Being a modern professional security driver in the world of executive protection takes a lot more than just knowing how to get your client from point A to B. On today’s podcast we’re going to take a deep dive into this often under-appreciated role to find out what it means to be classified as a legitimate security driver.

If you’re a protector, you know the sense of relief you feel when you turn up to an assignment and realise, you’re working alongside a skilled and professional security driver. But what does it take to get to that standard? 

On today’s show, our guest is Neil Davis OBE, Co-Founder of Secure Ground Transportation, and a long-time veteran of the industry. We’re going to discuss the role of the security driver on EP operations and we’ll also cover…

• How has protected Mobility evolved, coming out of the pandemic, and what changes have you seen in client vehicle selection?
• Where will the next generation of security drivers be sourced from and what makes a quality driver as part of an executive protection team?
• What are the limitations of self-driving vehicles and do they have a place in executive protection?
• With all the advancements in tech, what is being done to address the threat of espionage and safeguard privacy for principals when on the move?

Neil’s passion for this subject is evident, and as he reminds us: 

“The term security driver and security driving. They’re not marketing buzzwords. That is a statement of training.”

More about Neil:

Neil has been a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists for over 20 years and holds a 1st which is the highest driving qualification they award. He also holds an iQ (Industry Qualification) Level 4 in Security Driving, Vehicle Management.  This is the highest civilian security driving qualification in the United Kingdom. The course was designed and is run by a former Metropolitan Police Special Escort Group training Sergeant.  Neil is First Aid trained and as one would expect carries a full First Aid Kit and AED in his vehicle at all times. 

Neil has a passion for helping others and giving back to the community.  He recently completed a charity bike ride from Cardiff to Swansea raising money for a cancer hospital in Cardiff. He was a school governor which is a voluntary position and ended up as the National Chairman.  He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to Education. 

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Secure Ground Transportation

More about the Circuit:

The Circuit Magazine is written and produced by volunteers, most of who are operationally active, working full time in the security industry. The magazine is a product of their combined passion and desire to give something back to the industry. By subscribing to the magazine you are helping to keep it going into the future. Find out more >

If you liked this podcast, we have an accompanying weekly newsletter called 'On the Circuit' where we take a deeper dive into the wider industry. Opt in here >

The Circuit team is:

• Elijah Shaw
• Jon Moss
• Shaun West
• Phelim Rowe

Connect with Us: 

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Some people will see it as possibly a

licensed to drive like a lunatic.

But when you've got a principal on the board, just imagine you're in

Knightsbridge and you were looking along past Harrods and there you've

got six range rovers, 5s classes, four seven series, half a dozen V classes.

Who's going to be the security drive around to that lot.

And you will never know until things go wrong and that security driver's

got to flick a switch and then.

Hold on.

I'm getting you out of here because we've got trouble.

welcome to the circuit magazine.

The number one source for information on protection matters.

The industry leading magazine for all security professionals who

want to stay ahead of the game.

Security driving and the EAP professional today, we're going to

be talking with Neil Davis co-founder of secure ground transportation.

Uh, I'm here with Shaun West, Shaun surely this is a topic

that everybody knows about.

Why do we need to do a session on protected mobility?

You would think everyone knows about this, but

that's not always the case.

I mean, security driving.

Just being able to drive a vehicle and having a security background, it

requires skill and knowledge to be able to move the principal for me.

And see if it's a drought and that's across many environments as well.

There's all sorts of that can go into that, you know, route selection, positive

awareness control of high power vehicles.

And you've also got the principal in the car.

So you've got the pressure of the principal being in the car.

If an incident happens off, if there's an accident in front,

there's lots of things you're taking.

By having a good security trend driver on the team and allows the rest

of the team to do their jobs correctly

as well, because they know you're focusing on the vehicle.

I'd get that vehicle from point a to B safely.

Absolutely.

Cause I mean, all right, maybe not everyone can afford the luxury if it is

a luxury, but if you are a one person team, you cannot go and park the car

up and then go find the principal.

So somebody has to be there.

The driver has to be separate to the EPA team.

Surely nobody simply hires a security driver and then jumps out.

