Why does ETS select only former Special Forces and elite government unit personnel for full-time Executive Protection? Former Special Forces (SF) operators are a natural fit for global executive protection. Formed from the core SF and Elite units such as SAS, Delta, SBS, SEALs, SRR, MI5, MI6, CIA, certain FBI groups, BOPE, DSGE and GIGN, they share the following characteristics and skillsets:
VIP Protection – Value and Skills Operators cost millions of dollars to train but their true value comes from years of real-world assignments that shape and sharpen their skills, networks and instincts. Their proven unique experience facilitating secure travel and lifestyle in all environments without fanfare is their understated asset. VIPs chaperoned by world-class tier one operators can safely and efficiently move on foreign turf while remaining under the radar. Low profile, discreet and respectful, the former Special Forces operator is a proven and powerful enabler. A conscientious operator able to read the environment and quietly get the job done is an invaluable part of a VIP protection team. VIP Security – Protection of Reputation as well as Physical Security As seen repeatedly in the celebrity and corporate worlds, unprofessional personal security can inflict long-lasting reputational harm, or worse. There are multiple untold horror stories of VIP security gone wrong including personal security operators and drivers getting lost on the way to meetings, driving through high-risk environments, and having their VIPs attacked. There are examples of personal security negligently discharging firearms, crashing vehicles, and losing track of their protectee. Even less extreme failures have a serious negative impact on business effectiveness, brand reputation, and the personal image of the senior executive. Far too often those most in need of high-level security make the mistake of saving on cost in favor of ‘large, imposing bodyguards’ yet rarely consider if these persons have the training and ability to react. Executive Protect – Experience is Key
Some Executive Protection businesses, even the largest ones, normally recruit from a pool of civilians, or minimally trained ex-armed forces willing to ‘train’ and accept low wages to become part of the ‘circuit’. These companies celebrate and laud their training programs, yet you can’t teach the skill sets and real-world experience of tier-one professionals in two weeks. Reaction instincts, and covert operations skills under high levels of risk and stress, simply can’t be developed in a hurry. This is why ETS only uses Tier One personnel from its personal networks, only selecting personnel from the most elite units. It is only through this system that we can guarantee our clients the very best level of service.
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Armored Vehicle Ratings – What do armor ratings mean? Are you considering utilizing an armored vehicle? Perhaps you are heading to an area of increased risk and want to understand more about armored vehicles Mexico, or are considering Armored Vehicle Rental. There are two main primary standards used to rate armor – The NIJ and the EN standard.
The NIJ (the U.S body) is considered the world leader for ballistic testing for armor, they perform a full range of tests and provide details of the results in their armor standards. These show the range of protection offered by the different pieces of armor tested, from low powered hand guns, up to armor piercing rifle rounds. They provide 8 classifications of protection known as threat levels which are Class I, IIA, II, IIIA, III, IV, V & VI. In other regions, predominantly Europe they are typically rated as levels B1-B7 using the Standard EN1063 scale. Both scales are similar in how they give rate protection. Armor is typically tested at ranges from 5 meters to 15 meters, depending upon the class/rating and weapon. The class most likely to be found utilized and available on LATAM armored vehicles for rent is Class NIJ IIIA/ and EN standard B4. This will defeat .44 Magnum rounds, 9mm, 12 gauge shotguns and lesser threats. Higher rated armor is available though always at a premium and is often dedicated to those at an increased level of risk. Class NIJ III/B5 is capable of defeating 7.62 rounds from a Kalishnikov rifle at 5 meters. The ratings then go up to counter significant caliber threats. At the B6/NIJ IV level and above the armor is designed to stop multiple 7.62 up to 30.06 AP (Armor Piercing) and Penetrator rounds and are also resistant to explosions. Work Place Violence Prevention Program “If I ever got the chance I’d kill my boss before he knew what hit him.” Do you have a plan and policy that allows you to address this statement from an employee who receives a poor performance appraisal? The recent active attacker tragedies at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, the Mandalay Bay outdoor concert venue in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL, all had at least one commonality: Each of those sites was somebody’s workplace. Does your bank have a program to recognize, report, and respond to the risk of workplace violence (WPV), and a strategy that views every employee as a part of the solution to this increasing risk? The safety of your employees should be your highest priority. The startling statistics of WPV serve as a catalyst for business leaders to commit to building a program before their risk becomes a reality. The Data Behind the Risk:
