Close Protection Officer: Work Experience

Have experience working in the security industry? Or maybe you are leaving the forces and looking for a new career. If you are thinking about becoming a Close Protection Officer in the latest Get Licensed work experience, we look at an area of work with lots of opportunities.

What is a Close Protection Officer?

The role of a Close Protection Officer is to protect a person or persons. These can be high-ranking officials or celebrities. The individual job roles will vary depending on who you are protecting at the time.

Close Protection Roles and Responsibilities

• Ensure the safety of a designated individual(s)

• Monitor surrounding activity and be able to detect suspicious or aggressive behaviour

• Drive the designated individual(s) to their destination

• Control crowds around your client

Skills required to be a CPO

• The ability to adapt to different situations

• Quick reactions

• The ability to take decisive action

• Great observational skills

• The ability to stay calm in potentially dangerous situations

What qualifications do you need?

In order to work as a close protection officer, you will need a Close Protection Licence. This is issued by the Security Industry Authority. In order to apply for this, you will first need to do a close protection course.

What experience is needed to become a Close Protection Officer?

You don’t need any experience to do the course and start applying for jobs. Experience within services or the police may help with jobs that require an element of danger to them. To find the latest security jobs, check out our Jobs Board, which has 1,000+ jobs from the UK’s best security companies. 

Close Protection Officer Salary

Earnings vary depending on the work you are doing. For low-risk work, this can be around £100 – £150 a day, but for higher-risk work, this can be above £500 a day.

Can Close Protection Officers carry guns in the UK?

In the UK, close protection or any other private security officer is not permitted to carry a gun. However, in case a client requires armed protection, that can be provided by the police, which is approved and provided entirely by the police. Armed police services are only provided to certain individuals, for example, government officials, foreign dignitaries or royalty. 

Top Close Protection Companies

1. UK Close Protection services
2. Westminister Security
3. Black Diamond Security
4. Mobius International Ltd
5. Intrepid Protection

SIA Close Protection Course

The Close Protection Training runs over 19-days and covers the knowledge, skills and practicals to help you prepare for the exam. 

Some of the roles you could find yourself working with a CPO Licence include:

• Bodyguarding for VIPs and celebrities
• Protection for high-net-worth individuals
• Private international assignments 
• Asset protection for high-end retailers
• Residential security  

Check our complete guide for more information regarding the Close Protection Training course. You can book the course on the GuardPass app or call us at 0207 078 7259. The GuardPass App is available for download on the Apple App Store or on the Google Play Store.