solid shot. A full size shotgun with a full choked barrel will spread its
shot over about 4-foot diameter area at 45 yards; at 60 yards the shot would generally not be
effective. With sawed-off, or short barreled shotguns, which generally have un-choked barrels, the
effective distances are dramatically reduced. Shotguns can fire sold ammunition (Slugs) which, can
be accurate and effective up to 100 yards.
Submachine Guns/ Assault Rifles: These weapons are usually freely available to criminals in the
emerging markets and, like handguns; their effectiveness is down to the user. A common weapon
encountered would be the AK-47 and its many variations. A trained shooter, firing single, aimed shots,
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should be able to hit a target at 300 yards with an AK. An untrained shooter, firing on fully automatic,
would be lucky to hit a target past 20 yards. The rounds fired by military weapons, such as the AK
series, are very powerful and will do a lot of damage when they hit a person, be it in the foot or the
head.
Improvised Explosive Devices (IED): We will go into detail on IEDs in a later chapter; they are
something of which everyone must be aware.
If you identify that you are being targeted for kidnapping or assassination, you need to act fast and it is
important to also remember that there is a good chance that, if you are being targeted, so are your family and
associates. If you are in one of the emerging markets, you want to quietly and quickly leave. If you are
somewhere where you think the law enforcement agencies can be trusted, inform them, then vary your routine,
step up your security and get professional help.

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SECTION
4
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
If you are working in the center of a large city, like London or New York, or are working in the emerging
markets, where bomb scares are not unusual, it is likely that you may get caught up in an Improvised Explosive
Device (IED) incident. Whether your office or residence is targeted directly or it just happens to be on the same
street as an IED incident, you will need to know how to react. IEDs are a threat to everyone and are being
used more frequently and with great affect by criminals, cranks and terrorists the world over. If you follow
international events you will see that there are lethal bombings somewhere in the world almost every day.
The basic IED can be made from commercially available materials that are sold over the counter in most
places. Information on how to construct IEDs is available from military or survival bookstores, the Internet and
former military personnel. The size of an IED can range from as small as a cigarette packet to as large as a
large container lorry. IEDs can be disguised as virtually anything and gives the bomber the advantage of being
able to kill their targets without alerting them to the threat and also giving the bomber a large degree of
anonymity. IEDs can be used to kill selected targets or to kill indiscriminately. These facts are why the IED is
often the favored weapon of criminal, cranks and terrorists the world over and is the most dangerous threat to
security, law enforcement, military personnel and the general public.
Here I have listed some basic information on explosives, IEDs and some basic guidelines for dealing with an
IED incident. At the end of this chapter I will dissect a law enforcement response to a recent incident in NYC,
after reading this chapter you should be a lot more informed than those who were running that circus!
EXPLOSIVES
There are many types of explosives available on the market, all of which have differing characteristics,
chemical compositions and properties. What they all have in common is that they can be extremely dangerous.
I am not going to go into the details of explosive composition because you dont need to know it; it makes no
difference if a device has Composition B or gasoline in it, its an explosive device and can kill you. You need to
be able to identify, avoid and understand how to react if you are caught up in an IED incident.
There are two categories of explosives: high and low.
THE
High explosives such as Dynamite, Gelatin, TNT, RDX, PETN, C-4, and Semtex undergo a rapid
chemical change upon detonation. This change is a transformation from a solid or liquid to a gaseous
state. The change, which takes approximately one billionth of a second results in the gas rapidly
moving away from the point of detonation at speeds of up to 26,500 fps in the case of C-4. The
moving gas is the force that cuts steel, concrete and anything else in its path.
Low explosives burn quickly instead of exploding. The best examples of low explosives are
gunpowder and match heads. The burn rates of low explosives are usually under 3000 fps. Low
explosives are usually more sensitive to heat, shock and friction than high explosives, which tend to
be pretty stable.
SECONDARY
DEVICE
The IED can be used on its own or in conjunction with other IEDs or weapons. Good bombers will always place
a second device near the first device, in a likely control point for security forces or on an evacuation route from
the area of the first device. The second device is to catch personnel or emergency services coming to the aid
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of anyone hurt in the first blast, security forces dealing with the incident or personnel escaping from the first
blast. Sometimes the first device is designed to go off for no other reason than to draw in emergency or
security services or drive people into the larger main device. You must always consider if an explosive device
has been found or gone off that there could be a second or third device somewhere in the area.
Here are some basic examples of how IEDs can be employed; these are taken from when I was a teenager
serving in the British Army in Northern Ireland in the late 1980s to early 1990s.
A man is murdered in the shoe shop that he runs, he was shot at close quarters. The murders left
behind an explosive device in a shoebox set to detonate 30 minutes after the shooting, by which time
security forces and emergency services were in the immediate area. Think about how many shoe
boxes there are in a shoe shop! The device detonated but no-one else was hurt due to the fact that
secondary devices were expected to be left at crime scenes.
A car bomb is detonated in a small village and wounds several people. The security forces and
emergency services are limited to number of routes that they can use to get into the village. It would
be expected for an IED to be placed along one of the routes into the village to catch the security
forces entering or leaving the area. If time was available the routes would need to be searched and
cleared, if time and helicopters were not available the responding patrol would be driving in at top
speed or running cross country.
A car is parked a short distance from a security force base with what appears to be mortar tubes
inside. A security force cordon is placed around the car and when the teams are conducting their
clearance searches around their cordon points, a team finds an IED attached to a trip wire. Further
searches of the cordon positions turn up other IEDs. The mortar tube in the car turned out to be a
pieces of drainpipe, it was a hoax that was used to draw security forces into the IEDs that the
terrorists placed in likely security force cordon positions.
A car is parked on the side of a country lane in an area regularly patrolled by security forces. When a
security force patrol spots the car, they check with their control room to see if the car is registered as
stolen. Its not. The patrol can see nothing suspicious with the car, so they send two members of the
patrol forward to check out the car. One of the team who goes forward to check the car is carrying
electronic counter-measure equipment that can identify and block radio signals form remotecontrolled bombs. The bomb was not remote controlled or in the car. It was in a ditch a few meters
from the car and detonated with a command wire. The car was the bait!
You should take nothing at face value and always remember the secondary device. Always be suspicious of
anything that looks out of place, if you are in an area where there is an active IED threat you need to draw up
plans and procedures for how you will respond if you are caught up in an IED incident.
TYPES
OF
DEVICES
Here I have listed some common types of explosive devices and how to counter them. Your best defense is to
be aware of the problem and to put into place some sensible precautions. There are many high-tec devices on
the market that claim to be able to locate IEDs etc. Most cost a lot of money and will be restricted as they are
classed as defense equipment. The counter procedures I have listed here are simple and can be applied by
everyone.
LETTER
BOM BS
Letter and parcel bombs were very common prior to the 9/11 attacks, since then most mail services have taken
more procedures to counter this threat. The bombers who use this type of device range from stalkers through
to hard-core terrorists. The letter bomb gives the bomber a direct line of access to the target and affords the
bomber virtual anonymity, as the device can be sent from anywhere in the world. As the name suggests, the
device is placed into an envelope or parcel and posted to the target. Upon opening the device explodes.
Defense against letter and parcel bombs
Below is a list of things that should be checked for on any package that you suspect as being an IED. If you
are under a threat, all mail should be checked. If some of the following criteria is evident on a package, it
should be isolated and the relevant authorities called. A simple way to safely isolate a suspect package is to
put it into a hole in the ground, say 12 inches square or into a drum of water. The package would have been
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knocked around whilst in the postal system, so it will be safe to move, just dont open it. There are x-ray and
explosive sniffing devices on the market specifically designed to counter letter bombs, if you have the budget
and the threat they may be worth the investment.
Letter and parcel bomb recognition list:
Were you expecting the letter or package? If you werent dont except or open it!
How was it delivered, if delivered by hand the sender could have wanted to avoid the postal system?
If the package is an envelope is it rigid or uneven, does it seem to be heavy for its size?
How is it sealed, is it covered with to much packing tape to make sure it does not come open when in
the postal system?
Are there any official stamps or restrictive markings, such as Confidential or Urgent to make it
seem official and important?
Can you see or feel any wires, silver foil or anything suspicious?
Are there excessive stamps on the package? This could have been done and the package put into a
mailbox rather than the sender going to a post office and getting caught on stores CCTV.
Is the address poorly written/typed or stenciled? This would be to hide the persons handwriting or
because the person is not use to writing the Roman alphabet.
Is there a return address, does it really exist and match the packages postmarked?
Are there any oil stains, discoloration etc. on the package that could indicate the presents of
explosives of fluids in the package.
Are the names and titles correct or is it just addressed to the Managing Director, Director of Security
etc.?
Look for any holes or pinpricks and smell the package. Explosives sweat and give off fumes, the wise
terrorists will put holes in the package to let out these fumes. Be very suspicious of any package that
smells strongly, it could be coming from the explosives or something being used to mask the smell of
explosives.
INCENDIARY
DEVICES
A simple form of this device can be made as small as a cigarette packet and from condoms and commercially
available chemicals or a simple electrical circuit. Incendiary bombs are used to cause fires and destroy
property. They are usually used against shops and businesses as part of extortion campaigns but can also be
used for destroying evidence in legal cases. They can easily be placed in between the cushions of flammable
furniture or flammable objects and timed to go off when the places are empty. Thermite, which is legal in most
places, can be used if someone is targeting machinery or vehicles. Look on YouTube for videos on making
Thermite, there are some interesting ones on there.
Defense against incendiary devices
If you are under the threat of an incendiary attack, the following precautions should be taken. A deterrent would
be to install overt CCTV and employ high profile 24-hour security guards. The CCTV could, in the event of an
incident, be used to identify the bomber. Make sure the CCTV recorders are in a fireproof container or the
videos are backed up online. Access to the locations under threat would need to be restricted as much as
possible. Visitors should not be left unsupervised and everyone entering should be searched. It would make
sense to remove all flammable objects from public areas and search the location before leaving it unattended.
BLAST
BOM BS
This device can be made very small and easily concealed in a take away food container or bag and placed in a
trash can or pile of rubbish. In the UK, Irish terrorists have been known to put and detonate IEDs inside of
bicycle frames. This type of device is used to cause disruption and confusion. In the city of London in the early
90s, a spate of such devices placed in trash cans resulted in them all being removed from the streets and the
London Underground. Usually the terrorists will use several of these devices to cause maximum disruption and
confusion, although these devices are not used to specifically target people they can kill indiscriminately.

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Defense against blast bombs

Realistically, there is very little that can be done to stop a bomber planting these devices, the device can be
easily disguised and moved. In a busy city it would be impossible to watch everyone, let alone search them.
Security cameras on buildings and in shops would be useful when trying to identify the bomber after the
devices have detonated. If you are in an area where there is a threat from this type of device makes sure you
have a plan and always remember the secondary devices.
UNDER
VEHICLE
BOOBY
TRAP
(UVB)
This was a favorite weapon of Northern Irish terrorists groups. The device is placed in a container such as a
Tupperware container and attached under the vehicle using magnets. The usual method for triggering the
device is by using a tilt or vibration sensitive switch. The UVB enables the terrorists to attack selective targets.
There is a risk of discovery involved when placing this device as access to the targets vehicle is needed. There
is also a risk of the device going off while being planted, especially when the bomber had been to the pub
beforehand to build up his courage. If the bomber manages to plant the device, it will kill and maim the
occupants of the car if it was not discovered. Many times it was not the off-duty solder or police officer that was
hit but their wives and children, who were just borrowing or in the car when the device went off.
Defense against UVB
The best defense against the UVB is to deny the bomber access to the vehicle. If the vehicle is secured in a
garage, the entrance and driveway to the garage need to be physically checked before the vehicle is moved.
There could be a device attached to the door of the garage or a mine in the driveway. If the vehicle has to be
left unattended, then on return the vehicle and the surrounding area around it needs to be searched. Searching
a vehicle for IEDs is a basic and important skill but something most law enforcement and homeland security
personnel, who claim to be protecting the population against terrorism have not got clue about.
CAR
AND
TRUCK
BOMBS
Car and truck bombs enable the terrorist to conceal and move large explosive devices, think about how many
car and trucks you have driven past today, all of which could have had an explosive device in them. The car
bomb can be used against individuals or indiscriminate area targets. The use of the car bomb is very common
and, this type of device has been used in London, New York and Paris. All it takes is for someone to drive the
vehicle to the target and leave it to explode. When used against an individual, this device could be placed
along a route or near an entrance to a building that is frequented by the target. The device can be triggered by
remote control, command wire or, if the target is setting a pattern, by a timer or a suicidal driver.
A method of delivering a device to a high security area is to use a suicide bomber or force someone to drive
the vehicle with the device in it. The latter was a common tactic of Irish terrorists. It starts with the intended
driver being kidnapped or having his home taken over. The driver is then informed that if he doesnt drive to the
device to the target he and his family will be killed. If he drives the device, at least there is a chance of survival.
The driver is then chained and locked into the vehicle with the device and told how long he has to drive to the
target before the device explodes. The driver has little choice but to drive the device to the target and hope that
the security personnel has some bolt cutters on hand, with which to cut the driver out of the vehicle before the
device explodes.
The best defense against car and truck bombs is to firstly identify the threat, take precautions and then be
suspicious of any vehicles that are out of place; vehicles parked where they shouldnt be, parked at choke
points along your routes, parked close to your residence or office. You then need to make plans for what youre
going to do if you identify a suspicious vehicle.
IMPROVISED
M INES
These devices can vary in size and be disguised as virtually as anything. Their triggering methods are only
limited to the imagination and ability of the bomber. In Northern Ireland, large devices in rural areas were
placed in culverts, under roads, or disguised as milk churns or placed in bales of hay. In urban areas, they can
be placed in lampposts, trash cans or in vertical drain piping on the side of a building. To place a bomb into a
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drainpipe, the terrorist lowers the device into the drainpipe from the top and a command wire can be used to
detonate the device. The command wire can go over the building or be laid in the guttering leading to a firing
point, which is out of sight from the device and killing zone. In all such operations in Northern Ireland, the
terrorists use youths as watchers. The child playing at the end of the street shouting to his friends could be
telling the bomber you are in the kill zone.
SLEEPER
BOMBS
An IED can be placed in position months before it explodes. If under threat and it is known that at a certain
time in the future you will be attending an event, function or staying in a hotel at a certain time, precautions
need to be taken. In 1984 in Brighton, England, such a device was used to murder five people in an IRA
attempt to kill the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. The terrorists got access to the hotel where the
conservative party was staying during their annual conference. The terrorists got construction workers to put
the device into the walls months before the conference, they used video cassette recorder timers to trigger the
device. These days with digital alarms you could put a device in place years in advance.
DEFENSE
AGAINST
CAR
BOM BS
AND
M INES
To beat the area car bomber, one has to vigilant and suspicious. If a vehicle looks suspicious, then get it
checked out. Security forces have an advantage over private security personnel in being able to check out the
background (whether it is stolen or rented) of a vehicle very quickly. So, if you are suspicious of a vehicle, call
the authorities and let them check it out; if you are unwilling or unable to contact the authorities, then just avoid
the vehicle. For civilians and private security personnel: when the car bomb or mine threat is directed at your
client, then precautions need to be taken. If there are limited routes in and out of a residence or office, then
these routes need to be regularly physically checked. Any suspicious cars, recent digging or wires leading
away from the road need to be checked out. When youre traveling to and from work, the routes must be varied
as much as possible. All trips should be kept secret until the last minute and then be preceded, if possible, by
an advanced security team, which needs to arrive at the destination with enough time to check out the area
before you arrive. When entering or exiting a building, different entrances and exits need to be used, if
possible, use fire escapes and staff entrances. If you are to stay in a hotel, rooms will need to be searched
along with the adjoining rooms and, if possible, a check kept on anyone who has access to the rooms. If the
rooms are booked a while in advance, a check will need to be done on all building work and maintenance
carried out in between the time of booking and the time of stay, as this work may have been used to cover the
planting of a device.
MORTARS
These days no-one seems to consider the threat from mortar attacks. Mortars can be improvised and I see no
reason why terrorists should not be able to get military mortars and ammunition. Mortars and grenade
launchers have been found in the arsenals of Mexican drug cartels, so they are on the open market.
Improvised mortars were used widely in Northern Ireland, against Security Force bases (and on mainland UK
against Heathrow airport and the Prime Ministers residence in Downing Street, Central London). They were
usually launched in quantities of ten, from an improvised base plate mounted on a flat bed or high-sided truck.
The mortars usually contained about 45 lbs of improvised explosives with a fuse time of 16 to 20 seconds and
a flight time of 10 seconds. Their range was between 80 to 250 meters. The propellant was normally made
from Sodium Chlorate soaked J cloths. Each mortar weighed about 120 lbs and went straight through most
anti-mortar screening.
Military mortars come in light, medium and heavy variations. I would say that light and medium mortars would
be the most useful to terrorists as they are quite mobile. The maximum range of light mortars, 50mm to 60mm
can be anywhere from 700 to 3500 meters when firing high explosive bombs of about 2 to 4lbs with rates of fire
from 8 to 20 rounds a minute. The maximum range of medium mortars, 81mm and 82mm is up to 5900 meters
with high explosive bombs weighing 6 to 8lbs with a rate of fire of 8 to 20 rounds per minute. The ideal targets
for mortars would be busy airports, chemical plants, gas refineries and petroleum storage depots.
The best defense against improvised mortars is to identify and dominate any likely positions that could be use
as a base plate location to launch mortar attack, this can be done with CCTV or patrols. If the terrorists have
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military mortars you are going to have a lot of problems controlling an area of up to nearly 6km around your
location. This could be why no-one wants to consider the threat from mortars!
HOW
TO
DEAL
WITH
AN
IED
INCIDENT
POLICE OR SECURITY FORCES SHOULD BE INFORMED AS SOON AS AN IED IS FOUND OR IF YOU

HAVE GOOD REASON FOR EXPECTING AN OBJECT OR VEHICLE OF BEING AN IED. DISPOSAL AND
DEFUSION OF IEDS IS TO BE LEFT TO TRAINED PROFESSIONALS. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS
YOURSELF.
Everyone should know the basics for dealing with an IED incident. If you have a business in an area where
there could possibly be and IED threat you will need to draw contingency plans. If you are traveling to a city
where IED incidents occur you need to know how things can develop and whether security forces know what
they are doing or are putting you and others at risk.
There are four steps when dealing with an IED:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Confirmation: Confirm, to the best of your ability, whether the object or vehicle is an IED, taking into
account the following considerations: Are you under a threat from IEDs? Are the objects seemingly
out of place? Are you in an area where terrorists are operational? Is there a funny smell around the
object such as almonds, marzipan or petrol? This is where your threat assessment comes in. An
unattended bag in an airport will arouse more suspicion then an unattended bag in a bar or restaurant
but both could be just as dangerous or just as harmless. If all unattended bags in bars or other public
places were reported as IEDs, there would be hundred of false incidents every day but one just might
be an IED. If you have good reason to suspect an object or vehicle, then check it. The police and
security forces should be willing to help you, if you give them good reasons for your suspicions.
Cordon: Once a device has been confirmed, the area around it and roads leading to it need to be
cordoned off so no-one can enter the blast zone of the device. It depends on the size and location of
the device, as to how far away the cordon will be but a basic rule is that you should be out of line of
sight of the device. This is because if you can see the device you can be hit by shrapnel or debris if it
detonates. In the private security world, cordon preparations and duties would fall on the static or
residential security teams etc. If an IED turns up at your residence, the RST would have to deal with
the initial cordon and clearing of the area. Cordon equipment needs to be on hand, such as cordon
tape, flashlights, maps of the area and communications equipment. Plans need to be made for the
evacuation procedure and locations of cordon points for different types of device. All cordon and
control point locations need to be physically searched for booby traps before being set up, the basic
search would be 10 meters around the position.
Clearing the area: People should be moved out of the blast area of the device; the blast area
depends on the size and location of the device. In some cases, depending on the size of the device, it
may be safer to leave people in buildings and under cover, rather than moving them into the open. It
would make sense to assign a location in your building that could be used for this purpose, an internal
room with no windows would be ideal. When evacuating people, a route should be taken that is out of
line of sight of the device; if the device explodes when evacuating personnel, flying and falling glass is
a big danger and needs to be considered when planning the evacuation route, as is the threat of
secondary devices.
Controlling the incident: Control of all IED incidents should be handed over to the authorities as
soon as possible. You need to brief the responding emergency service personnel as to where the
device is, when it arrived, how it arrived, where your cordon positions are, whether there is anyone
still within the cordoned area and where they are. You also need to pass on any relevant information
of threats that have been made, suspicious incidents or people that have been in the area. Not only is
this professional, but it could help apprehend the terrorists.
The information here is only basic. When a threat assessment reveals a threat from IEDs, a great deal of
planning is needed. Whether you are a lone international traveler or a close protection team member,
procedures need to be made for dealing with IEDs. Everyone in law enforcement, homeland security and the
private security industry must have a basic knowledge of how IEDs work and the effects of an explosion but
they dont. These days basic search techniques and IED recognition is a necessity for everyone, as IEDs are
the most widely used terrorist weapon and will be for a long time to come.

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CAR
P R E V E N T I O N
BOMB,
MAY
M A N U A L
S T
2010
OK, the U.S. has been engaged in the war on terror now for 9 years, so why does the NYPD and other
agencies not know how to deal properly with a car bomb incident.
It amazed me when I saw the incident on the TV; they showed the bomb squad defusing the device as crowds
stood watching. Basic rule, you and all cordon positions must be out of line of site of the device, if you can see
the device you can be hit by shrapnel etc. If the device had detonated there would have been many unnecessary casualties from the stupid cordon positions alone. The car bomb was described as a crude device,
so was it not taken seriously? My first thought if I came across a crude and amateur explosive device would
be, wheres the real one? As that the crude device could be nothing but bait to draw security forces into a trap.
I strongly doubt the area and cordon positions were checked for secondary devices. In the TV coverage you
could see that roads at either end of the road where the device was located were still open and police
personnel were milling and sitting around relaxing. A suicide bomber could have driven right through the
cordon and blown up the bomb squad on live TV; you cant protect others if you can protect yourself!
The other issue that is everywhere these days is the media, this incident may have been a dummy run and the
terrorists preparing the real incident just wanted to see how the NY authorities would respond to an incident;
where they would place cordon and control points etc. All this vital operational planning information for the
terrorist can be gained by watching the news coverage, no need for surveillance.
If you are in an urban area and there is an IED or car bomb incident you should initially find cover, get into a
building and away from windows. If a device goes off the shock wave can break windows for few blocks around
it. You dont want to be on an open city street will glass falling on you from 50 stories up. When safe to
evacuate the area use back allys and non-obvious evacuation routes, do not hang around to watch how things
develop. This is because of the threat from secondary devices. Remember, the first device may only be there
to draw in crowds of onlookers or channel people into the main device.

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5
Emergency and Crisis Planning
Professional emergency and crisis planning is what prevents potential problems from turning into a disasters.
All emergency and crisis planning needs to be kept simple and relevant to the problems they are trying to
prevent or minimize. All procedures need to be rehearsed so everyone is clear on what they need to do in an
emergency, talking about it is not enough. Plans discussed in comfortable meeting rooms will be enacted in a
completely different manner when people are under stress, frightened and things around them are going
wrong.
One thing to remember when drawing up your emergency and crisis plans is the simple truth that in reality
everything will most likely go wrong. Therefore, you must try to keep your plans as simple and flexible as
possible; your plans must be able to adapt to very fluid situations.
Over the years I have come across quite a few experts who have drawn up crisis plans for large business
and government facilities that were completely unrealistic. One national organization, which had a contract
with a local authority, contracted us to put together a 4-hour program designed to train unarmed county
security personnel and bus drivers in anti-terrorist and hostage rescue techniques. It took numerous
conversation for them to understand it takes more than 4 hours to train a SWAT team and it helps if the
students have a little bit of experience. Teaching such techniques to untrained, unfit and inexperienced people
simply increases the chances that if there was ever a hostage incident, they would do nothing more than
escalate the situation and cause unnecessary casualties. These things are best left to the professionals.
Here are some basic considerations for putting an emergency or crisis management team and plan together
for your business or facility:
TEAM
FORMATION
You need to put together a crisis team, everyone should know their responsibilities within the team and
emphasis any special skills they can offer to the group.
Possible responsibilities of team members could include:
Team commander
Sub-commanders
Dealing with medical emergencies
Dealing with legal issues
Media relations
Security and conflict resolution
Liaison with outside agencies
Evacuation and lock down coordination
Transport and vehicle marshalling
Search and rescue
After incident therapy
The Threat Assessment

You will need to compile a threat assessment and identify any potential threats that you or organization may be
under. You will also need to consider what assets and personnel you have available to deal with the threats.
Threats could include:
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Traffic problems
Drug use or dealing
Work place or domestic violence
Suicides or suicide attempts
Indecent behavior/sexual predators
Fire or flooding
Natural disasters (tornados/hurricanes)
Theft or loss of assets
Intruders
Explosive devices
Terrorist attack
Kidnapping/Hostage situations
Chemical incidents
Basic things you need to consider when dealing with an incident:
Communications and incident reporting: How is the alarm going to be raised and who is going to
report to whom?
Alerting relevant parties: How are the relevant personnel for that incident going to be alerted?
Incident reaction: How are you going to deal with that incident?
There is no way I can tell you how to react to every incident, but, based upon my experience, you can expect
each one to be different. Ill try to give you some guidelines to make you think, so you can develop your own
strategies that are relevant to your own situations.
Here are some considerations if you are putting together emergency plans for a residence or office building. If
there is a situation such an improvised explosive device being found close to your location, you will have two
basic choices: You can either stay in the building or evacuate. What you do will depend on the size and
location of the device and what you building is made of.
If you chose to evacuate, you should consider:
How will everybody be alerted to the incident

What are the staff responsibilities at all levels, and do those assigned responsibility know what they
are doing
Does everyone know the evacuation procedures for their area of the building and what exits will be
used
Does everyone know where to go after evacuating the building
How will everyone be accounted for?
Will transport be needed to get staff away from the building to a safe area
What first aid and emergency help be available
How will people disperse after the incident
If you chose to stay in the building, you should consider:
How will the order for a lock down be issued to everyone?

What are the staff responsibilities at all levels?
Do those who are assigned responsibility know what they are doing?
Does everyone know where the safe areas are within the building?
How will people be alerted that the incident is over or that they need to evacuate the building?
The above is just a guide to get you thinking- emergency and crisis planning is a very detailed job. There is
more to it than printing a form off of the internet and ticking a few boxes!

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6
Secrecy
Nothing is as important as secrecy. All your security plans and preparations will be worthless if the bad guys
know them. Good personal and operational security begins with a clear understanding of what kind of
information the criminals will be trying to learn about you, your family or business operation.
Governments must keep secret their diplomatic alliances, secret treaties and military strategies etc. Although a
government may suffer a great loss because of poor security, it is hard to imagine today a situation where a
nation's defenses could be completely overwhelmed by a single security leak, not so with a small-scale
operation. A company might be ruined as the result of a single security leak. A family might be ambushed and
kidnapped because of a single piece of information was found out by the criminals, such as home address,
security procedures, routes your child takes to school or their travel itinerary.
A PRIVATE PERSON AND
MUST KEEP SECRET:
COMM ERCIAL
OPERATION
Addresses and identity of individual employees, their families or close friends.

Their security plans and methods of operation.
Their transportation capabilities.
The source's supplies.
Available back up.
Location of hideouts, safe houses, etc.
Codes, signals, pass word and lines of communications.
Good personal security is a must, good team security begins with good personal security. If a person is living
or traveling under their own name, they must keep information about their occupation and activities limited to
those who need to know only. There is no one more completely defenseless than the individual whose
personal security has been compromised.
Personal security is a 24/7 job, to some it comes almost instinctively but others can find it very hard to
develop. An individual's habits and personality will have a considerable effect on their attitude towards personal
security, some people will just never get it and can be a liability. Such people should not be allowed access to
sensitive information or taken to high-risk locations.
THE
BASIC
PRINCIPLES
OF
PERSONAL
SECURITY
Deception: Deception is essential to the success of all security operations, always have a cover story and
be ready with feasible explanations to who you are, what youre doing and why you are doing it.
Avoiding attention: One way for any individual or organization to seriously compromise their security is
to attract attention. Always keep a low profile and remember that If people dont know what you are doing,
they cannot counteract you.
Self-Discipline: Everyone must abide by the rules, if anyone disregards the security program, they could
jeopardize the personal security of all involved.
The program: A security program must be outlined and made clear to all personnel. Everyone must be
trained and willing to work within the program.
Continual inspection: The biggest thieves are usually those trusted with largest responsibilities- they
have access to assets or information worth stealing. The conscientious person with the flawless record
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can easily deviate by their own accord or with the pressure of a little blackmail. People change and so
does the importance they place on their own security, given time people will relax. This is why there is a
need for everyone to be constantly inspected.
Fluid change: This is best illustrated by frequent changes of meeting places, routes and operational
procedures to keep the criminals guessing. This principle is necessary because, if given enough time,
professional criminals can crack the security of any organization. So, old security measures must be
constantly and fluidly replaced and updated.
Action: If someone is not capable of obeying the security program they will need to be disciplined, they
should not be trusted or only trusted with information or tasks that will not jeopardize anyone else.
You will not have a security program by following only one or more of these principles, all must be followed and
you must remain alert 24/7.
BASIC
COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE
Basic counter-intelligence increases the security of all operations and the chances of surprise in offensive
operations. Your security program, even if it is for yourself, should be developed to prevent the leaking of
information, or situations where criminals can extract information from you or your business. You must initially
try finding criminal sympathizers already within your operation; this could be your locally recruited secretary or
attorney. If you detect a sympathizer within your operation what are you going to do, fire them or feed them
false information? You should also consider why they sympathize with the criminals, is it for money or are they
being threatened. Counter-intelligence can be broken down in the two practices, denial and detection.
Basic denial operations may include:
Thoroughly brief everyone on how the criminals will try to get information on you, your personnel and your
operation.
Place a high emphasis on the security of information. People must understand to keep things on a need to
know basis and not to talk about confidential subjects in public.
Make sure all papers, old computers and communication devices etc. are properly disposed of.
Employees should be briefed on. bars, clubs and other venues that are safe to frequent and those that are
not.
Basic detection operations may include:
Background investigations must be done on all employees, especially locals who have access to
confidential information.
Make maximum use of CCTV, covert cameras for detection and overt cameras for deterrence.
Monitor your staff communications including e-mail and telephone calls.
Put any staff members acting suspiciously or who seem to be living beyond their means under
investigation and surveillance.
These are just some basic considerations but they can make your security program into something that would
make it extremely difficult for the bad guys to gain information on you. If they cannot get any information on you
it makes their job targeting you a lot harder. Hopefully, so hard theyll go and do what we want them to do, find
and easier target of which there are plenty.

