When government officials travel or appear in public, their security detail must be on high alert and always follow the five security protocols to keep them safe from harm.
1. Identify Threats
The first protocol is to use old-school and technological methods to identify any threats to a government official. It may include analyzing threatening emails, social media posts about the person, or tapping into security channels for any talk about threats against a government official. It may also include running background checks on specific people.
2. Protect/Prevent Incidents
The next protocol is to prepare for any contingency to protect the official and prevent incidents. This can be accomplished by placing adequate guards at optimal points around a public speaking event. For example, in the assassination of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his security personnel failed to cover all entrances and protect him from a fatal shooting. As a result, the gunman came up behind Abe and shot once and missed, then fired again, connecting.
Effective security personnel are highly trained and know that best practices are to secure an area much larger than the immediate location of the official. In the situation with Shinzo Abe, his back was exposed to a road with passing cars and no security personnel watching from behind. All his guards were in the small courtyard area where he was speaking. Simply expanding the controlled area could have saved his life.
3. Detect Danger
When protecting public figures, you must be on high alert, watching everyone for anything suspicious and especially monitoring entrances and exits for threats. Detecting danger quickly can mean saving the life of the government official.
4. Respond
Another critical aspect of protection is responding quickly and accurately to a dangerous situation. In the example of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his bodyguards failed to react swiftly and could have saved his life after the first missed shot. However, they were confused and didn’t realize what was happening; therefore, the gunman got off another fatal shot before they could protect him. Responding may be as simple as shielding the government official’s body with your own.
5. Recover
After any type of incident, the final step is to get the government official to safety and recover from the trauma. You can use these experiences to plan better for the future and learn what is needed to keep people, places, and things safe. Recovery may also include getting the government official medical help or other therapies to heal any physical or mental wounds incurred during the threat.
Guarding Government Officials
DMAC Security has been in the security industry for more than 30 years protecting all types of prominent individuals and government officials. To learn more about our services, contact us today.