Close Protection - Case Studies

Kenneth Somerville

Aged 28, Corporal Kenneth Somerville exchanged the First Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment for a new career in close protection. His eight years’ service included operational tours, and he values his ‘instructor qualifications, Close Observation Platoon experience and skills in map reading, covert search, communications, leadership and general military knowledge.’

His Career Transition Workshop provided an ‘insight into transferable skills and CV writing,’ which he followed with a CP course with the Nemesis Group. This was: ‘Extremely well run, with a high standard of instruction maintained throughout, and a fantastic relationship between the student and the company, which even after the course is over is helping to find future employment.’

Somerville sent his CV round CP companies, and started operating in Kirkuk, Northern Iraq. He now ‘runs a security team on a static location with two teams of nine men working on a 24-hour daily basis. This is a high profile and high risk job which involves a lot of liaison with the police and the client. It is also an intelligence gathering task. I’m also dealing with the welfare and management of the guys on the ground and making sure that professional standards are kept up.

‘I like the fact that what you put into your work is what you get out, and the harder you work the more you earn. Most of this work comes word of mouth.’

Published July 07

Graham Hill

Warrant Officer Class 2 Graham Hill, 41, served 22 years in the Royal Artillery, leaving last year as a Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant after a typical mix of operational tours, training and garrison duties. He finds his management experience and exposure to different cultures useful and values an ability to ‘think straight in a crisis’.

A ‘useful’ Career Transition Workshop led to an ‘excellent and essential’ close protection course with Nemesis Group Limited. ‘To be a registered operator in the UK you needed to have successfully completed a Security Industry Authority recognised course, including a mandatory 150 hours training and relevant training objectives.

‘The four-week course covers subjects from threat and risk assessments to search techniques and criminal law. I gained extra qualifications in first aid, and there was a good balance between theory and practical with time for hands-on exercises which are essential for anyone new in the industry.

‘CP was taught by ex-special forces guys, who not only had the knowledge and experience but the ability to teach. Practical lessons and exercises took us all over the surrounding area using airports, shopping centres, restaurants and hotels. Essential vehicle drills were thoroughly covered.’

Hill is now the Baghdad-based Quartermaster for Control Risks, having started as an operator in the Kirkuk area. As well as the administrative and logistic requirements of his job, he also works in armed security and watch-keeping. He enjoys industry ‘freedoms and rewards,’ and many similarities to life in the Services albeit with a faster pace of life and a greatly increased salary.

Published January 08

Tony Atkinson

Tony Atkinson left the Army’s Royal Engineers as a Warrant Officer Class 2 (Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant) plant operator after 22 years’ service in Norway, Germany, USA, Canada, Belize, Oman, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iraq, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands and Bosnia. He was ‘ready for another challenge’, in which to use the ‘discipline, loyalty and professionalism that is instilled within the military environment’.

A Career Transition Workshop ‘addressed a lot of issues on the resettlement process,’ and he attended a CP course with Nemesis Group in which ‘the student/instructor ratio is excellent, the experience and knowledge of all the instructors is unbelievable and the after support is first class.’ He also found the RFEA job finding service to be ‘very useful in identifying potential positions.’

He found his first job as a close protection officer on a job in Oxfordshire through ‘a friend of a friend’. It was supposed to last two weeks but Atkinson is still there 11 months later, now as operations manager. The job involves providing 24-hour security at a large industrial site. Teams provide a high presence footprint to deter any possible action against the location, which has been ‘targeted by activist groups and is a potential terrorist target.

‘I really enjoy predominately working with ex-Service personnel. The humour and professionalism is excellent. I like the fact that the guys are briefed as to what is expected and the standards required and they just get on and constantly produce the results. There is no micro-management and everyone produces a good day’s work for a good day’s pay.’ Talking of which, he reports a massive difference in salary – ‘twice the daily rate whilst serving’ – but this only applies when he is working.

Published November 08