Close Protection Compliance Excellence
Manage SIA Close Protection licensing, operational documentation, and client requirements with digital tools designed for CP professionals.
The Challenge
Close protection operations require the highest levels of professional documentation and regulatory compliance. Every team member must hold a valid SIA Close Protection licence - one of the most stringent SIA licence categories. Operations involve detailed advance work, threat assessments, and operational planning that must be documented yet protected. When incidents occur or principals face threats, your documented due diligence and response procedures are scrutinised by insurers, legal teams, and potentially courts. International operations add complexity with varying legal frameworks and licensing requirements.
How Assistant Manager Solves Close Protection Compliance
Each module is designed to address the specific challenges close protection businesses face every day.
Checklist Management
Close protection requires meticulous preparation - advance work, route planning, venue assessment, and equipment readiness - all documented to demonstrate professional standards
The Problems
Why This Matters for Close Protection
- Advance work varies in quality - some team leaders complete thorough reconnaissance while others do minimal preparation before principal movements
Inconsistent advance work leads to operational surprises, poorly planned venues, and inadequate emergency procedures for specific locations
- Vehicle and equipment checks before deployment are rushed or skipped, with no documentation of pre-deployment verification
Vehicle faults or equipment failures occur during operations, compromising principal safety and professional standards
The Solution
How Checklist Management Helps
Structured advance work checklists, vehicle and equipment pre-deployment verification, and venue assessment documentation with secure storage
Every advance is conducted to consistent standards, pre-deployment checks are verified and documented, and operational planning is thorough and professional
Use Cases:
- • Advance work venue assessment checklists
- • Route reconnaissance documentation
- • Vehicle pre-deployment inspection
- • Equipment functionality verification
- • Emergency extraction planning
- • Medical facility identification
- • Communication check procedures
Feature Screenshot
Checklist Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Advance work varies in quality - some team leaders complete thorough reconnaissance while others do minimal preparation before principal movements
Real Scenario
"A team arrives at a venue without knowing there is no vehicle access to the rear for emergency extraction. The advance work notes simply said 'venue recce completed' with no details. When a threat emerges, evacuation options are limited."
Example 2: Vehicle and equipment checks before deployment are rushed or skipped, with no documentation of pre-deployment verification
Real Scenario
"During a highway journey, the protection vehicle develops a mechanical fault. Vehicle check documentation shows 'all OK' from that morning. Investigation reveals the check was never actually completed. The principal is stranded on the roadside."
Scheduling
Close protection scheduling must balance client requirements with regulatory compliance, specialist skill requirements, and operator welfare - fatigue is a critical safety factor in protection operations
The Problems
Why This Matters for Close Protection
- Team deployment assigns operators to details without confirming their SIA CP licence status or checking for specialist qualifications required for specific operations
Operators are deployed with expired licences or without required specialist skills, creating legal liability and compromising operational capability
- Complex multi-day operations require careful team rotation, but scheduling does not account for rest requirements and fatigue management
Operators work extended periods without adequate rest, concentration lapses, and safety is compromised during critical protection periods
The Solution
How Scheduling Helps
Team deployment with SIA CP licence validation, specialist qualification verification, fatigue management through rest scheduling, and multi-day operation planning
Only licensed and qualified operators are deployed, rest requirements are built into operational planning, and complex operations are properly resourced
Use Cases:
- • SIA CP licence verification for deployment
- • Specialist qualification matching (driving, medical, maritime)
- • Multi-day operation team rotation
- • Rest period and fatigue management
- • International operation planning
- • Advance team and principal team coordination
- • Reserve and backup operator allocation
Feature Screenshot
Scheduling
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Team deployment assigns operators to details without confirming their SIA CP licence status or checking for specialist qualifications required for specific operations
Real Scenario
"A team is deployed for a maritime operation. At embarkation, it emerges that one operator's CP licence expired last week and another lacks the required maritime qualification. The operation proceeds understaffed or the team is replaced - either option damages your reputation."
Example 2: Complex multi-day operations require careful team rotation, but scheduling does not account for rest requirements and fatigue management
Real Scenario
"A week-long operation involves 18-hour days with no rotation. By day five, operators are fatigued and reaction times are slower. An incident occurs where the fatigued team fails to respond as quickly as required. The client questions your operational competency."
