Most of our close protection work begins long before anyone is in danger. We walk the routes our clients will take. We check the rooms they’ll pass through, visit and stay in. Timings are agreed days and sometimes weeks in advance, so that when the day comes, nothing is a surprise.
But threats don’t keep to schedules. They arrive uninvited, unannounced and never play fair.
So, when this happens, weeks of planning can get compressed into hours, and the only thing that makes it all possible is experience. That’s why I surround myself with people who have done this many times before, in situations where getting it wrong is never an option.
Recently, an international partner came to us with an urgent request on behalf of their New Zealand-based client. The client’s business had come under threat from an individual, and this threat was serious enough that its building was evacuated and more than 150 employees were sent to work from home.
Within four hours of that call, Templeman had completed a risk and threat assessment and deployed close protection agents around the clock to a key manager, his family and their home. The agents came from New Zealand Police specialist units and the New Zealand SAS. At short notice we also installed technical surveillance equipment to support the protective screen around them.
Then there was the business itself. A company can’t run for long with its people at home and its office empty. So, we provided the security advice and personnel that allowed staff to return to the office and get back to work with confidence in their safety.
The staff and management affected were very appreciative, and the client’s US-based representative described our response as outstanding. I’m incredibly proud of the team for that.
Yes, it’s a concern that events like this are becoming more common in New Zealand. But when the warning gives you hours and not weeks, it’s important to have people who know what to do in the time you have.