And then the security driver comes to find them later.

Surely everybody who's minded to employ some security will have an

AP professional and the driver.

No, I think that's not always the case, but a lot of it comes

down to budgets and, and threat profiles who the principal is.

Know, some of them may want to be located.

They just want to drive to get them from point a to point B safely and securely.

Um, where, if you're an individual who has a lot of time in the public

eye, your security would be uplifted.

You know, maybe you have a security driver or a driver unsecurity, each

task is unique and yeah, 90%, 99% of the time it will come down to budget.

Okay.

And then why.

Is everyone not driving around in a B6 B seven armored vehicle?

Surely that's a sure-fire way of being more secure, um,

or is this country specific?

I think it

is country specific.

And also there's if, say for instance, if you're driving home in

the year, If there's no high threats on your principle, then why would

you need a normal vehicle having some form of, you know, big vehicle?

Like if your presence on the road see a range, for instance, you know,

you're nice and secure in the cup.

Ideally there's no courage of firearms in the UK legally.

Um, whereas if you were flying out, if you're working out in

Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, you have to be a lot more requirement

for having an all orbit type of.

For transporting principles, depending on how you're operating, whether

you're operating high-profile or you're going more covert new field

of operations, I guess each same.

Again, each situation client is unique and it's different requirements

that would basically resonate with a lot of, uh, ex service personnel.

You know, if you do go up to a sensitive situation in some sort of M rap, you

kind of get a different response from if you went in a soft top very carefully,

or maybe you even took a local taxi, it depends on how you want to blend

in or how you don't want to blend in.

Yeah, for sure.

And the maneuverability of an armored vehicle.

The cm has a vehicle that is not in all my vehicle.

Um, so legacy, I think for each job task that's out there, I guess at

the start of the task, there will be some sort of threat assessment and

there'll be a decision made by whoever there is a director of security.

Whoever's holding the purse strings on what the requirements are to

provide the best security to, and

our, you know, circuit magazine audience is probably thinking,

yeah, I know all this because I deal with security drivers, um, you

know, every day and yet it's often not where we would like it to be.

So we've got, uh, the Glasgow summit finishing up, uh, this week, next

week, we've got lots of interests.

Things coming up and interesting assignments.

Why should we be getting our community to pay more attention to the value

of a bonafide security driver in, in place of an AP professional,

thinking that they'll wing it?

I think there's a lot of value in if you're making a transition

from your, your day job as a CPO or executive protection professional,

I've always been of the mindset.

Well, whatever I'm working on, I'll throw myself fully into that role.

You all develop myself, I'll carry out trading.

I learn everything that I can to deliver that role to the best of my ability.

And with, as I was saying, every individual is very different.

If you're in a job.

You know, you're getting paid every month, every week, whatever, it may be.

Some people are happy with us.

They come to work at nine o'clock.

They go home at five and then they switch off where you'll have individuals, that

their profession is also a passion.

You know, when you want to Excel in what you do.

And I think if you are an executive protection professional, by throwing

your, if you're looking to transition into being a security driver,

there's lots of training out there.

And if you carry out that training and you set yourself above everybody

else, you're gonna put yourself in a lot better position moving forward.

You know, to get on one of these teams as a security driver, because

you'll have a lot more qualifications.

And, you know, if you get checked out for a trial road in the vehicle,

you'll have that inbred in-depth knowledge, which you can talk about a.

It

will.

And let's then hear from, uh, Neil Davis himself, uh, obviously a

longstanding friend of us and the industry and someone that has in fact

also spoken on our protected mobility forum that we ran earlier this year.

Very much looking forward to this Neil Davis secure rounds, transportation.

and now let's meet one of the contributors

to the circuit magazine.

Looking under the hood of protected mobility.

We're here with Neil Davis, co-founder of secure ground transportation

at Shawn west and myself.

We're very pleased to have you on how are you doing

fine.

Thank you.

Thanks for inviting me.

Absolute pleasure.

Absolute pleasure.

Well, especially.

Uh, you know, the topic of vehicles, mobility protecting the principle.

It seems core to everyone's day job in the EAP world.

