The September October specialist close personal protection course concluded with a vehicle based final exercise just before the heavy rains set in resulting in considerable flooding in Dunedin and Otago.
Specialist close protection should not be confused with untrained overt deterrent body guarding and this is something attendees on our specialist close personal protection courses over many decades have become very aware of from day one of their courses.
They need to become skilled in wide ranging protective capabilities to ensure protectee safety and security with the primary objective being anti-threat preventative tactics and skills.
Covert/discreet is the predominant modus operandi over an overt intimidation showing of force minder type of protection.
While the course is nothing like the constant physical realities of close quarters combat training and testing, it does involve pressure and stressors including long hours of meticulous planning and attention to detail, and being able to conduct oneself as a confident and competent individual and a willing and competent team member.
Attendees must undertake lectures and practical hands-on training in a considerable amount of Specialist close personal protection required tradecraft capabilities, including the below.
- Protocol and Etiquette
- Duties, roles, and responsibilities of a close protection specialist
- Chain of command operation orders and instructions
- Contract negotiation.
- Threat assessments and security surveys
- Advance party practices and procedures
- Communications
- Operational planning.
- Compiling of operation orders
- Establishing a close protection command centre
- Clothing, equipment and health considerations
- Surveillance, counter and anti-surveillance
- Intelligence collection, assessment and utilization
- Threat recognition assessment and threat neutralisation decision making
- Immediate action on drills unarmed threat
- Immediate action on drills non-ballistic weapons threat
- Immediate action on drills firearms threats
- Ambush immediate action tactics and skills
- Grenade/thrown type weapon threat neutralisation tactics and skills
- Vehicle selection – accessories and security
- Vehicle searches
- Premises searches
- Evasive, offensive, and 4WD driving
- CPP in a hostile environment (war zone)
- Electronic/mechanical aids
- Human manual primary search skills
- Hard target training operator and protectee
- Layers of security
- The importance of dynamic evasive movement/escape and evasion
- Land based protection operations vehicular
- Land based operations pedestrian escort components
- Maritime protective operations
- Rail travel protective operations
- Air travel fixed wing aircraft and helicopter related close protection
- Weapon recognition and familiarization
- Explosive device searches, identification and safety procedures
- Specialist close protection related military close combat
- Tactical vehicle embus/debus, motorcade training
- Firearms training
- Ammunition and weapon accessories considerations
- Impact weapons and devices
The course involves learning specialist close personal protection tactics and skills then utilising them as part of planning preparation and practice for on course training exercises.
The Todd Group has a 97 year history as a private specialist training provider of self-protective and protectee protective training of others as well as diplomatic close protection training and military elite and regular forces close combat and military self-defence training provision.
Long days and nights of in camp and HQ training combined with undertaking training exercise advances in order to compile and prepare operation orders for upcoming exercises on course become a major focus.
Rail advance
Specialist CPO specific close protection CQB/CQC/MSD provide very specific self and protectee protective capabilities and this is something we specialise in developing at the Todd Group.
CPP training attendees get their training from the trade-craft training development source.
Threat neutralisation tactics and skills for specialist close personal protection are for very specific to threat neutralisation requirements/situations and are far removed from fighting arts and combat sports training.
Undertaking threat assessments, security surveys and training exercises advance duties to collect all important intel/information to use to compile operation orders are both time-consuming and mentally exhausting as complete attention to detail is required.
Training with Todd Group HQ high level proponents/operators including close combat/close protection tradecraft Master instructors enables attendees to learn by example.
CPP actions on training as well as advance work
Eliminating risks or if not completely possible reducing risk to the lowest level humanly possible demands leaving no stone unturned in not only using all available resources but also by driving, walking and assessing routes and places to be visited on upcoming exercises.
Upcoming exercises may include the use of previous operation orders that need to be updated and if so this means considerable attention to detail and legwork, never taking anything for granted.
