Where You Gonna Go?

While working in executive protection in the UK I landed the gig protecting soap opera star Emma Sands for her wedding and reception. I had to take her from the registry office all the way out to Pinewood Studios on the day which meant advance work the day before.

That involved walking all over the two locations, liaising with people who needed to be liaised with and, most importantly, planning the route. Paul D who I was working with on the gig, and myself, ran a standard advance which for the uninitiated involves mapping out all the exits, times of traffic lights, alternate routes, whereabouts of hospitals, police stations and so on.

That way, if en route to the reception there's an accident for example, security knows immediately where to go for help.

There's a lesson to be learned here for civilians. Do you (or your significant other) drive home the same way from work everyday? Do they do the same drive on the weekends going to the in-laws for dinner? If so, do you know at any given point in the trip where is the nearest hospital, fire station, police station, 24 hour grocery store or garage etc? They should, and so should you.

Imagine your wife is coming home late one night and is being followed by a car load of thugs? Would she come home and bring trouble with her? Or would she know EVERY location on the way home that's open 24/7 so all she has to do is drive there knowing it will be open and staffed?

[Imagine how long a guy is going to last chasing a damsel in distress into a fire station full of firemen?]

And don't park outside...if it's necessary...if it's life threatening, drive right through the front doors of the place. That will get someones attention.

Nick
Learn to save yourself...no one else will do it for you.

Putting It To Rest

I was working security Saturday night and talking with a customer while we had them waiting at the door. He knew I'd been involved in martial arts and asked me if it was true you could hit someone in the nose and drive their nose bone into their brain. Whaaaaa???!!!

Is that one still really floating around? I thought it went out with having to tell people you're a black belt before you hit them and registering your hands with the police as deadly weapons. Apparently not.

So, if you happen to know anyone who still thinks that it's true - or if you think so yourself - here's the deal. NO...YOU CAN'T!

See the big hole where the nose would be? There is no bone! It's normally a piece of cartilage and that's it. Note also how far it is from the brain.

The only thing I'm aware of that could even come close would be someone immensely big, hitting someone very tiny and breaking a small piece of the bone at the top of the nose area and driving a sliver into what is called the cribiform plate. This could, in theory, allow mucus into the brain cavity which could lead to a bacterial infection provided the victim couldn't get to a hospital in 24 hours. But if someone that big is hitting someone that small, I think you've got other things to worry about.

So please, spread the word and lets put that old chestnut to bed.

Pickpockets

I was talking to a mate today and remembered a portion of my hotel security lecture. In India, when you walk outside one of the very biggest hotels, there is a huge sign strung across the road saying "Beware of Pick Pockets." Conveniently, the sign is in several different languages.

The amusing thing is that it's the local pick pockets who put the sign up!!!

What's the first thing the average tourist does when he sees the sign? Pats his pocket where his wallet is to reassure himself it's still where he put it. In so doing, of course he lets the pickpocket know where it is thus saving the enterprising thief time.

The very best art those from Sth America who target London and Paris during the holiday seasons. They work in teams and quickly pass the lifted wallet from team member to team member. Even if you feel it gone and grab the guy you think has it, it is already five team members away.

According to the copper I trained with in London, they mail them back en masse to a post box in their home town thus insuring there's no evidence to be found during a search at the airport or their flat.

You can make their job a tad harder. Immediately check after you've been "bumped" by anyone. Carry your wallet, or cash, in your front pockets and never an inside pocket on a jacket which is the easiest of all to lift. Ladies keep your pocket books/purses closed at all times. The biker trick of keeping a chain attached to your wallet and your belt isn't bad either. Doesn't look very fasionable but good luck getting one of those away from someone.

One of my mates on a body guard team I worked on had Velcro on his and Velcro in his pocket so it involved a modicum of effort to get it out.

Cut To Shreds

Do yourself a favour...if you don't have a cross-cut shredder yet get one tomorrow and start using it.

ID theft is a huge problem...and getting bigger all the time. Contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe the bad guys aren't hacking into your computer to get your info...they raid your letterbox and they raid your trash.

As a former Private Investigator a useful tool for us was to take some one's garbage and sort through it. You would be astounded at the amount of personal information people are dumping in their trash, assuming, incorrectly, that's once it's there it's safe from prying eyes. IT'S NOT!!!

When it comes to shredders the best ones are the cross cut shredders. (That means it cuts the paper both lengthwise and longways) Regular strip shredders can be circumvented by taking out the paper and (laboriously) putting it all back together. You can't do that with a cross cut because it makes your documents look like confetti.

What should go in the shredder? Pretty much anything that has an account number on it, phone number, address, PIN, Social Security Number et al.

Don't forget...the hundred dollars the shredder will cost is way cheaper and more convenient than sorting out a stolen identity and all the aggravation that surrounds repairing the damage.

Nick