Time & Attendance
Close protection work involves variable and often extended hours - accurate tracking is essential for both billing accuracy and compliance with Working Time Regulations and operator welfare
The Problems
Why This Matters for Close Protection
- Close protection operations involve variable hours - sometimes long protective details, sometimes short movements - making accurate time recording complex
Client billing is estimated rather than accurate, operator overtime is miscalculated, and Working Time Regulations compliance is unclear
- Operators on extended details work significant overtime but exact hours are not tracked, creating Working Time Regulations concerns
Operators exceed legal working hour limits, fatigued operators make errors, and the company is exposed to regulatory action
The Solution
How Time & Attendance Helps
Operation-based time tracking with client billing integration, cumulative working hour monitoring, and fatigue risk identification across multiple deployments
Every operation has accurate time records for billing, total working hours are tracked across assignments, and fatigue risks are identified proactively
Use Cases:
- • Operation time tracking with location verification
- • Client billing time documentation
- • Cumulative working hour monitoring
- • Working Time Regulations compliance
- • Rest period verification between deployments
- • Overtime calculation and approval
- • Multi-client time allocation
Feature Screenshot
Time & Attendance
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Close protection operations involve variable hours - sometimes long protective details, sometimes short movements - making accurate time recording complex
Real Scenario
"A client disputes a billing showing 14-hour days for a week-long operation. Your time records are informal notes that cannot be verified. Without accurate documentation, you negotiate down the bill at significant cost."
Example 2: Operators on extended details work significant overtime but exact hours are not tracked, creating Working Time Regulations concerns
Real Scenario
"An operator has worked 70 hours in the past week across two operations. Nobody tracked cumulative hours because each operation manager only saw their portion. The operator is exhausted and requests relief, but no replacement is immediately available."
Training & Development
Close protection operators require extensive ongoing training - first aid, driving, surveillance detection, physical intervention - and SIA CP licence renewal, all requiring systematic tracking
The Problems
Why This Matters for Close Protection
- Close protection requires SIA CP licence maintenance plus ongoing specialist training in first aid, driving, and evolving threat awareness - tracking all competencies is complex
Licence renewals are missed, first aid certifications expire, and operators do not maintain the specialist skills required for high-level operations
- Higher-risk operations require specific briefings and scenario training, but this preparation is informal and undocumented
Operators are deployed to challenging environments without adequate preparation, increasing risk to principals and team members
The Solution
How Training & Development Helps
SIA CP licence renewal tracking, specialist certification management, operation-specific briefing documentation, and scenario training records
All licensing and certifications are tracked proactively, operation-specific preparation is documented, and team competency is maintained at the highest level
Use Cases:
- • SIA Close Protection licence renewal management
- • First aid at work and trauma certification
- • Advanced driving qualification tracking
- • Physical intervention and use of force training
- • Surveillance detection awareness courses
- • Hostile environment preparation
- • Operation-specific briefing documentation
Feature Screenshot
Training & Development
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Close protection requires SIA CP licence maintenance plus ongoing specialist training in first aid, driving, and evolving threat awareness - tracking all competencies is complex
Real Scenario
"A principal suffers a medical emergency. The closest operator's first aid certification expired six months ago. While they attempt to help, their outdated training is evident. Post-incident review questions why you deployed an operator with expired medical training."
Example 2: Higher-risk operations require specific briefings and scenario training, but this preparation is informal and undocumented
Real Scenario
"An operation involves a hostile environment. The deployed team received a verbal briefing but no scenario training. When a threatening situation develops, the team's response is uncoordinated because they never practiced the procedures together."
HR Management
Close protection personnel have access to high-profile individuals and sensitive information - vetting must be thorough and ongoing, with availability management supporting rapid deployment
The Problems
Why This Matters for Close Protection
- Close protection operators require enhanced vetting given access to high-profile principals, but vetting standards and ongoing monitoring are inconsistent
Personnel with undisclosed issues are deployed to sensitive operations, risking principal safety and company reputation
- Operator availability for operations is unclear, with no central view of who is deployed, on leave, or available for new assignments
Operations are understaffed because availability is unclear, or operators are overworked because deployment is not visible across the business
The Solution
How HR Management Helps
Enhanced vetting procedures with ongoing monitoring, operator availability management, deployment history tracking, and secure personnel file storage
All operators are vetted to enhanced standards appropriate for the role, availability is visible across the business, and deployment history informs future assignments
Use Cases:
- • Enhanced personnel vetting procedures
- • Developed vetting and security clearance management
- • Operator availability and deployment tracking
- • Confidentiality agreement documentation
- • Reference verification for CP operators
- • Ongoing personnel monitoring protocols
- • Secure personnel file management
Feature Screenshot
HR Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Close protection operators require enhanced vetting given access to high-profile principals, but vetting standards and ongoing monitoring are inconsistent
Real Scenario
"An operator is discovered to have undisclosed financial problems that could make them vulnerable to compromise. A principal with a stalker threat is being protected by someone who might be susceptible to bribery. Your vetting failed to identify this risk."
Example 2: Operator availability for operations is unclear, with no central view of who is deployed, on leave, or available for new assignments
Real Scenario
"A new operation requires four operators at short notice. You spend hours calling team members to establish availability because there is no central view of current deployments and operator status."