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7
Threat Assessments (TA)
The Threat Assessment (TA) is the most important of all the procedures carried out in any security or business
operation but even the most basic TAs are regularly overlooked. The reason for a TA is to identify anything that
might threaten you, your team and your overall operation. People carry out basic forms of TAs all the time:
Which bars are safe to drink in, where is it safe to walk at night, do I need locks on the windows of my home
etc.
A threat assessment must identify all threats that you are exposed to whether it is physical assault, injury,
terrorism, black mail, being embarrassed or discredited, health problems, loss of assets or dangerous weather
conditions etc. When you identify a threat, you must take procedures to minimalism it. In the world of security
operations, most people only look for the threat of physical assault but you must look as deeply as you can and
cover every angle.
Consider this, a security company is looking after a client who is being threatened by a potentially violent exbusiness partner. The client is married with children. The children have several pets: a cat and a dog. The
client lives in a two-story house surrounded by a garden. The security company has identified the threat and
decided to install CCTV and provide the client with a team of armed bodyguards. The ex-business partner
decides to strike at the client. One night he throws bits of meat he has poisoned over the wall into the clients
garden, which the clients pets eat. When the client and his family wake up in the morning, the pets are dead
and his children are very upset. 1-0 to the opposition. Could this have been avoided, maybe, maybe not. I
doubt that many people would consider that a clients family pets would need to be considered in a TA. As I am
sure you will agree, such an attack as I have described would be a psychological assault on the client and by
upsetting his family would most probably have more of an effect than just physically assaulting him.
When first compiling a TA, you need to get as much information as possible, past, present and future on the
person or organization on whom you will be compiling the assessment. Most people may not want to include
certain things like extra marital affairs, drug or drinking habits or similar activities. However, it is vitally
important that these are included, as they are a source of many potential problems. It would make sense in a
lot of business operations to compile and profile staff and family members.
When you compile the threat assessment and a threat is identified, you must find out as much about it as is
possible- whether it is an illness or organized criminals. You will need to locate sources of information for your
research including media cuttings, libraries, trade catalogues, directories, public records and the Internet. You
need to assess what action has been taken against you from a threat: verbal abuse, physical assault, stealing
trash, tapping your phones or previous heart attacks.
On the follow pages is an example of a personal / threat profile that can be used to build up information on the
person you are compiling the TA on, this could be yourself or a criminal. If the information compiled is used
properly it can help you to predict the criminals plan of action and it will also aid law enforcement agencies in
apprehending them. Not everything in the following checklist will apply to everyone and this is only a guide.
I have also included two threat assessments I compiled for clients; the first was a crime prevention assessment
on a residence and the other was for a yacht going to the Eastern Aegean and Western Turkey. From these
you should be able see things that need to be taken into consideration when compiling threat assessments.
Remember, all TA and profiles need to be kept strictly confidential.

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PERSONAL
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THREAT
Date
P R E V E N T I O N
M A N U A L
PROFILE
/
File Number:
1. Surname:
2. First names:
3. Alias:
4. Title: Mr/Ms/Mrs:
5. Date of birth:
7. Height:
8. Weight:
9. Build:
10. Complexion:
11. Eye color:
12. Hair color:
13. Handicaps:
14. Scars and tattoos:
15. Fingerprints taken:
16. Ethnic background:
17. Nationality and passport number:
18. Photographs:
19. Preferred jewelry & clothing:
20. Occupation:
21. Earnings:
22. Marital status:
23. Home address:
24. Type of residence
25. Who else lives there:
26. Home phone number:
27. Home e-mail:
28. Mobile phone number:
29. Description of vehicles used:
30. Business addresses:
31. Business phone numbers:
32. Business fax numbers:
33. Business e-mail:
34. Other addresses:
35. Other phone numbers:
36. Other fax numbers:
37. Active on what social networking sites
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38. State of health:

39. Medication needed:
40. Recreational user of illegal or prescription drugs
41. Doctors name and contact details:
42. Duress and stress signals:
43. Places frequented by threat, both professionally and privately:
44. Languages spoken:
45. Lawyers name and contact details:
46. Financial status:
47. Any bad debts, if yes to whom:
48. Banks used:
49. Religion:
50. Religiously active:
51. Criminal record:
52. Known current criminal activities and affiliations:
53. Known to law enforcement agencies:
54. Mode of operation:
55. Known personal and business associates:
56. Known opponents/enemies:
57. Future goals:
58. Sexual orientation both public and private:
59: Sexual deviances
60. Political & freemason affiliations:
61. Eccentricities & habitual behavior:
62. Details of spouse or partner:
63. Details of children and other family members:
64. Details of other direct family, including aliases and maiden names:
65. Extra marital affairs, full details of whom with:

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BULIDING
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P R E V E N T I O N
M A N U A L
ASSESMENT
Date: ## /## /####
File Number: #########
The front of the building:

The front entrance to the building is completely open with no visible security or deterrents to trespassers.
Anyone can walk off the street and up to the apartments.
Possible procedures that could be put in place to deter trespassers include:
Properly placed lights that illuminate all dark areas. On the evening I viewed the building, there were
lights out in one of the stairway; this could also be a safety concern for tenants/guests and a liability
concern for the building management.
Security cameras could be placed to cover the main entrance or dummy security cameras could be
placed in obvious locations to act as deterrent to possible trespassers.
Signs could be placed in obvious locations stating that the building has security cameras, trespassers
will be prosecuted, etc.
Rear and side perimeters

There did not seem to be any fences or barriers around the building that could stop a possible trespasser. The
walls and fences would be easy to climb or cross for the average person.
Possible procedures that could be put in place to deter trespassers include:
Properly placed lights, possibly on motion detectors can be placed in all dark areas.
As with the front of the building, cameras and signs can be used to deter possible trespassers.
The perimeter fencing needs to be replaced with something that will stop trespassers. There is no
point having locked gates, if people can just jump a wall or fence a few yards away.
Walkways
st
There is nothing stopping people walking from the street onto the 1 floor walkways. Lockable gates could
possibly be placed at the bottom of the steps leading to the walkways.
Apartments
The doors of the apartments need to be fitted with good locks and inspected to ensure that the locks
cannot be opened through a close by window. The door frames also need to be inspected to ensure
they are solid. All locks on external doors need to be changed after tenants leases are expired and
before new tenants take over the apartment; I believe this is a required under Florida law.
The apartment windows are in no way secure and are easily opened from the outside. These
windows need to be replaced.
The shutters on the inside of the windows could be alarmed and would provide warning for occupants
of an intruder gaining access to the apartment. The shutters themselves are flimsy and could not stop
anyone trying to gain access to the apartment but some form of dead bolt could be put in place to
deter anyone from using excessive force to gain entry.
Internal alarms could be used but it must be remembered these only alert others during a break in,
they do not prevent break-ins. If alarms are to be put in place, they must be services and tested
regularly.

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Conclusion
In my professional opinion, the building and the apartments security level is extremely low. I personally would
not be comfortable leaving valuable assets or having close friends, etc., living in the building. The main
weakness is the easy accessibility to the apartments from the street and the ease that access to the
apartments can be gained through the windows.
These days with crime rates on the increase the building management and landlords need to understand that
they are legally liable for the security and safety of their tenants.
THREAT ASSESSMENT
WESTERN TURKEY
FOR
Date: ## /## /2008
THE
EASTERN
AEGEAN
&
File Number: #########
Overview
The Eastern Aegean and Western Turkey areas are considered as the meeting points of Europe and Asia.
This area has been important to trade since biblical times. The Eastern Aegean leads to the Sea of Marmora,
that connects to the Black Sea, the route through the Bosphorus strait and the Dardanelles is now a vital artery
for oil coming from Central Asia.
The Eastern Aegean is a politically complicated area due to the disputes between Greece and Turkey over
various islands and tracks of sea. The Aegean Sea has about 1,415 islands and islets, of which 1,395 belong
to Greece.
Maritime Crime
Although acts of maritime piracy in the Eastern Aegean seem to be extremely rare in modern times, petty
crime should be expected to be at the regular level. That said, in January 1996 a passenger ferry was hijacked
in the Black Sea by Chechen terrorist for 4 days. Due to the ongoing anti-terrorist operations in the Caucasus,
Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a potential threat of high profile hijackings to publicize the terrorists causes.
Shore Side Crime
Street crime figures are relatively low in Turkey, although it is on the increase in large urban areas. As in other
large metropolitan areas throughout the world, common street crimes include pick pocketing, purse snatching,
and mugging. Be wary of approaches from strangers offering to change money or offering tea, juice, alcohol, or
food, which may be drugged. Two common drugs used are Nembutal and Benzodiazepine which, when used
incorrectly, can cause death. In 2007 a high number sexual assaults on foreigners, including rape, were
reported in coastal tourist areas in South Western Turkey.
While walking or shopping beware of pickpockets who operate in any crowded place such as on a bus, tram,
metro or entrances to a busy locations where people are packed close together, guard your bag, wallet,
camera, jewelry, wrist watch, and anything else of value. Other street crime methods include bag-slashes who
get behind or beside you in a crowded place, slash your bag or pocket with a razor blade and collect your
valuables. If they are good and they usually are, you wont see or feel a thing. Bag-snatchers are often young
boys, they will grab your bag and run, if your bag is snatched do not to pursue the thief, even young boys in
Turkey often carry knives and can be dangerous.
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There are many cases of tourists being invited to visit clubs or bars, only to be vastly overcharge on drinks. For
example, a couple may go into one of these places and order a drink. When they are presented with the bill,
however, they find it to be for a thousand dollars. When they protests they are confronted by a couple of thugs
who shows them the price list for drinks, which is well-hidden behind the bar. It is not unusual for a glass of
Coke to be 3 to 4 hundred dollars. How things develop will depend on the club and the victims. In most cases
the victim will have their wallets emptied and may be escorted to an ATM machine and instructed to draw out
more money or just beaten and robbed. If there is more than one victim, one may be held in the venue while
the other is sent to get more money.
Public transport
Caution should be used when using public transport. Trams are a favorite location for pick-pockets and bag
slashes. Overcharging by taxi drivers, particularly by those in popular tourist areas is common. Pay attention to
what denomination of bill you are using to pay for the fare, taxi drivers switching money and claiming you gave
a smaller denomination than what you thought is a common scam. Only utilize taxis with meters, sit in the
back seat and do not accept food or drink from the driver. Try to ensure the drive sticks to the main roads, if
you are uncomfortable with the driver pay them and get out the car when safe to do so.
Driving
When renting motor vehicles outside of EU and US stick to the main international companies such as Hertz
etc. The safety standard of rental vehicles may not be the same as EU and US and driving may be more
hazardous. In many developing countries, if you are involved in a traffic accident involving locals you will be at
fault just because you are a foreigner.
Counterfeits
Counterfeit and pirated goods are widely available in Turkey, many of which are produced within the country.
Counterfeits can include designer clothes, sunglasses, DVDs, software, scents, toothpaste, etc. Buying such
products may be illegal under local law, which may not be rigorously enforced until the local authorities just
want to make a statement. Bringing counterfeit and pirated goods to the EU and US may result in forfeitures
and fines. Using counterfeit deodorants, toothpastes etc. also have health risks.
There have been two cases in Altinkum within the past few months of counterfeit British 20 pound notes being
reported by money changers. In both cases those accused, British citizens, were arrested and imprisoned until
their court hearings. It seems strange that these two cases would occur in the same area of Turkey within a
short period of time with the accused in both cases being apparently unrelated. Always use established banks
to change money, because many small bureau de changes are used by organized crime as fronts for money
laundering operations.
Police and the Law
The police and judicial system has a reputation for being hard and human rights violations are common. In
tourist areas the police will be more accommodating to tourists but not forgiving where crime is concerned.
Convictions of foreigners sets good examples that the police are doing their job and for tourists to behave. In
some areas crimes such as physical and sexual assaults on tourists by locals may not be taken seriously by
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the local police or the blame laid on the tourists actions. This is where making contact with your local
embassies and consulates is important to report such crimes and indifference of the judicial system
Basic regulations and laws (UK Foreign Office)
There is now a smoking ban on all forms of public transport (trains, ferries and taxis) and in outdoor
venues (including stadiums and playgrounds). Transitional arrangements are in place for cafes, bars
and restaurants; they too will come under the smoking ban in July 2009. You risk being fined 62 YLT
if you are caught smoking in a designated smoke-free area.
Turkey has strict laws against the use, possession or trafficking of illegal drugs. If you are convicted of
any of these offences, you can expect to receive a heavy fine or a prison sentence of four to twentyfour years.
The export of antiquities is prohibited and carries a prison sentence from five to ten years. The use of
metal detectors is against the law.
Dress modestly if visiting a mosque or a religious shrine.
It is illegal not to carry some form of photographic ID in Turkey. It is therefore advisable to carry a photo
copy of your passport with you at all times.
Do not take photographs near military or official installations. You should seek permission before
photographing individuals.
Homosexuality is not illegal but is not widely tolerated: public displays of affection could result in
prosecution for public order offences.
It is an offence to insult the Turkish nation or the national flag, or to deface or tear up currency.
The Turkish Mafia
Organized crime has long established roots in Turkey and the Turkish Mafia has a brutal reputation and is one
of the main players in the heroin business. Turkey is and always been an established trade route between
Asia, Middle East and Europe. It is now an establish trafficking crossroads for Heroin heading in to EU and
synthetic drugs heading into Asia. In recent years Turkey has also become a major route for people traffickers
moving people into Western Europe from Asia. Once in Turkey the goods to be trafficked, be they people,
cigarettes, drugs or counterfeit bathroom products start or continue their journey west via land or more likely by
sea from Turkeys Sothern or Western coastline.
Turkey is also a major market in the domestic and international sex trafficking trade. Usually women from the
former soviet states are brought to Turkey knowingly to work in the sex trade or on false pretences and
enslaved. From Turkey the women are trafficked internationally.
Prostitution is legal under Turkeys legal system. Prostitutes have mandatory weekly health checks and are
issued identity cards by the local authorities. They operate out of brothels that are guarded by the local police.
Note: There is a large transsexual and transvestite community in Turkey the vast majority of whom work in the
sex industry.

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Terrorism
Russian peace keeping operations in the Republic of Georgia and the Caucasus
There is little chance of terrorist incidents related to the military actions in the Republic of Georgia. There has
been over the years numerous terrorist incidents in Turkey in protest or Russian anti-terrorist operations in
Chechnya and Dagestan against Muslim extremists. Both Russia and Georgia are orthodox Christian
countries, so the Islamic community has little interest. The separatists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia are
controlled by Russia as the Georgians are controlled by the US, any acts of terrorism would be counterproductive for both sides causes and would not be tolerated by Russia or US.
Turkey, the PKK and Iraq

The issues with Turkey and the Kurds of Eastern Turkey date back to after the first world war, in the 1970s
the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) was formed. The PKK are an active terrorist organization and close links with
the Kurdish Peshmerga militia that are the de facto army of northern Iraq. This has lead to Turkish forces
regularly mounting ground and aerial operations into Northern Iraq to target active terrorist groups who have
sanctuary there. The war between turkey and the Kurdish terrorists has been a low intensity dirty war that has
estimated to have cost 40,000 lives. This conflict is likely to continue well into the future.
Terrorist kidnappings
During the early and mid-1990s, the PKK kidnapped foreign tourists in southeast Turkey, including 19 seized in
eight separate incidents on July 5, 1993. In each case, the foreign tourists were well-treated and eventually
released unharmed. Since then, kidnappings have been rare until recently when three German climbers were
taken hostage in Eastern Turkey. They were released unharmed after Turkish military units pursed the
terrorists into Iraq. As Turkey pressures the PKK in Northern Iraq and the US and NATO forces continue the
war on terror kidnapping for publicity by Muslim groups is an active threat to those visiting Turkey.
Hijacking of airplanes
Hijacking is more common in Turkey than in most other countries. Turkey is home to various terrorist and
criminal organizations from Islamic groups, left wing radicals to the Albanian Mafia. One recent case in August
2007 a flight that was Hijacked in northern Cyprus was diverted to Antalya in southern Turkey where all
passages were released unharmed, as is the case with the majority of hijackings in Turkey.
Bombings and Attacks
Over the past few years terrorist bombing and attacks have become a regular occurrence in Turkey. Targets
have included buses, banks, restaurants, hotels and foreign embassies in areas such as Istanbul, Izmir,
Mersin, Cesme, Antalya, Kusadasi, Marmaris and Ankara. Many of the devices that have been used have
been small and the attacks motive is to dissuade foreign investment, tourism and publicize the terrorists
causes. When visiting tourist areas always be vigilant and have your procedures prepared for how to react to a
terrorist incident.
Terrorist and bombing incidents include:
21 August 2008, a car bomb exploded in a residential area of Izmir, injuring 11 military and police
personnel.
7 August 2008, 3 people were injured in a mortar attack on a military barracks in Uskudar, Istanbul.
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27 July 2008, 17 people were killed and many wounded in two explosions in the Gungoren shopping
district of Istanbul.
9 July 2008, Three police officers and three gunmen were killed in an attack on the US consulate in
Istanbul.
3 January 2008, Six people are killed and more than 60 wounded in a car bomb attack on a military bus
in the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir.
2 October 2007, two explosions in Izmir killed one person and injured five others and a further explosive
device did not detonate.
11 September 2007, Police defused a large vehicle bomb in the Kurtulus district in Ankara.
11 July 2007, an explosion occurred outside the District Governor's office in the Bahelievler district of
Istanbul injuring two.
10 June 2007, an explosion occurred in a shopping district in the Bakirkoy district of Istanbul injuring 14
people.
22 May 2007, Six people are killed and more than 90 injured in a suicide bombing at the entrance to a
shopping centre in Ankara.
5 November 2006, Three soldiers are killed and 14 others wounded when a roadside mine explode
beside a military convoy in south-eastern Turkey.
2 October 2006, Fifteen people are injured in a blast at a cafe in Izmir, Turkey's third largest city.
12 September 2006, Eleven people are killed, eight of them children, in a bomb blast in a park in
Diyarbakir, a city in the country's south-east.
28 August 2006, Three people are killed and at least 20 hurt in an explosion in the resort of Antalya.
Later, 21 others are injured in three explosions in the southern resort of Marmaris. Another six
people are injured in an explosion near the local government's office in the Istanbul district of Bagcilar.
4 August 2006, Thirteen people are injured in two bomb attacks in southern Turkey. The first bomb
explodes near a bank in the city of Adana. The second blast occurs minutes later at a nearby
construction site.
25 June 2006, Four people are killed and 25 injured in an explosion near a restaurant in the resort of
Antalya. Initial investigations suggest a gas canister exploded, but it is not known if this was an
accident.
15 June 2006, An explosion near a bus station in central Istanbul injures three people. Officials say an
explosive device was hidden in a rubbish bin in the busy Eminonu district.
3 June 2006, Fourteen people are injured in an explosion outside a shopping centre in the port city of
Mersin. The blast is said to have been caused by a remote-controlled bomb.
16 April 2006, Thirty-one people are hurt in an explosion in the Bakirkoy district of Istanbul. The blast
appears to have been caused by a bomb left in a trash can near a shop.
5 April 2006, Two people are injured in an explosion at the local offices of the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul.
31 March 2006, One person dies and 13 others are injured when a bomb explodes inside a rubbish bin
near a bus stop in the Kocamustafapasa district of Istanbul.
15 March 2006, Two people are injured in an explosion outside an HSBC bank in southern city of
Diyarbakir.
13 February 2006, Eleven people are hurt in an explosion in front of a supermarket in the Bahcelievler
suburb of Istanbul. A Kurdish terrorist group claims responsibility.
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Conclusions
Proper plans need to put into place to deal with all emergencies while at sea and shore side.
Personal security needs to be taken seriously by all personnel.
Personnel should have good communication with them at all times and know the contact numbers,
separate from their cell phones, for the MY and other crew members.
Shore side crew should regularly check in with the MY.
Emergency rendezvous points and routes need to be arranged as well as emergency methods of
transport to the Emergency rendezvous points.
Medical emergencies need to be planned for. Remember, medical facilities may not be up to the
standard encountered in the US or EU.
Emergency service numbers for Turkey
Fire: 110
Medical Emergency: 112 or 144
Police: 155
Gendarme: 156
Coast Security: 158
Emergency service numbers for Greece
Fire: 199 or 112
Medical Emergency: 166 or 122
Police: 100 or 112
Coast Security: 108
List of relevant Embassies and Consulates in Greece and Turkey attached

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SECTION
8
The Orders Procedure
After a threat assessment has been compiled, orders need to be drawn up for the operation be it a business
trip or sensitive meeting. When the orders for an operation have been compiled, you need to brief everyone
who is directly involved and go into detail on what their individual responsibilities are. The orders, like the TA
and profiles, need to be kept secure and confidential. The team should not discuss any of the timings and
procedures with any outsiders.
Proper planning and preparation is what sets the professionals apart from the amateurs. You need to plan for
every eventuality, be it bad weather or a terrorist attack; you are more likely to be rained on than shot at.
Everyone involved needs to know what they are doing and when they are meant to do it. You might have the
best driver in the world on your team but if he thinks he has to pick you up at 1500hrs instead of knowing he
should pick you up at 1400hrs, he is useless. There is no room for mistakes-mistakes are just human error.
When people have been working together for a while they will get to know their operational procedures by
heart. This is a good thing but can also lead to complacency, which can lead to problems. Orders need to be
regularly updated and procedures practiced.
The following pages outline a basic guide to an orders sequence, a set of quick orders with an example. You
will not always need to include every subject in your own orders, just use this as a guide. Where possible you
should use photos and video the help describe locations and routes. This orders sequence is based on the
British Army format and has been adapted for close protection operations.
BASIC
ORDERS
SEQUENCE
1. Ground: Describe the area youll be in and routes to be used

2. Situation: a. Program: What is the itinerary?
b. The client: Profiles of you and your people
c. The threat: Detail likely threats to your operation
d. The enemy: Profiles of known terrorists or criminals that may cause you problems
e. Friendly forces: Who have you got in support and are they reliable
3. Mission: What is your mission?
4. Execution: How will you complete the mission, break everything down into simple phases.
5. Service Support: Detail you logistical support
6. Command and Signals: Who is in command of what and what communications etc. are you using.
QUICK
ORDERS
1. Threat
2. Ground: a. Local areas
b. Principle residence location
c. Safe houses
d. Office locations
e. Routes
f. Places regularly frequented
3. Program
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4. Timings
5. Manpower and responsibilities
6. Liaison
7. The client: a. Likes and dislikes
b. Medical
c. Habits
d. Marital status
e. Family
f. Hobbies
g. Background
8. Logistics: a. Vehicle
b. Team transport
c. Feeding
d. Dress
f. Accommodation
g. Weapons and ammunition
h. Communications
9. Weather
10. Enemies and their M/O a. Shooting
b. Bombing
c. Kidnap
d. Embarrass
e. Day/night
f. Most likely time of attack
11. Assessment of tasks
12. Conclusions
EXAM PLE
OF
CLOSE
PROTECTION
ORDERS
Operation Intro
Operation Starts at 0700 on 23/08/99. Duration of operation: 4 weeks.
Threat: Medium Level. Due to clients position in a pharmaceutical company there is a threat of physical
assault and public disturbances by animal rights protesters.
Ground: a. Local areas: London, Postal areas SW1, W1, NW3, EC1X .
b. Principals residence location: ## St Pauls Rd, London, NW3 6TA. GPS Grid 127649. Photos
attached.
c. Safe houses: 1. ## Morley Rd, Highgate, London N8 3RE. GPS Grid 687905. Home of Mr. P
Thomas (company secretary) Tel: 0171 327 ####. Mobile Number: 787 234 #### Photos attached.
2. ## Old Hill, Kew, London, SW12 1OP. GPS Grid 687643. Home of Ms T Smith
(Director) Tel: 0171 457 #### Mobile Number: 787 567 #### Photos attached.
Contact safe houses at least 30 minutes before Advance security arrives. Take full countersurveillance procedure on way to safe houses. Note: All houses have gardens front and rear.
e. Office locations: The office location is an 8-story modern office block at 44 Cheapside, London,
EC1X. GPS Grid 457890. Clients office is on the 8th floor. Photos attached.

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f. Routes: The client travels regularly in the SW1, W1, NW3, EC1X Postal code areas of London.
Client has his own chauffeur who knows London well. The team are advised to stick to main roads. There are
regular problems in these areas with traffic jams and road works.
g. Places regularly frequented: 1. Eton Gents Club, Balford Sq., London, W1. Tel 0171 435 ####.
Photos attached.
2. Madam Rubies, Hostess club, 12 Shapers St, London, SW1. Tel
0171 456 ####. Photos attached.
3. St. Georges, Golf Club, Watford, HW5 T5. Tel 0128 678 ####.
Photos attached.
Clients Program: The client works from 0900 to approx. 1700, Monday to Friday at his office and then usually
goes to one of his favorite clubs to socialize until around 1900. He then goes home. At weekends, the client
likes to spend time at home or at the golf club, where he spends most of his time in the clubroom.
Timings: Operation Starts at 0700 on 23/08/99, you will be on call until the end of the operation
Manpower and responsibilities: Team of 5 CPOs, Team leader and personnel BG is Tom. Initially Mike and
Pete will take turns at being No 2 BG and advance security and additional tasks. Sid and Harry will be
responsible for the security of the residence, (12 hour on 12 hour off shifts)
Liaison: Tom is the liaison with the client; any problems should be directed through him. Local Police Liaison
is PC Plod of Hampstead police Tel: 0171 998 ####. Emergency Tel: 999
The client: Mr Williby Simpson-Gomm
Likes and dislikes: The client is 57 years old and is very Old School. Dislikes bad manners and being called
by his first name by people who are not his close friends. Always address as Sir or Mr. Simpson-Gomm. The
client likes flirting with young ladies. Maximum discretion must be shown at all times. Photo attached
b. Medical: Minor heart condition. GP is Mr. Kapoor, ## Heath Drive, Hampstead, London, NW4
WS4. Emergency Tel: 787 234 9977. Hospitals: See List attached.
c. Habits: Cigar Smoker, drinks approx. 8 shots of spirits a day.
d. Marital status: Married. Wifes name Mrs. Sara Simpson-Gomm (54 years old). To be
addressed as Madam or Mrs Simpson-Gomm. She knows of his liking for younger ladies and is a heavy
drinker. A very temperamental lady. If any problems are encountered with her, report them to Tom. Photo
attached
e. Family: Two Grown children. Rupert, 28. Lives in New York. Hanna, 25 currently traveling
around the world. Photos attached.
f. Hobbies: The client is a workaholic, when not working relaxes reading or the odd game of golf.
g. Background: The client has been in the pharmaceutical business since 1971. He formed
WSG-Industries in 1985. He is the companies CEO and is outspoken in his view that it is OK to test new
medicines etc. on animals
Logistics: a. Clients Vehicle: Black Bentley, VRN WSG-1.
b. Team Transport: 2 BGs will travel with the client. Advance security as a motorbike available.
Spare car available at residence.
c. Feeding: Meals taken at residence or at clients location.
d. Dress: BGs, Business suit during the week as per client requirement during the weekend.
Advance Security, smart casual dress. Residential, smart casual
f. Accommodation: BG-AS at clients residence. Residential, make own arraignments.
g. Weapons and ammunition: under UK law no weapons are to be carried of any description.
h. Communications: Mobile phones, low power radios are available.
Weather: UK summer. Hot and humid with rain showers.
Enemy and their M/O: Various animal rights protesters. Usually very educated and ruthless in the execution
of their attacks. Usual form of attack is the use of small firebombs and letter bombs. Also be aware of the
threat of embarrassment that public disturbances might cause.
Notes: Sub orders for residential security team attached.
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SECTION
9
Counter-surveillance
Counter-surveillance drills should be carried out on a regular basis and become part of your daily routine. The
reason you need to understand counter-surveillance is to identify anyone who has you under surveillance. In
nearly all muggings, robberies, assassinations or kidnappings, the criminals or terrorists will put their target
under surveillance for a period of time to assess the targets routines, the quality of their personal security or
bodyguards.
BASIC
CONSIDERATIONS
If you think you are under surveillance you need to establish why and who the threat is, criminals, government,
commercial or a lone stalker. By doing this you can determine what their expected level of skill is and what you
will have to counter. Then consider what type of surveillance is being used against you; listening devices, mail
being intercepted, computers being hacked or physical surveillance? Also what does your opposition know
about you, do they know your counter-surveillance trained, do you want them to know?
Surveillance operatives put their targets into three categories unaware, aware and professional. Most people, I
would say at least 75%, fall into the unaware category, you can follow them around all day and they wont
realize your there, try it the next time youre out at the mall. About 23% of people would fall into the aware
category and would realize, after a while if someone was watching or following them. The 2% left would fall into
the professional category; they take active counter surveillance measures and would spot a surveillance team.
So, I expect most people reading this manual are in the unaware category but by the end of this chapter there
is no reason why you should not be in the professional category.
You must always be on the lookout for criminal surveillance and I have listed here are a few simple drills, which
are used by professional criminals and intelligence operatives alike. These simple drills will help you to identify
anyone who is watching you. In the mid 1990s I was part of a surveillance team in central London that was
tasked to watch a target that turned out to be in the professional category. The people that were running the
job had placed a surveillance vehicle, an old British Telecom van, across the road from the targets hotel. The
target, I expect, identified the van quickly; tinted rear windows, parked in one position for an extended period of
time etc. If I remember right on the first day the target left the hotel, jumped into a black cab and we lost him
straight away due to traffic. On day two the target took the subway and went for a walk around the West End of
London. He used several of the counter surveillance drills I have listed here and ripped the surveillance team
apart! Those running the job resorted to putting a pseudo married couple in the hotel to try to see what the
target was doing and talking about in the bar and restaurant. Running surveillance on aware and professional
target can be extremely difficult, its not like the movies; you need to at least be in the aware but preferably
professional category of target.
Adapt a few of these drills to your situation, they are simple and proven.
When walking on the street, turn around and walk back the way you have come; remember the people you
walk past or anyone that stops. Also remember to check on the opposite side of the street for anyone
stopping etc. Do this several times and if you see the same person more than once they may be following
you.
If you are driving do a couple of U turns, watch for anyone doing the same and the cars you pass. If you
see the same car a couple of times you may be being followed.
Walk around a corner, stop, and remember the first few people that come after you. Again, do this several
times and, if you see the same person more than once, they may be following you. You can do the same