Experts recognize four types of violence at work: Type 1: Criminal with no connection to the business enters to commit robbery or other crimes (banks were robbed over 4,000 times in 2016) Type 2: Violence directed at employees by customer or others to whom the business provides service Type 3: Violence against co-worker by a present or former employee Type 4: Violence by someone who doesn’t work there but has personal relationship with an employee The most common category of WPV is Type 4. While banks are anomalies because they are targeted for robbery (Type 1), bank leaders who ignore the reality of the other three types do so at their own peril. Defining Workplace Violence A commitment to reduce the risk to your bank, its employees and its reputation, begins with defining WPV for your business. Experience and legal precedent favors a broad definition that includes any conduct on company premises or while conducting business anywhere when such conduct is intended to cause physical harm to a person, or property. Conduct, both physical and verbal, intended to negatively impact the safety or security of your bank should be included. A broad definition allows your Legal and Human Resource units to address problem behavior early and swiftly supported by written policy. Further, an inclusive policy sends a strong message to all that the bank will not tolerate fear in the workplace. Your bank’s WPV policy should include threatening behavior. Again, this facilitates the quick administrative resolution of unacceptable conduct with the potential of rapid escalation to violence. Communications or actions intended to arouse fear, hostility or intimidation, or the apprehension of harm in your employee or any bank “protected person”, their family, friends or co-workers, clients, or property need to be within the scope of WPV at your bank. This covers conduct such as an employee “keying” the car of a co-worker in a parking lot, a disgruntled teller stating that she knows where her manager lives and “might have to pay him a visit”, or a loan officer suggesting to an angry customer that they settle their dispute “outside, one on one.” A WPV policy that includes threats, by definition, includes the upward trend in stalking, both the physical and the cyber varieties. Recent data shows that as many as three out of five new relationships begin on-line, so it stands to reason that those who meet on-line may also break up, fight, and threaten each other on-line. Since we know that domestic disputes are a major root cause of WPV, develop a strategy that encourages employees to share restraining or protective orders with HR, management or security. Too often, corporate culture views such matters as entirely personal, but when potential violence is concerned, you may be held liable for failing to secure your workplace. Workplace Violence Training Now that you’ve defined WPV and threats it’s important to articulate who is a “protected person” under your policy. Again, broad inclusive language lets it be known that you have zero tolerance for anyone to feel threatened while under your care, and, it facilitates rapid handling of a potentially violent scenario. Employees, visitors, customers, vendors and contractors should all feel safe while interacting with your bank whether they are working or dealing with you on or off-site. For example, a client who calls in for customer service and is threatened by one of your employees while on the call should be treated as a protected person.
To engage all employees as stewards of your business who are equally responsible for safety and security, teach them the “Three R’s” of WPV: Recognize, Report, and React. Everyone should learn to recognize the early warning signs of violence. Reporting concerns should be easy, even anonymous, and facilitated through multiple reporting options. The ball is in your court once you receive the report and you must have a process to act credibly, professionally, and swiftly. Reacting to an actual violent incident should be trained through informal sessions where short videos such as the Department of Homeland Security “Run, Hide, Fight” concept is portrayed. In the next installment of this article we’ll further explore the “The Three R’s” in depth. Remember, after every incident, a co-worker or manager says they knew something was wrong and they wish they had acted; Don’t you be that person. Originally published in http://www.bankingexchange.com/news-feed/item/7442-workplace-violence-it-could-happen-here?Itemid=638 and written by Frank Figliuzzi, the Chief Operating Officer of ETS Risk Management, Inc., and consults with global clients on Workplace Violence, Insider Threat, and Investigations. Frank was the FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence and served as a Special Agent for 25 years. He then joined General Electric where he led corporate Workplace Violence prevention and Investigations . Frank also works as a National Security Contributor for NBC News. Facilitation Services for the Legal Sector – Security Globalization like marriage has been a celebration of closeness followed by the dispute. No longer are attorneys just expected to fly in and out of European countries for arbitration sessions. It is becoming far more common that attorneys are asked to travel to high-risk environments to act on behalf of their client or collect evidence to build their case. Historically large law firms in London have told me that ‘they’ve not had any trouble before’ or ‘it’s not for long and they are in a nice hotel. I expect that these are the individuals that are less proactive and instead accept what is presented to them rather than seeking new evidence from unlikely sources. Low profile security, enabling operations Thankfully these attitudes are now changing. Interestingly, not because terror attacks are now commonplace in our airports and theaters or because Corporate Social Responsibility is no longer considered the chime of libertarianism but because the world has become a smaller place. Attorneys find themselves far more aware of the evidence troves that exist and how to obtain them. They have also become far more aware (as have their insurers) that threats exist to travelers seeking to stick their nose in where it’s not wanted. Now more than ever we hear in the news of large organizations, wealth funds, and politicians thrust into the international limelight under accusations of corruption. The success or failure of a case can not only affect the participants but the geopolitics of the entire region. Naturally, its Open Source Intelligence Osint services to have investigating attorneys hindered in their efforts to construct a case. However, attorneys tend to be less intimidated and far more stubborn. Attorneys are now identifying the need for case facilitation services to gain the evidential edge, whilst knowing their opponent is behind a desk in New York on Google. Intelligence services have seen the worth in traveling to the corner of a refugee camp in Gerbil to trace a witness that can bring credible and verifiable evidence to an international tribunal considering War Crimes. A natural fit in these situations comes from the former Special Forces operators. Operators cost millions to train, but it is only then that they start to learn. Their experience to facilitate travel through high-risk environments securely and without fanfare is unique and often an understated bridge to justice. A recent example of this evidential edge was well demonstrated when an expert was flown into an African capital experiencing the aftermath of a terror attack. The case hinged on analysis of data stored in the country and the case timelines were immovable. The expert, chaperoned by an operator, was able to conduct discrete forensic data recovery preventing the destruction of information, and ultimately securing evidence critical to the case. Obtaining Evidence Efficiently