Risk Assessment
Close protection requires systematic and ongoing risk assessment - initial threat analysis, venue and route assessment, and dynamic updates as situations develop throughout operations
The Problems
Why This Matters for Close Protection
- Threat assessments are produced at operation start but not updated as intelligence changes or threat levels evolve during the engagement
Protection measures remain static while threats develop, leaving principals inadequately protected against evolving risks
- Venue and route risk assessments are completed but do not follow consistent methodology, making quality variable and comparison difficult
Critical risks are missed at some venues while over-focus on minor concerns at others wastes resources and attention
The Solution
How Risk Assessment Helps
Standardised threat assessment methodology, dynamic threat updates during operations, venue and route risk assessment templates, and risk review workflows
All assessments follow consistent methodology, threat pictures are updated as intelligence develops, and risk decisions are documented and auditable
Use Cases:
- • Principal threat assessment methodology
- • Venue security risk assessments
- • Route risk analysis and alternatives
- • Dynamic threat picture updates
- • Event-specific risk assessments
- • Hostile environment threat analysis
- • Post-incident risk review and lessons
Feature Screenshot
Risk Assessment
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Threat assessments are produced at operation start but not updated as intelligence changes or threat levels evolve during the engagement
Real Scenario
"Initial threat assessment identified low risk from protests. During the operation, social media indicates increasing activist attention on the principal. The threat assessment is not updated and protection posture remains unchanged. The principal is confronted at a public event."
Example 2: Venue and route risk assessments are completed but do not follow consistent methodology, making quality variable and comparison difficult
Real Scenario
"An advance team assesses a venue and rates it low risk. Another team would have identified the significant crowd control issues. Different assessment approaches produce different conclusions for similar situations."
Incident Reporting
Close protection incident documentation must balance immediate operational response with thorough recording - incidents may be scrutinised legally years later
The Problems
Why This Matters for Close Protection
- Incidents and near-misses during operations are not consistently documented - operators focus on managing the situation rather than recording it
When clients, insurers, or legal teams need incident details, documentation is incomplete, memories have faded, and professional standards cannot be demonstrated
- Threat incidents and suspicious activity are reported to the immediate team but not formally documented or analysed for patterns
Intelligence about threats is lost, patterns are not identified, and future operations do not benefit from lessons learned
The Solution
How Incident Reporting Helps
Structured incident documentation with secure storage, suspicious activity reporting with pattern analysis, and post-operation debriefing records
Every incident is documented contemporaneously, suspicious activity is captured and analysed for patterns, and operational lessons are recorded and applied
Use Cases:
- • Security incident documentation
- • Suspicious activity reporting and analysis
- • Threat intelligence logging
- • Use of force documentation
- • Near-miss and concern reporting
- • Post-operation debriefing records
- • Client communication logs
Feature Screenshot
Incident Reporting
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Incidents and near-misses during operations are not consistently documented - operators focus on managing the situation rather than recording it
Real Scenario
"An incident during a movement results in the principal making an insurance claim months later. Your operators remember the incident but there is no contemporaneous documentation. The insurer questions your professionalism and the claim is complicated."
Example 2: Threat incidents and suspicious activity are reported to the immediate team but not formally documented or analysed for patterns
Real Scenario
"An operator notices surveillance activity during three separate operations but each time it was verbally reported and forgotten. When the principal is approached by a stalker, review reveals the pattern was detectable if reports had been properly documented and analysed."
COSHH Management
Close protection may involve industrial site visits, emergency first aid, or chemical threat response - operators need appropriate COSHH awareness for these scenarios
The Problems
Why This Matters for Close Protection
- Close protection operators may need to use various products during operations - first aid materials, decontamination products, or vehicle maintenance items - without COSHH awareness
Operators are exposed to hazards from emergency products or cannot properly advise principals on chemical threat response
- Operations in industrial or chemical facilities require COSHH awareness that operators may lack
Operators cannot properly assess chemical hazards during venue advances or respond appropriately to chemical incidents at industrial sites
The Solution
How COSHH Management Helps
COSHH training for first aid and decontamination products, industrial facility hazard briefings, and chemical threat response protocols
Operators understand hazards from products they may use, can assess chemical hazards during advance work, and can respond appropriately to chemical threats
Use Cases:
- • First aid product safety awareness
- • Chemical decontamination procedures
- • Industrial site COSHH briefings
- • Vehicle maintenance product safety
- • Chemical threat response protocols
- • Hazmat awareness for protection teams
- • Emergency medical supply management
Feature Screenshot
COSHH Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Close protection operators may need to use various products during operations - first aid materials, decontamination products, or vehicle maintenance items - without COSHH awareness
Real Scenario
"An operator uses a chemical decontamination product after a suspected substance attack on the principal. They do not follow proper procedures and suffer skin irritation. The product had specific usage requirements that were not communicated."
Example 2: Operations in industrial or chemical facilities require COSHH awareness that operators may lack
Real Scenario
"An advance team assesses a chemical plant venue but lacks the knowledge to identify specific hazards in different areas. Their risk assessment fails to note areas requiring specific PPE, leading to operational complications during the visit."
Results Close Protection Businesses Achieve
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Join Close Protection teams using Assistant Manager to maintain operational excellence and SIA compliance.