Attendees soon find out if they are not able to take orders and instructions and conduct themselves as required as part of a specialist close personal protection detail. They must know their status on the food chain and respect the rank and status of their equals and superiors. Close protection specialists must be selfless, dedicated and committed individuals and highly skilled and capable protective detail members.
All exponent attendees are equal and must be able to conduct themselves in training and on exercises in regard to their designated roles from detail leader, shift leader to security detail member or driver.
They must understand that under CPO training or on training exercises the instructor is in command and must have full control over the course on training exercises as he is responsible for the course.
Just like under CQC training and testing where there is no place to hide and all character traits, inadequacies, weaknesses and strengths and capabilities are easily identified, so will all positives or negatives be identified in training and on close protection exercises.
Failure to perform one’s duties on pre-exercise advances or as part of the preparation of operation orders will be identified including who failed to perform their specific tasks and duties.
All too many individuals in these current times display undesirable traits and character flaws including laziness, weakness and nosiness. Woke simply does not work in CQC, CQB or CPP.
Close protection specialists must know their place on the food chain and must respect protectees privacy, confidentiality and personal space.
They must be able to completely focus on the role and duties and not let any external personal issues affect their focus and capabilities.
Protocol, etiquette, safety, security, confidentiality and a professional quietly confident demeanour are a must.
The first week of the course includes all the required training as well as personal and professional required capabilities to ensure attendees know the importance of professionalism, attitude, personal presentation, attention to detail and work ethics.
Evasive and aggressive driving, armed and unarmed threat neutralisation, land sea and air operations and all the specialist close protection required trade craft training skills sets make for long days and nights on course.
The Todd Group are the longest and only private specialist close personal protection training providers in New Zealand that offer our specific CPP courses in New Zealand for small groups including individual attendee courses for visiting attendees. We also provide dual country courses for those wanting international CPO training experience.
Having our own camp and training facilities including our HQ facility manned by instructors and former CPP courses attendees as enemy party and as detail members enables us to conduct specialist courses training from an individual attendee through to large groups.
We have our own facilities in NZ including Camp Todd and Todd Group HQ as well as our standalone training facility in Thailand and satellite specific skills training facilities in Thailand and other countries.
We also have NZ and international training depots and instructors to assist with exported courses making our footprint and scope as a private specialist training organisation considerable.
Previous major CPP courses at Todd Group HQ and satellite training facilities
The dual country courses we conduct here in New Zealand and at our international hub country of Thailand are unique and provide the opportunity for attendees to train in a foreign country where English is not the first language, including being part of training exercises there.
Being able to export courses including long haul flight exported courses by having international facilities and in country personnel enable us to provide both intensive and extensive international training courses.
Below exported CPP dual country courses training
Civi close protection involves more discreet casual attire work in recent times where CPOs must blend and not bring attention to their protectee’s.
Close protection training exercises in our international hub country of Thailand are a good example of this.
While class A dress does apply in some roles like diplomatic protection and for some formal/corporate roles and duties there are a lot more private protection contracts that are more tidy casual to fit with the country climate and to blend with the population.
Close protection specialists must be well aware of fitting attire and how to conduct themselves so as to blend and not bring unnecessary attention to themselves and their protectee’s.
Camera proximity awareness as well as how to use position, range, barriers, stance and body alignment to set and maintain a discreet but ready status, are all important CPO trade-craft training capabilities. I am often surprised at those working close protection not knowing about such tactics and skills.
Pedestrian escort foot work and positioning require considerable practice so as to be able to maintain range but not impede protectee’s movements by blocking their path or bringing adverse attention to them by appearing to be smothering or overt blocking in of protectee’s and or visual lines when there is no immediate threat. This only brings unwanted public attention to the protectee and their CPOs and attention can lead to threats.
While threat prevention is the priority we specialise in developing specialist close personal protection actions on threat neutralisation by means of unarmed intervention and armed threat neutralisation providing attendees with hands-on training from our specialist skills training packages.
Courses attract not only those interested in a career in close personal protection and those that are currently working close personal protection but also current and former police and military personnel, corporates and individuals interested in the protection of their family, friends and staff.