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when youre driving. A personal security point to remember is to always take corners wide as you never
know whats waiting for you on the other side.
Escalators are a good for counter-surveillance because whilst ascending, you can have a good look
around at who is behind you. A simple drill would be to go up and escalator and straight back down again,
if anyone is following you they would have to do the same.
Take special note of people waiting in parked cars, especially near your residence or office. Be especially
suspicious of any unattended vans with blacked out windows parked close to your residence or office.
Vans are the most common surveillance and snatch vehicles.
Jump on a bus, tram or metro and jump off one stop later and see if anyone else does the same. People
usually dont bother getting on a bus to go only 200 yards.
Go into a caf and covertly watch what goes on in the street. Look out for people waiting around to follow
you when leave or anyone who keeps walking past the caf, they could be trying to see what youre doing.
Walk across open spaces such as parks and squares and see if anyone is running around the outside of
the park or square trying to keep up with you- they will have to do this because there is no cover for them
in the open space and the distance to go around the open space is greater than walking straight across it.
Use reflections from windows and other surfaces to see who is behind you.
Look for people who look out of place or are waiting in the same place for a long time, such as waiting at a
bus stop without getting on any buses or on a payphone for an extended period of time.
Be aware of people waiting in a location by themselves, especially fit, young men with short hair. Chances
are they are criminals or police. Professional surveillance teams usually consist of mixed couples in their
30s to 50s.
If you think someone is following you, do not acknowledge them, just slow down and stop to look in shop
windows, or go into a caf and have a coffee. If you still see the person, you are most probably under
surveillance.
When youre driving, drive slowly and take note of anyone doing the same, occasionally pull over and
make note of the cars that go past you, if you see the same car more than once
If you do not want to look directly at someone who could be following you, look at their feet and remember
their shoes. Very few people wear the same shoes, check this out the next time you are out. If you keep
seeing the same pair of shoes at various locations, this person could be following you. Criminals following
you may change their hair, jackets and pants etc. to try and disguise themselves but they rarely change
their shoes.
If you think someone is following you check their dress to see if they could be concealing cameras or
weapons. Are they always on their cell / mobile phone possibly describing your actions or taking photos.
What does their body language say, do they look nervous or as if they a concentrating to much etc.
Be suspicious of unknown people who start conversations with you- they could be testing your reactions
and personal security
Do not board trains or buses until the last minute; anyone boarding after you should be treated as suspect.
You need to be extra vigilant when attending any meetings. These could have been set up by the
opposition to photograph you or set you up to be kidnapped or assassinated. Always sweep the area for
anything suspicious before attending the meeting.
If you think the opposition is trying to get photos or video of you, meet in places where there is low light,
like dark restaurants and stay in the shadows as most cameras will not be able to get decent pictures.
If you believe someone is trying to get audio recordings of you, meet in a crowded place and talk in
whispers. The nose from other people or traffic etc. would be picked up by any microphones and can
cover your conversation.
To check whether the person with whom you are meeting is under surveillance, turn up 5 minutes late and
sweep the area for anyone suspicious. Try to take the person your meeting with to another location and do
a couple of discreet counter surveillance maneuvers along the way.
Stop regularly to make telephone calls, or look in shop windows as this will allow you to observe your
surroundings and identify anyone who may be following you.
Use underground trains whenever available- radios and mobile phones usually dont work underground.
This will cause problems for any surveillance team as they wont be able to communicate with each other.
Consider getting your client to walk / drive a route which is manned at regular intervals by protective
surveillance operators. As the potential target passes the protective surveillance positions the operatives
would video all cars, people following or close to them. If the same people or vehicles are spotted at
various locations along the route, they could possibly be conducting surveillance on this person.
You must make plans on what procedures you will carry out if you are under surveillance. These will
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SECTION
10
Advance Security
Advance security is a necessity in all security operations. It can take two forms and may be performed covertly
or overtly. It is essential in the planning and operational phases and should be employed whenever the time
and manpower are available.
ADVANCE
SECURITY
IN
THE
PLANNING
PHASE
When planning an operation, it pays to have someone go to all the locations that you will be visiting in
advance. Once there, they will need to make a threat assessment of all the potential threats that might occur
and how to avoid them and, if necessary, counter them. If you are going to a foreign country, your advance
person or team should make sure that the hotels are suitable, select routes between venues, make first aid
arrangements, confirm your communications work, and arrange transportation. These days videos and photos
can be e-mailed back by the advance person or team so the main body of travelers and get a feel for location
before they arrive.
ADVANCE
SECURITY
IN
THE
OPERATIONAL
PHASE
Advance security in the operational phase of an operation is extremely important and should be employed if
you have the necessary manpower, if you are traveling on your own you could possibly hire a local but, will you
be able to trust them. If you are traveling in a group you should take turns at being the advance person, if there
is a problem its better to lose only one person rather than the whole group.
The job of the advanced person or team in the operational phase is to proceed you by 10 to 20 minutes and
check the route and final location for potential threats and problems. If any threats or problems are detected,
the advance person or team will inform you immediately, so that you can go to the secondary plan. For
example: We were once working with a client who was going to a potentially hostile South American country,
he initially wanted us to supply him with firearms for when he was traveling around the country. But when we
made clear the problems that can come with carrying firearms / weapons in a foreign country he began to see
the difference between the real world and Hollywood. We organized an advance man for him to arrange his
hotel, pick him up from the airport and who would precede him on his travels in a vehicle that fitted in with
those being used by the locals. Our operative would inform the client of any problems or anything suspicious
along the routes. When he arrived at a location ahead of the client he would check for any threat surveillance
personnel etc. Of course our operative was Latin American in appearance, fluent in Spanish and trained by us.
It is best that all advance work is performed covertly. If a venue or location needs to be checked out, the
advance person or team can always claim that they are representing someone else or that they want to hire
the venue or stay in the hotel themselves. By performing this duty covertly they will not give away your
itinerary. When performing advance security, wear what helps you to blend in with the environment. There is a
fixation in the security and business world that personnel must wear a suit, shirt and tie, this is OK in New York
or London but in many countries you will just stand out from the crowd and make yourself a target. If you look
like a business person everyone will think you have money and worth taking the time to rob or kidnap. Always
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11
Residential Security
Residential security (RS) is something that is usually taken very lightly. Many people in who are under an
active threat believe that RS is nothing more than just putting a few security personnel in their garden, or in the
residence its self and having them then meet and greet visitors. WRONG! It is common knowledge that one of
the favored places for criminals and terrorists to target a victim is when they are in, entering or leaving their
residence; RS must be taken very seriously.
If you are going to use security personnel for your residence or office make sure they are in some way
trustworthy, just because someone has a security or private investigators license it does not mean they are
competent or not working with the criminals. What a lot of people forget when hiring security personnel is that
you get what you pay for. I am approached all the time by people who require security personnel, many of
whom are having problems with their current security contractor, but they do not want to pay a professional
rate. Sure, you can always get a cheaper option but dont expect the budget security guard to be too
concerned about you well being.
The basic procedures I have listed here can be applied on all residences or even offices. What will differ is the
type and size of the residence and the manpower and budget available. When taking over or moving into a
residence, a threat assessment must be compiled and all vulnerable spots identified. A set of orders needs to
compile and procedures drawn up for every eventuality. Before you occupy a residence, the residence and its
grounds need to be searched for IEDs, electronic surveillance devices and contraband such as illegal drugs or
weapons that could have been left there by the previous occupants.
If the budget allows, electronic security devices should be employed. There is a vast array of security devices
available on the commercial market, ranging from CCTV to laser sensors. Always choose the best that you can
afford and buy it from a reputable dealer; it is best to also get a service agreement and have all equipment
regularly serviced by trusted people. Even if your residence is in an apartment block, CCTV should be
considered for the corridors and public parts of the building. Covert and portable CCTV systems are available
at affordable prices and have a variety of uses. These days there are also affordable CCTV system that you
can monitor over the internet. I had one client who told me while he was working in East Africa he watch
Hurricane Katrina destroy his house in Louisiana over the internet. Remember if you use internet cameras
they can be hacked into, if someone gets access to your computers, passwords or on a more professional
level access to your server they can also see what youre up to.
Many people have alarms systems and panic buttons in their residences and it amuses me that a lot of people
believe that installing an alarm is all they require to protect their families. We have all seen the adverts on TV
where a woman is home alone, the alarm goes off, the bad guy runs away and the alarm company phones
here to make sure she is OK; if only the world was that perfect. What if the bad guys arent worried and expect
an alarm to go off because know they have at least 15 minutes before the police will respond. If you have an
alarm system you need to know what the response time will be for those responding, be it an armed response
company or the local police. In some places the response can take hours, even in the U.S. if the responding
police believe there is a serious incident taking place with shots fire they will usually back off, call for support,
cordon the area and assemble a SWAT team to respond if youre lucky this may take an hour!
Another criminal tactic to counter alarm system on a residence is to keep setting them off until the target turns
the system off. Think about it, if over a period of two weeks the alarm on your back door keeps going off
between 1am to 4am what would you do? Initially for the first few alarm activations the police will respond, in a
lot of places after 3 false alarm activations the police will no longer respond, if you have an armed response
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company they will be charging you for every alarm they respond to. So, I am sure you will call out the alarm
company to fix the alarm but they will find nothing wrong with it. Would you keep putting up with the cost and
aggravation of the apparently false alarm activations or just turn the alarm off? Take nothing at face value, if
you have an alarm that starts going off for no apparent reason, look deeper!
Security for a residence needs to be planned in depth with multiple rings of defense, how many you have will
depend on the type and size of the residence.
When planning the security for a residence you need to think like the criminals. In 1994 I was working in South
Africa and was tasked to provide security for numerous residences that had active threats on them. My working
day usually started in the early evening and went through to after first light the next morning. When I arrived at
a residence the first thing I would do would be to assess the area around the residence for likely criminal
surveillance points and approach routes. I would then assess the fence or wall around the garden for the most
likely point the criminals would use as an entry point. I would then take up a position in the garden where I
could see the likely criminal entry point or points and as much of the residence as possible, then I waited.
I never accepted keys to residences and always told the clients to lock me out for several reasons. Firstly, if I
was taken out by the criminals they would then be able to use my keys to access the residence. Secondly, a lot
of people offered the use of their kitchens so I could make coffee etc., this was very nice of them but in my
opinion it would have been very unprofessional to accept as from a security point of view I could have been
targeted when exiting the building. Also, from a professional point of view I did not want to give the clients or
staff any excuse to complain about my service. Over the years I have seen security personnel have issues with
clients over non-security related issues, like they left a kitchen untidy, broke something, drank all the milk and if
things went missing they were under suspicion with the rest of the staff, as always, I always avoid any potential
problems.
So, the first cordon of security you should consider is the general area around the residence. You need to
identify any potential surveillance positions, choke points and possible ambush locations. Consider using
CCTV to cover the streets and exterior of the walls of your grounds. All routes leading up to the residence need
to be regularly searched for IEDs, surveillance and signs of an ambush which may be in the process of being
set up, to do this the routes and exterior would need to walked by trusted and alert personnel.
If your residence is in an apartment block, the next level of security could take the form of covert CCTV in
public areas or placing the building under general protective surveillance. In a large house, this cordon will be
the walls or hedges that surround the grounds; these can be monitored by CCTV, with sensors or where legal
topped with razor or electric wire.
In a large residence the next cordon would be the grounds or garden. This area could be covered by CCTV
and be patrolled regularly by security personnel, day and night and in all weather. All external buildings such
as garages and tool sheds need to be properly secured. A lot of people ask me about using guard dogs,
something which I tend to dissuade people from doing. Dogs can be weapons and must be keep under control,
in South Africa I had two German Sheppards attack me; they did not die because the client was screaming at
me not hurt them. The dogs had been let out of their cage, as they usually were in the evening, by a staff
member who did not know I was working there. OK, it was only me, so no problems but what if it was a child or
woman and dogs owner was not there to take control of them?
If you use dogs they must be properly trained, if I was in a high risk area would I consider having trained dogs
in my garden, sure but they would need to be properly trained. Dogs can be targeted as same as security
personnel, if they are not trained properly they are easy to poison. Guard dogs that bark a lot are easy to
counter, same as an alarm system, we have used this in numerous times in parts of Latin America where every
house seems to have a pack of dogs, you just need to get the dogs barking and keep them barking, the owner
will soon get fed up with it or the dog will get tired.
The next cordon would be the residence itself, all doors, windows and skylights need to be secured and
controlled and if possible, alarmed. Consider defensive gardening to deter criminals gaining access to
windows; below the window plant thorny bushes that would make it difficult and noisy for the criminals to get
through. Ideally, all rooms should be fitted with motion detectors and in high risk areas locked when not in use.
Now you need to consider what you are going to do if criminals try to make entry to your residence; you need
to make plans and preparations for this. On my courses I usually ask people what they would have done if
someone tried to break in to their house the previous night, a lot of people say they dont know or just then
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start to think about it. You need to put together sensible procedures, and then if you have an issue you will
know what to do and not panic.
There are two general considerations when planning your procedures; are going to stay in the residence or
evacuate, what you do will depend on your situation. A secure room needs to be designated within the
residence to be used as a safe room for you and your family in the event of an attack where immediate
evacuation is not practical.
The room should be lockable from the inside and have several good communications links with the outside
world; there should be a list of emergency numbers in the room, so help can be summoned in the event of an
emergency. What equipment is in the room will depend on your situation and the length of time you will need to
possible stay in to room, this where you need to know the approximate response times of those coming to help
you. The main thing a safe room needs is an escape route, if I was a criminal and wanted to target someone
who I knew took their security serious I would not enter their residence. In reality if someone knows how to
defend a building SWAT and room clearing tactics wont work, youre going to have big problems. The easiest
way to clear a building is to cordon it and set it on fire, then hit the inhabitants as they exit, if they dont exit
then criminals have saved some bullets. Always have an escape route!
A set of procedures will need to be drawn up for dealing with visitors to the residence; this is the downfall of
most residential security programs. A good example of this resulted in the kidnapping in Haiti of a family
member of a business associate of mine. This person has a large residence and employed an armed guard to
man his front gate. One evening the guard opened the gate to talk with someone who was asking after one of
the staff members, as soon as he stepped outside the gate he had a gun to his put to his head by a criminal
who was waiting next to the gate. The criminal with their crew gained access to the residence, as the doors
were left open, robbed the place and kidnapped four people.
Why should the criminals try to break into a residence when in a lot of cases they can get the occupants to
easily open the doors and come to them? As you read this now what would you do if someone crashed into
your car; go outside and see what had happened, now you can be kidnapped and the bad guys have access to
your house. A lot of houses have their electric mains outside, same in places where generators are use, so if
the criminals cut the power what will most people do; go out and investigate. Sever the connecting to most
people satellite TV and what will they do, go outside and check the dish. See the pattern, so do the criminals!
USE
OF
SENSES
When patrolling through a residence or the grounds you need to learn to make use of your senses to detect
any problems. Learning to use of your senses is extremely important to your personal security.
Sight: Your eyes are the most valuable sense that you have. Use them to look for fire hazards, signs of
illegal or forced entry, open windows and doors, unusual lighting, unusual foot prints in your garden, signs
of flooding or leaks, suspicious people or vehicles.
Hearing: Your ears can detect many things that the eyes cannot see. Most people cannot keep quite even
for a short period of time so, there is a good chance that if you cannot see them youll hear them. Hearing
is extremely usefully when clearing buildings, at night or in areas where visibility is limited.
Smell: Your sense of smell is again extremely usefully when clearing buildings, at night or in areas where
visibility is limited. A lot of people smell, be it from sweat, cigarettes, perfume etc. and you will be able to
smell them before you see them. Also the smell of burning can provide a warning that a fire may be
breaking out, the smell of gasoline may indicate a leak in fuel pumps or from vehicles, the smell of
almonds or marzipan may indicate the presents of explosives.
Touch: Touch can be used to test temperatures of certain items overheating and therefore identify a
potential fire risk. Unusual drafts may lead to the discovery of open windows or doors.
Taste: Do not taste anything suspicious, leave that to Hollywood and Bollywood.

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HAZARDS
Here is list of things you want to consider when planning the security for your residence. Not everything will
apply to you but take what does and use it, a lot of the considerations here can be applied to most houses or
apartments.
Always plan security in depth, you want as many cordons of defense as possible.
Have several means of communications; land-lines and cellular, check them regularly.
Have planned escape routes.
If the residence overlooked what sniper or surveillance positions are there?
Check to see if the residence under surveillance.
Has the residence been searched for IEDs, electronic surveillance devices or contraband?
Is the residence ever left unoccupied, if yes it needs to be searched before re-occupation?
Does the residence have a fence or wall around it and can it realistically keep out intruders?
Are there gates to the residence, can they stop an intruder or a car, are the gates locked at all times and
what are the procedures for greeting visitors.
Is there anything to help criminals climb over the garden walls or gates, such as trees or poles around the
exterior of the property?
If the residence is in an apartment block, are there fire escapes or scaffolding that could give the criminals
a way in?
Where along the routes in and out of the residence could an ambush be concealed?
Consider putting the residence under protective surveillance.
Always use counter-surveillance drills before entering and upon exiting the residence.
Regularly photograph or video the areas surrounding the residence and always watch for suspicious
vehicles and people.
What security lights are there, do they work, when are the lights turned on and where is their control
switch? If the control switch is outside, move it inside.
Lights should shine away for the residence not on to it.
Consider attaching lights triggered by movement detectors outside of doors and venerable areas.
Any defects to floodlighting or other security lights should be fixed ASAP.
If you are in an apartment block, is the reception manned 24hrs a day and If yes, are the people manning
it competent?
Do your doors have peepholes- peepholes are best positioned at the side of the door or in the wall so, you
cannot be shot through the door. If using a peephole always distinguish any lights behind you.
Consider using a video phone to greet visitors and cameras to cover the doors and surrounding areas.
Consider an armored layer on the inside of main doors.
If you have a residential security team (RST) do they know their orders?
Are the RST from a quality trustworthy company and have they been vetted and well trained?
Do an assessment on you security personnel and evaluate how much you can really trust them; will they
fight, flee or just rollover if there is a problem.
Make sure the RST patrols the grounds at all times in all weathers; bad weather is the best time for raids
as guards are usually seeking shelter and un-alert.
Consider using electronic clock points to verify that the RST are doing their patrols.
If you are using guard dogs, make sure that they are well trained and preferably under the control of their
handler.
Are all doors to the residence solid and are the doorframes solid, most times a doorframe will break before
the lock on the door.
Are the locks on the doors of a good quality and have you changed them since taking over the residence?
If a key is lost or an employee fired who has access to keys change your locks.
Consider using deadbolts at the top and bottom of a door and wedges in conjunction with the normal
locks.
Can the locks be unlocked from the outside, if a window is broken or can the door hinges be unscrewed?
Do you have control of all the keys to the residence and have a list of everyone with keys?
Make a record of all keys that are issued to staff and keep the issuing of keys to a minimum.
Have all unused entrances and exits secured.
All windows need to be secured on all floors of the building. It is a fact that in 90% of burglaries, access is
gained through windows. Check that windows are properly shut, secured and if possible alarmed. These
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Consider putting thorny bushes under windows and around the perimeter of your garden to deter
intruders. Thorny bushes can be put on the inside of perimeter walls also to tangle up and alert you to
anyone jumping over.
Use laminated glass and heavy curtains where there is a threat from IEDs as they will help prevent flying
glass. Wood blinds also work for extra privacy and protection.
Beware of casting shadows against windows which can be seen from the outside.
Consider putting a gravel walkway around the outside of your house so you can hear anyone approaching
or stalking around.
Always be alert for torch-lights or other lighting that is not normally present, as this may indicate intruders.
If vehicles are parked on the premises, check that they are secure and that ignition keys have been
removed.
All skylights and roof doors need to be secured and preferably alarmed. Roofs need to be secured and
monitored.
Is the attic of the residence adjoined to another roof or attic from which someone could gain access?
What alarms are in the residence, are they working and when were they last tested?
All doors and windows on outbuildings need to be secured, regularly checked and, if possible, alarmed.
Are the roofs of the outbuildings secured; an IED on the roof of a garage stands a better chance of not
being discovered than one in a driveway.
Do all padlocks have spare keys and who has them?
Are the padlocks of good quality and difficult to pick or shim?
Are all weapons in the residence legal and are they secured when not in use?
Do the RST know their rules of engagement and the laws for use of force?
A list of all vehicles, details and photos of all people, who are allowed access to the residence, should be
with the security team.
No vehicle should be given access to the grounds of the residence without a member of the security team
at least physically checking the interior of the passenger compartment. You never know- your personal
driver flashing his light and laying on his horn at the gate might have a gun in the back of this head or a
bomb in the trunk of his car.
What firefighting equipment is there in the residence and is it in a serviceable condition?
Are there any fire alarms and do they work?
Fire is the largest cause of loss and damage to private and commercial properties. Fire prevention is,
therefore, one of the highest residential security concerns.
You need to look for fire hazards, always close all fire doors to prevent a fire spreading, remove any
obstructions in front of fire exits and extinguisher, Where inflammable materials and gas canisters are
used or stored, make regular inspections to check that all is safe, ensure that barbeques or fires are fully
extinguished.
Flooding is a major threat to property and equipment, common causes include taps that have been left
running, leaks in plumbing systems or faulty air conditioning systems, heavy rain or snowfall.
Are all valuables kept secure and do you have pictures of all valuable artwork, jewelry etc.?
Are all valuables insured and have you recorded the serial numbers of all TVs, computer and stereo
equipment?
Do you, your family and staff have security, emergency procedures and does everyone know them?
Do you, your family and staff know how to report any suspicious activity in the area?
Do you, your family and staff know how to the raise the alarm, in the case of an emergency?
If you live in an apartment block, do you know who lives above, below and on either side of you?
Make arrangements for power cuts, keep spare batteries and bulbs for torches, several means of
communications and check them regularly.
Keep all sensitive and security documentation secure and confidential.
Keep computers and hard drives secure and password protected.
Have your staff and employees been profiled and had background checks?
Do not discuss sensitive or security related subjects in front of staff, consider giving them disinformation
on such things as travel and business plans.
Dont let any of the security personnel get over familiar with any of the other staff.
Consider monitoring all phone calls from and to the residence.
All contractors must have appointments and must be searched before entering and leaving the residence.
Searched when entering to check for contraband, IEDs or electronic surveillance devices and when
leaving to make sure they are not stealing anything.
Contractors should be accompanied at all times.
If suspicious of visitors, turn them away or keep them outside and preferably illuminated, until their
credentials are verified. Also consider that they could be testing your security or a distraction while others
try to access your residence.
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Never illuminate yourself in a doorway or a window, darkness is your friend.

All deliveries should go through the RST and be checked for anything suspicious, have a secure area to
isolate any suspicious packages.
Use a mailbox or virtual office address rather than your residential address.
Always have escape routes and dont let security procedures obstruct them.
Know the location and safest routes to safe houses, emergency rendezvous points, hospitals, etc.
Think like a criminal and plan for every eventuality.

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8
Travel Security
You should compile a threat assessment on any area, city or country that you are visiting be it for business or
pleasure. These days with the internet its easy to find crime rates and reports on nearly all countries and areas
within them. With Google Earth and the like, you can get high quality aerial photos and street views on most
places, which can be used to check out hotels, locations to be visited and select routes.
If possible, send an advance person or team or get a trusted local to check things out and make arrangements
for you visit. If you are traveling in a group consider sending a member or two ahead a few days in advance to
check things out and make arrangements before the main body of the group arrives.
Below is a basic list of things that you will need to consider before traveling.
TRAVEL
CONSIDERATIONS
What is the threat level at the location you are visiting?

Compile threat assessments on hotels and locations to be visited?
Will you need any inoculations against diseases or need to take preventative medication with you?
Do you have trusted contacts at this location and how can they assist you?
If youre traveling internationally do need visas to enter the country?
Where will you be staying?
Can you carry weapons, will you need permits and where will you be getting the weapons from?
What restrictions are there on carrying weapons and what are the local laws on use of force?
Will anyone meet you at the destination airport, if yes, do you know them. If not get a photo and
arrange code words?
Will your phones work at the destination, if not where can you get a local mobile/cell phone?
Are there payphones at the airport and do they take coins or credit cards?
What international dialing codes are you going to need?
How will you get from the airport to your hotel?
Will baggage be secure and who will have access to it?
Are you taking local currency with you or are you going to need to change hard currency?
Will there be ATMs available and can you use your bank cards?
Will you be able to use credit cards?
Will you have internet access and is it secure, are there free hotspots?
What standard of medical facilities are available at the destination and will you need to take sterile or
emergency equipment with you?
Will you need to take prescription medication with you and are there any restrictions on it within the
country your visiting?
Is clean blood available in hospitals at the destination, if not where is the nearest source or clean or
synthetic blood?
Is medical insurance needed and is what you have recognized or do you need hard currency for
ambulance services and treatments etc.?
Know the locations of hospitals or reliable doctors in your area that can treat trauma or any medical
condition you or your fellow travelers may have?
What are the details of backup hotels and locations that can be used as safe houses or emergency
rendezvous points?
Do you or any of those traveling with you have any special dietary requirements or allergies?
Is the tap water drinkable or will you need bottled water, if yes is it readably available?
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How will you be traveling around; public transport, on foot or using a driver?
If you are renting a car make sure you know your routes, have a reliable break down plan and spare
tire etc. in the vehicle.
When driving around make sure you know where the nearest gas stations and emergency facilities,
such as hospitals and possible safe locations.
Who locally knows your program, try to keep things on a need to know basis.
Make sure someone trusted knows your program and can alert authorities if there are any problems.
Arrange to make coded check calls to a trusted people within and outside of the country. Select words
that can be inserted into a phone call that can mean things are OK or they have gone bad.
Put together contingency plans to cover any possible crisis situation be it kidnapping or a serious car
crash.
Have several alternative planned routes by which to leave the country.
Always keep you travel papers and an reasonable amount of cash hidden on you person that can be
used in the case of an emergency where it might not be possible or a sensible option for you to return
to you hotel.
This is just a list of considerations that will hopefully get you thinking and help you put together plans and
procedures for any future trips youll be taking.

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Staying in a Hotel
It is inevitable that, as a business person, you will spend time in domestic and international hotels of some
description. Do your research online before booking a hotel; research crime statistics, ratings from others who
have stayed there and check out the area with Google Earth. If your hotel has been booked for you by your
company still research the place and if you find potential issues get them to change it.
Over the years I have stay and worked in a wide variety or hotels from five-star to minus-star and boutique to
roach house. The standard or security in most hotels is very low and it is not hard for non-hotel residents to go
up onto the hotel floors. Its concerning that most travelers expect and believe the hotels they are staying in to
be secure, I tell my clients they should take the same precautions inside hotels as they would on the street.
A lot of hotels do not have security personnel, a lot of times they give the security job title to the concierge staff
so, on paper they have security personnel and can keep the insurance costs down for the hotel. Even in large
five-star hotels they usually only have one security person on duty at a time. In my experience, the standard of
hotel security personnel can range from good to appalling. There is one large high profile London hotel where
the only reason they have a security team is to keep their insurance costs down. The hotel has 14 miles of
corridor, over 1000 rooms, multiple entrances and there is only one unmotivated security person on at a timein a place like this you are on your own. Security is usually low on a hotels managements list of priorities, as
they are more interested in keeping their rooms full. Most hotels will only do the minimum to comply with local
security regulations and keep their insurers happy.
One story that highlights the failings of hotel security happened in the late 90s at a five-star hotel on the
exclusive Sloane Street in central London. The hotel policy was that when the female maids were cleaning the
guests rooms they had to leave the room doors open for their own personal security, they were not suppose to
be in a room alone with a guest. An experience hotel thief was in the hotel and walking the floors; he was dress
in a decent suit with a brief case and looked very corporate. He entered a room which was being cleaned and
ask the maid to finish up as he wanted to take a shower, the maid thinking the thief was the guest who was
staying in the room finished and left. In a lot of five-star hotels staff wont challenge guests as it is not polite to
do so, its all about service. Now the thief was in the room and took anything of value, this guy was a
professional and he did not finish there. He telephoned the hotel reception from the room phone and told them
he had forgotten the combination to the safe in the room, guest forgetting combinations and safes
malfunctioning is something that happens quite often. So, reception got the duty security guard to go up and
open the safe for the thief, the security guard believed the thief was a guest as he was in the room watching
TV and opened the room door for him. The guard opened the safe told the thief how to reprogram the
combination and politely left room. The thief then emptied the safe and left the hotel. This happened during the
day, professional hotel thieves usually operate during the day when hotel guests are out sightseeing or doing
business. When the Japanese guests who were staying in the room returned in the evening they found all their
valuables were gone and were not very happy, especially when they found out that the hotel security staff had
assisted the thief in the robber.
It use to amuse me when I was working in the five-star hotels in central London how everything on the surface
seemed to be of the highest standard but if you looked behind the scenes it was another story. Several of the
top hotels were using a temp agency to supply them with back of house staff such as dish washers etc. that
were mainly illegal immigrants but they were cheap! There would Royalty and Politicians upstairs eating
Beluga caviar and undocumented refugees downstairs opening the tins.
I was once talking with a hotel security manager in London who had just taken over the security for a very
prominent five-star hotel. He was stressed because he had gone through computer that was used for
programming staff key cards and found there were over 50 master keys for hotel issued, that were valid and a
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lot unaccounted for. There should only have been about four master key cards on issue for the general
manager, duty manager, security manager and duty security. The reason there were so many master keys on
issue was because it was easier to program a card for all areas rather than the specific floors and rooms the
individual staff members needed. Most hotels use electronic key cards but how many reprogram locks and void
lost key cards or those guests have not handed in when they checked out. So, combine the fact that anyone
can walk into most hotels and they might have a valid key card they have found or bought from an employee
how secure do you think you are in most hotels, same as if youre on the street.
Another example of hotel crime took place several years ago to my business partner in Caracas who was
providing security for a lady who was visiting for several weeks; he picked her up from the airport and was
escorting her around the city. She was staying in a very good hotel and when he was not with her she was in
her hotel suite. After a week or so this lady started to get threatening text messages on her cell phone from
someone asking for a large sum of money. This was baffling to us as the lady had been keeping a very low
profile so, an operation was initiated and the potential extortionist entrapped. It turned out the extortionist
worked in the hotel, he was the Fed-ex man and got the ladies cell phone number and details from a package
she had received. This wannabe criminal was fired from his job and the police would have been happy to
arrest him but the lady thought him losing his job was enough punishment and did not press charges, he was
very lucky.
So, hopefully you are beginning to see that security is not high on most hotels priority list. A lot of shady
business takes place in hotels and they are choice locations for prostitutes, thieves and fraudsters. When
selecting a hotel find one that provides you with comfort and security, I dont need five-star services so, tend to
chose the smaller and quieter places where it is easy for strangers and non-residents to be spotted.
CONSIDERATIONS
FOR
STAY
IN
HOTEL
Complete a threat assessment on the hotel before your stay.

Make sure the hotel is not near any other building that could have a threat against them such as
police or military barracks, etc.
Compile a set of orders for the duration of your stay in the hotel and make sure everyone knows
them.
If you are under a high threat level make full plans and let everyone know where youll be staying,
you can even book into the hotel. But after that go and stay somewhere else, preferably
somewhere you can pay in cash, also make sure your not followed from the first hotel. This will
have anyone who is targeting you looking in the wrong place to start with. If you are on an
extended trip change hotel regularly.
Who is paying the hotel bills, if not you? Will the hotel accept your bank cards and can they
change hard currency?
Liaise with hotel staff and find out what security procedures they have in place, if they have
cameras where are they located, do they work and are they recording.
Try to check out other guests, you dont want to be staying near and high-risk VIPs, as if they are
targeted you might get caught up in the incident. Many people look down on hotel staff, such as
the maids and waiters; always be polite and respectful towards them. You want to look upon the
hotel staff as an intelligence network. In some cases, for legal or other reasons, the hotel
management will not be able to keep you informed of who else is staying in to the hotel and what
they may be up to. However, the maids, porters and room service personnel will know who is in
the hotel and may notice how they spend their time whilst in their rooms. This is a valuable
source of intelligence.
Your rooms should be above the second floor and at the end of a corridor; high enough so
nothing can be thrown through the window but still within easy reach of fire fighters ladders. And
at the end of a corridor so you are close to fire escapes and will not have to many people walking
past your room.
Locate possible threat surveillance positions around the exterior of the hotel and monitor them.
Regularly check all public areas and the exterior of the hotel for suspicious people and vehicles.
Consider if you will put the hotel under protective surveillance and check that the hotel is not
under surveillance from law enforcement agencies or criminals.
Search all rooms before occupation for IEDs, electronic surveillance devices and contraband.
Consider changing your hotel room after you have just booked in to a different floor of the hotel.
This will cause problems for anyone who was planning to put you under electronic surveillance.

