Argus Europe Ltd

US Maintains Security Force in Iraq

Julie — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:05:03 +0000

After seven and a half years, the American military’s combat mission in Iraq formally ends on Tuesday - but almost 50,000 troops will remain to train and advise Iraqi security forces.

Some fear that the northern city of Kirkuk could become a future flashpoint when American forces depart at the end of next year. Kurdish and Arab communities both claim territory in the area.

‘Terror charge’ facing plane pair

Julie — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:04:04 +0000

Airline security continues to be a major issue and the onus is on all of us to be vigilant and aware at all times.

The latest incident involves two men who were arrested on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Amsterdam.

After US officials found a knife, box cutter and mobile phone taped to a medicine bottle in checked luggage, the two men on a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam, were reportedly facing a terror charge.

The men were identified by a US law enforcement official on the United Airlines flight as Hezam al Murisi and Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi .

Al Soofi had a Michigan address the official said. A neighbour, who first reported the incident on Monday, told ABC news that al Soofi was from Yemen.

FBI agents visited the Detroit neighbourhood, according to neighbours, who would not supply their names, where several addresses were found for variations of al Soofi’s name.

ABC news said that Al Murisi and Al Soofi were charged in the Netherlands with “preparation of a terrorist attack”, but US officials would not confirm that.

Another law enforcement official said the men had not been charged with anything in the US.

Al Soofi was questioned as he went through security in Alabama on his way to Chicago an official said. Al Soofi told the Transportation Security Administration authorities he was carrying a lot of money. He was found with 7,000 dollars (£4,500) on him by screeners, but he was not breaking any law by carrying that much cash. Several mobile phones and watches taped together in his checked baggage were also found.

Al Soofi was supposed to fly from Chicago to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, and then on to Amsterdam the official said but he changed his travel plans when he arrived in Chicago to take a direct flight from Chicago to Amsterdam.

Al Murisi also changed his travel plans when he arrived Chicago to take a direct flight to Amsterdam, which raised suspicion among US officials. US air marshals were on the flight from Chicago to Amsterdam the US officials said.

Homeland Security spokeswoman, Amy Kudwa, said once officials found suspicious items in luggage associated with two passengers on Sunday night’s flight, they notified the Dutch authorities. She said she would not identify the passengers as “The items were not deemed to be dangerous”.

Which Association?

nmc — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:03:00 +0000

There are a multitude of Security Industry related associations out there so the question is, which one should you join? Should you join more than one? Well, here are some questions to ask yourself before you put your hand in your pocket:

what you are specialising in?
do you have a budget?
have you had any personal recommendations?
what are you trying to achieve by joining an Association?

For those interested in the Private Investigations side of life we wholeheartedly endorse the Association of British Investigators. This Association is approaching its centenary which says a lot about any organisation. The ABI is not a free to join Association but it is one that is full of professional people who strive to represent the Association to the best of their ability. The ABI has the ‘one list’ where members can correspond with each other, asking questions, debating topics and asking for help with various jobs. Job postings go up ion a daily basis and are spread across the various roles of the Private Investigator. To join the ABI you have to undergo an interview and sit an entrance exam but do not be put off by this if you are new to the game, speak with them and they will advise you accordingly.

Ideally try to spread yourself locally, nationally and internationally when selecting your Associations. So, an example of local could be your local Chambers of Commerce, Nationally could be something like the ABI and internationally an organisation such as ASIS could be the way to go. ASIS has over 37 000 members and their website is well worth taking a look at. ASIS is another paid for membership but having a subscription does have certain benefits over the free ‘forums’ that seem to have proliferated over the last few years, the main one being professionalism. When you pay for something you are generally representing yourself or a company and have your reputation to uphold, as a free member under a ’screen name’ you can say what you want and have no fear of any loss of face/reputation at all. There is nothing professional about this at all and it will do you no good so steer away!

One area that is free that has some very high level discussions going on is LinkedIn and this is well worth checking out as it can be a great way to connect with those in your sector or those in sectors in which you have an interest in pursuing new contacts. LinkedIn has some seriously high level discussions going on so make sure that you represent yourself to the very best of your ability or you could end up looking really bad in front of those that you are trying to impress the most.

