There are an endless number of myths and ideas about the profession of a security guard in society. We were helped by Pavlo Hayduchenko, captain of the bodyguard all-around team “Zyklon”, an authorized expert of the Federation of Bodyguards, to figure out what is true and what is not.
The security guard’s uniform at work is a business suit.
Of course, if we are talking about the protection of high-ranking officials and officials who follow a certain “protocol” of the event, then the guard will be dressed accordingly. But for the most part, this is not the case. The image of a security guard in a suit and dark glasses is inspired, most likely, by the plots of popular films. In fact, a security guard is a person who should not stand out from the crowd and, of course, not attract attention. And appearance plays a primary role here. Judge for yourself: because it will not be appropriate if the person being protected walks in jeans and a sweater, and the guard – in a suit. But another case can be considered. For example, a banquet event where the person being protected is dressed in a classic suit. Accordingly, the guard should be dressed in classics. There is only one rule here – the guard must fit into the situation, the atmosphere, adapt to the VIP.
By the way, there is another mistake on this topic – physical form. In society, it is generally accepted that a security guard should be creepy. It does not. He must be, first of all, a thinker, have a higher education, proactive, restrained, feel confident.
A mandatory attribute of a “pro” is a holster with a firearm.
Not always. First, according to our legislation, security guards are not among the persons who are allowed to receive firearms for use. And secondly, there are events where weapons are not allowed. And there are enough of them.
The security guard must be able to work with his hands and head. When we instruct the guys in the Federation, we always emphasize that the weapon is an auxiliary tool.
Regardless of physical skills and professional qualifications, the security guard must know that the use of weapons is a last resort that should be avoided.
The main tool for a security guard is his thinking head and nimble hands. With pencils, pens, any other auxiliary means – the professional must be able to protect the protected person with the help of any handy items.
Security guards earn quite well.
Professionals in any business have good earnings (smiles). But in the case of the majority of guards and those who, let’s say, “not very” lucky, there is no question of space earnings. And the problem here is far from the lack of quality offers of personal security services or the demand for them.
There is no necessary communication with the potential client. All offers in the market of personal protection services are chaotic. A large number of private firms engaged in security activities do not provide the customer (the protected person) with the required (quality) product. Professional bodyguards are often not needed, not because their services are not needed, but because they cannot “come out” to the client. The protection market is fragmented, and the personal protection market is even more so.
Our partners from the NGO “Professional Association of Guards” are currently developing a profession standard and a unified register of those who provide personal security services. We really hope that they will succeed and soon these documents will bring clarity to the market of bodyguard services.
The best bodyguards are professional hand-to-hand athletes in the past.
It would be more correct to say that most of the guards are people with a sports background. And it is not necessarily hand-to-hand combat. For example, our Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council – Ilarion Valeriyovych was engaged in water sports.
Sport gives a person an active biorhythm in general. Professional athletes have excellent motor skills, physical skills, and muscle memory. They have a quick reaction, and most importantly, the will to win.
The guard is always in tension and waiting for an attack. His way of life is to be able to work off conditional threats in any move.
Therefore, the most important thing is sport. A person who has achieved success in some kind of sport will have an urge to improve for the rest of his life. This quality is especially important in the profession of a security guard. After all, if the guard has stopped and does not continue to develop, then it is, let’s say, a “dead” guard.
The optimal age for a security guard is from 25 to 33 years old.
As a rule, it is. On average, a security guard’s career ends after 35-40 years. Although, there are exceptions, when at 45 they continue to work as security guards. But it must be a great dedication and understanding of what a person wants.