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If possible let no one into the your rooms unattended, use the do not disturb sign to keep out the
maids.
Do not let anyone in your room without confirming who they are with the hotel reception. Think
about it, if a man turned up at your door in a security uniform, with an ID badge claiming to be
hotel security and needed to talk to you would you open the door, most people would. Anyone
can buy a uniform and you can make ID cards on your computer, always confirm someones ID
with the hotel reception.
Work out how you can secure the hotel room, check to make sure the windows are lockable, if
there is a balcony could someone climb or drop onto it. See if there is anything you can use to
block the door such as a chair or table, if it wont stop an intruder it should at least be able to
wake you up.
There are numerous small and affordable security alarms on the market that can be used for a
hotel room ranging from door and window alarms to motion detectors.
If you have weapons then your personal weapon should always within reach, also consider
stashing weapons around the room.
If there is an incident are you going to fight or flee, is there a suitable safe room such as a
bathroom and how long will you need to hold out until help arrives?
Make plans for evacuating the hotel in the event of an emergency, remember do not use obvious
evacuation routes as they could be booby trapped or ambushed.
Check that your mobile/cell phone works and you are not in a signal dead spot.
Remember if you use the hotel phone that it can be monitored from the hotel reception and the
rates for outside calls are usually higher than regular rates.
Will you have internet access and will it be secure
Profile hotel staff whenever possible.
Room keys need to be controlled, remember that the hotel staff has masters.
Do not leave valuables in your hotel room; put them in the main hotel safe, if possible. You can
get master keys for hotel room safes.
Do not throw sensitive information in the trash cans, soak and throw it away outside of the hotel
or flush it down the toilet
If your room has a fridge, do not use any ice cubes, as they could be spiked or poisoned as can
any snacks and drinks.
If traveling with others what is the budget for ordering food from room service, make sure
everyone knows it.
Does the hotel need to know about any special dietary requirements for you or your group
members.
Do you want alcohol left in the mini-bars if traveling with children?
Where is the nearest hospital, what first aid equipment and first aid trained staff does the hotel
have.
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Attending an Event
Attending business events and social functions can prove to be troublesome, if not planned properly. A
majority of venues will have their own security personnel and procedures, the standard of these can range
from quite good to accidents simply waiting to happen. I know of one very high profile hotel in London that had
all their banqueting furniture stolen by a group on men claiming they were there to pick the furniture up for
cleaning, they loaded it all up into a truck in broad daylight and were never seen again.
Over the years I have provided security for a wide range of corporate events, meetings, social functions and
encountered problems ranging from flooding, permitting issues, paparazzi, assaults, drug use and prostitution.
As with hotels, most event organizers do not put a high priority on security and usually, at most may hire a
guard or two to stand at the main entrance. I have worked VIP functions where Politicians and Royalty have
been present by myself because the event organizers did not book more security personnel, at these events
there was no way for one person to secure the venue. Luckily, nothing went wrong but I never understand why
people will spend tens of thousands of dollars on organizing a function and consider security as an
unnecessary expense. I am sure many of those attending such events expect a decent standard of security
and would be concerned is they knew the real story.
One weak spot I have repeatedly seen, internationally, is that temporary staff are rarely profiled, vetted and in
many cases are undocumented workers. A lot of large venues use temp agencies to supply them with dish
washers, waiters and bar staff for functions; they do not keep such people on staff as they do not need them all
the time. You can have metal detectors at the main entrance of a venue, every guest searched, every door in
the venue manned by a trained and competent security person, but the chances are none of the regular and
temp venue staff will be at searched and they are the ones that will be serving food, drinks, manning bag and
coat checks.
As with everything else, do your threat assessment and do not trust others to have your security at the top of
their priority list. Here is a list of things that you need to take into consideration when attending events.
CONSIDERATIONS
W HEN
ATTENDING
AN
EVENT
Compile a threat assessment on the venue and consider who attending may have an active threat on
them.
Get the full postal address, contact numbers and a map grid number for the venue. Look on Google
earth and assess the venue and the surrounding area.
Consider if there are any buildings around or on routes approaching the venue that could be targets
for criminals or terrorists.
Do you have the name and number of a contact person at the venue or with the event organizers who
can answer any questions you might have?
If possible send an advance person to check out the venue and the surrounding area, remind them to
take plenty of photos and video of the layout of the place
Examine, in detail, the layout of the building and note all: entrance and exit points, stairwells,
elevators, escape routes and potential safe rooms.
Will the venue have been searched for explosive devices and weapons, If yes, by whom and what
security procedures have been put in since the search?
What time will you arrive and is there a cut off time for entrance?
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How will you get to the venue, if you are driving where will you park and is the area secure?
If invitations or tickets are required will they need to be shown on entry; who will responsible for
looking after the invitations and tickets?
If reservations or tickets need to be booked try not to use your name, use a company or cover name.
What entrances will you use, what security is there, will you be searched and are those conducting
the searches competent?
Will you or anyone else be able to take weapons into the venue?
What alternative entrances and exits are there, such as fire exits or those marked for staff?
Give all entrances and exits code numbers so that if you need to evacuate you can communicate with
your group or driver without anyone else knowing which exit and route youre using?
If using a driver where will they be parked and how long will it take them to get to each exit, make
sure they know the codes numbers for the exits.
What facilities are there for drivers; food, drink and toilets etc.
What facilities are there at or close to the venue; pay phones, bathrooms, restaurants, hotels, stores
etc.
What is the overall program for the event and what is your program.
Where will you be seated, is a good position that has a good view of the venue and is close to exits?
Do any other guests have threats on them, if yes, where will they be seated?
Will you be dining and who will prepare the food?
Do you or anyone one in your group have any special dietary requirements?
If you are using bodyguards where will they be located and what, if any, are the dinning arrangements
for them?
Will media or photographers be present and what restrictions will be placed on them?
Will security or police personnel be present and will they be armed?
Will security and police personnel be in uniform or plain clothes, if plain clothes will they be wearing
any form of identification?
Will guests and staff have to wear identification badges? Try to see or get examples of all types of
identification so you can hopefully verify a fake from a real one.
Will your communications work in the venue, what alternatives are there?
What first aid facilities are available, where is the nearest hospital with an emergency room and what
are the best routes to get there?
What firefighting equipment is there at the venue, where is it located and is it serviceable?
What are the response times for the emergency services for incidents ranging from a guest having a
heart attack to a terrorist attack?
Make plans and procedures for how youre going to react to all the threats you have identified in your
threat assessment be it food poisoning or a terrorist attack.
Make sure you know how to raise the alarm in the case of an emergency or anti-social behavior such
as drug use or drunkenness etc.
Find out what the venues official evacuation procedures are and then make your own; in the case of
a terrorist attack the terrorists would most probably know the official evacuation procedures and would
have booby trapped or ambushed these exits and routes out of the venue.
Plan escape routes to exits form all areas of the venue.
Have code words within your group for emergencies as you do not want others to know what youre
doing or where your going.
Is there a suitable location that could be used as a safe room and how long could you hold out there
for?
Allocate emergency rendezvous points outside of the venue and make sure everyone in you group
knows them. These are important because if you group is separated during an evacuation you can
quickly re-group again. Also, if youre using a driver and there is an emergency at the venue they may
not be able to get close to pick you up due to traffic or a police cordon. It may be easier for you to
walk a couple of blocks away from the venue where it would be less congested.
Plan primary and secondary routes to your residence and safe houses from the venue.
You can see from this list that going to business and social functions can take some thinking about. As I stated
in a previous chapter most people are unaware of what is going on around them and when there is an
emergency are clueless on how to react. You dont want to be one of these people and it does not take much
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Searches
You need to know how to search a room for IEDs, electronic surveillance and contraband. By contraband I
mean things like illegal drugs or weapons that could have been left in say, your hotel room by the previous
occupant or planted in your office to cause you problems.
If youre hosting a business meeting, you should search and secure the room well in advance. If you are
meeting at a clients location suggest to them they should search the meeting room, if this would not be
appropriate be aware of the possible threats and have procedures to counter them in place. When you have
learned the basic procedures of how to search a room, you can search a whole building, the only difference
being that it will take longer to do so.
THE
SEARCH
The first thing you need to consider when youre going to search a room or a building is your personal security,
as always you must be aware of your environment. If you are going into a room or building which has been left
unoccupied always have someone watching your back, you never know who may be hiding in there.
Before you search the room or building you must first check the general area. Outside you want to be looking
for people sat in parked cars or unattended vans, as these could be used for receiving or relay points for
listening devices and cameras. Where possible you should always check the rooms above, below and around
the room, you are going to search for anything suspicious.
You should clear everyone from the room or building before the search begins, then secure the area and only
allow access to authorized personnel. Over the years I have seen meeting and function rooms being search
while the venue staff was still setting up the rooms, brining in furniture and food etc. This was a waste of time,
the room or building needs to be secured, everyone cleared out before the search begins. Then everyone
entering meeting rooms needs to be searched, even if they are re-entering after having just left, to say use the
bathroom or smoke a cigarette.
What you are looking for when you search a room will depend on your threat assessment. Not everyone will
face the threat of IEDs but maybe the threat of electronic surveillance or just staying in a hotel room that had
questionable guests before them.
So, lets say you have searched the outside of the room and are now going to make entry. First you should
make a visual inspection of the door, looking for anything suspicious such as signs of forced entry, also use
your senses to try to smell or hear anyone or thing in the room before you make entry.
To search a doorway look around it for anything attached to it and then look just inside for any wires or thread
or anything that might be a laser or electric sensor. Do not open a door fully, do so slowly and always check
behind the door and at the hinges, as pressure switch for a booby trap could be placed here. Now you must
check the floor just inside the door; doorways are channels and good locations to place IEDs, someone will
eventually walk through there! If there is a mat you will need to lift it, if there is carpet or wood floors, check to
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When you enter the room dont turn on any lights until the switches and light fixtures have been checked for
IEDs. Light switches and fixtures are also a favored place for listening devises as they can transmit indefinitely
due to their power source being the mains.
If the room has windows close any blinds, you dont want others to see what youre doing. You should now
remove all trash and furniture thats not needed for the meeting from the room; excess furniture means there
are more places to hide listening devices and gives you more to search. If you think something could be
suspicious or you dont have time to search it get it out of the room.
Now how the search continues will depend on the threat, how much time and manpower you have. If time is
short, have a quick scan around the room for anything obvious; check under tables, chairs and behind pictures
etc. This may seem too obvious but I have caught out many a student by placing a key box under their chair.
Think like the criminals; if you had a couple of minutes to place a device where would you put it!
When time permits you should do a more detailed search. Lets say youre going to be using a hotel suite as a
meeting room and you will need to search it by yourself. As always your personal security is priority, so when
youre in the suite lock and secure the door and keep any weapons you may have at hand.
Start by doing a 360 degree search of the walls and make note and investigate any signs of recent building
work or renovation, be on the lookout for any small holes that could have miniature cameras or microphones in
them. Remove and search any pictures, check all electrical and phone sockets, check any heaters or air
conditioning units. Windows would need to be checked inside and out, make sure to also check any blinds and
curtains.
You will then need to check the floor, the ceiling or roof; inspect the flooring for any signs of interference, if
there are false ceiling panels youll have to get up there and check whats between them and the roof. All
furniture, book cases, cabinets, couches, seats, ornaments, potted plants, all electrical items would need to be
taken apart and searched. As you should be beginning to see a thorough room search can take a long time, so
remove as much stuff as possible before you start the search!
Other places that criminals can use to conceal contraband etc. include any hollow and removable items such
as inside the curtain rods for windows or showers, clothes hanger rails inside wardrobes and inside toilet
cisterns. Also most doors these days are hollow so, if a hole is made in the top contraband can be hidden
inside; always run your hand across a top of a door.
This chapter is just to get you thinking, searching rooms and buildings can take a very long time if done
properly. Professional search teams usually arrive at a location with sniffer dogs and a van load of equipment
to be able to unscrew everything is sight. As a lone traveler at most you may have a Swiss army knife or multipliers and a flash light, make these part of your travel equipment and learn how to utilize them.
In addition to working out you search procedures you need work out what youll do if you find an explosive
device, a listening device or contraband. Think about it, if you find a kilo of cocaine in your room are you going
to go to the police and tell them its not yours, think theyll believe you, or are you just going change hotels
without leaving your finger prints on the package?

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16
Electronic Surveillance
Electronic surveillance is something many people, including supposed security professionals, do not take into
consideration. You might be a great martial artist, can shoot a Glock no problems, but if the bad guys have a
bug or tracker in your car, you and your family could be in a world of hurt.
Criminals and intelligence agencies alike use electronic surveillance, the equipment is easy to get hold of from
commercial outlets or can be improvised. Today, many bugs (listening devices) and covert cameras are very
small and easy to conceal, they can be hidden in almost any object like books, computers, mobile phones and
clothing. You should always take precautions against bugs and covert cameras, especially when you are
staying in hotels, attending meetings or moving into a new residence.
There are thousands of devices on the commercial market that claim to be able to detect bugs and hidden
cameras; they vary in price from less than a hundred dollars to tens of thousands. However, bugs work on
many different frequencies and many commercially available bugs and bug detectors work on only a small
sector of frequencies available. The bugs you buy from a store have to transmit on a public frequency or in a
lot of places you would need a radio license for them. If you go into a spy store they will show you how their
bug detectors will find listening devices hidden in the store, this is because the bugs are transmitting on the
frequencies scanned by the bug detector. A professional criminal or terrorist will always try to use bugs that are
outside of the usual frequencies, so they stand less chance of detection, do kidnappers worry about radio
licenses? If you are considering buying electronic counter surveillance of equipment, make sure it does what
the maker claims.
In addition, you must take into consideration remote controlled bugs that can be turned on and off by the
listener. A lot of equipment would not pickup this type of bug, because it would usually be turned off until
needed, such as during a meeting. Also you need to be aware of the threat from hard wire devices. These do
not transmit information via the airways and cannot be detected by scanners etc. A listen through a wall device
is a good example of this type of device; the device could be placed on an outside wall of a meeting or hotel
room and pick up all conversations taking place in the room. There are government agencies claiming to have
micro fiber devices that they can stretch for 3 kilometers and receive good quality audio and video footage.
If your threat is from electric surveillance you could employ the services of a specialist in electronic countersurveillance. A specialist in electronic counter-surveillance should have the equipment that is required to find
regular and remote controlled bugs that are not within the usual frequency ranges. If you use the services of a
commercial specialist they must never be left unsupervised as there have been many cases where de-buggers
have been found to be working for the opposition and planting or ignoring devices. Usually there are only a few
credible companies that provide these services in most major urban areas, this is partly due to the cost of
professional equipment. The chances are that the criminals know who these people are and possibly use their
services, so only use the services of someone who you know you can trust 101%.
The easiest way to counter electronic surveillance is to keep all your meeting locations or hotels where your
staying secret until the last minute; if people dont know what youre doing it makes it difficult for them to set up
on you. You can also let people know where youll be staying and meeting clients and then change the
locations at the last minute; meet you clients at the meeting location and then take them somewhere else
taking counter surveillance procedures along the way. It would be unrealistic for you to always carry around
with you electronic surveillance equipment, so always perform a physical search of meeting rooms, locations
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PLACED
If you know how the criminals could place a bug in your office, home or car it will help you to take precautions
to counter them. You will also need to consider what you are going to do if you locate a device or suspect you
are being bugged; are you going to destroy the device or feed it disinformation to throw off or entrap your
opponents.
Now consider this, a criminal is targeting an executive for kidnapping. He needs to get information on the
executives movements etc. A simple tactic would be to place a listening device in the reception area of the
targets office. The criminal would need to buy a simple small listening device which, could be bought over the
internet or from a spy shop. The criminal would then task an associate, preferably female to enter the reception
area and ask receptionists for directions etc. While talking to the receptionists the female could blow her nose
and ask them to let her put her tissue in their trash can and wrapped in the tissue would be the bug. Who
would ask to search a tissue someone has just blown their nose in? All going well the bug would now be in
place and would pick everything that the receptionists are saying until the trash can is emptied. Think about it,
receptionists handle a lot of sensitive information; they make appointments, book taxis and restaurants etc. A
small bug could transmit for about 20 to 75 meters depending on its quality and the environment its used in. If
someone could not covertly get close enough to listen to it, a receiver attached to a digital voice activated
recorder could be placed close by in a flower bed or up a drain pipe etc. and retrieved at a convenient time.
Cell phones can also be used as listening devices when set to auto-answer, once they are put in place the
threat just has to call the phone to hear what is being said in the close vicinity around the phone, what limits
using cell phones is their size and battery life.
Another cover for planting electronic surveillance devices are burglaries, if you came home and found that your
house or car had been broken into would you be more worried about what had been stolen or what had been
put in place? If your car, house or hotel room has been broken into they need to be searched for electronic
surveillance devices and contraband. I mentioned cars here because they a favored areas to plant listening
devices as they are generally easier for the criminal or private investigator to get access to and break into than
a residence. Also consider what you discuss in your car; many an extra marital affair has been discover or
confirmed by a voice activated Dictaphone placed in a straying spouses car.
Dictaphones on their own can be used by criminals as listening devices, when combined with a miniature
microphone that can bought from most electrical stores they make an excellent hard wire device. Dictaphones
these days can record in excess of seventy two hours and the data transferred easily to a computer. Consider
how easy it would be for a criminal to get access to the outside walls or roof of the location youre in now, drill a
small hole through to the inside and then place the microphone in the hole. Outside the microphone wire could
be camouflaged and the Dictaphone waterproofed and concealed, even buried, every few days the criminal
could come by and swap the Dictaphone for one with fresh batteries and memory. The only way to find such a
device would be a physical search; the $25K bug locator and the $500.00 per, hour specialist would be a
waste of time and money.
COUNTER
PROCEDURES
Why might you be under electronic surveillance?

Who is the threat and what is their expected level of skill and equipment?
Does the opposition have know you take counter electronic surveillance procedures?
Change meeting rooms and hotel rooms at short notice- this will cause problems for anyone who was
planning to put you under electronic surveillance.
Make sure there is enough time to search the area and the meeting rooms before meetings start.
Physically search the area around the building for suspect vehicles which could be used as a receiving or
relay point for transmissions from a listening device.
Physical search the outside of buildings and meeting rooms for hard wire devices.
Search rooms prior to meetings and always remember to take personal security precautions.
Make sure to clear everyone from the room before the search, secure the area and only allow access to
authorized personnel; where possible employ your own personnel to conduct physical and electronic
counter surveillance.
Meeting rooms should have minimal furniture; this gives the opposition less places to plant bugs and fewer
items for you to have to search.
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Be aware of the threat from remote controlled and hard wire devices.
Make plans and procedure for what you are going to do if you discover an electronic surveillance device.
Learn to use a radio scanner and include it in your search procedures for listening devices.
Hopefully after reading this chapter you are more aware of the threat from electronic surveillance and how
easy it is for even low level criminals to use this means of gathering intelligence on an intended target.

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17
Communications & Meetings
No communications by phone, fax or e-mail are secure, because such communications are routinely monitored
by government agencies. Even though this may be officially illegal, governments make the rules and are often
above the law. During the Cold War Western intelligence agencies operated a system called Echelon to spy on
Soviet communications. Since the end of the Cold War, governments justify the existence of such systems by
stressing the important role that they play in operations against terrorists and organized crime.
Echelon type systems routinely scan all electronic communications for certain key words such as uranium,
bomb, heroin, which are within e-mail messages or phone conversations. When a key word is picked up the
system can identify the source and record the message or conversation. These systems are on the top of the
electronic surveillance ladder, but there are many low tech ways of tapping into someones communications,
the favorite criminal method is to just pay someone who works for the government to do it for them.
A successful business or security operation requires good and secure communications. Think about all the
sensitive information you talk about on your phone or send in faxes, text messages and e-mails, all of which
can be intercepted by others. Think about what means of communications you have used today, for most it will
be at least a cell phone and a computer. Now think about what you said or wrote in your communications
today; anything a criminal could use to target you?
The main problem with electronic communications is that they are not secure and all are traceable, as I have
said governments routinely monitor communications, so do businesses, criminals and terrorists. I know of
islands in the Caribbean where it is common knowledge that all phone conversations are monitored and
transcripts of phone conversations can be bought. There are commercially available programs on the market
that can be downloaded on to a cell phone that will allow you to track, monitor all communications and listen in
to what is happening at the phones location.
You should always make sure that you and your colleges always treat your communication devices as high
security items; keep them secure and dont let others have access to them. Always be aware that someone
could be intercepting your communications and in situations where you have identified a threat is active
against you, your family or business limit the information you pass via phones and e-mails etc.
Communications techniques can be divided into two types; personal communications and non-personal
communications. Personal communications include in person meetings with clients or passing information on
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with the use of a 3 person. Non-personal communications can include the use of phones, e-mails, radios or
placing notices online or leaving hidden messages to be picked up by someone else. Both forms of
communication have pros and cons.
In the late 1990s I was contacted by a client who was caught up in a legal dispute over several maritime
vessels, which had been sized by the authorities of the country they were in. The client needed to confirm the
vessels were in good order and not being dismantled. The client had just given a large amount of money to a
very high profile investigation agency to go and do this task for them, but were not happy with the results. This
investigations company had sent two of its specialist operatives to the country to check things out; they took
with them the latest encrypted satellite phone for secure communications which, initially impressed the client.
The country they were going to has very suspicious and competent government security agencies, even
though the county is poor, the city they were in was very modern. However, if they had been stopped at
customs, the expensive encrypted satellite phone would immediately draw attention to them- why does
someone need a encrypted satellite phone in a modern city? The client was contacted by the operatives after a
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few days- they contacted him by regular phone, because they could not get a signal on the encrypted satellite
phone.
The operatives told the client they could not locate the vessels and asked where he thought they might be. He
did not know and asked them if they had asked the harbor master. They had not, because neither of them
spoke the local language. In the end, they located someone to speak to the harbor master and found the
vessels. The operatives then drew up plans which detailed how they could move one of the vessels, which
would have been highly illegal. This was when the client contacted us.
Within my network, I had a local contact within the country and had them monitor the vessels. All
communications were done using encrypted e-mail; almost everyone has computers these days and, as long
as you have a phone jack or can locate a hotspot you can send messages, photos and videos globally in a just
few seconds. E-mails are monitored and can be easily intercepted, which is why they should be encrypted.
Good encryption software can be downloaded from the Internet, so there is no excuse not to use this
technology. There are millions of e-mails being sent every day, many more than encrypted satellite phone
messages. Basic rule: always blend in with your environment!
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Another secure way of moving information is to use a trusted 3 party to act as a courier; in espionage talk this
would be referred to as a "cut out" or live drop. This person would be used to pass information between two
people who could not meet personally or are under an active electronic surveillance threat. The main thing
here is to consider how trusted the courier is and how you will give them the information you want them to pass
on. It would also make sense that the courier is at least counter surveillance aware and regularly checks to
ensure they are not under active surveillance. If you give information to the courier verbally because you dont
want a paper trail they need to be 101% trusted but remember they could still unintentionally leek information
or, not accurately represent the message you wanted passed on. If information is given to them in a written
form it should be securely sealed; a wax sealed and stamped envelope can prove very problematic for anyone
trying to open it covertly. The most secure means of passing information via a courier is by using encrypted or
password protected documents on a thumb or portable hard drive. The passwords and codes could be passed
on the person the documents are intended for by various other non-personal means.
Dead drops are where a message is left unattended somewhere for another to retrieve; the problem with this is
that whatever you are leaving to be retrieved could be found by someone else. If you are considering using
dead drops youll first have to identify suitable locations and a means of alerting the person the information is
intended for that it is at the dead drop location. As always, full personal security and counter surveillance
procedures will need to be taken. A simple dead drop could consist of a magnetic key box being left under a
bus stop seat; inside the key box would be a username and password for a pre-determined online e-mail box
where a massage or documents could have been uploaded from a public internet caf or hotspot etc.
Even if one person cannot send or receive regular mail with any degree of security, someone else may do this
for them. The most important thing is to simply make the letter itself look innocent. Quite obviously, a
confidential letter should not be conspicuous in any way. The return address should be an innocuous one and
if you suspect your mail may be censored, drop it in some post office away from the area you live when you
are sure you are not being observed. In most places these days you can find private mailing services who will
accept and forward mail for you.
As I stated earlier, take it that all telephone communications are not secure but, when previous arrangements
have been made, two people can use different public phones and talk without the use of any identifying words
or phrases. To do this they would need to make a list of say 10 working payphones and give them code names
or letters and then send the phone numbers to the person they wanted to communicate with, the other person
would do likewise, remembering to keep a copy for themselves. When the parties wanted to talk they could
state in clear language via a regular phone which phone one party would call the other on and at what time.
Unless those monitoring the conversation had access to their coded payphone list it would mean nothing to
them.
Simple codes can be used to great effect in many situations, the main thing to remember is to keep codes
secret, if everyone knows a code its a waste of time. Codes are used between bodyguards that might not live
with their clients but have arrangements to call them several times a day, if the client mentions certain words or
a phrase during the call it could mean there is a potential problem etc. This can also be used if you are
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Various bits of clothing hanging on a clothesline, certain lights left on in various rooms of a house, the way a
car has been parked or someone reading a newspaper when they should just be holding it could all be used as
covert warning signs to potential problems. Just use your imagination, there are endless codes and things that
can be used as simple but effective warning and alert systems. Just make sure to keep them on a need to
know basis!
Meetings can be extremely dangerous and should always be treated with caution, this is where people will
know where you will be at specific time, just what the bad guys want to know. Arranging meetings is an easy
way to set someone up for kidnapping, assassination, sexual assault or robbery. Meetings should be kept as
secret as possible and planned well in advance, when under a high threat you want to exchange the maximum
amount of information with those you are meeting with in the shortest possible time.
Firstly you will need to select a suitable meeting location, be it a coffee shop or a hotel suite, this will depend
on how many people youll be meeting with, whats to be discussed and what is the threat level. You should
always have a reason and cover story for being in that area at that time in case the meeting is compromise; for
example, maybe you or those you are meeting with have identified they are under active surveillance.
Everyone involved in the meeting will need a covert way of alerting the others that they have been followed or
are under active surveillance. This can be done by using codes or signs en-route to the meeting location or
quickly posted comments on online chat boards. This way if one person is compromised they should not
compromise or endanger those they are meeting with. Cell phones should not be used or taken to sensitive
meetings as they can be tracked and used as listening devices, they should also not be used to warn others
that you are under surveillance, calls and text messages would lead straight to those you were meeting with. A
low tech method such you drinking soda instead of coffee or putting the do not disturb sign is on the hotel suite
door could tell the person your meeting with that things have gone bad.
Whenever you are meeting people for the first time you should always use prearranged signs and counter
signs to confirm their identity. The simplest thing is a pre-arranged question and answer, this works better than
checking ID cards as the person your meeting with might be the right person but you know them by a
pseudonym. In a basic context you want to make sure the limo driver who is meeting you at the airport is your
real driver and will take you to your hotel not into months of captivity or to a garbage dump!
PERSONAL
SECURITY
CONSIDERATIONS
FOR
MEETINGS
Do you know in detail the meeting location? If not, then check it or get someone trusted to check it.
Things to take into consideration include the facilities (bathrooms, cafes, taxis, payphones etc.),
potential surveillance positions, location of surveillance cameras, escape routes, will it be daylight or
dark, what is the condition of pedestrian and vehicle traffic, what are people wearing, age and type of
people in the area?
Make plans and procedures for all possible emergencies identified in your threat assessment.
Consider where along your route to the meeting location you would put surveillance personnel to
watch you if you were the opposition and also identify where on your approach to the meeting location
you would be channeled.
How will you get to the meeting location walking, using public transport or driving?
If driving where will you park your car, will it be secure or hidden, how long would it take you to get
back to it in an emergency and what are you going to do if its compromised?
What will you wear for the meeting and will you need a change of clothes, remember its always
easier to dress down than up. You can always take off a sports coat and shirt and put them in a
plastic bag.
Will you be carrying any weapons and is there any risk of being searched.
Always be aware of whats going on in the environment around you; watch for warning signs posted
by the those your meeting with that could indicate they have been compromised, any unusual activity,
people waiting in cars or vans with blacked out windows, fit young men with short hair hanging around
for no reason, read the body language of those waiting in possible surveillance positions etc.
When you reach the meeting location sweep the area for anything suspicious, you might not be under
surveillance but the person your meeting with could be.
If you can, select good position at the meeting location from where you can view as many entrances
as possible, be close to escape routes and view whats going on the street outside without being in
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Locate those you are meeting with and exchange passwords, consider walking them to another
location to identify if they are under surveillance.
If you are going to eat and drink, consider the method of payment; credit cards leave a paper trail.
Also do not leave your food or drink unattended or let anyone fetch you a drink from the bar etc.
Under a high threat make sure you do not leave anything behind from which finger prints or a DNA
sample could be taken from.
During the meeting constantly watch for physical, video and audio surveillance, if you have the
manpower get a trusted associate to do this for you and to watch your back.
Keep the meeting as short as possible and when its is over leaving the area as quickly as possible
and conduct several counter surveillance drills, consider changing your appearance if necessary.
If further meetings are required they would have to be varied for different times of day and days of the
week.