Argus Europe is a corporate member of The British Bodyguard Association , an Association that Nick McCarthy, one of our instructors and operators, is heavily involved with. The BBA is a not for profit organisation that has various membership scales starting at £40 for individual members, that works out at around 77p per week. For this you get 1 years membership, a membership pack including a members lapel pin, certificate of membership, the latest issue of The Circuit Magazine along with some promotional material from various sponsors. You also get a yearly subscription to the magazine which is published quarterly. The BBA has a members only online area where the etiquette is excellent. There is also a employment section to which members can subscribe and receive e-mail alerts when a new position is posted. We believe that this excellent value and something that is aiming to improve professionalism within the industry across the board.

So then, above are some places to take a look at as you begin your search for the Association of your choice. If you have a budget then stick to it and if you cab get recommendations from others then make use of them but be aware that just because Association ‘a’ was not recommended by one person it does not mean that it will not work for you! What do you want out of it? Work, networking or information gathering? Make sure that you know before you take the plunge but take the plunge you must.

Good luck!

Security review by Downing Street over ‘near miss’

Julie — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:46:28 +0000

Planning ahead to avoid potential threats is the cornerstone of any security operation. It has been graphically demonstrated with the news that David Cameron almost came under attack from the Taliban during a recent trip to Afghanistan.

During a visit earlier this year an RAF Chinook transporting the PM was forced into a last minute diversion because of the threat.

Sources have told The Times that the attempt on June 10 was “much closer than anyone said at the time”, prompting calls from senior military figures for a security shake-up at Number 10.

Among the options being urged is a news blackout for future visits, to be lifted only when the Prime Minister has left the war zone, it was reported.

The threat arose during Mr Cameron’s first visit to Afghanistan as Prime Minister. He had been due to fly to the Shahzad base in Helmand to meet troops from the 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment.

But his Chinook helicopter was forced to change direction at the last minute to the main operating base in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.

Intelligence suggested insurgents might be planning to bring down a helicopter. Further information then indicated a possible attack on a VIP.

At that point the commander of Taskforce Helmand, Brigadier Richard Felton, who was due to meet Mr Cameron at the base, decided it was too dangerous for the visit to continue and it was called off.

The Times said senior military figures believe the planned attack was more advanced than previously admitted and that insurgents knew which helicopter was carrying Mr Cameron.

Spy murder clues search by Police

Julie — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:40:15 +0000

Detectives are picking over the murdered British spy’s private life hoping they can identify his killer.

Codes expert, 30 year old Gareth Williams’ decomposing body was found in his London government flat in a bag in the bath.

He was on a one-year secondment to the headquarters of MI6 from his job at national “listening post” GCHQ in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and was only days away from completing it.

The postmortem examination was inconclusive - further tests are being carried out to determine how Gareth Williams, a fitness fanatic, died. The tests could determine if drugs and alcohol were present in his system and also if he was strangled or asphyxiated.

It was thought that Mr. Williams was on holiday at the time of his death and Police believe that his body could have lain undiscovered for up to a fortnight. Mr. Williams was an extremely private person his family said. The Police believe that the key to solving the case could lie in his private life.
As there were was no sign of forced entry at Mr. Williams’ top-floor flat in Alderney Street, Pimlico, investigators suspect that Mr. Williams, who was originally from North Wales may have known his killer.

The cousin of Gareth William’s wife, William Hughes said the family is in deep shock. “The last time he saw Gareth he was fine which was a few months ago at a family party. Gareth was always a quite person even from a young age. The family is very close and all see each other regularly at family occasions.”

Mr. Hughes added: “I knew he worked at GCHQ and he had been working in London but I didn’t know what he did. It wasn’t said that we shouldn’t talk about it, I simply never asked and he never told me. He was a bright boy from a young age and his parents were very proud of him.”

His death is “suspicious and unexplained” investigators say.

CIA ‘exporter of terrorism’ report released by Wikileaks

Julie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:27:34 +0000

This report cites attacks by US-based or ﬁnanced Jewish, Muslim and Irish-nationalism terrorists.

Wikileaks whistle-blowing website has published a CIA memo examining the implications of the US being perceived as an “exporter of terrorism”.

The February 2010 three page report says the participation of US-based individuals in terrorism is “not a recent phenomenon”. It cites several alleged terrorist acts by US residents.

The report was played down by an official from the CIA’s so-called Red Cell, saying it was “not exactly a blockbuster paper”.

The CIA website says The Red Cell was set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacksd to offer an “out-of-the-box” approach and “produce memos intended to provoke thought rather than to provide authoritative assessment.

