What to Look for When Hiring a Close Protection Company

The close protection market in the UK is unregulated at the company level. Individual operatives must hold a valid SIA licence, but the companies that employ or deploy them face no equivalent requirement. That means the gap between a professional, accountable provider and one that is simply filling a gap in the market can be significant — and it isn't always visible from a website.

If you're in the process of finding a close protection company, here's what you should be looking for, and the questions worth asking before you commit to anyone.

Start With Licensing — But Don't Stop There

Every close protection operative working in the UK must hold a valid SIA Close Protection licence. This is a legal requirement, not a nice-to-have, and you can verify any licence directly through the SIA's public checker. If a company can't or won't provide licence numbers for their operatives, that tells you everything you need to know.

That said, licensing is a floor, not a ceiling. The SIA qualification demonstrates that someone has passed a regulated training programme. It doesn't tell you how much operational experience they have, what environments they've worked in, or whether they're capable of managing a genuinely complex situation. Licence first — then look deeper.

What Happens Before the Operative Turns Up

Professional close protection starts with planning, not deployment. Before a principal arrives at any location, a competent team will have already assessed it — entry and exit routes, venue vulnerabilities, emergency access, nearest medical facilities, what happens if something goes wrong. This is advance work, and it's one of the clearest indicators of how seriously a company approaches the role.

Ask any company you're considering whether they conduct advance work as standard, or only when it's specifically requested. Ask whether they carry out a threat assessment before recommending a level of service. If the conversation jumps straight to rates and operatives without touching on planning, that's a sign the company is primarily selling bodies rather than managed protection.

Experience Is Not the Same as Qualifications

There's a meaningful difference between an operative who completed their SIA training recently and one who has spent years managing complex deployments — hostile environments, high-profile principals under credible threat, multi-leg international travel with advance work at every stage. Qualifications confirm a baseline. Experience is what actually shapes how someone performs when things don't go to plan.

When speaking to a company, ask about the backgrounds of the people they deploy. Military, law enforcement, and government protection backgrounds are common at the more capable end of the market. More importantly, ask whether the leadership of the company has direct operational experience, or whether the principals are removed from the ground entirely. A boutique firm led by a practitioner is often a more reliable choice than a larger organisation where senior staff haven't worked operational close protection in years.

Discretion Is a Capability, Not a Preference

The most effective protection is usually the least visible. A heavy security presence can attract the kind of attention it's supposed to prevent, create friction in professional and social settings, and signal the principal's location to anyone paying attention. Good close protection operates in the background — the principal moves naturally through their day while risk is managed quietly around them.

Ask how the company approaches low-profile work. Can they operate in a way that fits naturally into a corporate environment, a private dinner, an international business trip? Do they understand the difference between visible deterrence and genuinely managing a threat environment? A company that defaults to presence over planning may be filling a perception gap rather than addressing an actual risk.

Documentation and Accountability

How a close protection company communicates and documents its work is a reliable indicator of how professionally it operates. Look for written proposals that clearly define scope — what's included, what isn't, and under what circumstances. Look for service agreements rather than verbal understandings. Ask whether post-task reporting is standard, and what format that takes.

Confidentiality should be handled as a matter of course, not something you need to push for. Your movements, your vulnerabilities, your personal circumstances — all of this is sensitive information, and a professional provider will have clear processes for managing it without you needing to ask.

The Right Fit for Your Specific Requirement

Not every close protection company is built for every type of task. Some specialise in celebrity and entertainment work. Some focus on corporate executive protection and international travel. Some have established networks in specific high-risk regions; others operate predominantly in the UK. The best providers will tell you honestly if your requirement falls outside their primary area of expertise rather than claiming to do everything equally well.

The question worth asking directly is whether the company has managed situations similar to yours before. A credible answer will be specific. A vague one should prompt further questions.

A Final Note

Hiring a close protection company is a decision that deserves the same rigour you'd apply to any other significant professional engagement. The questions above aren't designed to catch anyone out — they're the ones any reputable provider should be able to answer clearly and without hesitation.

If you'd like a straightforward conversation about your situation — whether you have an immediate requirement or you're simply trying to understand whether close protection is the right solution — get in touch with Prospera. We'll give you an honest answer before we give you anything else.