But what would you say is the sort of problem at the moment with

protecting mobility that perhaps you're, you're trying to solve?

So

there's, there's two points here.

There's there's one, the principal who wants EAP.

But however, doesn't see the need to do it properly in the protective

worlds role or through their eyes.

And by that, I mean, you know, you can do one job at a time.

I know we all multitask, you know, we're juggling balls.

However, when it comes to protecting people, you know,

you're either EAP out on foot.

Once you debus the vehicle or you're, or your.

You're a security driver, the two roles you can't do together.

So trying to get that across to a principal that, you

know, like, I want security.

Okay.

You can have your security and you needed me to security driver.

So, so that's, that's the one thing.

The principal doesn't always see that there is, uh, a different role

to be played by both, both people.

The other one is people in the security industry actually, who try to do.

As one person.

And, and to my mind, I think they're letting the, letting the team down because

what we should be doing is we should be educating the principal on how to reduce

the risk as much as humanly possible.

And if you're not doing that, then you're missing a trick and you're

actually leaving yourself wide open.

So just take the scenario.

You know, there are a number of places in London that are.

And the principal sees something and they want to get out.

And this happened, they want to get out of the vehicle now, but by the

time you go and park up, because you know, you stopped in traffic,

they fling the door open there.

But the time you parked up and tried to find the principal, the

damage could have already been

that's a stock picture.

And actually that red road example, that's, that's, that's probably

quite common, unfortunately, but let's take a step back.

Um, obviously you, you know, you, you, you're a great friend of the industry and,

uh, the association and, uh, you know, the magazine of course, You in particular,

where does your passion for this topic?

Uh, so

take me back, take me back quite a number of years.

I've been a member of the Institute of advanced Mobius.

Now for 23 years, I was very fortunate enough to be honored by him.

I just do the cream for services.

Not to the security industry.

So I was the national chairman of school governors, or for people who

might be listening from America.

I was the national chairman of school boards.

And while I was doing that, I was invited by Vladimir Putin to go out and advise

his administerial team out in Russia, on introducing school boards to Russia.

And it opened my eyes up to the way that things worked,

because he provided me with.

Um, a security drive and a bodyguard because I was his guest.

He didn't want anything to happen to me.

Or do you want me to keep an eye on what I was doing one or the other?

Um, I'm I saw a different side to the industry and, and to what was going on.

And then when I looked around it at what was happening in the UK with regards to.

Logins and crying and make cetera, et cetera.

I just saw that there was a need for, you know, the industry, especially the

chauffeur industry to up their game.

Not everybody wants to do it.

That's fine because it means there's more work for us, but it just allowed me to

explore the different avenues and then go out and get the training that we've done.

That is

quite a unique backstory, but I, but I, but I'm really glad

you shared that with us, because that really brings to light.

You've been on both sides of the fence, which is really key.

But as always, we have our third quick bio question, which is,

you know, what would you like?

The people that know absolutely nothing about secure ground transportation

or protected mobility to better know.

And I'm going to include in that group, the people that think they know, but

done.

Uh, the first thing I would say, you know, we're in the age

of social media, where lots of stuff gets bandied about, you know, the term

security driver and security driving.

That's not a marketing buzzword.

That is a statement of training.

And if we can get that across to people, then I think, you know, w we're

halfway to win in the battle because the training, I mean, I underwent, uh, uh,

Intensive residential course training in the UK, trained by a Sergeant who

was a special escort group trainer.

Um, and he was also a Sergeant in charge of a team.

There were two sergeants that trained us.

So that's on the driving side.

But then on the other side of things, you know, all of our security, chauffeurs

security drivers were all first aid trained a full trauma kit in the car.

Um, carry an AED in the.

And we know how to use them.

There's a lot of people out there who've got kit that

don't don't know how to use it.

Probably don't go and refreshes.

So, you know, I think this.

As the buzzword is 11 and up bringing the standard up in the industry and getting

that out to cross the people that, you know, when you employ a professional

security driver or a professional executive protection person, male or

female, you've got somebody that actually has gone through the training and, you

know, does what it says on the tin.