We have even had royal family security detail personnel and diplomatic protection pers on our courses.
Knowledge is power and preventative and threat neutralisation primary trade-craft skills are the modus operandi of providing safe and secure close personal protection capabilities and this equates to being dedicated and committed to being the best close protection specialist one possibly can be.
The combat and counter threat neutralisation capabilities are only there if you’re planning and employment of your close protection plan is compromised, but they must be deliberate and uncompromising in the protection of the protectee.
Confidence, competency and capability demands dedication, commitment and attention to detail, which comes down to undertaking the most current training and accepting orders, instructions and practising drills, tactics and skills until you have ownership of them and can situational/threat assess, decide, and when necessary execute the correct tactics and skills fit for purpose fluidly and with out error.
This will predominately be anti-threat planning and preparing based but must include actions on threat neutralisation under assault including in vehicular ambushes, under pedestrian escort or in threats that include under air, rail and sea travel close personal protection.
These are principle based skills for life when it comes to protecting others and oneself and with specialist close personal protection being an ever evolving progressive trade-craft operators require continuation training to be best armed with best trade-craft practices. The serious individuals we attract that prove they have what it takes to be high level close protection specialists want to get their training from the development source and want to undergo training in our most current primary means and methods in CPP trade craft training to be best ready and prepared.
Many of the static body cover protection methods of yesteryear for example have been made obsolete and serious close personal protection specialists seek out developers and providers of the most current primary close personal protection specialist skills as they often identify risks in their obsolete capabilities.
Specialist close personal protection instructors have had to be extensively trained and qualified to instruct such a specialist trade-craft and must stay current and be involved in conducting such training on a long term ongoing basis.
There are over 50 major role and duty CPP tradecraft training skills sets that the CPP instructor must be qualified in providing training in.
Some hard body cover and escape and evade skills are still used and have their place but there are other options that in specific threat situations increase safety for the protectee and the operator.
Being able to provide small group including individual tuition CPP training for our rank and file in our most current specialist close personal protection capabilities here in NZ and on exported dual country courses is something that we pride ourselves in being able to deliver.
The training market requires diversity in these difficult post Covid-19 tough economic times and being a long term private specialist training provider with our own fully facilitated training properties puts us in a good place to provide those that seek specialist close personal protection extensive training at very reasonable fees.
We have always believed that if you discontinue training provision services you lose not only momentum but it is that much more difficult to re-establish your training provision previous status.
This is where being flexible and capable of providing small group specialist training makes all the difference and having allies and facilitators that have supported our training initiatives for decades makes exporting of courses so much easier.
Hard economic times not only affect training seekers being able to course join but also employment prospects.
I can remember being in New York at the time of the Wall street crash of 1987 and how this quickly affected close protection operators prospects and how limo’s numbers and chauffeurs were dramatically reduced.
In today’s realities where law-enforcement can be stretched beyond capacity and you cannot rely on them being able to come to your assistance, this equates to people with the smarts knowing that they must be ready and prepared to take care of themselves and their own. Business people and others know that having close protection is a means of increasing safety and security and if it is not financially possible then upskilling to be able to take care of their own is the reality.
We get people especially looking at taking overseas travel wanting to know how to keep themselves and their families safe and provide their own close personal protection for their loved ones.
The interest and industry for us needs to change with the hard times but most importantly while being flexible and capable when it comes to training provision diversity it must be based on never compromising standards.
The same applies to recruiting and understanding the risks of mass marketing and training the masses in close combat and close protection.
I recently received the below quote from an overseas proponent of mil close combat that knows first-hand of our vetting and course/training joining stringent conditions and requirements and fully endorses elite training entry and training provision entry musts.
If you want to reach a large audience, appeal to idiots.
Schopenhauer
The Todd Group training provision model and ethos has remained steadfast since and before our WW11 mil unarmed combat training provision as established by our founder the late SMG Harry Baldock in that our setting and maintaining of highest standards in training provision is first and foremost.