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18
Considerations for Self-Defense
Firstly, you cannot learn how to defend yourself by reading a manual or sitting down watching DVDs, you have
to go and practice. Here I will give you some pointers on what skills you need to develop to be able to defend
yourself, and your families without using firearms.
There are many myths and schools of thought on what makes an effective unarmed combat or martial arts
systems for real world self defense. All I will say is that there are many people confusing martial art systems
that are developed for sports fighting and hobbies as realistic self defense systems. I have had students come
through my courses that have been taught and trust techniques that work in a gym with a compliant partner but
dont work in my classes where those they are training with are not so compliant. On the street trying to do a
fancy technique on a criminal who will not be compliant, possibly on drugs or drunk and who will not be fighting
fair can get you severely hurt to say the least!
Use of force is a last resort and should be avoided at all costs, fighting is for amateurs, if you do get into a
situation where you must use force you want to end it quickly, not roll around on the floor and try to make your
opponent tap out. As with everything else you must work out a plan of action and a strategy for dealing with a
potentially violent situation. You must keep things simple, if a self defense technique is difficult and
complicated for you to master in a gym dont bother with it; on the street your only concern is doing damage to
your opponent not worrying about your form.
Fights generally take place at very close quarters and, unlike the open space of a dojo or gym, there will be
many obstacles which you can trip over or you can be pushed into. You will not have the space to get into a
guard position or to do a textbook kick. Try kicking someone and then remain standing on the wet, tiled
bathroom floor of a club or restaurant!
The main things you will need to win a fight are confidence and aggression, some people naturally have these
qualities, and others dont. The armed forces instill these qualities into individuals through strenuous training,
discipline, pushing people to their limits, physical and verbal abuse. They are difficult qualities to really teach
people, especially civilians who might only attend a couple of one hour classes a week. You need to
realistically think about how you would handle being in a confrontation, not in a dojo or gym, but being attacked
by some thug in some dark, side street who is going to stab you to death or rape you and then laugh about it.
Visualize this situation and determine how you would genuinely feel and determine how you would be able to
successfully defend yourself.
You also need some degree of physical fitness; by fitness I dont mean you need to be physically big or
muscular and be of an Olympic standard. I have come across numerous well muscled and big guys who, at
first glance, would appear to be intimidating but when tested, could not fight. This may have been due to their
lack of confidence and aggression or the fact they were just too big and slow. You need the physical ability to
move, throw multiple punches and low kicks, remember, the more physically fit you are, the better fighter you
will be.
ATTIT UDE
Over the years I have had students come to my classes who have been through other programs and told how
they can prevent themselves being victimized and how as a potential victim they could defend themselves. To
me these people were already being placed at a severe disadvantage by being told they were a potential
victim, youre only a victim if you let yourself be. You need a positive attitude, why should you be afraid of
some scum bag that tries to intimidate, bully and rob people for a living.
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What a lot of people forget is that when a criminal is going to commit a crime they are going to be scared; they
are breaking the law and can get arrested, beaten up or shot in the process. As I have said before criminals
look for easy targets, they dont want problems as they are bad for business. Remember if you are going to be
scared and nervous so are your attackers. Your attitude needs to be that with the knowledge and ability you
have you can screw up anyone who wants to mess with you or your family. The criminal made the mistake of
starting the fight with you and they are going to get broken up, thats it!
STRATEGIES
To me this is the most important thing that you will need to consider when putting together a self defense
program. The criminals will have at least put together a mental plan and strategy for attacking you, so should
you not have one for how to counter them? As I have said in a previous chapter, the easiest way to assess
someones personal security is to go up and ask them the time. Now think about how you would react if a
stranger approached you and asked you the time; whats your body language going to be saying, are you
going to tell them the time, will you be in a fighting stance, are there and obstacles in your area that can trip
you up, can you access your weapons etc.
If you have already planned you reaction youre not going to panic, youll just be going through your
procedures and be setting the criminal up for a beating. So, if a stranger is approaching you start setting them
up by assessing their body language, assessing your surroundings, getting yourself info a defensive stance,
considering if you want your body language to be passive or aggressive, selecting target points on the stranger
and how youll be attacking them; by the time they are close to you, you are ready take them out at any time.
I tell my students when they are out and about on their daily business to always be considering how they could
set up and attack those around them. The next time you are at the mall or in a coffee shop look at the biggest
person in there and workout how you could drop them, go up to them and ask them the time and think about
how easy it would be to take their knee out!
BODY
L ANGUAGE
One of the main things that you need to learn is how to assess someones body language and control your
own. This is very important in a self defense situation as you need to try to identify someones intentions and
not telegraph to them your potential response.
There are three main components of communication between humans; spoken words contribute 7%, vocal
tone and volume make up 38% and body language makes up 55% of the message. So, lets say you just meet
someone at the local grocery store and they are telling you how they really like you and want to help you carry
your bags to your car; while their breathing rate is shallow and accelerated, their sweating and making agitated
movements with their hands, believe their body language and say no!
Start reading peoples body language, at a basic level you can generally tell if people are happy, sad or angry.
Even though its not 100% reliable, someones facial expressions are good indicators to what mental state the
person is in. If someone is stressed, their faces will be flushed, they may be sweating, have veins protruding in
their neck or forehead and they may be a tensing their facial muscles.
When you are out at the mall or in a restaurant or bar, watch the people around you and try to identify what
mood they are in or what type of discussion they are having with others. It should be easy to identify if a man
and a woman are on a romantic date or two business people are having a heated discussion, when in a coffee
shop try to determine what people are looking at on their laptops; are they concentrating or goofing around.
You must learn to read body language, because this will help you identify, avoid and if necessary react to
potential threats.
SECT
STRESS
REACTI ONS
When a person is involved in a stressful situation their body will undergo over 150 different physical stress
reactions. These stress reactions will happen to you and criminals alike, you need to be aware of them and be
able to notice them in yourself and others. A bodies stress reactions include: adrenal surges, increased heart
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rate and blood circulation, sweating, increased respiration, increased muscular tension, reduced peripheral
field of vision, reduced decision-making ability and auditory exclusion.
If you have ever been involved in a car accident, try to remember how you felt just before, during and after then
try to remember if you felt any of the above reactions. If you have ever tripped over something and
subsequently fell, try to remember what it felt like; for example, did the time between you actually tripping and
hitting the floor seem longer than the fraction of a second it took in actuality, were you sweating and was your
heart beating rapidly when you hit the floor?
Learn to read your own body language as well as others, if you are in a situation and your heart rate starts to
increase or you start to breathe quickly; try to identify why this is happening. This could be your bodys sixth
sense telling you that something is not right and to get ready to react to a hostile incident. Look for these stress
reactions in people around you, if someone approaches you and their face is flushed, eyes are wide and
bloodshot and have veins protruding in their forehead and neck, maybe you want to try to avoid them or be
ready to put them down!
Warning signs that identify someone is agitated and a potential threat include direct prolonged eye contact,
flushed face, accelerated breathing rate, sweating, veins in neck and forehead are protruding, fists clenching
unclenching, hands moving towards a concealed weapon, hands rising getting ready to strike, head dropping
forward to protect throat, eyes narrowing, looking to see if you are armed or at intended target's areas on your
body, changing to side on shooting or fighting stance and lowering the body before launching an attack.
What Ive described is someone squaring up to someone else; boxers do this before a fight to try to intimidate
their opponent. When you see this in someones body language get ready to defend yourself, get ready to
move, get ready use your weapon or to break their knee and punch them in the throat.
Always remember, if the criminal is street wise they will be monitoring your body language and trying to predict
your reactions. You should never give any indication that you are going to defend yourself, when you react it
should be a total surprise to you attacker. If your strategy is to cry like a baby until the 63, 250 lb criminal is
within your striking distance and then knee them in the balls and stick your thumb through their eye, I would
say that sounds a lot better than squaring off with them and trying to get them in an arm bar!
From well over twenty years experience of dealing with violent situations and training people of all genders and
from all backgrounds, I have come to the conclusion that the easiest way to train people how to defend
themselves is to teach them the weak spots on the body and how to attack them. There are numerous target
areas on the body that only need to be attacked with nominal force to cause permanent if not lethal damage. In
reality there is no way a 54 female who is 130 lbs will be able square off and successfully fight a 63, 250 lb
male criminal, can the female break up the criminal, sure if they use the right strategy and forget about fighting
fair. Remember, fighting is for amateurs, we want to avoid problems or end them!
USE
OF
FORCE
The use of force is a last resort and you must do all you can to avoid confrontations. Unlike the movies, street
fights are not glamorous and, if someone is hit over the head with a bottle they wont just shake it off and walk
away unscathed. In reality, if someone is hit on the head with a glass bottle, there will be a lot of blood,
someone will be going to the hospital and there is a very good chance in most places someone else will be
arrested.
Even if you find yourself in a situation where you have the right to defend yourself, you must never use
excessive force against the person who is attacking you. For example, if someone grabs your arm on the street
and demands your wallet and you react by breaking his nose, who do you think would be in the wrong? The
only evidence the police will have is your claim that the guy tried to rob you, and, if there were no other
witnesses, it would only be your word against your attackers. However, they will have the guys broken nose
as proof that you assaulted him.
In some countries the fact you are a foreigner and have struck a local could easily get you arrested, even if you
were rightfully defending yourself. So, you must only use appropriate force when defending yourself and you
must always be able to justify that the use of force was necessary. The laws on the use of force vary greatly
from area to area, in places like the United Kingdom weapons are banned and if you hurt a criminal who was
breaking into your home the chances are youll be charged by the police; In Florida, U.S. if a criminal is
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breaking into your home and you are in fear for your safety you are within your rights to shoot them. Do your
research, knowing the law is all part of an efficient self-defense program.
THE
ELEM ENTS
OF
COUNTER
ATTACK
Once you have identified that you are going to have to deal with a violent situation you need to quickly workout
your strategy and put into operation your counter attack. There are three elements needed to win a
confrontation; surprise, speed and aggression. If you can combine two of these elements in your counter
attack, there is a greater chance youll be successful.
Surprise: This is the main thing that you require. Surprise will give you the edge in all confrontations, if the
criminals dont expect you to attack them; they wont be ready to defend themselves.
Speed: Your actions need to be fast and decisive, no hesitation!
Aggression: Aggression will always beat fancy techniques.
Other things you will need to consider is what do you want your body language to say, are you close enough to
hit the target areas on the criminal, are your standing on slippery or uneven ground, are there objects that can
trip you up, look for objects you can use as weapons or that can provide you with cover.
DISTRACTION
Distractions are very important in violent confrontations because they can give you the time needed to disable
the attacker. For example, a man confronts you with a knife, he is three to four feet away from you. If you throw
something at his head, such as your keys, wallet he will move, which gives you time to get close and take out
his knee. A distraction could be throwing some coins, jacket or looking over the attackers shoulder and
pretending someone is there.
People eyes are drawn to distractions, when you are talking with someone take out your wallet or cell phone,
hold it off to your side and move it around a little, the chances are the eyes of the person youre talking with will
at some point be following the wallet or cell phone. Use this distraction in your strategies; if your approached
by a criminal hold your wallet off to your left, when their eyes follow it kick them in the balls with your right foot,
get the idea!
IMPROVISED
W EAPONS
The first rule of unarmed combat is to always pick up a weapon! Forget the Queensbury Rules and fair fighting,
you must win and to win you have to fight dirty. Anything can be used as a weapon: pens, keys, glasses,
plates, umbrellas, rolled-up news papers, ash trays. Look around you and see what is close at hand and think
how you could use it to defend yourself.
In some countries like United Kingdom, it is illegal to carry weapons of any description but if you know how to
use everyday objects as weapons you will never be unarmed. When I am traveling I usually do not take any
weapons with me, if I require something Ill find a local Wal-Mart or the like and head for the tool or kitchen
section. Wherever you go make sure you comply with the local laws, the local police might let you off with
using force to defend yourself but arrest and charge you for carrying an offensive weapon.
GROUND
FIGHTING
Do everything you can to avoid getting into a grappling match with an attacker and ending up on the floor.
Ground fighting, MMA and wrestling techniques are for sports fighting and gyms. If you are in a street fight and
end up on the floor you are in a potential lethal position, one good kick to your head can kill or cause you
severe brain damage.
If you are taken to the floor, you should fight dirty, forget grappling techniques; go for eye gouges, ram you
fingers up the attackers nose, fish hook their cheeks, bite them and start breaking fingers. Try to get to your
feet as quickly as possible, if your opponent is still on the floor when you are standing kick them just as they
would kick you.
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TECHNIQUES
Punches, slaps and kicks are the most common techniques people use to defend themselves. Unlike the tough
guys in the movies, do not rely upon one single strike to knock someone out and end a confrontation. There is
a good chance that you may miss your target area, so you should attack a number of strike points all in
succession. You should practice your striking techniques, even if its by yourself and on an old punch bag. You
must learn how to punch and kick properly, which does not take much time, punches and kicks thrown the
wrong way can lead to injuries.
Here is list of some simple and effective striking techniques.
Closed Fist/Punch: The conventional punch comes naturally and instinctively to most people. To form an
effective fist pull in your knuckles and thumb as tightly as possible and make sure your wrist is straight and
locked. You want to be hitting you target with your knuckles, not your fingers. You can greatly increase the
effectiveness of a punch by placing a pointed object such as a key, pen, coffee stirrer etc. between your
fingers. Or keep your keys on a climbing carabineer, which can make a legal and very effective knuckle
duster.
Fist Hammer: The hammer fist can be an extremely powerful blow and there is a lower chance of injury to
your hand. The hammer fist is formed just like a conventional fist for a punch, the difference is you hit the
target with the sides of the fist. Again the effectiveness of this strike can be greatly increased by adding
and striking with a pointed object such as a pen.
Open Palm: Striking with an open palm can carry the same impact as a punch; the main problem is if
used incorrectly you will break your fingers and wrist. The important thing is to keep your thumbs and
fingers locked in and not protruding. One of the main advantages of using open palm is that they portray
passive body language unlike closed fists.
Bitch Slap: Even if someone has problems performing a decent punch they can still bitch slap with some
force. Simply cup the palm of the hand you are going to be hitting with and put it down by your side, then
quickly turn your hips and bring the hand up to strike the side of the targets neck or head. This same strike
can be done with the hammer fist.
Upward Knee: This is a simple technique and at close quarters is a very powerful and effective. This
technique is simply executed by raising and driving the knee into the target area.
Front Kick: The front kick is a simple and effective technique; first raise your knee up, then extending
your foot into to your target in one motion, your ground foot, the one youre not kicking with should be flat
on the floor. Make sure the kicking foot is angled upwards and not pointed down, this is to prevent injuries
to your ankle. Kicks can be a lot more powerful than punches and give you more range; also if you are
distracting the criminal with your hands they should not see the kick coming.
Stomp Kick: This is a simple and very powerful kick that can do a lot of damage to an opponents knees
etc. Just bring up the leg up that you are going to kick with and come down as hard as possible on the
target.
GERNERAL
TARGET
AREAS
Hitting these targets can cause permanent damage and in several cases possibly fatal results. These targets
should only be used as a last resort where you are in fear for the safety of yourself and your family.
Knees
Groin
Throat
Eyes
Fingers
SPECIFIC
1.
TARGET
AREAS
Forehead: A good blow to the forehead can cause whiplash and a severe blow with an
improvised weapon can cause a brain hemorrhage and death. The open palm is a good strike to
this target as hitting this target with a closed fist could damage your hand.
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
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15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
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Top of the head: The skull is made up of plates of bone and there is a weak spot where the
frontal cranial bones join. A strike to the top of the head with blunt weapons can causes trauma
resulting in unconsciousness and death.
Temple: The skull is weak at the temple and there is an artery and nerve just under the skin. A
powerful strike with an improvised weapon or the knuckles of a closed fist can cause
unconsciousness, concussion, if the artery is severed this will cause hemorrhaging and
compression of the brain, which will lead to a coma and likely death.
Hair: If you control the head, you control the body. If an attacker has hair then pull it as hard as
possible, this will cause pain and can open up other target areas you can attack to end the
situation.
Eyes: The eyes are one of the main target areas you want to attack in a life or death situation, a
finger jab can cause temporary blindness or with a more determined attack the eyes can be
gouged out or ruptured. If a finger, thumb or a pointed weapon goes through the bone behind the
eyes and into the brain it can result in the death of the attacker.
Ears: A bitch slap with a cupped palm to the ear can rupture the eardrum and can cause a
concussion. A ruptured eardrum is a very painful and possibly permanent injury. Ears can also be
used to control the head, simply get a good grip of the attackers ear and pull it. At very close
quarters ears can be bitten, which can cause a lot of pain to your attacker.
Nose: It does not take a very powerful blow to break a nose. Being hit in the nose causes pain,
makes the eyes water and can produce a lot of blood. The theory that someone can be killed by
driving their nose bone up into their brain is a myth, how many times do sports fighters break
their noses and I have never heard of anyone being killed due to this. At close quarters a good
technique is drive your fingers into an attackers nostrils, this will cause a lot of pain and
discomfort to your attacker and allow you to then target of points on their body.
Mouth: I am a big fan of fish hooking for close quarters fighting. To fish hook an attacker youll
need to hook you finger or thumb inside of their cheek, get a good grip and pull in the direction
you want their head to go. This technique is not very sanitary but is very effective and should be
used in life threatening situations. A fish hook will cause the attacker a lot of pain and will allow
you to access other target areas on their body to end the fight.
Jaw: A strike from a closed fist, hammer fist or a blunt weapon to the jaw can dislocate or break it
and cause unconsciousness.
Chin: The open palm is a good technique to use on this target and can cause a concussion,
unconsciousness and open up the throat for a lethal strike.
Throat: A powerful punch or blow with an impact weapon to the front or throat can kill an
attacker, it will at least cause extreme pain and gagging. A close quarters technique is to grip
and crush the windpipe which will lead to the death of the attacker.
Neck: Any strikes to the front, side or back of the neck can cause pain and a jarring effect,
powerful strikes and cause damage to the spine, hemorrhaging, unconsciousness and death. By
driving you thumbs into the side of the neck or griping the neck muscles you can cause a lot of
pain to an attacker.
Spine: A power kick or blow with a blunt or edged weapon to the spinal column can result in
paralysis or death.
Brest bone: Even moderate blows to the breast bone with pointed objects such as a pen can
cause severe pain; powerful blows can incapacitate an attacker.
Ribs: A closed fist, kick or blow with a weapon are effective techniques against the ribs. The aim
is to hit them hard enough to fracture them and drive them into the internal organs. Badly
fractured ribs can cause damage to the liver, puncture and collapse a lung.
Back of hand: The backs of the hands are full of small bones and nerves; striking this area can
cause a lot of pain. A simple technique is that if someone grabs you stick a pen into the back of
their hand, if the small bones on the back of the hand are broken the hand is ineffective.
Fingers & Thumbs: Fingers and thumbs can easily be snapped which causes extreme pain. If
you are forced to grapple or are grabbed by your opponent break their pinky fingers, keep hold of
it and twist it. This will cause extreme pain to your attacker and get them to release their grip on
you.
Groin: Even a moderate blow to the groin of a male attacker and cause intense pain and put
them out of a fight, powerful blows can cause unconsciousness and shock. A good punch, open
palm, kicks or strike with an impact weapon will be effective against the target area.
Thigh: A decent kick or strike with an impact weapon to the thigh can deaden the leg causing an
attacker to lose his mobility or put them on the floor.
Hamstring: A powerful kick or strike with an impact weapon to the hamstring can put an
attackers leg out of commission; if the hamstring is cut, the leg is useless.
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21. Knee: Knee can easily be damaged or broken with a decent kick, in a serious confrontation this
wants to be your first target on an attacker. A broken knee will cause an attacker a lot of pain,
most probably permanent damage and put them out of the fight.
22. Foot: The foot is made up of a lot of small bones that can be broken with a good stomp kick, this
will cause your attacker a lot of pain. Also, if you stand on a persons foot and push them you
should be able to put them on the floor as you are controlling their point of balance.
This chapter is only a basic guide to unarmed combat; unarmed combat cannot be learned from a book!
Hopefully form this you can see you need to have a plan of action and strategy worked out, our best weapons
are our brains and we need to use them, especially when involved in physical confrontations. You will have
seen that some of the techniques I listed like eye and nose gouges, punches to the throat, fish hooks, finger
breaks, are banned in Mixed Martial Arts and sports fighting systems. They are banned because they work, are
easy to apply, can do permanent and possibly fatal damage to an attacker. If you are involved is a street fight
you need to win, there is no referee there who is going to stop the fight if youre losing, you must do whatever
is needed to win!

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19
First Aid Considerations
First aid is a subject which needs to be learned by everyone, first aid and CPR courses run the Red Cross and
other recognized organizations are available in most areas for a small fee, if any. These courses will teach you
the basics of first aid; if you are going to a remote of high-risk area you may need more in-depth training.
To work out what you need to know you first have to do a threat assessment on yourself, group and area
youre going to. Things you need to consider are any known medical conditions you or your group members
have and do you know how to treat these conditions. Know what medications or drugs you or your group
members are taking, and do they have a sufficient supply or can they be obtained in the location youre visiting.
Know what drugs you and other group members are allergic to and make sure to inform any medical staff of
this in an emergency. Know everyones blood type and whether the blood and needles in the local hospitals
are sterile. Always know the exact location of local hospitals with emergency departments and if they accept
your medical insurance or require cash before treating someone. Always know how to summon assistance and
formulate an emergency evacuation plan.
When traveling internationally you need to be careful if youre carrying prescription drugs, keep the paper work
with you to prove they were legally prescribed to you. It is good to know how to be able to put an IV-drip into
someone but, in some countries, it is illegal to even posses the equipment, let alone use it without the
appropriate certification. Always check with the embassy of a country youre visiting what medical equipment
is illegal or legal to take with you.
You should always travel with some first aid equipment even though in most places, you will never be far away
from a first aid kit. The quality of equipment in commercial first aid boxes can vary greatly and most will only be
of use for dealing with very minor injuries. I put my first aid kits together myself and include some things that
are commonly available but most people would not consider for first aid. You should keep a well stocked first
aid kit in your residence and vehicle but for most people it would be impractical to carry a full first aid kit around
with them at all times.
A basic improvised and highly portable first aid kit could consist of several Tampons, which can be used to
plug cuts, gashes and puncture wounds; tampons are idea for this as they are made to absorb blood. Lengths
of Gaffer Tape, which can be used to close wounds, stabilize broken bones with improvised splints and seal
sucking chest wounds. I would also include some safety pins which can be used for stabilize broken bones and
put everything in a plastic zip lock bag. The plastic bag itself can be used for treating sucking chest wounds or
for covering burns etc. You could do more with this small improvised kit if you know how to use it than you can
with a lot of large commercial first aid boxes.
Another small and very versatile first aid I have consists of two American military first field dressings which are
light, compact and have multiple uses from treating large cuts or gunshot wounds to stabilizing broken limbs.
They also usually come in plastic wrapping which has multiple uses. I also include lengths of Gaffer tape,
safety pins, sterile wipes, band aids, a length of bungee cord for a tourniquet and Steri Strips that can be used
like stitches to close cuts. As there is a threat from being infected by viruses such as HIV and hepatitis when
giving first aid, it is important to include protective equipment for when youre administering first aid. I include
rubber gloves dealing with blood and body fluids and a protective mouthpiece for giving mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation. This kit can fit into a small pouch or zip lock bag. I tend not to include any drugs in my first aid
kits, if you are including drugs make sure they are legal at your destination and that they are not given to
anyone who is allergic to them.
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These two first aid kits can be put together quite cheaply, there is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on
equipment. If you are traveling to an area where there is a potential threat everyone in your group should be
carrying their own first aid kit in a location that is known to everyone else. Thats because in the case of an
emergency you can use their kit on them, you dont want to use your kit on someone and then have nothing left
to treat yourself in an emergency. Your job will be to provide first aid and get the casualty to a doctor or
hospital as quickly as possible, so you need not be too concerned about cleaning serious wounds, just keep
the person alive so the doctors can deal with them.
Before you attempt to give anyone else first aid make sure it is safe for you to do so, never put yourself at risk.
This might seem like a cold hearted way to look at things but its better that only one person is seriously hurt
than two. This is a special concern when you are in potentially hostile environments where the opposition could
be using the casualty to draw you in to their kill zone. You must always search the area around the casualty for
potential threats and if you feel that is not safe for you to give first aid to the casualty, then dont. If you are
operating with a team, somebody should stand watch and cover the personnel who are giving the casualty first
aid. If you are your own remain aware of your environment and regularly check your surroundings for potential
threats. Your safety always comes first!
Basic first aid tips
Assess the casualty and treat in the following order: Breathing, Bleeding, Breaks, Burns,
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): If someone is not breathing you need to remove any
obstructions from the mouth or throat, open their airway, pinch the casualtys nose closed to prevent
air escaping, take a full breath and place your lips around the casualtys mouth and make a good
seal, blow into the mouth until the chest rises, repeat breath and assess casualty, check pulse and
look for signs of recovery, if there is a pulse keep breathing for the casualty and assessing the
recovery signs.
If there is no pulse in the carotid artery in the neck for 10 seconds, place your hands on the casualties
chest and place the index finger of your lower hand over the point where the lower ribs meet the
breastbone, place the heel of your other hand on the breastbone; slide it down to meet your index
finger, place the heel of your first hand on top of the other hand and interlock the fingers, when giving
chest compressions lean well over the casualty and keep your arms straight, press down vertically on
the breastbone and depress it by about 4 to 5 cm. Youll need to complete 30 chest compressions at
a rate of 80 to 100 a minute and give two breaths of mouth to mouth, continue until help arrives
If a person is bleeding from a wound you should lie them down, raise the limb as high as you can and
try to control bleeding by pressure points, apply a dressing by pressing down firmly over the wound,
cover the wound completely with dressings and bind them firmly into place, If the bleeding will not
stop, apply more dressings and bind them tightly, do not remove the blood soaked dressings.
To stop infection in minor wounds remove and foreign matter and clean them with regular soap and
hot water.
If someone has severed an artery and blood is spurting from a wound applying dressings and
elevation will not stop the bleeding. You will need to apply a tourniquet; these can be improvised from
a belt or piece of clothing. Put the tourniquet around the cut limb four inches above the wound and
tighten it by twisting a stick or pencil slipped through the tourniquet knot. Once blood flow is
controlled, tie the stick into place. Youll need to loosen the tourniquet every 15 minutes to half hour to
let blood flow into the injured limb to prevent it from dying and getting gangrenous.
Puncture wounds to the lungs can cause a sucking chest wounds, these can be identified by blood
bubbling around the wound and a hissing sound made when the casualty is breathing. These wounds
are extremely dangerous as they can lead to collapsed lungs, which can be fatal. You need to seal a
sucking chest wound with plastic sheet, foil or some other similar airtight material. The plastic sheet
th
will need to be taped down on 3 sides around the wound; the 4 side is left untapped to let air and
blood escape. When the wound is sealed lie the casualty on their non-injured side and get them to a
hospital ASAP.
Cuts to the stomach are very difficult to deal with especially if the intestines are hanging out of the
wound. Never try to push them back inside, all you can do is place a dressing over them to prevent
further contamination and keep the dressing damp by pouring water over it. If the casualty is thirsty
just let them suck on a wet cloth, do not give them anything to eat or drink. Youll need to get
professional medical assistance ASAP!
If the casualty has a broken arm or leg the limb should be immobilized by being splinted, pinned or
tied tightly to their body and then taken quickly to a hospital.

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If someone has been burnt cool the burnt area with cool water or ice, remove any tight clothing and
jewelry, cover the burn with a sterile dressing and keep assessing the casualty for indicators they are
going into shock.
Shock is an extremely dangerous condition that you always need to take into consideration when
dealing with casualties and those who have been involved is stressful situations. Shock can be
caused from someone suffering physical injuries or by psychological reactions to stressful situations.
Someone goes into shock when the body's blood pressure drops to extremely low levels, this can
result in death even though the casualties injuries are not life threatening. Signs of shock include
rapid shallow breathing, weak rapid pulse, pale blue skin especially around the lips, sweating,
weakness and giddiness, nausea, gasping for air, mental confusion and loss of consciousness. To
treat shock lie the casualty down and loosen any tight clothing, maintain the casualtys body
temperature at a reasonable level, reassure and keep the casualty calm, monitor their breathing and
pulse rates.
This chapter is just a quick guide to a very detailed subject that cannot be learnt from reading a book. If you
are an international traveler I would strongly suggest that you go and take some basic first aid and CPR
classes, hopefully youll never need them but it always pays to be prepared for the worst.

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Vehicles
Wherever you are working or living at some point you will have to use vehicles, for most people they are part of
their everyday lives. Driving its self can be a dangerous task in many places and as we have seen many
kidnappings, robberies and assassinations occur when people are in or around their vehicles.
Vehicles should be regarded as an important piece of your equipment and should be well maintained and
never treated as a toy. Before you take a vehicle out basic maintenance checks need to be done, like
checking the battery, oil, fuel level, tires, water, spare tire, break down and emergency kit. You should always
ensure you have a good means of communications and that you regularly check in with trusted people who
can send assistance in the case of an emergency. You should also always know the routes you are driving and
the location of any facilities along those routes that could be of use to you whether its a coffee shop with a
bathroom or a hospital with an emergency room.
CHAUFFEURS/DRIVERS
If you are traveling to another country it might make sense to hire a chauffeur, driver or bodyguard. Over the
years I have encounter people who claim to experienced chauffeurs, drivers and bodyguards but in reality were
a liability. The main thing you need to consider when hiring drivers or security personnel is whether they can be
trusted. You may be paying them several hundred dollars a day but are they going to be loyal to you if they are
offered a percentage of your ransom or their families are threatened. This is where you need to be personally
security aware and know where youre going and what youre doing, never unconditionally trust anyone with
your life or to have your best interests at heart.
If you are using a driver you should check his qualifications and make sure he can actually drive to a good
standard and the vehicle youre using is well maintained. You want drivers and bodyguards who are in good
physical health and who dont not drink too much or take any drugs. It is impractical for someone to be both
bodyguard and driver; drivers have to concentrate on driving their vehicles safely and must stay with the
vehicle at all times. If you are in an area where there is an active threat you should hire additional trained and
trusted bodyguards. The quality of bodyguards and trained security drivers can vary greatly and in most places
the standards are low. I have seen many clients over the years being driven around protected by guys who just
happen to firearms permits or are moonlighting local police who for all these clients know are working for the
criminals also.
Several years ago I went with two American clients to an island in the Caribbean where the crime and
kidnapping rates are high by most standards. My clients were dealing with a European company on the island
that were to provide them with security but they want me to go along as they were not getting a positive feeling
from this company. So, I arrange extra trusted local armed security personnel and an armored vehicle to
accompany us.
The population of the island is predominantly of African descent so my clients and I had no real chance of
blending in. My business partner met us with our local security guys inside of the airport, as there is always a
high risk when leaving airports because you are being channeled. We then went to look for the security
personnel who had come to pick up my clients from the European company they were dealing with. The
European bodyguard was easy to spot as he was the only white guy outside of the airport holding a sign with
mine and my clients names on. At this stage the bodyguard did not know I was providing security for my
clients, as we going to his vehicle I informed him that I had my own local security personnel who would be
following us back to our hotel. As we drove through the city my guys in a black SUV drove very aggressively
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and stayed close to our vehicle. When we got to our hotel the European bodyguard told us to stay in the car as
he thought we were being followed and was going to check the car out behind us; we were being followed, by
my security people, he had not been listening when I informed him of this.
This bodyguard who I know must have done at least five years European military service and I expect at least
one specialist training course made two very big mistakes that could have lead to serious problems. One, he
stood out at the airport and by having mine and my clients full names on a piece of paper was letting everyone
know who we were. If a criminal with an internet capable cell phone had Googled my clients names they would
have seen they were worth kidnapping. Two, why did he wait until we got back to our hotel to check out my
security guys car that was following us. If he thought they were a threat he should have asked us if we knew
them, taken evasive action or stayed mobile and called for support; which this European company claimed to
have on standby. If my guys had been criminals this bodyguard had just taken them to our place of residence. I
still dont know what he was going to achieve by going and checking my guys out at the hotel as he had no
authority to stop and question anyone, he was also carrying a firearm which he could not legally have a permit
to carry.
This is a good example of supposedly trained security personnel not knowing or caring about what they are
doing. I expect they had not had any problems or though no one would target them and had relaxed to a point
of being ineffective, this happens if security personnel are not well managed. The other funny thing was as we
were leaving our hotel to go to my clients first meeting with the European company the car they supplied got a
flat tire and it had no break down kit. So, we transferred everyone to my local guys vehicle and left the driver to
deal with the flat. We let the European bodyguard sit in the front as we felt sorry for him; he was not having a
good day!
If you are going to use local drivers and security personnel try to get them some training or at least go through
your basic emergency plans with them. If you are under a threat, let them know that the threat also applies to
them and their families. Make sure they take the relevant security measures and are always vigilant for the
threat of criminal surveillance. Your driver should never stand outside the vehicle when you approach it, have a
safety signal with them and do not approach the vehicle until they give the signal. The driver should always be
behind the wheel with the engine running and ready to make a quick escape in the case of an emergency. On
arrival at your destination the driver should remain behind the wheel of the vehicle; it would be the job of the
bodyguard to open your door, if required. You should always know where the driver is and how to contact
them. If the driver is not 100% trusted only inform them of routes or destinations just before or after the journey
has started and do not give them any long term schedules.
BASIC
VEHICLE
SECURITY
Vehicles need to be secured or manned at all times, if they are left unattended, they, and the area around
them, must be searched for IEDs, electronic surveillance devices, contraband and anything suspicious. The
area around a vehicle must be searched as you approach it for any suspicious vehicles or people; the criminals
may have found your car and are waiting for your approach it to kidnap or assassinate you. I always try to park
my car as far away from others as possible, that way there is no cover for anyone to hide and if any other car is
parked close to mine they are immediately suspicious.
If you keep the vehicle in a locked garage still always lock doors and trunk, you will also need to search the
exterior of the garage for IEDs, electronic surveillance devices and signs of forced entry. If the vehicle cannot
be garaged try to park it in a secure, guarded area or somewhere that is covered by surveillance cameras.
Drive-ways and regularly used routes from your residence to main roads should regularly be search for IEDs
and signs of criminal activity.
A vehicle needs to be searched after being serviced or repaired and after being left unattended for any length
of time, here are some guidelines on how to search a vehicle:
Always search the general area around a vehicle for any explosive devices or suspicious people waiting to
ambush you. Always check the outside of a garage for any signs of a force entry before you go in and
check garage doors and drive ways for signs of booby traps, land mines and ambushes.
Turn off all radios and cell phones and check the immediate area surrounding the car for disturbances,
wires, oil/fluid stains, footprints, etc. It helps to keep vehicles a little dirty as you will be able to see smears
in the dirt if someone was trying to break in.
Visual check through the windows for anything thing out of place or wires, etc.

