Still widely considered as a niche job, close protection is one of those professions that have many myths surrounding them, probably because this is such an intriguing job to have. Many individuals who would actually need close protection due to their job requirements or public positions often refuse to get bodyguards because of these popular culture myths. This being the case, below you will read some of the most widely spread myths about close protection and why they should not be considered to be true.
Only celebrities have bodyguards
Celebrities have a big influence over our daily lives, whether we like it or not. They are probably the first people where we have seen close protection services deployed, and probably more than once we have considered this to be an ego thing, not necessarily a necessity. The truth is, you don’t have to be a famous person to get a bodyguard, and those celebrities probably needed that close protection services to make them feel safer when meeting with fans. Once you look closer, you will find that meeting with hysterical fans is not always a smooth process, and there are many, many people who are not celebrities that require a bodyguard because of their position or because of the information they withhold due to their job description.
Bodyguards always become close friends with their clients
This is a major myth that is mostly fueled by Hollywood and TV dramas. A close protection officer always has to know the boundaries and the limits they have to respect from a simple reason, if they cross their limits than they can no longer stay focused on their job and the risk of the client being in peril rises. If you are curious as to where to find such as bodyguard, contact Westminster Security, a London security company that only works with expertly trained and experienced close protection personnel. That being said, bodyguards should not be confused with mindless robots, because they are human and they have feelings too, it’s just that they have to keep a high level of professionalism in order to protect their clients.
Close protection officers are always oversized
In addition to this being a generalization right from the start, you will probably be surprised to learn that most close protection personnel prefers to stay out of site and be as non-intrusive as possible. Training and experience gained over time will more than compensate for a slim body that blends in with the crowd.
Bodyguards live a classy life
Close protection assignments can often lead to missions in fabulous locations and staying only at five star hotels, that’s true, but once the assignment is over they go back to their normal lives. This myth is easy to debunk, because bodyguards certainly don’t have the life of their clients. It’s like working as a waiter in a five star hotel, and people believing that you are always at that hotel because you afford staying there. The two have nothing to do with each other, and once the job is over each bodyguard return to his daily life, whatever that might be.
