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Bodyguard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Close protection officer)
For other uses, see Bodyguard (disambiguation).
"Executive protection" redirects here. For the film, see Executive Protection (film).
Not to be confused with lifeguard.
Bodyguard
Bodyguards with President Ronald Reagan moments before he was shot in March 1981
Occupation
NamesClose protection officer, executive protection agent, personal protection specialist
Occupation type
Government employment or private employment
Activity sectors
Law enforcement, Government, Military, Security
Description
Related jobs
Security guard, law enforcement officer, anti-terrorism specialist, intelligence officer

A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public officials, wealthy businesspeople, and celebrities, from harm. The personnel team that protects a VIP is often referred to as the VIP's security detail.

Most important public figures, such as heads of state, heads of government, and governors are protected by a team of bodyguards from a government agency, security forces, or police forces. Less-important public figures, or those with lower risk profiles, may be accompanied by a single bodyguard who doubles as a driver.

Roles[edit]

U.S. Secret Service agents guarding U.S. President Barack Obama
Walter B. Slocombe, the U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy with his bodyguard in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996. The bodyguard is armed with an M16 rifle.
A team of bodyguards protecting Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff during her inaugural ceremony.
Angela Merkel flanked by her bodyguards as she mingles with a crowd
Quanell X (center), the leader of the New Black Panther Party, flanked by his bodyguards.
A Croatian close protection unit trains using sub-machine guns and pistols during a demonstration exercise.
A bodyguard wearing an earpiece for two-way radio, so he can receive instructions.
18th century Manchu Imperial Guard of the Qianlong Emperor.
The Cossacks Imperator Bodyguard unit from the early 1900s.
Illustration of Japanese Imperial bodyguard Watanabe no Tsuna fighting a demon

Unlike depictions in popular culture, such as the 2018 British television series Bodyguard (2018), bodyguards are rarely involved in dramatic firefights.[1] Instead, a bodyguard's work consists mainly of planning routes, pre-searching rooms and buildings where the client will be visiting, researching the background of people that will have contact with the client, searching vehicles, and attentively escorting the client on their day-to-day activities.[2] In the event of an emergency, a bodyguard's priority will always be to evacuate their client, not engage with threats.[1]

Osama bin Laden's personal security detail consisted of "bodyguards...personally selected by him." Their "arsenal included SAM-7 and Stinger missiles, AK-47s, RPGs, and PK machine guns."[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bodyguards.
  1. ^ a b Turk, Victoria. "How realistic is Bodyguard? A real Personal Protection Officer tells all". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  2. ^ "What's it like being a bodyguard?". BBC. April 4, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
  3. ^ Soufan, Ali. The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda. W.W. Norton and Company. New York and London: 2011.Page 325
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