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Get down on your hands and knees and check underneath the vehicle, inside fenders, wheels and arches
for any devices. Also check for cut tires, lose wheel nuts and devices placed under the wheels. This is
where a flashlight and a search mirror can come in handy.
Check the exhaust as it is a very easy place to put an improvised explosive device. You can have bolts or
wire mesh put in to exhausts to stop IEDs from being placed in them; if you do this, make sure the bolts or
wire mess is not visible as this can draw attention to the car.
Slowly open the car doors and check the Interior of the vehicle even if there is no signs of a forced entry.
Do the same for the trunk and make sure to search the spare tire and break down kit.
Open the hood slowly and check the engine. Again it might be helpful to keep the engine dirty as new
wires and hand prints are easy to see.
Final turn on the engine and check all the electrics.
This is just a guide to searching vehicles but as you can see to do a thorough search can take time and would
require someone to be watching the back of the searcher. Your best defense is to deny the criminal access to
your vehicle but this can prove to be very difficult in the real world.
VEHICLE
DRILLS
If you drive yourself consider undertaking some advanced driving training, I see little need for evasive driver
training but can see applications for people to learn to be able to handle vehicles at speed and in hazardous
weather. Again, vehicle drills cannot be learnt from manuals or videos, you will need to learn them from an
experienced advanced trained driver. Always check out the instructors background, qualifications and
reputation, look for those that offer sensible driving courses and not wannabe spy holidays.
The main thing you need to learn is how to drive safely and to be able to identify any possible threats and
avoid them. In most large towns and cities you will not be able to perform such things as J turns or other
evasive maneuvers due to lack of space and traffic, so you must always be aware of what is going on around
you. The main thing I tell people is to keep as much space as possible between you and the car in front as this
can give you some space to maneuver in congested traffic.
When you watch the movies and there is a car chase and the cars are skidding all over the place check the
state of the roads they are on. Chances are the roads will be wet, and the tires on the cars will have minimal
tread. This is the same on most evasive driving courses, but these are also usually done on private roads or
open areas where there is no other traffic. Think about why you put decent tires on you vehicles; to stop them
from skidding and spinning out of control right? When you are driving around you always want to be thinking of
where you could take evasive action, in urban areas there will be few places where you could spin your car
around and drive against the traffic flow; thats Hollywood.
If the criminals or terrorists are in anyway professional they will attack you when your car is penned in and you
cannot take any evasive maneuvers, not on wide open roads. Its a common street kid tactics in a lot of Latin
American cities to rob cars at traffic lights that are at least two cars back from the stop light with other cars
behind them; these cars are stuck and cannot escape. If street kids on bicycles with at most a rusty revolver
have worked out how to jack people in cars dont you think their big bothers have also?
I am regularly asked about whether I favor armored cars or not, as with everything they have their pros and
cons. Armored cars do have an application, the first thing you need to consider is what level of armoring the
car your buying or using has. I have come across people driving around in cars armored to stop pistol caliber
rounds in areas where the bad guys carry assault weapons, they thought an armored car was all they needed
and were unaware of the different levels of armoring. You will also need to confirm where the car is armored;
doors, windows, floor, engine, roof etc. Some cars may only have some armored panels in the doors and rear
seat, always check for yourself and do not believe what people tell you.
Now think like the criminals, if you knew your target was driving around in a SUV armored to B6 level are you
going to shoot at them when they are driving around or wait for them stop and get out of the car, or stop them
and make them get out of the car? Think about how can you get someone out of a car; what would you do if a
female driver bumped into the back of your car, get out to inspect the damage and then possibly be kidnapped
by her two armed accomplices crouched in the back seat of her car? Always be aware of decoys that are
intended to make you stop and get out of your vehicle, such as accidents or even bodies next to the road.
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A criminal tactic when targeting armored cash-in-transit vehicles is to box them in, cover the van in gasoline,
then give those inside to option of throwing out the cash, surrendering or being burnt alive. An issue with
armored vehicles is that you cannot shoot at the criminals from the inside. There was one incident I recall from
the mid 1990s where an unarmored van that was moving cash was stopped and ambushed in an Eastern
European country, the fact the van was unarmored enabled the security personnel inside to be able to shoot
through the sides of the van and drive off the criminals, which they could not have done if they had taken and
armored van that day. There have also been numerous incidents where criminals have assassinated targets
traveling in armored vehicles with IEDs, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and improvised shaped charges.
An armored vehicle can assist you in your security program but it should not be all there is to your security
program.
SECURITY
CONSIDERATIONS
WHEN
USEING
VEHICLES
Always check the area around the vehicle before you approach it.
Search the vehicle prior to use for IEDs, electronic surveillance devices and contraband.
Whenever possible, use a trained and trusted driver.
Always keep a spare set of keys for the vehicle on you in case the driver loses his or is taken out by the
criminals.
Be aware of the vehicle's capabilities; make sure the driver has experience driving that type of vehicle.
Always drive safely at the maximum, safest speed, within the legal speed limit.
Always carry out basic maintenance checks, before you go anywhere and check that communications
work before leaving a safe area.
Make sure you know what to do if your car breaks down; will someone come to get you or will you call for
roadside assistance?
In rural areas things that should be included in your break down kit should include cans of fix-a-flat, air
compressor, jump leads, tire plugging kit, tube to siphon gas, gas cans and a tow rope.
Know which routes your taking and keep maps in the vehicle for all areas youre traveling in. Also have
alternative routes prepared that have been driven and checked out.
Inform the security personnel or advance security at a location 10 to 15 minutes, before your arrival.
Constantly check behind you for criminal surveillance vehicles and be suspicious of motorbikes, especially
with two people on them.
When being followed by a motorbike always watch to see if both the riders hands are on the handle bars,
if you only see one hand, what is the other holding or doing?
Make full use of your mirrors; put a mirror on the passenger side for the bodyguard to use.
Regularly carry out counter-surveillance drills and always be watching for any cars following you or
suspicious people along regularly used routes.
Keep a good distance from the car in front, so you can drive around it in an emergency and try to avoid
being blocked by other vehicles.
Never let the vehicle fuel tank to go below half full and know where all gas stations are along your route.
Keep doors locked when traveling between locations and do not open windows or sunroof more than an
inch, so things cannot be thrown in.
Always be prepared to take evasive action, be aware of danger points on your routes and drive towards
the center of the road to have space for evasive maneuvers.
Blend in with your environment; dont drive expensive cars in poor areas, etc.
Be suspicious of all roadblocks, temporary stop signs and car accidents, etc. Never stop to pick up
hitchhikers or help other motorists, as these could be covers for an ambush or carjacking.
Keep vehicle keys secure and know who has all the spare keys and access to the vehicle.
Remember others can monitor tracking devices and help services such as OnStar, then get the details of
where you are and youre routine without the need for surveillance.
Be extra vigilant at traffic lights and in slow moving traffic.
Keep the vehicle in a locked garage when not in use and lock all doors and the trunk.
Wherever legal reverse park; this will help if fast get away is required.
Stop vehicles as close to the entrances and exits as possible, this limits your exposure time on the street.
Always use seat belts, especially when driving at speed or taking evasive action, also keep a safety knife
handy to cut away seat belts and break windows in the case of a crash.
Driver must stay with the vehicle and behind wheel unless told otherwise, bodyguard always opens clients
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BAGS
When working with a vehicle, it makes sense to keep all your important and essential equipment in a car bag;
this can be a hold-all or day-sack. You do not want to leave your equipment in an unattended vehicle; if the
vehicle is stolen, you lose your kit, which could be embarrassing, especially where weapons and confidential
information is concerned. From a tactical point of view, if you are in an ambush or contact and have to
evacuate on foot, you will want to have any confidential information and emergency equipment with you.
Contents
What you carry in the car bag will vary greatly depending where you are and what you are doing. For example,
what you need in an urban environment will be different from what you could need in a very rural environment.
What I have listed here is just a guide to what you may need; you need to keep things real and not include
what if kit that you will never use, remember if things go wrong and you have to run you dont want a bag
weighing 100 lbs on your back.
Car bag equipment: Basic
A decent bag that is easy to carry, preferably a day sack or something that can be carried on you
back so your hands are left free.
All equipment should be in individual water proof bags or containers. This is to keep everything dry,
organized and clean.
Good maps and street plans of the area your traveling through and a compass.
Any confidential information such as orders, codes, designated routes, operational procedures etc.
Radio and communications equipment, chargers and spare batteries.
A good first aid kit.
A good flash light and spare batteries.
A bag of coins for parking meters and pay phones.
A camera, for taking photos of anything suspicious or things you think need recording.
Water proofed note pad and a selection of pens.
Car bag equipment: Potential threat environment
Radio scanners can be used to scan the emergency services radio frequencies, and this can provide
you with an early warning of potential problems or criminal and terrorist incidents in your area. In
some areas, there are restrictions on the use of scanners- always check.
Spotlights can be used at night to shine in the face and blind the drive of a threat vehicle, which is
following or chasing you.
Smoke dischargers, military style smoke grenades are illegal to possess in most places. What are
legal, though, are the smoke distress signals that are carried on yachts and maritime vessels. These
can be bought at most boat shops and are not that expensive, they usually can discharge about a
minuets worth of red smoke. Smoke can be used to provide cover from veiw if you are ambushed or
need to evacuate on foot. In addition, it can be used to cause a distraction in say an urban
environment so you can evacuate the area.
Weapons- in some areas you cannot carry weapons on your person, but can carry them in a secure
case; the case can go in your bag. Where there may be a need for a long gun, such as a shotgun or
assault rifle, and these cannot be carried openly, they can go into a car bag.
Food and drink

Depending on where you are and the length of your journey, you may want to carry some form of food and
drink with you.
Drink: Its always handy to have a thermos flask of coffee or tea available, for morale reasons, if
nothing else. With drinks and liquids, you must insure they do not spill or leak over documents and
equipment. Highly caffeinated and sugary coffee or sports drinks can be included in your car bag for
emergencies, as these can give you an energy boost, when you need it and can help you to stay
awake when youre tired.
Food: If you are carrying food as with liquids you need to insure they do not spill or leak over
documents and equipment. If you take a sandwich or other perishable food with you make sure you
do not leave them in the car bag for any extended length of time and they go bad. It is also good
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protocol, if sharing a vehicle with others, not to carry strong smelling food; it might not smell good to
everyone. Emergency foods that can be carried include chocolate bars, nuts, raisins, etc. These will
give you energy, are compact and have a long shelf life.
Remember: If you use any emergency supplies, replace them!
Rural areas
If you are traveling in rural areas, the equipment you carry in your car bag will differ from that of someone who
operates in a urban area. It would make sense to carry in the trunk of your vehicle with your break down kit
some flash lights, blankets, water, a small camping stove, tea or coffee kit and some tinned food, in case you
break down and no one can get to you for a long period of time. This equipment can fit into a plastic storage
box.
The equipment you carry in your car bag will depend on how far, or how long you will have to travel, and what
type of terrain you will have to cross to get to a safe area, if you have to evacuate on foot and leave your
vehicle. You would have worked this out as part of your route selection.
Car bag equipment: Rural environment
Sensible shoes; you or your group members may have just left an urban business or social functiontype of environment and still be wearing city shoes or high heels; these are not the best things to run
cross country in. Carry some light sensible shoes that can be put on when a safe distance from the
vehicle in the case of an ambush, etc.
Waterproof clothes and shelter: The best piece of equipment that can protect you from the rain and
wind while moving and provide a shelter while laid up is a military type poncho. These are also
compact.
Fire-starting equipment or a compact camp stove. If it will take you 24 hours or more to get to a safe
area, it could make sense to be able to make a fire to keep warm, heat food or brew hot drinks.
Food and drink: If you are likely to have to travel on foot for an extended period of time, you will need
enough food and drink to provide you with energy for the journey. This could be tinned foods or,
where water is freely available, dried foods. You also want to include packages of instant tea, coffee
or chocolate drinks. Not only will hot food and drinks give you energy, it is also an excellent morale
lifter.
Water carriers and cooking utensils: Depending where you are will depend on how much water you
will need to carry. If there are plenty of fresh water streams, etc., in your area, you will not have to
carry as much as you would, if you were in a desert type area. There are many different types of
water bottles on the market; consider using a thermos flask or two, as you can keep them full of hot
drinks, for when you are on the move. The best item to carry for boiling water or cooking in is a metal
military mug; these are compact but be careful not to burn your lips when drinking from them; you can
cover the rim with gaffer tape to prevent burning your lips. You will also need a plastic spoon and a
pocketknife with a tin opener on it, if you are carrying tinned foods.
Equipment for hot climates, if youre operating in a hot climate, things to carry in your car bag could
include extra water, sun block, insect repellant, wide brim hat, sun glasses, etc.
Equipment for cold climates: If youre operating in a cold climate, additional things to carry in your car
bag could include warm clothing including hat and gloves, light sleeping bag, etc.
This is only a guide to what you may want to carry with you. We are not going to get into wilderness survival
and navigation techniques, as that is another subject, of which, if youre operating in rural areas, you should
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SECTION
21
Route Selection, Ambushes & VCPs
Selecting good routes is extremely important part of your security planning. In theory the best routes should
allow the vehicles to travel at the maximum legal speed limit with as few stops as possible but in reality this can
be a difficult thing to achieve.
First of all you will need the selection of routes available drawn up on a map, also use programs like Google
Earth to view photos of the intended route. The routes selected would need to be driven at the time of day
youd be using them so vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow could be assessed and also at a quiet time so a
detailed survey of facilities and danger points can be compiled. You will need to plan several routes to and
from each location and these will need to be varied as much as possible. If you use the same route time and
time again you will be asking for trouble.
The routes need to be broken down into simple stages and the time it takes to complete each of these stages
recorded. This is because if there is a loss of communication with your vehicle at a certain time, then your
location can be estimated. It will also help residential or advance security personnel to know if your vehicle is
overdue and might be in need of assistance.
You need to know the location of all the facilities along the routes such as the locations of hospitals,
bathrooms, police stations, garages, hotels and so forth. Communications will need to be checked and all
communication dead spots noted. The locations and payment methods (whether coins or cards) of all pay
phones along the routes need to be noted. Emergency rendezvous points (RVs) will need to be allocated at
positions along the routes in case of emergencies or separations, everyone using the routes will need to know
the RV points and must keep them secret.
Things that could considered as danger points on your routes would be anything that could slow you down or
could conceal an ambush. These could include bridges, roundabouts, woodland, junctions, tunnels, culverts,
narrow roads, one-way streets, areas of busy pedestrian or vehicle traffic, known criminal areas etc. Things to
be especially suspicious of would include road works, lone-parked cars, pan-handlers, diversions and
temporary stop signs.
Now in reality if you live in a busy urban area I expect you will have to drive past the majority of the things
listed to avoid on your daily journeys. In such environments you need to vary your routes as much as possible
and take regular counter surveillance procedures. If I know how someone has been trained I can usually predetermine the routes they will select, if I can do this so can the criminals. Most conventionally trained security
drivers are taught to take the most direct and fastest routes between locations, which are generally easy to
determine. If I was a criminal targeting them I would just wait at a stop light along their route for them to show
up. I am personally all in favor of using quite indirect routes which make it easy to identify if youre being
followed and make it a lot easier to change routes fluidly and unpredictably if required; this not the case on a
motorway with limited exits and heavy traffic.
I am also not a big fan of GPS and I find it astonishing the number of people who blindly follow GPS directions
right or wrong. GPS are an aid to navigation not a means of navigation. I have had many people go through my
course who have gotten lost by relying in GPS; they were taken to the wrong locations or the locations I gave
them were not in the GPS etc. You need to be able to use a map and compass and plan your routes properly,
this might take you 5 minutes, which in todays world is a long time but better 5 minutes planning than a couple
of hours driving around lost. Another take on GPS is that if I am a criminal who is watching you and see youre

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using a certain type of GPS, all I need to do is buy the same model and it will tell me the routes youre using
between different locations, again no need for me to put you under surveillance.
Basic considerations for selecting routes are you must avoid routines, especially in daily journeys, keep your
travel details secret, issue only rough timings in advance, use the most secure routes not the shortest, have a
detailed reconnaissance done of the routes to be used, know what youre going to do in the case of a break
down or a security issue and know where there are hospitals and other facilities on the route.
AMBUSHES
The ambush tactic, in one form or another, has been used by hunters, criminals and military units for
thousands of years. They are commonly used tactic in kidnappings, assassinations and they can involve
anywhere from 2 to 200 personnel. Ambushes can occur on busy city streets or on remote country roads.
They are a proven tactic. You must understand how they are set up so, you know what to look for and
therefore avoid when planning routes. In this section, we will look at some basic examples of the conventional
warfare ambush; these basic principles can be applied to all types of ambushes.
Diagram 1
This diagram is of a basic linear
ambush that would be placed on a
road or track. The numbered
elements of the ambush are:
1.
3.
4.
5.
Rear security: This group

would provide protection to
the killer group from rear
attack. They would also
provide cover to the killer
group, if they had to
withdraw under fire and
also act as a mobile
reserve.
2. Left cutoff: The cut offs
provide early warning to
the killer group of anyone
entering the ambush and
also kills anyone who gets
past the killer group.
Killer group: The killer groups job is to kill anyone entering the kill zone- this is where the ambushs
firepower is concentrated.
Right cutoff: Same as left cutoff.
Kill Zone: The area behind the kill zone would, in conventional warfare, be booby-trapped or mined,
so that anyone trying to escape the ambush would not get very far. Alternatives to mines could
include geographical features such as high walls, cliffs, high banks and rivers- basically, anything that
could stop people from escaping the kill zone or give you a clear shot at them as they are trying to
escape.
Note: You will see dotted lines on the diagrams- these are the arcs of fire for the different ambush group
elements. The ambush groups arcs of fire need to be overlapping as much as possible, so anyone entering
the ambush will be under constant fire from different directions (i.e. caught in a cross fire). Set arcs of fire also
prevent the different elements of the ambush group from firing on each other.
An ambush would work like this: one of the cutoffs would warn the killer group of a target approaching. When
the target entered the kill zone, the killer group would initiate the ambush and put concentrated weapons fire
into the target. Anyone escaping the killer group would be eliminated by the two cutoffs. In conventional
warfare, when the targets have been killed or stopped the cutoffs would then move in and eliminate any
survivors and search them, while the killer group provides cover. The ambush group would then withdraw.

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Diagram 2
When traveling in a vehicle, your
best defense is speed. In Diagram
2, we have slightly modified the
basic ambush to better suit it to
attacking moving vehicles. We have
pulled the killer group (3) and the
right cutoff (4) back from the road
slightly and pushed the left cutoff (2)
closer to the road. The left cutoff (2)
can now fire up the road and head
on into any vehicles coming in that
direction. It is very hard to shoot
quickly moving targets from the
side, especially with RPGs and light
anti-tank weapons, which are meant
for slow-moving armored vehicles.
With the left cutoff (2) firing head on,
you have a better chance of hitting
and stopping the targets in the kill
zone.
Diagram 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
Killer group
Right cutoff
Rear security
Left cutoff
As already stated, your best

defense is speed- a well-trained
ambusher will look for natural
obstacles on a route which will force
a vehicle to slow down. In Diagram
3, you will see that any vehicles
traveling the road would have slow
down to take the corners and be
caught in a crossfire from several
different angles.
VEHICLE
CHECK
POINTS
(VCP S)
Vehicle check points are used by police, criminals and terrorists alike. Criminals and terrorists use them to
show force in an area, to stage robberies or to look for potential kidnap victims. Like an ambush, VCPs can be
manned by anywhere up to 200 people. On the following page is a diagram of a conventional security force
VCP.

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1.
Left cutoff: Provides warning of approaching vehicles, protection from attack and stops vehicles trying
to drive through the VCP without stopping.
2. Right cutoff: Provides warning of approaching vehicles, protection from attack and stops vehicles
trying to drive through the VCP without stopping.
3. Cover-man: Offers cover for the searcher.
4. Searcher: Questions the occupants and searches the vehicle.
5. The vehicle being checked
6/7. Over-watch: Gives protection and can provide cover fire in the event of an attack on the road group.
To reiterate, your best defense is speed, how you react to an illegal VCP will depend upon the numbers of
people involved and the firepower you have. Professionals will try to place the VCP in an area where vehicles
have to naturally slow down.
REACTIONS
TO
BEING
AM BUSHED
In high risks areas you need to take into consideration what you are going to do if ambushed, your reaction will
depend on the country youre in, the manpower and equipment you have available. A large percentage of
attacks occur when targets are traveling in, approaching, or leaving their vehicles. Attacks can range from
magnetic shaped charges of explosives being attached to a vehicle at traffic lights to full-scale military
ambushes using assault rifles and light anti-tank weapons.
Your best defense against these attacks is your personal procedures of selecting safe routes and not using the
same routes all the time, keeping details of your movements secret, when available using advance security
personnel to reconnaissance routes before using them. If an ambush is properly planned, placed and the
attackers know how to use their weapons there is a very good chance they will be successful and you will take
casualties to say the least.
The attackers have the element of surprise on their side and the whole attack could last less than ten seconds;
to survive, your reaction must be simple, aggressive and fast. Your main objective will be to get out of the
attackers killing zone as quickly as possible. You must always be aware that the initial attack might have just
been a diversion to direct you into the main ambush or that the attackers might have deployed cut off teams to
take you out, if you escaped the killing zone.
If ambushed speed is your best defense, remember, fast moving targets are harder to shoot that slow moving
or stationary targets. To avoid ambushes, use fast roads and try to avoid places where you are forced to drive
slowly, this is difficult in busy urban areas. If you are ambushed with small arms, drive through it as fast as you
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can. If you are traveling in a convoy, it may be possible for the chase car to attack the ambush or if there is a
lone shooter, run them over. What you do will depend on your manpower and firepower. If the road is blocked
to the front of you by a large obstacle or vehicle and you have a clear road behind you reverse out, use simple
driving techniques; dont use complicated techniques that you have seen in the movies.
If you are traveling in a convoy and a car is immobilized, there is a technique called the transfer drill where a
chase car can come up alongside the immobilized car and extract the personnel. This is a recognized drill and
is regularly taught and practiced by security teams but you need to remember that in the real world, if a vehicle
has been immobilized in a kill zone, any vehicle stopping next to it would also take a lot of fire and most
probably casualties. In this situation full use should be made of smoke dischargers and suppressing small
arms fire.
If you are blocked to the front and rear, say in traffic or immobilized and taking fire, you will need to evacuate
on foot. When you evacuate on foot stay low, bound from cover to cover and run as quickly as possible. Be
aware that obvious escape routes might be booby-trapped and make maximum use of smoke or CS gas
grenades to cover your escape.
DETAILED
UNARMED
ROADBLOCK
DRILL
Here the guide lines for an unarmed contact drill that can be used if you encounter a manned road block and
are in an area where you cannot carry weapons. A note on weapons: In some emerging markets, criminals and
terrorists put up roadblocks that can contain anywhere from 5 to 200 criminals or guerillas carrying automatic
weapons. Think about it, you may have a couple of 9mm pistols in your vehicle but 5 guys with AK-47s can put
out 150 rounds, which will go through un-armored cars in just a few seconds. Additionally, in some places, if
you are a foreigner and you are caught with a pistol by criminals or terrorists, you could be mistaken for being
a spy and executed on the spot. If you are going to carry a pistol, its best to go with a type not issued to law
enforcement and military personnel; a Nickel plated .38 revolver says your carful where as a Glock can say
youre police!
This drill was worked out for a client who lived on a very volatile Caribbean island. Firearms were available but
if they were found by local police at a routine road block they could lead to the client being arrested or getting
severe beating. The clients main threat was from driving into illegal roadblocks at night. This is a simplified
version of what I worked out for him..
The client fitted high power spotlights to his vehicle. If he drove into a roadblock at night, he would hit
the spotlights for a few seconds and temporally blind and surprise the criminals.
At the same time, he would reverse away from the roadblock. The client always traveled with another
person at night whose job it was to drop smoke dischargers on the road to cover them as they
reversed away. See the section on car bags, for information on smoke dischargers.
Whenever possible and safe to do so, the client would turn the vehicle around get out of the area as
quickly as possible. If chased by criminals, the clients car was modified, so all the rear lights could
be extinguished and he could drive with only the front parking lights on. In the vehicle, there was a
high-powered hand held spotlight, which the passenger was to shine into the face of the driver of the
chasing car, to blind them and hopefully cause them to crash.
This drill is simple but it still took a fair bit of organizing and practice to get right. You need to work out what
threats that youre most likely to encounter, then plan your reaction and then practice it.