These sorts of analytic products - clearly identified as coming from the Agency’s ‘Red Cell’ - are designed simply to present different points of view and provoke thought” said CIA spokesman George Little.

The report questions how foreign perceptions of the US could change with continued attacks and highlights attacks by US-based or US-financed Jewish, Muslim and Irish American terrorists.

“A lot of attention has been paid recently to the increasing occurrence of American-grown Islamic terrorists conducting attacks against US targets, primarily in the homeland. The report says that less attention has been paid to homegrown terrorism, not exclusively Muslim terrorists, exported overseas to target non-US persons.”

The memo titled “What If Foreigners See the United States as an ‘Exporter of Terrorism’?, concludes that if the US is perceived by other nations as an “exporter of terrorism”, those countries may be less willing to co-operate with the US in the detention, interrogation and transfer if future suspects.

On 23rd July Wikileaks published 76,000 secret US military logs detailing military actions in Afghanistan, an act the US authorities described as highly irresponsible.

Once the website has completed a review aimed at minimizing the risk that their publication could put people’s lives in danger, it will release a further 15,000 further sensitive documents.

Situational Awareness Exercises!

nmc — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:41:00 +0000

Situational awareness is a vital asset that all Close protection Officers and Surveillance Operators should posses and something that all Training Providers should exercise their students in and anyone who is managing a long term contract should drill their employees in so that skills and senses remain sharp!

We conduct various exercise of this nature during our CP & Surveillance Courses and you can take a look at one such exercise by visiting our home page and taking a look at the video at the bottom of the page. What would you do? Drive through? Reverse? Making good, quick decisions is vital!

Click this to take a look at our Situational Awareness footage and other YouTube videos!

Philippines hostage drama - two Britons survive

Julie — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:37:31 +0000

Fortunately it doesn’t happen very often but the plight of two British nationals in the Philippines hostage drama highlights just what can go wrong when travelling abroad.

The ordeal on a bus in Manila which lasted 12 hours ended with the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists along with their Filipino hostage-taker after negotiations failed.

“We can confirm that two of the released hostages are British nationals.” A spokesman for the Foreign Office said.

“We are not aware of any involvement with any other British Nationals and have offered consular assistance and stand ready to provide it if requested.

It is understood, according to sources, that the British nationals are an elderly couple from Hong Kong.

The sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza, 55, seized the busload of 21 tourists and four locals and was armed with an M16 rifle and pistol and demanded his reinstatement to the force.

It all ended in bloodshed on live TV after the gunman fired at the tourists, killing eight of them and the police storming the bus and killing the gunman.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi telephoned his Philippines counterpart Alberto Romulo to voice his concern and said his government was appalled. The Chinese government demands the Philippine government launch a thorough investigation into the incident as soon as possible.

Philippines police promised to review all events leading to the deaths and also defended their action - there will also be an internal audit. National police spokesman Agrimero Cruz said that they will look at whether what they did was right.

Newspaper reports added that Rolando Mendoza was among five officers who had been charged with extortion, robbery and grave threats after a complaint was filed by a Manila hotel chef alleging they falsely accused him of extorting money through drugs. Rolando Mendoza claimed he was innocent but was subsequently fired.

Female Bodyguards? Who needs them and why?

nmc — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:26:51 +0000

Elijah Shaw, CEO of Icon Services talks about the need for female BG’s within the industry. Although ICON are based in the US Elijah speaks some wise words that apply across the board!

How long should a BG course be?

nmc — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:58:04 +0000

This question is often asked on many of the internet forums that peopel visit and often provides heated statements from various parties! Commercially there is always going to be a trade-off between time and profit margins and anyone who says otherwise is simply not telling the truth!

Is 10 days long enough given the current course content? That would amount to around 15 hours a day being worked by course students over the 10 day period! Although we all appreciate that working long hours is part of the job and should be replicated in parts of the course would this sustained effort over a 10 day period allow for the subjects to be covered in a comprehensive fashion? Would students be able to take on-board all of what has been taught and be able to apply it? Would this allow for realistic and challenging exercises? We think not.

We think not - our surveillance phase is itself 7 days in duration followed by 12 days on Close Protection and pre-ceded by 3 days 1st aid training meaning that you spend 22 days with us learning your trade! Would we like to do longer? In an ideal world of course we would but finding people able to commit to this extended period of time and added expense would not be easy.