The Todd Group are the oldest close personal protection training providers in New Zealand and even under the current Covid-19 situation we managed to conduct a two-week specialist close personal protection course from October 10 to October 22.

Our involvement includes training close protection specialists for royal family members, close protection and diplomatic protection personnel as well as working high level close protection.

The course was conducted out of Camp Todd which allowed for long hours of training and preparing operation orders for training exercises.

Covid-19 was responsible for the postponing of the international/joint country annual close personal protection course for 2020, which was replaced with this New Zealand based course.

Camp Todd, being a designated specialist skills training camp provides not only the specific training areas and training equipment/kit requirements but also provides a unique training experience for attendees on our residential specialist courses of instruction.

They get to live tactical training day and night experiencing all the realities of such intensive training.

We can conduct anything from individual tuition specialist courses for visiting exponents and instructors through small group training right up to over 100 exponent courses.

Combined this with available satellite training facilities access and having wide ranging training exercise required modes of transport and facilities in close proximity to Camp Todd and Todd Group HQ in Dunedin city, it is a good location for courses conducting.

The railway station, Dunedin airport and Dunedin harbour combined with event centres all being in close proximity is ideal for conducting close personal protection courses.

There was the usual initial long hours of lectures/presentations and notetaking to ensure the attendees were provided with the necessary tradecraft fundamentals required for close protection.

Several night sessions of mil CQC and mil self-defence training at Todd Group HQ was conducted so close protection course attendees could attend scheduled basic and advanced close combat training.

This included undergoing specialist close personal protection actions on CPP specific CQB/CQC with Todd Group Phase 3 specialist proponents and instructors.

Having skilled enemy party at Todd Group HQ makes conducting training for small groups that much more beneficial and this is especially important with realistic actions on training.

After the grounding in the required tradecraft skill sets had been undertaken, it was time to put the new learnt capabilities into practice with preparing for the conducting of practical training exercises.

The course had to conduct extensive threat assessments and security surveys as part of their training exercises and advance elements required to develop thorough operation orders.

Days and nights were full with not only the preparation of operation orders for upcoming training exercises but also practical training in wide ranging tradecraft skill sets.

From evasive and aggressive driving through to range time and ongoing close protection related close combat, the two weeks passed in what seemed a flash.

There were land, air and sea close protection training exercises conducted on course as well as undertaking a railway station/rail travel familiarisation.

There was a major event close protection exercise where a detail had to protect me at the XFC MMA event at the Edgar centre.

This major fight night event included the bucket list charity event and had a huge audience of keen fight fans.

Such a major event required the course to work with the promoter as well as the venue manager and the head of security.

This was all good experience for the CPP course exponents.

This was an action packed Hammerhead production with a twenty strong fight card that demanded the CPP exponent’s attention to detail in the planning and flexibility in the conducting of the exercise.

Day 12 of the course involved a training exercise that included road travel from Dunedin to Invercargill and return.

Day 13 was consolidation of some skills sets training.

Already the planning and preparation for final courses for 2020 is well underway along with courses for 2021.

We have received considerable interest in conducting another a self-minder course and if a slot permits for such a weekend course before the end of the year we will do so.

The self- minder course provides skills capabilities to protect others as well as basic home safety and security tactics and skills.

This basic course is a good way for those interested in possibly taking a CPP course in the future to get an introduction to similar training skill sets.

We have a Phase 1 basic introductory evening for Dunedin/Otago residents considering the February intake induction and are planning several weekends training at Camp Todd before the end of 2020 for all phases including new exponents.

The details will be posted on the below website as soon as possible.

Upcoming courses joining instructions/information and online application facility can be found on the Todd Group HQ website www.toddgroup.com inquiries [email protected]