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22
Basic Tactics
Here I am going to list some basic tactics that could save your life in a shooting incident. If you are involved
directly or indirectly in a shooting incident your main concern is to avoid getting shot, shooting of attacker is
secondary. By basic tactics I dont mean SWAT training, the funny thing is in the real world SWAT tactics have
a better chance of getting killed than saving your life.
First of all you need to work out a plan of action that you will take in the case of an armed attack or ambush, do
this for your home, business and for when you are out and about. Things that need to be considered are
means communication, safe routes, safe areas, when to fight and when to flee and so forth.
REACTION
TO
FIRE
This is an adaptation of the British Army individual reaction to fire drill that any British Infantryman should know
by heart. Over the years I have asked many security contractors and law enforcement personnel what their
reaction to fire drill was and most had never hear off or considered what they would do in an incident apart
from shoot back. Remember that the chances are the bad guys will have the element of surprise on their side
and if your reaction is not quick you wont be able to shoot back because youll be dead.
Some things in this drill may not apply to you if you are not carrying a firearm but use this as a basic format.
Put together a reaction drill that is specifically designed for your personal situation and then practice it until it is
second nature.
The individual reaction to fire drill
Preparation: You must have your plan worked out and if youre armed your weapon must be clean,
serviceable and accessible. You must know how to use any weapons you carry competently; guns
can get you out of trouble but can also get you into a lot more trouble!
Reacting to fire: Your immediate reaction at very close quarters would be to incapacitate the
opposition as quickly as possible. If you dont know where the gunfire is coming from or being shot at
from a distance and are unarmed you need to get into cover. Its a fact that most people cannot shoot,
you need to be able to identify when you are being shot at effectively and when the incoming rounds
are way off target. If rounds are going past or impacting around you then the fire is effective, if they
are going over your head or not impacting close it is not effective. Your reaction to effective fire should
be to:
1. Dash: moving targets is harder to hit than stationary targets, forget tactical walks and
run!
2. Down & crawl: keep as low as possible and present a small target.
3. Get into cover: You should always be assessing what would provide good cover from
fire when in potentially hostile environments.
4. Locate the enemy & win the firefight: If you are armed you must bring down sufficient
accurate fire on the criminal to incapacitate them or keep their heads down while you
escape. If you are unarmed escape using routes that provide you with cover from the
shooters fire.
Re-organizing: As soon as you have incapacitated or escaped from the criminals, you must
reorganize yourself as quickly as possible and be ready to deal with other possible threats. If you are
armed or have taken weapons from the criminals re-load them and make them ready for use, check to
make sure that you or anyone with you is not injured, confirm your escape route and get moving as
quickly as possible to a safe location. If possible inform law enforcement, emergency services and get
help immediately.
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COVER
This is a very important and basic subject which, for some reason, is often overlooked on most tactical training
courses. In your home, business and when you are walking around, you should always be looking out for
positions that you could use for cover in the event of a shooting incident.
There are two types of cover, cover from view and cover from fire. Cover from view provides you with cover so
the criminals cant see you; cover from fire provides you with cover so they cant shoot you. What will work as
cover from fire depends on what the criminals are shooting at you with; A table might be able to stop a .32 fired
from a handgun, but a 7.62mm fired from an AK-47 would not only go through the table, but you as well. If you
look online there are numerous websites and videos that show the effects of different types of ammunition on
different materials.
Things that can provide you with cover from view include cardboard boxes, empty trash cans, bushes,
shadows, thin fences, sheetrock, thin tabletops and most doors. Things that can provide you with cover from
fire, depending on the firearms being used, include thick tabletops, heavy furniture, stone and concrete walls,
dead ground, thick trees, various areas of a car and curb stones.
One of the best-publicized examples of the good use of cover happened in St. Petersburg, Russia, on
February 26, 1996. In the early evening just as it was getting dark two mafia gunmen wearing long leather
coats entered a fashionable caf where a rival mafia boss was dining with his two off- duty police bodyguards,
under their coats the hit men each had an AKS-74U. The gunmen opened fire on the Mafia boss and fired 60
rounds, at close quarters, from the AKs, instantly killing both the bodyguards.
The criminal boss quickly tipped over the thick marble table at which he was sitting and hid behind it; although
he was wounded, he had survived the assassination attempt and was report to have been able to walk through
the cafe and make a phone call after the gunmen had fled, I doubt if he was calling the police. In the
background there was Scottish lawyer who was meeting business partners for coffee; he was hit and killed by
three stray bullets, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The attack reportedly took about 30
seconds in total from the time the gunmen entered and then left the caf, pretty sloppy work by the standards
of the day.
Always remember when you get into a cover position you should always have an escape route so you will not
to get pinned down. When your behind cover always keep low, if you need to look or shoot then do so around
the object youre using and not over it.
When you need to move select youre next piece of cover before you move and then run as fast as you can,
keep low and get behind the cover as quickly as possible. You want to move in bounds and keep the distances
between cover positions short, keep moving this way until you are out of the danger zone. If you are caught in
the open and taking effective fire my advice is to run as fast to the nearest cover, if you are armed put fire
towards the threat as youre running, no need to worry about pin point accuracy, just be aggressive!
Looking, shooting and going around corners can be very dangerous as you never know what is on the other
side. You should always take corners wide as this give you a better view of whats on the other side and time
to react if a criminal rushes you. Approach corners quietly, assess if the building materials of the corner
provides cover from view or fire and make sure youre not casting your shadow around a corner. You want to
expose the minimum amount of your body as you look around corners and always be ready to quickly back up
if a threat is seen or you are shot at.
MOVING
THROUGH
BUILDING
As I have previously said, we are not training to be SWAT team members as it will not be your job to go into
buildings and arrest crack addicts, your job is to look after yourself and your family. Its also a fact that law
enforcement SWAT tactics dont work against criminals and terrorists who know how to defend buildings, so
conventional SWAT training is something for you to forget about.
If you have to evacuate your home, office, a hotel or shopping mall for whatever reason, it needs be done
quickly, quietly and with the minimum of fuss. You should always know where your escape routes and exits are
but never use obvious ones, as the criminals or terrorists would have thought of these also and blocked, booby
trapped or ambushed them. If there is an incident going on get as much information as possible to where the
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threat is and what is happening and then start moving away from it using cover.
If you have to walk down corridors keep low and move fast, do not walk down the center and do not walk next
to the walls. Stay a couple of feet away from the walls to avoid being hit by any ricochets and wall fragments if
you come under effective small arms fire. Doorways and frames can make good cover, even in an apparently
empty corridor look for things that could be used as cover. Remember to continuously check behind you and if
you must stop do not stand up, stay in a kneeling position. Always be aware of where you are casting
shadows, you do not want this to give away your position before you look around a corner etc.
If you are moving with others you should always keep good staggered, spacing between everyone, you do not
want to bunch up. Remember; one bullet can go through multiple people and large groups of people make
easier targets to shoot at than lone individuals. Or if youre dealing with criminals or terrorists who are using
improvised pipe bombs or hand grenades, one of these devices could take out your whole group if they are
close together. Why SWAT teams bunch up is beyond me, I have heard reasons including better arcs of fire to
moral support for team members, I just hope they never have to deal with professional criminals or terrorists.
Going into rooms through doorways is very dangerous and best avoided where possible, windows make a far
better option. Doorways are channels that are easy for a criminal or terrorist to cover by fire or booby trap.
Before you go near the door consider if the wall around it could stop a bullet if the criminal inside heard you
moving around or saw your shadow under the door and started shooting. If you must go through a doorway, try
to determine if there are any threats on the other side before you make entry enter. Use your senses of smell
and hearing; most people cannot keep quiet for any period of time.
When opening a door you will need to consider if the door opens inwards, outwards and where the handle is,
you want to avoid casting shadows that can be seen under the door. When you open a door do so from the
side, never stand in front of a door, open it quickly and move away in case its booby trapped or there is a
criminal in the room who will start shooting towards the door and through the surrounding walls. You cannot
learn room entry techniques from reading about them, so all Ill say to finish is that if you go through a doorway,
keep low and move fast and when youre in the room get behind cover, do not hang around in the doorway!
When evacuating a building you must keep a cool head as you might not be the only person doing so. If you
are armed you should never draw your handgun unless the threat is imminent. If you draw your handgun in an
evacuation scenario, you could cause further panic and also expose yourself to being taken for a threat by law
enforcement agencies and shot. When you are clear of the building, get out of the area and summon law
enforcement, ASAP.
TACTICAL
USE
OF
LIGHT
In my opinion, many people are way to over-enthusiastic in the use of flashlights. There is a big market in
tactical flashlights and the companies making them wants everyone to buy one, thus making them a must have
item. Flash lights have an application in hostile situations but you should remember that any light will give away
your position and draw fire. In most places you are very rarely completely in the dark due to street lights etc.,
flashlights should be used sparingly and tactically.
I tell my students to get used to training in the dark and using your senses of hearing and smell in addition to
sight. When moving in a dark environment, do so slowly and cautiously and try to make minimum noise. Try
finding your way around your house or office in the dark, before you start moving around give your eyes a few
minutes to adjust to the dark. Even in the dark you need to take care not to cast your shadow or be silhouetted
against light backgrounds.
If you must use a flashlight, keep it at arms length and keep it on for no longer than necessary, a quick flash,
and then move quickly or get behind cover. One basic drill I run on my tactical firearms courses is to get my
students in a dark room and tell them that when I flash them with a powerful light to draw their handguns and
point them at me, which everyone can do; I do this to kill the myth that if you flash a criminal with a flashlight
youll disorientate them. I then get them to take turns with the flashlight and they soon see the other students
always aim at the flashlight. That means if the light is on or around your firearm its in front of your face, so
wheres the bad guys bullet going? In your face Flashlights also focus your eyes in one direction, where the
light is; if the criminal is not in that spot but off to the side your getting shot!
If you need to check a room or a corridor, one option is to roll the flashlight across the corridor or into the room
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and then observe and listen for a reaction. Light can be used as a distraction and help to cover your
movement, shine it in the general direction of the criminals and move. This will mess up their night vision, it will
be difficult for them to see what is happening behind the light and theyll most probably expect you to be with
the light.
In your home or office you can use remote lights, just install powerful spotlights to illuminate corridors to safe
rooms, stairs or doorways. If your home is broken into at night, you could move your family to your safe room
and take up a defensive position in cover and behind the lights. If you hear or identify movement to your front,
turn on the spotlights; this will surprise, blind and illuminate anyone in the corridor. This will also help you to
confirm that the people in your house are criminals or terrorists and give you good targets to shoot at. A
simpler version of this is to keep night lights on in strategic areas in your house, like outside of your bedroom
door and then anyone who enters will present a good silhouette for you to shoot at.
GENERAL
TACTICAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Work out your personal reaction for fire.

Move fast, moving targets are harder to shoot that stationary targets
Keep low, small targets are harder to shoot than large targets
Always be on the lookout for and make maximum use cover from view and fire
Do an assessment on your home and office for what areas will provide you with decent cover.
When moving through buildings constantly assess their construction to see if it provides cover from
fire.
Move quietly, cautiously and quickly and always look up and behind you.
Remember that positions that provide cover at ground level may not provide cover from above.
Avoid looking or shooting over cover always try to look and shoot around it.
Avoid being silhouetting against light-colored backgrounds and by lights.
Lights behind you should be extinguished and always be aware of casting shadows.
Before leaving a cover position select a new one and when moving stay low and run.
Always take corners wide and check around them before going around them and exposing yourself.
When looking or shooting from cover do not use the same position at the same level all the time, keep
exposure time to a minimum or youll set a pattern for an opposition shooter to able to predict.
Corridors and doorways are areas of extreme danger and should be avoided whenever possible.
If you need to use a corridor never walk down the center stay a couple of feet off the wall to avoid
ricochets and debris hitting you in the event of a shooting.
If you must walk past an open door use your senses to try to identify if anyone is in the room then
keep low and move past it as quickly as possible.
Never stand in front of closed doors.
If you must use a flashlight keep it away from your body.
If you must stop never stand up, stay in a kneeling position and be alert to possible threats from all
directions.
When moving with others always keep well spaced out, remember one bullet can go through several
people.

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SECTION
23
Kidnapping
Over the past decade kidnapping for ransom and hostage taking have become a booming multi-million dollar
business. As I have previously stated you do not need to be a high roller to be kidnapped or involved in a
hostage situation, it can happen to anyone. If you are an international traveler you need to be especially aware
of the threat from kidnapping even if youre not going to one of the worlds kidnapping hotspots like Haiti,
Mexico, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Nigeria, Columbia or the Philippines. The fact you are a
foreigner can make you a target especially in poor countries, where the contents of the luggage, watch and
jewelry of most travelers from the U.S. or Western Europe will at least match, if not far exceed the average
monthly earnings of most citizens.
It is very difficult to get accurate figures on kidnapping rates as a lot of incidents are not reported to the
authorities or media, also governments keen to attract tourists and investors try to keep official crime rates
favorable. You should do your research and a threat assessment on all locations youll be visiting and identify
what the main threat is. If you identify a kidnapping threat look for patterns in how the kidnappers operate and
work out procedures to avoid them.
KIDNAPPINGS
These days it makes sense for everyone to understand how to behave if they are involved in a kidnapping or
hostage situation. The main threat to most people in developed countries is being caught up in a small scale
crime thats gone wrong like a bank robbery that turns into a hostage situations, or being held hostage in their
workplace due to the actions of a disgruntled or mentally ill employee. In the emerging markets targeted and
express kidnappings for financial gain or favors may be your main threat.
There are five main reasons for kidnapping and the mindsets of criminals vary greatly from area to area and
culture to culture, there is no profile that fits all kidnappers and all kidnapping situations tend to be unique. I tell
my clients that their main concern if they are kidnapped or caught in a hostage situation is to just stay alive to
be released or to escape.
KIDNAPPING
FOR
FINANCIAL
GAIN
When we talk about kidnapping most people immediately think of kidnapping for ransom, which is a very
lucrative business in some countries. If someone is kidnapped for ransom or favors you need to remember that
the person is a valuable commodity to be bargained for, they will be kept alive as long as the kidnappers
believe that they are of value. The negotiation for this type of kidnapping is a business negotiation; youre
buying back an asset.
There are cases where people are kidnapped for favors not money. For example a son or daughter of an
influential person would be kidnapped and released after the parents have done the criminals a favor. There
was one incident in South America several years ago where a left wing terrorist group kidnapped a young
woman, and for her release requested that her father shoot and kill one of his business associates, the father
refused and his daughter was killed. This would be an extremely difficult situation to deal with as the terms
were very rigid.
If the kidnappers are professionals there is a good chance that a hostage would be released when the ransom
demands are met, it would be a bad business practice not to, as it would deter payments for future hostages.
On the other side of the coin if the ransom demands are not met, it would be a good business practice to

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execute the hostage, to encourage future payments. The professionalism of kidnappers varies greatly from
those that are highly skilled to Neanderthals; all, however, are capable of extreme violence.
Express kidnapping is a crime which has boomed over the last decade with incidents taking place globally,
from Caracas to Vladivostok. Express kidnapping can be classed as a more comprehensive version of
mugging. There have been cases in London where victims have been snatched from the street and kept in
captivity for several days until their bank accounts have been emptied via ATM machines, online money
transfers or checks etc.
One classic example of an express kidnapping that I know of happened to a businessman visiting a Central
American country. When he arrived at the airport he went to the taxi rank and got a taxi to take him to his hotel,
about 10 minutes into the drive the taxi pulled over and in jumped two men with guns. The victim was
handcuffed, threatened and robbed to start with. He was driven to numerous ATM machines until he could not
take out any more money on his bank cards. As he was being driven around one of the kidnappers was
making phone calls trying to sell him to other groups, luckily for him no one wanted to buy him. The criminals
had his passport and took his picture on a cell phone, then told him if he reported anything to the police they
would find out, as they worked with the police, then they would come and kill him. The man went to his
Embassy and they told him he was lucky, everything he lost could be replaced and not to report the incident to
the police.
The chances are that the fact this man was a foreigner could have saved him from being sold on and into a
ransom situation. These were not sophisticated criminals who had the skills and resources to be able to handle
a high profile kidnapping. As I have stated before criminals dont want attention and the kidnapping of
foreigners usually brings attention from the international media and the Embassy of the victim, which means
embarrassment for the government and pressure on local law enforcement to do something.
Express kidnappings are safer and more convenient for criminals, who do not need to be highly skilled and
connected to pull them off. In a typical kidnapping the criminals will usually go to a wealthy area and look for a
suitable target, someone who looks like they have some money and then snatch them. Once they have the
victim theyll be robbed, taken to ATMs, sexually assaulted etc. If the victim has a cell phone the criminals may
use it to contact their family for a ransom, the amounts requested in express kidnappings tend to be low. This
is where locals make better targets than visitors; In say, Venezuela it would be easier and quicker for a
resident businessman in Caracas to get and deliver a thirty thousand dollar ransom to kidnappers than it would
be for the family of a kidnapped student who may live in Helsinki.
The main problems with express kidnappings are that the kidnappers are generally not what could be classed
as high end criminals. This means they tend to be more violent and unpredictable than groups that target
higher profile victims for large ransoms. As always, if ransoms are paid in express kidnappings there is no
guarantee the victim will be released, especially if they can identify the criminals or have been sexually
assaulted.
One tactic that criminals are using throughout South America is to contact the families of people who they have
just stolen cell phones from or they know to be in places like cinemas etc. where cell phones are usually turned
off. The criminals then claim to have kidnapped the owner of the cell phone or the person in the cinema and
demand a ransom of a few thousand dollars, that the family needs to pay within a couple of hours. Now
consider how you would react if you received a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped a close
family member and telling you to drop off two thousand dollars at a location in two hours or theyll be killed.
You would want to contact your family member but if they dont have or are not answering their cell phone,
what are you going to do? In the U.S. or Western Europe you might want to call the police, but you might not
rd
want to call the police in a 3 world country, anyway, what are they going to do in two hours? So, are you
going to pay two thousand dollars or possibly have a family member killed?
Another take on this same tactic is being used by criminals in Latin American prisons, they make cold calls on
cell phones to people and claim to have kidnapped their wife, daughter or son etc. The criminals request the
ransom to be paid within an hour in the form of cell phone credits, which can be done over the phone or online
with bank cards. Again think about what you would do if you could not confirm if youre relative was free or
kidnapped? These criminals are in prison, they have nothing better to do but make calls, if they can get one or
two people a week to pay, and they are making a good living.

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PUBLICITY
The groups or individuals who can fall into this category can be anything from animal rights or environmental
protesters to hard core terrorists. As you can expect there would be a big difference between having to deal
with Green Peace and Al-Quada Iraq.
If you are caught up in a situation involving an environmental group protesting oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico
who have taken over a local government building there is a very good chance you would be released after a
few hours when the media has turned up and the police have arrested them all, their cause would have been
satisfactorily publicized. Violence is generally not in the nature of their cause and would not do them any good
but always remember they are still are very capable of it.
On the other hand, if youre a westerner taken hostage by Islamic extremists, you better hope that security
forces get to you pretty quickly. There have been numerous examples of westerners being kidnapped and
publicly executed, you can count on these people to be professional, focused, prepared to kill and die for their
cause. For example look at the case of the Nord-Ost theater siege in Moscow, October 2002, all of the forty
Chechen terrorists expected to die for their cause. The leaders of this group were all experienced combat
veterans, who were well-prepared and armed for the task. If you are caught up in this type of incident you have
big problems and should be constantly looking for the opportunity to escape.
CRIM ES
GONE
WRONG
The one of the most common cause for hostage situations in developed countries is where crimes go wrong
and end up turning into hostage situations. For example, the police respond to a bank robber in progress and
get to the bank before the robbers can escape. The robbers could then possibly hold out in the bank and try to
negotiate for a car etc. so they can escape or negotiate with the police for favorable terms of surrender.
It is unlikely in this type of situation that the hostage takers will be trained and professionals, this does not
make them any less dangerous; they may be more dangerous, due to panic, lack of discipline and any drugs
they may be under the influence of. These days you can expect criminals to be well armed and if they are
looking at lengthy prison sentences be prepared to resort to extreme violence. In this situations are going to
have to rely on the police to negotiate with the criminals, but as always, you should be looking for ways to
escape when safely possible.
MENTAL
ILLNESS
&
DOMESTIC
DISPUTES
People suffering from mental illnesses or involved in domestic disputes account for the majority of hostage
situations, especially in the U.S and Western Europe. With mental illness the most common situation tends to
be that of disgruntled or sacked employee returning to a business to confront former bosses and escalating the
situation into a standoff with police. If a corporation suspects a former employee may be mentally unstable its
their responsibility to take the necessary precautions to protect their other staff members.
The reasons for domestic disputes and crimes of passion are endless but can also end up developing in to
hostage situations; for example what are you going to do if one of you employees ex-boyfriends turns up at
your office and threatens to shoot himself and wants everyone to watch? These days if you own a business
this is the type of thing you need to have procedures for dealing with, for liability reasons if nothing else.
Both of these situations are extremely dangerous due to the mental state of the hostage taker, who needs to
be dealt with very carefully. As with crimes gone wrong, try to escape and leave these situations to the police
negotiators.
Another type of domestic kidnapping is where an estranged parent will take a child they do not have legal
custody for. These situations can become very complicated if the child is taken to or is in another country, as
the local laws usually take precedence. The Hague Child Abduction Convention is the international law that
tends to be used for child custody disputes but how this is interpreted at local levels is another thing. A single
parent may have custody of their child in U.S. or Western Europe, but if their ex-partner is a citizen of a Middle
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I have been asked quite a few times if I could go to various countries to recover children who have been taken
by estranged parents. I am happy to provide advice and highlight the fact that if the parent I am talking too has
legal custody in U.S. this might not apply in the country the child is in. Also, if the child was snatched back,
those doing so would have committed the crime of kidnapping, which in most places has a lengthy prison term
attached. Combine the risk of being arrest and the child being harmed during the snatch, things are better left
to embassy staff and trusted local attorneys.
KIDNAPPING
FOR
SEX
TRAFFICING
I am asked regularly about this threat, usually by parents who have a daughter going on holiday overseas. I
cannot recall any incidents of where a tourists has been kidnapped and sold into slavery. Incidents of female
tourists being kidnapped, raped and killed, sure, that happens; this crime is about sex and control, sex
trafficking is about business.
The human traffickers that kidnap girls for the sex industry tend to target those from poor and developing
countries, where the police and government response if one of their citizens disappears will be minimal, if any.
The traffickers usually lure the girls from their native countries with adverts for decent jobs in Western Europe
or the Middle East. When the girls arrive at meeting points where they believe theyll be taken to their final
destination they are kidnapped. The kidnappers take the girls passports, travel papers and traffic them to illegal
brothels where they are usually drugged and forced to work as prostitutes.
If the families of these girls report them missing to their countries law enforcement there is not much they can
do, the girls left home at their own will, they are young and maybe they dont want to call their families, there is
no evidence to launch an investigation. This scenario is a lot different than a tourist being snatched off the
street to be used in the sex trade. Professional criminals are not stupid and do not want unnecessary attention
from law enforcement, its bad for business. So why take the risk to kidnap a tourist when you can promise a
girl a job and shell turn up at your door.
BEING
KIDNAPPED
If you are caught in a kidnapping or hostage situation the most dangerous time will be is the first ten to fifteen
minutes as the kidnappers will be very nervous and will have to let everyone know they are in control. If youre
being kidnapped you can expect to get hurt, pain makes people comply. In a group kidnapping or hostage
taking it would be a good professional practice for the criminals to identify any group leaders or potential
trouble-makers and execute them in front of the other hostages, as would give them the clear message of who
was in control. There is also a high risk to those who have health problems such as high blood pressure or
heart conditions; you need to keep calm, I have heard numerous stories of people dying from heart attacks and
suffering strokes whilst being kidnapped.
Once it is clear that the kidnapping has been successful and you cannot safely escape you do not want to offer
any resistance, just do as you are told. You can now expect to be blind-folded, bound and searched for cellular
phones, identification, weapons and valuables. If you have a weapon, you should have a good excuse ready
for having it. It is possible to conceal weapons and escape equipment from a searcher, which well talk about in
a later chapter. You should not carry any security, police, military ID cards or related items as these will draw
attention to you and could lead to you being made an example of. I have told clients who are going to the
Middle East to join a couple of Muslim associations and carry the association membership cards and literature
with them, hopefully if they are kidnapped this will lead to more favorable treatment. This tactic can be applied
in most places, pretend to have sympathies with the local bad guys, its all about you staying alive!
When you are being moved try to establish which direction youre being taken. When you are living or visiting
an area you should identify all prominent geographical features and objects, then if your kidnapped the incline
of the terrain, speed your travelling or any noises such as rivers or trains etc. could give an indication to your
location, When you can start to get the descriptions of the kidnappers; if they are masked, remember things
like any jewelry they may be wearing, descriptions of their hands, like scars, or nail lengths, what they smell
like, anything which could help identify them. Never look at the kidnappers faces as this can be taken as sign
of over confidence on your part and overt attempt of you trying to identify them.
If the kidnappers are professional after the violence of the abduction, they will remain silent and assign one of
their group members to speak to you when absolutely necessary, if at all. Now you can expect to be kept
bound in isolation, which for a lot of people is more psychologically difficult to deal with than physical violence.
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You never want to appear to be a threat to your kidnappers and should comply with what they want you to do.
This may be the opposite advice you would expect when youre in a life threatening situation but suffering from
broken ribs or a fractured skull will severely limit your ability to successfully escape. Think about it, who are the
kidnappers going to put more security on, someone who is putting up a fight or someone who is having a
nervous breakdown, you need to preserve your energy, look after your health to able to survive or escape.
If you dont cause any problems for the kidnappers they should start to relax, this is when you should try
creating personal relationships with them without overstepping any boundaries and always being aware of
Stockholm Syndrome.
STOCKHOLM
SYNDROME
&
LIMA
SYNDROME
Everyone who has a possible risk of being or dealing with those that have been kidnapped or involved in a
hostage situation should understand what Stockholm Syndrome is and how it affects people.
Consider this scenario; You have been kidnapped and have been kept handcuffed in a dark room, the only
contact you have with anyone is when you are fed twice a day and taken to the bathroom in the morning. The
kidnapper who is in charge of you comes across as being gentle and soft-spoken, they happy to speak to you
briefly, when they deliver your food, take you to the bathroom and are also kind enough not to put your
handcuffs on too tightly. The total contact you have with them be less than ten minutes a day but after a week,
you will start to look forward to being fed, just for the opportunity to talk with someone who is sympathetic to
your situation. This kidnapper would end up becoming the only friend you had. Now how would you describe
this captor after your release? As kind, considerate, friendly etc.; forgetting the fact that they were so kind to
kidnap you and kept you handcuffed in a darkroom for several months!
Stockholm Syndrome is a recognized condition of which signs can be seen in many former hostages. Its
named after Stockholm, Sweden, where in 1973 a bank robbery that went wrong lead to an hostage situation.
Two armed bank robbers ended up holding four people hostage, for six days in the vault of the bank. The
criminals were aggressive towards the hostages and at one point put ropes around their necks and forced
them to stand on chairs, if they fell asleep or slipped they would of hung themselves. The conditions in the
vault were bad, everyone had to use trash cans as toilets, there was no food and limited water for the first two
days.
Even in these conditions a relationship managed to develop between the hostages and the criminals. At one
stage a hostage could have escaped but did not, after the incident was over one hostage who gave a
statement to police claimed they, "I felt like a traitor, another described the captors as "very kind" and one of
the female hostages admitted to helping one of the captors to masturbate while the others were asleep. After
the incident was over it was reported that female hostages stayed in contact with and visited the criminals
when they were in jail.
There are many cases where hostages have been kept in very bad conditions and only go on to speak very
well of their captors. Whenever you see a news article of where a hostage has been released from captivity
see what they say about their captors, chances are their comments will be positive and they feel no ill will. A
major concern for law enforcement rescue teams is situations where hostages will try to protect their captors
and to help them escape during hostage recovery raids. When dealing with professional kidnappers they will
try to brain wash their hostages into sympathizing with them, I have seen this being used mostly by Guerrilla
groups in Latin America who want released hostages to speak well of them and their cause.
Now the reverse side of the Stockholm Syndrome is the Lima Syndrome. Lima Syndrome is named after the
hostage situation in Lima, Peru in 1996 at the Japanese ambassadors residence. Hundreds of people who
were attending a party at the residence were taken hostage by communist terrorists. The terrorists released
most of the hostages, including the most valuable ones within a few hours apparently on compassionate
grounds. I tell my clients that they want be aware of the danger of Stockholm Syndrome and to use the Lima
Syndrome. You should build a relationship with your kidnappers, help and sympathize with them and get them
to sympathize with you. If they pity you and no longer see you as a threat you should be better treated and
have less security placed on you, which will hopefully lead to an opportunity to escape.

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NEGOTIATIONS
Hostage negotiations should be left to a professional but, who actually qualifies as a professional negotiator is
another matter. Every police department will have qualified negotiators, who will be experienced police
personnel who have done a one or two week negotiation course for dealing with crimes gone wrong, mental
illness and domestic hostage situations, not kidnapping for ransom. I personally, would want someone with
more than two weeks training for dealing with psychos and failed Romeos, negotiating with professional
kidnappers for my release.
Most federal and government agencies will have highly qualified negotiators, the trouble is when dealing with
professional kidnappers they most probably have ex-military and law enforcement people working with them
who have been trained by these government agencies and will know their procedures and tactics. Also, the
official stance of most governments is that they will not negotiate with criminals, terrorists and pay ransoms.
If you or an associate is kidnapped, it will be up to the authorities of that country to negotiate your release; your
own government will have no legal authority within that country. If it is a high profile case your government may
someone to assist a co-operative local police, thats about all you can expect, forget about Special Forces
rescue teams, thats Hollywood. The attitude of most Embassy staff will be that if you had paid attention to the
government warnings and stayed away from the country, you would not have been kidnapped in the first place!
In countries where kidnapping is common, your case will most likely go to the bottom of the pile.
On the commercial market, there are negotiators for hire. If you need to hire one make sure they have real
world experience and understand that how things are done in different countries and cultures can vary greatly
from the U.S. and Western Europe. Anyone can be given or make a certificate stating that they are a certified
negotiator and the standards of negotiators you can expect to encounter range from excellent to being in
league with the kidnappers. As with hiring any security staff you need to make sure they can be trusted and will
work in your interests.
If you or an associate does not have the money or dont want to hire an outsider, it could be up to you to deal
with the negotiations, here are some very basic guidelines.
Confirm, confirm, confirm! You need to confirm that the victim has actually been kidnapped and not
just decided to go away without telling anyone and has no communications. A lot of situations that are
initially believed to be kidnappings turn out to be false alarms or hoaxes.
You will need to determine who has kidnapped the victim, criminals, terrorists and for what reason. A
kidnap for ransom case will be dealt with a lot differently than a case of a child being taken by an
estranged parent.
Where safe to do so you will need to investigate the victims movements to try and determine when
and where they were kidnapped. You will want to try finding any witnesses to the kidnapping that may
be able to give you any information about the kidnappers.
If the kidnapping was in public, the police may have been informed, so try to get copies of their
incident reports, chances are you will not get any help from local police. If you get any leads, you
should inform the local authorities, as long as you believe they are trustworthy and not working with
the kidnappers.
If there are no leads or its too dangerous to investigate you will have to wait to be contacted by the
kidnappers. How this will happen will vary greatly but you will want to try to record or document all
communications with the kidnappers, as this will help law enforcement with any possible follow up
investigations, especially if the hostage turns up dead. Always cover your ass!
When you communicate with the kidnappers, be firm but polite; remember, this is a business
negotiation, you are buying an asset.
If a ransom has been requested and you intend to pay, you will have to buy time, while it is put
together and also try to bring the fee down to something which is realistic. In my experience I have
seen ransoms drop from $3,000,000 to $30,000. Make the kidnappers demands seem unreasonable,
but also indicate that you will do what you can to meet them, but make no promises.
Whether you pay a ransom or not will depend on what your threat assessment indicates about the
kidnappers; do they have a history of releasing hostages after a ransom payment or not.
You will need to establish whether the hostage is still alive before you go any further, if you are
dealing with professional kidnappers they will already have a system for this, usually this takes the
form of personal questions and answers. You should try to speak to the hostage but if youre dealing
with professionals this will not happen, so dont push it.
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If the kidnappers offer a voice recording or video tell them that you want the hostage referring to a
recent incident or saying something you requested them to say. This will insure the recording was not
made before the hostage was killed. These days forget photos with a recent newspapers, bodies can
and have been frozen and brought out for photos.
If you receive any of the hostages body parts, you may have problems as this is an indication they
may kill the hostage. How you deal with this situation will have to depend on the feeling you get from
the kidnappers, but be sure to confirm the hostage is alive at regular intervals.
If you believe that the kidnappers can be trusted and you can come up with the ransom money, you
will have to make arrangements for picking up, securing and the ransom drop off. This phase can be
extremely problematic.
The kidnappers will already have a plan for the ransom drop off; if you have time you will need to
study the plan in-depth and prepare for all eventualities. The ransom drop off will need to be treated
as a high risk operation as you need to consider that it could be a set up to kidnap or hit you.
After the ransom is paid, hopefully, the hostage will be released. If they are not, there is little that you
can do about it. If they are released, your follow up action will depend on where you are and the
attitude of the authorities.
Hopefully you can see from these very basic guidelines that dealing with kidnappings for ransom can be
extremely complicated and is something that cannot be covered in a manual. When you were reading through
these guidelines I doubt you were thinking about the emotional state of the victims families; how would you
feel if a close family member was kidnapped and you had to come up with and drop off a ransom?
The first guideline is to confirm that the kidnapping is an actual kidnapping not a misunderstanding or a hoax. I
have been approached by several men who have been lead to believe that their girlfriends, who they have
usually met online, have been kidnapped, usually by an ex-gangster boyfriend. On one case I investigated the
girl friend was known to the local police as a prostitute, and had even got the boy friend, who was madly in love
with her, to send her money to buy a house that did not exist. She had then told this poor guy that she had
been kidnapped and needed fifty thousand dollars to be released, he was trying to get the funds together when
he called me. Shed never been kidnapped, it was just a scam to get more money from the guy. Needless to
say, the wedding was off and I hope he stopped trying to meet Russian girlfriends online.
Kidnap and ransom services are not cheap and the actual tasks involved are not glamorous. If most
investigators or security companies are ever contacted to deal with a suspected kidnapping there is going to be
thing one thing on their minds, big money! I consulted for one client who was quoted an exorbitant amount to
retain the services of a security company who had apparently rescued an associate of his from a potential
Russian mafia threat in Central Asia. This client had received reports that a close friend of his had been
kidnapped and the first company he approached were straight away talking about rescue and extraction
operations and had the client very scared for their friends safety. We started by getting local assets to confirm
if the kidnapping had actually taken place, what we found was an amateur scheme to try an extort money from
our client by a third party, no kidnapping.
After talking with this client about his associates potential Russian mafia threat we strongly expect what was in
reality a couple of strong words exchange with some thug was turned into a big pay day for the first security
company he approached. By playing on this persons fears they blew the incident out of proportion, good
business for them and gave him something exiting to talk about at his dinner parties. In reality, if a serious
Russian mafia group had wanted him dead he would not have made it out of the country he was in or be living
care free and giving dinner parties!
Another thing you may need to do is investigate what happened, but only when it is clearly safe to do so. I
have been contacted numerous times by investigators who wanted our assistance in going into locations to
investigate kidnappings. On nearly all these occasions the investigators never spoke the local language, did
not know the culture and would not have blended in with the environments, but wanted to go to the areas
where the kidnappings took place and try to resolve things. I always turn down such requests unless my
associates and I are given full control, as we do not want to get involved in potential fiascos that could lead to
someones death.
These investigators motives are clearly to make money but they do not comprehend what they are getting into.
All they would be doing by going to the kidnapping locations and asking questions would be pressuring the
kidnappers. Who in return could kill the hostage because they had become too much of a risk or just kidnap
and make the investigator disappear as a warning anyone else who may want to be a hero. I know of one
incident on a Caribbean island where a hostage was being told real time by his kidnappers what his family was
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telling the police about his kidnapping, the kidnappers were working with the police. There is a big difference
between Hollywood and the real world!
If you have to deal with a kidnap and ransom situation you must remain aware that youre personal security
takes priority, especially when picking up, moving and dropping off cash or valuable assets. I know of one
incident in the Caribbean where a woman had twenty thousand dollars sent to her through her bank so she
could pay a ransom for a family member. She picked up the money from her bank and was robbed at gun point
before she could make it to her car, now she needed to find another twenty thousand dollars for the ransom.
Do you think the kidnappers would care that she had been robbed, not really, they want their ransom money,
and chances are they were in on the robbery, but theyll still wanted the ransom. There is a saying if they pay
once, theyll pay again.
In a lot of high risk countries kidnapping groups will look to employ people who work in banks and can tell them
who has cash in their bank accounts to pay ransoms, I know of one case where a hostage was told by his
kidnappers how much money he had in his several bank accounts and what they wanted, he paid. A friend of
this person called me a few months after the kidnapping asking my advice as this mans secretary had been
kidnapped and the kidnappers had approached him to pay the ransom for her. I told him to tell his friend to tell
the kidnappers that if they wanted to kill her it was up to them, he would find another secretary. Remember, the
kidnappers will see it as you paid once, so youll pay again, in my opinion it has to stop somewhere.
IS
PAYING
RANSOMS
LEGAL?
Most people who are unfortunate enough to be caught up in a kidnapping situation are not going to consider
whether it is legal or not to pay the ransom, and if they could be breaking the law themselves by doing so. The
fact is they could well be breaking the law in several ways.
There have been numerous cases of Iraqis who have worked for U.S. forces in Iraq, and have been actively
targeted by terrorists being denied visas and re-settlement in the U.S. because they admitted to paying a
ransom for a kidnapped family member. By paying a ransom for the release of a family member they provided
material support to a terrorist group. The most publicized example of a corporation being fined for paying
protection money to terrorists is that of Chiquita Bananas, who in 2007 were fined twenty five million dollars by
the U.S. Government. Chiquita Bananas had at one point several plantations in Columbia that were in areas
controlled by left and right wing guerrilla groups, so they ended up paying these groups for security. In reality, if
they had refused to pay the guerrillas or brought in their own security contractors I strongly suspect the
plantations would have gone out of business pretty quickly.
Most governments have laws on their books that prevent the material support and even in some places
meeting and negotiating with terrorists groups. What complicates things more is that most countries do not
recognize the same groups as terrorist organizations. For example, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia or FARC is a U.S. recognize terrorist group but is not classed as a terrorist group by Russia. So, if a
Russian citizen paid protection money to the FARC while doing business in Columbia, he could go on with his
life in Russian with no problems but he could be arrested if he visited the U.S. for providing material support to
a terrorist organization.
The United Nations legal definition for funding terrorism is as follows; a person commits the crime of financing
of terrorism "if that person by any means, directly or indirectly, unlawfully and willfully, provides or collects
funds with the intention that they should be used or in the knowledge that they are to be used, in full or in part,
in order to carry out", an offense within the scope of the International Convention for the Suppression of the
Financing of Terrorism. There is also the issue of international money laundering and tax laws; will youre tax
inspector believe you when you tell them the thirty thousand dollars cash you withdrew from your account went
to pay a ransom in Mexico?
One area where there are large ransoms being paid and its without doubt that percentages are going to
Islamic terrorists groups is Somalia. Over the last few years maritime piracy has become Somalias main
source of income, with ransoms reportedly averaging between one to three million U.S. dollars per ship and
crew. One terrorist group that is recognized by the U.S. and UK, reportedly link to Al-Qaeda and is actively
involved in the piracy business is Al-Shabab. So, if youre paying a ransom for a vessel thats being held in
Somalia, we can say your funding terrorism.