Operators have been at the vanguard of liaison with local partners for many years. The examples of Freddie Spencer Chapman’s movements behind enemy lines in Malaya to the operators fighting alongside the Peshmerga to clear Mosul as I write demonstrates the operator’s ability to move in foreign lands with respect and efficiency. This is hugely advantageous to those seeking new evidence. High threat environments should not be a barrier to justice. The days of crew cuts, dark sunglasses and blacked out Humvees are no longer necessary and are in most instances, inappropriate. Low profile, discrete and respectful; the operator has proven to be a powerful enabler. A conscientious operator able to read the environment, whose existence has been honed to get the job done without celebration, is a formidable ally to the traveling attorney. Quintel Intelligence Ltd and ETS Risk Management Inc have formed an alliance to better meet the needs of the legal sector. By blending their intelligence services and physical security capabilities they offer a global service for case facilitation services with successful investigations conducted in Europe, North and South America, and Africa. The looming shadow of terrorism is pervasive. The recent suicide attack that targeted a music concert in Manchester, UK; the vehicle attack in London, UK, two months prior; and compounded further by regular images across the media of marauding attacks in cities such as Paris and Berlin. These acts of extreme violence are perpetrated by individuals who embrace death as part of the objective of their actions. The very thought of this is no doubt extremely worrisome, but what are the chances of falling victim to terrorism? The simple answer: very small indeed. Worrying about terrorism to the neglect of more prevalent threats, however, may actually increase your risk. Business travelers quite often have irrational or misplaced fears that can lead them to not feel secure, when in fact they are, while conversely some often feel secure when abroad but are actually far from it. A significant number of travelers fear the risk of terrorism and, in doing so, neglect those risks that are statistically far more likely to kill or injure them. “Security is two different things – it is a feeling and a reality. You can feel secure even if you are not and you can be secure even if you don’t feel it,” says security technologist Bruce Schneier. Schneier further explains certain biases in risk perception: Human beings tend to exaggerate spectacular and rare risks and downplay common risks. Why and how do these relate to business travel safety? Bias #1: Human beings tend to exaggerate spectacular, rare risks and downplay common risks. This has led to many people being overly focused on the risk of terrorism. In turn, business travellers and those responsible for the security of business travellers often neglect those threats that are statistically far more likely to kill or injure, such as road traffic incidents, crime and drowning. What is most likely to kill you when travelling? The U.S State Department maintains records of all registered deaths of U.S. citizens abroad. The details identify for the majority what they died of and where. The results may surprise you. See the two charts in the images above for more details. In Figure 2, it is interesting to note the correlation between deaths due to Terrorism (Yellow) and that of deaths due to Pedestrian accidents (Orange).
This complacency prevalent with certain travellers often leads to their safety and security decreasing whilst the chances of them being a victim to crime, or neglecting risks increasing. If our feelings match security reality – we make better trade offs. To improve our personal security services united states it is important to understand these two key biases. If it is in the news don’t worry about it, as by definition news is something that almost never happens,” says Bruce Schneier. The solution, therefore, is to know what the risks are – and obtain “Ground Truth.” This should involve research into your destination. What are the main dangers of the country or cities that you will be visiting?
Crime, natural disasters, health issues and political instability are all important factors to consider. Consider also specific and current issues such as date rape drugs being utilized in a tourist hotspot, or a spate of recent muggings in certain locations. Study the U.S. State Department website, or the equivalent travel risk management advisory guidance of your country of origin. If traveling to an area of increased risk, or the risk level is due to the VIP traveling it is important to consider three things.
It is strongly advised that any armored vehicle is of low profile and that your use of an armored vehicle united states is not common knowledge. ETS can provide low profile executive, sedan, SUV and Sprinter type vehicles in various countries throughout the world
Example: Venezuela, Caracas – In 2014 a German Businessman was traveling from the airport to a Central Caracas 5 star hotel in an armored vehicle. Assailants followed him, waited until he exited the vehicle and attacked him in the lobby of the hotel – killing him in the process of a failed protection effort by his unprofessional local security team. ETS – A Trusted Armored Vehicle Rental Company ETS are risk management specialists with extensive experience of providing ground transportation, armored vehicle rental, and bodyguard services throughout the world.. Please Contact Us or LiveChat to discuss both your current and future requirements in further detail, or click here to learn more Secure Ground Transportation.
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