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The policy of most governments is to never pay ransoms because it encourages more kidnappings, funds
crime and terrorism, but if ransoms are paid for kidnapped individuals, they tend to look the other way or issue
a reprimand, not criminal charges. I think the reaction would be a lot different though if it was established that a
ransom paid to Al-Shabab or the like, was used to fund terrorist attacks on U.S., Western or Eastern European
targets.
Hopefully you have seen from this chapter that the kidnapping business can be a very intricate business,
where the stakes are extremely high for all involved. I cannot stress enough that if you believe you are at risk
of being kidnapped you need to make sensible plans and take active precautions to prevent an incident. It is a
far better strategy to try and prevent a kidnapping than to have to deal with a hostage and ransom situation,
which can always become very messy, very quickly.

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24
Interrogation
If you travel internationally, or are going to be working in the emerging markets, you are running the risk of
being kidnapped or arrested for some reason. Criminals are not the only ones who can end up in handcuffs! It
may come as a shock to some people, but many police are corrupt and not just in the emerging markets. We
have experienced both police and state corruption in Western Europe and the U.S.; just because someone has
a badge, it does not mean they are honest and trustworthy. Many people, particularly those who are not welltraveled, are suspicious of strangers, especially if the strangers are a foreigners. If you are seen acting
suspiciously, talking about security matters and taking pictures of venues, you could be taken for a spy or a
terrorist and arrested.
I was once traveling with a group of people through Italy in the early 1990s, at one port on the Adriatic several
of the group members decided to wander off and take some photos of Italian navy patrol boats. By the time I
had located them they had been taken on board one of the vessels and were being spoken to by the military
police. They handed over their film, explained they were tourists and everyone was happy, but in some
countries taking photos of anything military related can get you into a lot of trouble.
If you are ever involved in a violent confrontation and end up hurting or killing someone, you will be arrested
and, if you are a foreigner, the chances will be that the authorities will be against you, because theyll want to
make an example of you. You need to make plans for what to do in this situation; you dont want to end up in a
3rd world prison because you took a gun off and shot a kidnapper, who turned out to be a police officer. In
many countries, even developed Western countries, since 9/11, the mere fact that you are a foreigner will put
you in the same league as a terrorist in many peoples minds. Unfortunately, it will mean nothing if you are a
100% law-abiding citizen. Always keep a low profile and have an escape plan including several routes to a
safe location or country.
As I stated in the previous chapter, the most dangerous time will be the first ten to fifteen minutes of your arrest
st
or kidnapping. You can expect some level of violence, even from police in 1 world countries. Kidnappers will
need to show they are in control of the situation and will be happy to bust a few of your ribs to stop you from
resisting. You can expect to be handcuffed, with your hands behind back, searched and blindfolded. You will
then probably be taken to place where you will be interrogated. If you are taken by vehicle, you may be placed
face down in the back or in the trunk.
When you reach the area where you will be interrogated, such as a police station, farm outbuilding or
basement, you can expect to be strip searched. If your abductors are professional, they will operate in silence
and you will not see their faces or anything that you could use to later identify them. After the strip search, you
may be left naked or given clothes to wear, if the abductors are professional you will be left naked. The reason
for the strip search and the confiscation of your cloths is to make sure that you do not have any escape
equipment hidden on you. Also most everyone feels embarrassed and vulnerable when they are naked in front
of strangers and it also makes escaping more difficult, imagine having to run cross county through bushes
naked!
Now you can now expect to be kept naked, handcuffed blindfolded and in isolation and if youre interrogators
are professional, you will be placed in a stress position (see photos); this will be a position which will be very
uncomfortable for you to maintain, however, if you do not maintain this position, you will most probably be hurt
in some way. You can be left in these positions for anywhere from two to twenty-four hours and the only
contact you will have with your abductors will be painful for you.

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How your interrogation progresses will depend upon who you are dealing with and what information they are
after. Are they after information on your business associates locations, or do they want you to sign a statement
admitting to a crime? You will be made generous offers by your interrogators for complying with their wishes
and threats if you dont. What you do and how you handle the situation is up to you, if the interrogators are
professionals they will make you talk. This is where again, you need to sit down and work out procedures for
how you would deal with this situation. If you kidnappers are after information on your colleges or family
members have a cover story ready but remember if a story is repeated to consistently professional
interrogators will know its been rehearsed!
METHODS
OF
INTEROGATION
Professional interrogators main objective is to get information from a hostage and will employ various
techniques to do so. The main thing they will be trying to do is mentally break hostage down so they will
comply with the interrogators requests. To start with, the reason why professionals will keep their hostages
naked is because this puts most people at psychological disadvantage to start with, its all about mind games!
The methods of interrogation can be broken down into three categories: physical, sensory deprivation and
chemical. Most interrogators will use a combination of physical stress and sensory deprivation.
PHYSICAL
INTERROGATION
To put it simply, physical methods of interrogation involved inflicting pain and putting the hostage under
physical stress. There are thousands of ways of inflicting pain on someone, some are quite sophisticated but
most are barbaric. The problem with this from of interrogation is that the interrogators need to be careful not to
kill the hostage before they get what they want from them.
Some people have a higher tolerance for pain and this method of interrogation will not work. It is also proven
that people are more willing to give false information when being tortured just a stop the pain. Most of the
methods used will also leave marks on the hostage, such as bruises, cuts, missing body parts etc. This will not
present a positive image of the terrorist group or police department, if the hostage or prisoner appears on a
news report or in court badly beaten or on crutches.
The use of water to simulate drowning is a commonly used technique, the advantage of simulated drowning is
that it does not leave any marks on the hostage, an enhance version of this is to substitutes the water for other
substances such as fizzy drinks, hot sauce or gasoline.
Sexual assaults against males and females can also be employed by unscrupulous interrogators. During the
civil wars and revolutions in Latin America during the 1960s to 1990s glass Coca-Cola bottles were used to
sexually assault prisoners and hostages. One of the reasons for Coca-Cola bottles being used is
psychological, as advertising for the product everywhere; what do you think the released prisoner will be
thinking about every time they see a TV or billboard ad for Coca-Cola?
Brutal physical interrogation techniques are not employed by what I would class as professional interrogators,
there is no need. If you are dealing with a situation where someone has been kidnapped and is being tortured
the odds are they are not going to be released alive.
SENSORY
DEPRAVATION
This is the main method of interrogation used by professional interrogators and is proven to get the best results
from those being questioned.
In general, people in developed countries are very weak due to the comfortable lives they live. All their lives
they eat at least three or more good meals a day; they get plenty of sleep and the last time that many
experienced violence was in the school yard. For many, their experience of being cold is when the heating
breaks down in their cars. Fact: most people are soft.
I have described what will happen when you are abducted or arrested now consider this. A well-off
businessman is naked, in a stress position, blindfolded, handcuffed and has received a bit of a beating. He is
very scared, confused and in pain. He will be left in various stress positions for at least twenty-four hours. His
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captors can place small bits of glass, gravel or drawing pins on the floor, so when he falls because he can no
longer stay in the stress position, these will cut him and cause a small amount of pain; his pain can be
increased by putting surgical spirit of aftershave into the cuts, which will also help keep the cuts clean. In a
short time, he will understand that the small amount of pain of the stress position is better than the pain that will
result in falling. Every now and again, the guard may kick his feet away from under him, just to keep him on
edge. The room he is in can be cold, with a few inches of water on the floor and there can be radio playing loud
white noise. The hostage will be very scared, confused, disorientated and stressed. Most people have never
gone twenty-four hours without sleep in their lives and, when they are forced to do so, they find it extremely
difficult. After twenty-four hours without sleep and being forced to stay in stress positions, the hostage will be
interrogated and he will be a different person to the one who was abducted. After forty-eight hours without
sleep, food, or the use of a toilet, the hostage will be in a bad way. This treatment can go on indefinitely.
Alternatively, he could also be placed in a small hot and dark room, and every half an hour or so, could have
cold water thrown over him, be kicked or shot with a BB gun to prevent him from sleeping and to keep him on
edge. This goes on for twenty-four hours; then he would fed for the first time. The food could be of very poor
quality or of a good quality but very salty or spicy, designed to make him thirsty or it could even be laced with a
laxative to give him diarrhea. Water could be tightly rationed or again laced with something to make it taste
bad. After seventy-two hours, he will be in a very bad way having gone without sleep, been hot, in pain and
covered in his own body waste.
He would then be interrogated and, all going well, after the interrogation, he may be hosed down, handcuffed
with his hands in the front, be allowed to sleep for awhile and be given something decent to eat and drink; this
will seem like heaven to him. At the next interrogation, if he does not please the interrogators, all these
privileges can be taken away and hell be back into the old routine. This scenario can go on indefinitely and
would put the hostage under extreme psychological pressure, if used over extended periods of time this
treatment would do permanent damage to the hostages mental health.
CHEM ICAL
INTERROGATION
This form of interrogation involves the hostage being given various drugs, which can cause the prisoner to
relax, have hallucinations or make the body become very sensitive to slightest touch.
This form of interrogation is usually only used by government type agencies as a last resort and is barred
under the Geneva Convention. Although I have never heard of any examples of criminals and terrorists using
chemicals during interrogations, I am sure it would not be hard for them to get the required drugs and the
people with the skill to mix and administer them. If the drugs were used by professional interrogators in
conjunction with some of the other techniques we have mentioned I can see them being very effective. If you
ever have to face this type of interrogation, I hope whatever you were doing was financially worth it; I would not
expect you to live to spend the money, though.
How you handle the interrogation will depend on you, whos interrogation you and the reason why you are
being interrogated. There is no magic advice to give on how to withstand being interrogated by professionals or
amateurs. If you are dealing with professionals, they will make you talk; if you are dealing with amateurs, things
may get messy. Your goal will be to do whatever you have to do to survive.

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POSITIONS
Position One: The person is leaning against a wall in a stretched position with the fingers extended. The
weight of the body is on the finger tips and the legs are back far enough, so the person is off balance.
1.
2.
Position Two: The person is leaning against a wall in a stretched position with the forehead against the wall.
The weight of the body is on the forehead and the legs are back far enough so the person is off balance.
3.
Position Three: The person is leaning against a wall in a seated position. The back is flat against the wall and
the legs are at a 90 degree angle.
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25
Escape & Evasion
The information in this chapter provides basic instructions on how to avoid getting captured if you manage to
escape from captors or from a location where things have gone very wrong. We do no encourage people to
break the law, but you must understand that in some situations what would be viewed as illegal actions are
your only option for survival.
ON
THE
RUN
(OTR)
Your goal is survival and to reach a safe area.

If you have a cell phone on you consider if those after you can use it to track you. If those after you
have access to the phone companies and networks dump the phone completely.
Consider your means of leaving the area: on foot, swim, public transport, aircraft, boat, hitch a lift,
steal or hijack a vehicle.
After the initial escape try to leave the area as quickly as possible and keep a low profile, remember
to blend in with your environment.
As soon as you can you need to make contact with friends, family, trusted authorities or friendly
Embassies.
If you cannot leave the area then youll have to go to ground and hide, locations can include; in parks
or bushes, busy pedestrian areas, public bathrooms, bars and night clubs etc. Consider what CCTV is
in the area and if those after you can access it. If your hiding in parks etc. do those after you have
thermal imaging equipment? Consider how long you will have to go to ground for and what are your
escape routes.
Work out where are you running to and try to leave decoys pointing to different locations; book a train
ticket with your credit card but never take a train etc.
You will need money if you very lucky and have a credit card hidden on your person you can use
ATMs but remember this will show you location. If you are in a area where your staying for a while,
you could possibly have previously stashed cash with other important documents and equipment in a
dead drop for emergencies, your last resort would be to steal money.
You will also need clean clothes, if you can not buy them or get them from a place of charity you
would need to steal them.
If you need to travel a long distance you will need to find somewhere to wash and stay clean.
You will also need somewhere to sleep, in urban environments it may make sense to stay away from
the usual places homeless people congregate as this would be the first place those looking for you
would check.
If you do not have money to buy food you could possibly get it from charities, steal it or check the
trash cans behind restaurants and sandwich shops.
To leave most countries you will need a passport or IDs, if you have lost yours, you can try to covertly
by pass border controls and then make it to the nearest friendly Embassy on the other side. At most
borders there may be check points on the roads but go a few hundred meters either side there is
usually nothing, maybe a fence. So, if you are using a road get off it a few hundred meters before the
border, skirt around the check point and rejoin the road a few hundred yards on the other side. When
crossing the border do so quickly, quietly and use all your senses and be alert for any patrols.

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NAVIGATION
Try to get maps or free tourist guides.

Learn to identify north and south without a compass.
Always carry and try to conceal an escape compass on your person.
Identify and remember prominent objects in the area youre going to before you get there such as major
roads, rivers, mountains, airports and buildings.
If you are in a rural area and want to locate people follow rivers, most villages are located around water
sources.
RURAL
MOVEM ENT
AND
CAM AFLAGE
Modern humans are positive disadvantage when surviving in and moving on foot in rural and wilderness areas.
Most people these days have never spent a night outside without any cover, let alone in bad weather. When
youre in the woods or bush you need to get comfortable in the environment. I remember one of my military
instructors telling me that to be able to fight in an environment must first be able to live comfortably in that
environment, and this is very true, if youre having difficulty living day to day how cant how can you operate.
You need to start using all your senses as the animals do, learn to identify sounds, smells, movements and
what they identify. You need to especially be able to identify things associated with people, like foot prints, a
cigarette stumps, a broken twigs, fences, domestic animals, aircraft, vehicles, talking etc. Think about human
smells like fires, food, human waste and tobacco; if your senses are sharp in bush or wooded areas you should
be able to smell a house and people before you see them.
When moving you must do so quietly and regularly stop to look, listen and smell for any indication of people. If
you identify people in you proximity are you going to take cover, evade or ambush!
You should always consider camouflage and wear clothes that blend in with your environment, in urban areas
wear blues and grays in rural areas browns and greens. There is no need for military camouflage clothing as
this will just draw attention to yourself.
Things are seen because of these reasons
Shape: Disguise youre shape; use foliage or rags to break up your outline.
Shadow: Keep in the shadows and always be aware that you are not casting a shadow that could be seen
by you opposition.
Silhouette: Dont stand out against skylines, lights, white walls, etc.
Shine: No chrome, shiny watches, mirrored glasses, sparkly jewelry and the like.
Spacing: If moving with others, remain spread out, but not too regularly and do not bunch together.
Movement: Move carefully, a sudden movement draws attention and is the main reason camouflaged
personnel and animals are seen.
The basic guidelines for camouflage are
Learn to blend in with your surroundings.

If you are using foliage to conceal yourself or your position dont use too much or too little.
If you are in a long-term hide remember to keep your camouflage fresh, dead foliage will alert people to
your position.
When moving avoid skylines.
Dont use isolated or obvious cover; its the first place others will look. Consider hiding in thorny bushes or
nettles as most people will not expect anyone to hide there.
Always look around objects, not over them.
Camouflage your face, neck and any areas of the exposed flesh with mud, ash or charcoal from fires. Or
use a balaclava or scarf to cover your face and wear gloves.
Take all noisy objects from your pockets, such as keys and coins and make sure nothing on your person
rattles.
Make sure there are no shiny surfaces on your person, equipment or clothing.

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MOVEM ENT
You should always move quietly and cautiously and avoid stepping on dry twigs or breaking through foliage
and undergrowth as this will make noise and leave an easy trail to follow. If you know youre going to a rural
area or possibly going to be in an escape and evasion situation avoid smelly foods, strong soaps and after
shaves, as these will be easy to smell by those use to being in the woods or bush. Always be careful not to
leave signs you were in an area such as foot prints, broken foliage, human waste or trash.
You should always move in bounds from one piece of cover to another. Your bounds should never be more
than, say 50 meters (or 60 yards), especially at night. When you stop at the end of each bound you should use
your senses to try to detect any human presents then plan your next bound. Moving in short bounds is the
safest way to move through populated areas or places there are unfriendly forces. Remember, always be
prepared to take evasive action.
The speed at which you travel will depend on whether its day or night, the type of terrain youre in, people or
police patrols in the area. It is important that you are never pushed to your limit, you always need to have
energy in reserve so you can run in an emergency; tired people are also rarely mentally alert. If you must run
from your opposition try to do so only for a maximum of a few hundred meters, then slow down and move
quietly, cautiously and cover your any signs of your direction of travel. Do not use obvious evasion routes,
which tend to be the easiest routes to use; head up hills and into thorny areas etc. There are no set time
periods for halts but you should try to take ten minutes in every hour on long journeys. Tracks, paths and roads
make for fast, easy travel and can aid navigation but can also be very dangerous as your opponents will watch
them closely. To be cautious walk a few meters off to the side of any roads or tracks.
Avoid being silhouetted when crossing skylines and hills, try to go around them rather than over them where
possible. If you need to cross an obstacle or skyline then keep low and crawl, if its a fence, crawl through it or
under it. If you have to cut through a fence, cut through the lower strands and then disguise the hole with
undergrowth or tie the wire strands back together, never cut through the top strands as this will be easily
noticed. Electrified fences are used in some areas to protect domestic animals and borders. One way to see if
a fence is electric is to check if there are any dead animals or insulators on the wire. Or take a stem of grass or
a damp twig and then lightly touch the wire, if the wire is live youll receive a slight shock but not enough to hurt
you.
You need to learn to treat the night and darkness as your friend, darkness affords you cover. Many people are
afraid or uneasy being in the dark; you should use this to your advantage. If you are moving at night and get
caught in a beam of light you should freeze and the chances are that you will remain unnoticed, unless you
move.
There are both natural and manmade noises that are useful to you because they can cover up or disguise the
sounds that you make when moving. The best time for moving covertly is during bad weather; rain will cover
the noise of your movement and any ground sign you leave. Bad weather also keeps people under cover and
distracts sentries. Places to expect sentries are at the entrances to villages, on bridges, cross roads and on
high prominent terrain.
General guidelines for rural movement
Wear clothing that blends in with local people and the terrain.
Do everything possible to disguise evidence of your passage; cover foot prints, never break twigs or
undergrowth and repair broken foliage.
Avoid contact with all people unless absolutely necessary.
Litter, food and human waste must be buried or carried with you.
Learn about tracking, then youll be aware of what anyone following you will be looking for.
If moving with others spread out and when crossing obstacles such as a rivers or roads etc. take up
positions to be able to give warnings of any threats that might be approaching. Also stay low move fast
and cross one by one.
Always be ready to take cover from gunfire or people you may encounter by surprise.
Remember certain smells indicate human activity; odors float downhill in cool air and rise on warm air.
Watch for stones, leaves or logs that have been moved, the undersides of these will darker in color and
damp, this can be an indicator of human activity or the location of hides.
Always look for straight lines as they are rare in nature and are usually man made.
109
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Learn to identify unnatural vegetation, such as green leaves among dead branches or areas of too much
foliage as this could indicate human activity such as hides or ambushes.
ESCAPE
AND
EVASION
EQUIPMENT
The reason for escape and evasion equipment is to help you escape from captivity and stay alive for a limited
amount of time. You should carry a minimum amount of non-descript equipment as discreetly as possible.
Expensive, specialist, flashy military equipment will only draw attention to you, will be taken away by your
captors and could possibly label you as a spy or police etc. This is something you dont want as it could lead to
you being tortured and executed. This list is a guide to what would be useful for you to have on your person,
pick the items you think you would be able to get hold of and conceal.
Escape and Evasion Equipment
Survival blanket: These are usually silver in color and can be use to provide warmth, shelter,
collect water and for signaling.
String or thin wire: This has various uses for example construction of shelters, re-closing cut
wire fences, trip wires etc.
Wire saw: These thin wire saws can be used to cut wood, plastic and soft metals. Always try to
buy those made from multiple strands of flexible wire commando wire saws. Beware of cheap
imitations.
Hacksaw blade: The blade should be broken into 2 to 3 inch pieces to make them more
concealable, if possible the ends and backs of the blades can be sharpened.
Safety pins: Various uses including first aid, mending clothing, building shelters and picking
open hand-cuffs.
Razor blades: Small and concealable multi-purpose blades.
Flint and steel/Matches: Used for fire lighting to keep you warm or cause distractions.
Tinder: Cotton wool or lint etc. used to help you light fires.
Hairnet and Condoms: Used for carrying water, the condom goes in the hairnet to stop it from
splitting.
Water purification tabs: For purifying drinking water.
Compass: Chose a small and concealable compass.
Whistle & Mirror: Can be used for signaling and distractions.
Knife: Chose a small concealable knife that wont be found and confiscated when your captured
or that can get you arrested for carrying an illegal weapon.
Flash Lights: Chose a small concealable flash light, forget the expensive tactical lights, this can
be used for light, signaling and distractions.
Tools: There are many good multi-pliers type tools on the market that are excellent pieces of kit
for escape and evasion but will most probably confiscate them straight away if your arrested or
kidnapped or arrested.
Food: Try to conceal high calorie foods such as sweets, nuts and raisins etc.
Money: Probably the most important piece of equipment you can carry. Chose small value notes
of a well-known currency, waterproof them and conceal them.
Concealing Escape Kit

Most commercial escape & evasion and survival kits come in a plastic or metal container. This container can
be used to drink from and if its metal you can also boil water in it. The trouble with tins and containers are that
they are easy to find during a body search and will be confiscated. You want to try and conceal your equipment
in your clothing.
Jackets: There are lots of places for you to hide equipment in jackets especially if they are lined.
Wire saws, matches and money can be sewn into seems and draw cords etc. and lager
equipment put into the lining. The lining it self can be used for tinder etc.
Travel Vests: These have lots of places to conceal equipment but there is a good chance it will
be confiscated. The tactical vest are also an indicator that you are in the security business and
are an FBI wannabe.
Shirts: Sew money etc. into the seems.

110
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Trousers: Sew money, wire saws, razor blades etc. in to the waistband and seems. Also keep a
few sweets in your pockets.
Belts: Sew equipment into your belt or look at buying a commercial money belt.
Shoes: There is a lot of room to hide all sorts of equipment in the heels and soles of your shoes.
After the equipment has been concealed place an inner sole in your shoe to conceal it.
Underwear: Sew money etc into the seems.
Always dress down and dont wear clothes that will draw attention to you or that will be taken off you by your
captors. Again, this is just a guide to get you thinking, just take a few of the above mentioned items, conceal
them on your person and they could make your life easier in an escape and evasion situation.

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Section
26
Conclusion
My main objective in writing this manual has been to try to demonstrate that a lot of crimes can be avoided by
simple planning, preparation and situational awareness. There are no magic fixes or high-tech gadgets that
can keep you safe; its down to you to take sensible precautions. I also want people to see that being an
expert martial artist or marksman means little when dealing with professional criminals; remember the best
weapon you have is your brain, fighting is for amateurs.
If there is one thing that I have written here that I hope will stick in everyones mind its that you should never
unconditionally trust anyone with your life or to have your best interests at heart. Know to what point you can
trust people; would the person you trust 100% be loyal if you were the reason their family was being
threatened, maybe not, and you cannot blame them for that. Over the years I have seen a lot of problems that
clients could have avoided if proper due diligence checks had been made, where personal safety and business
issues are concerned dont worry about being polite, always check out and test those youre dealing with.
If you apply some of the procedures from this manual hopefully youll avoid any potential problems. In the
security business prevention is usually more cost effective and safer than the cure!
THE
AUTHOR:
ORLANDO
WILSON
Orlando's experience in risk management business started in 1988 when he enlisted in the British army at 17
years old and volunteered for a 22-month operational tour in Northern Ireland in an infantry unit. This tour of
duty gave him amongst other things an excellent grounding in anti-terrorist operations. He then joined his unit's
Reconnaissance Platoon where he undertook intensive training in small-unit warfare and also undertook
training with specialist units such as the RM Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre and US Army's Special
Forces.
Since leaving the British army in 1993 he has initiated, provided and managed an extensive range of specialist
security, investigation and tactical training services to international corporate, private and government clients.
Some services of which, have been the first of their kind in the respective countries. His experience has
included providing close protection for Middle Eastern Royal families and varied corporate clients, specialist
security and asset protection, diplomatic building and embassy security, kidnap and ransom services,
corporate investigations and intelligence, tactical and para-military training for private individuals, specialist
police units and government agencies.
Over the years, he has become accustomed to the types of complications that can occur, when dealing with
international law enforcement agencies and the problems of organized crime. He is now the owner of Fer-deLance Inc and the chief operations and tactical consultant for Risks Inc. His diverse and continuous operational
experience over the past 20 plus years enables him to provide no nonsense professional services and training
programs. His operational procedures are cutting edge and the most effective commercially available.

112

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Orlando Wilson

International Risk Management Consultant

The Personal Security &

Personal Security & Kidnap Prevention

No part of this document may be copied or sold without the permission of

Risks Inc. 2004

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The victim was kidnapped by multiple attackers with assault weapons.

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They were driving a regular route when they were kidnapped.

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Defense against blast bombs

POLICE OR SECURITY FORCES SHOULD BE INFORMED AS SOON AS AN IED IS FOUND OR IF YOU

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The Threat Assessment

Basic things you need to consider when dealing with an incident:

How will everybody be alerted to the incident

If you chose to stay in the building, you should consider:

How will the order for a lock down be issued to everyone?

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Addresses and identity of individual employees, their families or close friends.

Basic detection operations may include:

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38. State of health:

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File Number: #########

The front of the building:

Rear and side perimeters

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Date: ## /## /2008

File Number: #########

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Turkey, the PKK and Iraq

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1. Ground: Describe the area youll be in and routes to be used

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Tel/Fax: 001-954-303-2326 (Miami, FL., U.S.A.) Website: www.risks-inc.com

Tel/Fax: 001-954-303-2326 (Miami, FL., U.S.A.) Website: www.risks-inc.com

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Never illuminate yourself in a doorway or a window, darkness is your friend.

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What is the threat level at the location you are visiting?

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Complete a threat assessment on the hotel before your stay.

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Tel/Fax: 001-954-303-2326 (Miami, FL., U.S.A.) Website: www.risks-inc.com

Tel/Fax: 001-954-303-2326 (Miami, FL., U.S.A.) Website: www.risks-inc.com

Tel/Fax: 001-954-303-2326 (Miami, FL., U.S.A.) Website: www.risks-inc.com

Tel/Fax: 001-954-303-2326 (Miami, FL., U.S.A.) Website: www.risks-inc.com