So Neil, good and buck, obviously we've just come out of a pandemic.

How do you find in the last sort of 18 months, two years I was

protected, protected Mobility evolve.

And what vehicles are becoming more popular?

Do you find,

um, whole vehicles nowadays?

There's a good question.

So, um, over the last 18 months, uh, you know, a lot of art, a lot of

our work is inbound from the states.

Um, as well as Japan, um, Obviously there was very little travel internationally.

Uh, as we know, there was some, um, and, uh, you know, we handled it, uh,

and now we are like, I would say we're not maybe 5% back to where we were.

We were 110% back to where we were.

We seem to be flat out all the time at the moment short.

So.

It was good because it gave us time to reflect.

It gave me time to get fitter.

You know, I've been out, I've lost 15 kilos.

Um, I'm, I'm happy with that.

Um, it gave us time to look at the business and how we could develop

it and move it forward, perhaps.

Uh, we'll just have to revamp the website that tells people

more than the old one did.

Uh, we've got training courses planned, et cetera, et cetera.

When you look at vehicles, um, a lot of people like to be in an

S class because of the comfort Mercedes-Benz word, doing a reasonable.

With regards to leasing vehicles.

Um, they've just upped.

There's no discount on new vehicles anymore.

You know, there's this huge global shortage of chips.

So the, the pool of brand new vehicles is smaller and smaller.

The second on market has gone through the roof.

You know, people are getting more now than they paid for a car in 2020,

um, popular vehicles for our type of work, tend to be range, right.

Um, S class, all a V class, depending on how many people you've got in a follow

vehicle, you know, if you've got one person named with the principal, then

it's either an x-ray or a range Rover.

Um, and then your backup vehicle with perhaps another two or three, um,

protection values in it, or girls, ladies, or gentlemen, um, might be

a vehicle for purely and simply for.

Getting in and out quickly.

Yeah, that's pretty sure not to my main feed that we use at the

moment as class for the principal or near back when the main principal

comes in and we have the backing range.

All of us, we have the Viano's for all of the hangers on the wider team

of the principal, the inner circle.

Yep.

So to talk in all my vehicles and why would you consider

a normal vehicle preferable?

Less conspicuous at the board with all my vehicles in the

UK.

I wouldn't consider an armored vehicle.

There's no need for it in the UK, no need for a toll.

You know, we all know everybody listening knows the only people that are legally

allowed to carry firearms in the United Kingdom are the police and the military.

Yeah.

Um, for want of a better word, Rollins who might get themselves

involved with firearms, but that is normally gang related crime.

Um, and it's nothing to do with looking after and the

principles that we transport.

So armor.

Very few and far between there are some around in the UK.

Um, we tend not to have a request for them.

And you know, when we do, we go about, on network to see if, if

there's availability.

So always find interesting.

You know, when we look at the SIU in the UK and the other, all the

different licenses for different professions, close protection license,

they don't supervisor license.

Uh, security tree drive driver.

There's no almost formalized credentials or qualification.

It could be anyone who comes from ex-military background.

You drive a car and then it's almost, you can fly the flag

and say, I am a security driver.

you know, I don't think there's a lot of education or the principals on.

To what a real security driver is, the benefits of know

what they bring to the table.

Um, but she keeps drawing us.

Where do you think the next generation of security drivers should be sourced from?

And what makes a quality driver as part of an executive

protection team

called?

It was all born.

They're made pure and simple.

You know, you it's repetition, repetition, repetition, you know, you, you need to.

Drivers you work so that, what do I mean by that?

Well, the training that you do needs to be replicated as close as

possible to the way that you work.

However, you need some tools in your, in your toolkit and if you

need to get out of trouble, you can.

Yup.

Um, next generation, it really depends.

I think, you know, that's a tricky one, Sean, because some people see.

As improving their driving skills, um, by taking a formally recognized

course, lead into a qualification.

Um, some people see it as, um, possibly a license to drive like a lunatic,

but when you've got a principal on board, just imagine, just imagine

you're in Knightsbridge and you were looking along past Harrods and

there you've got six range Rover.

5s classes for seven series, half a dozen V classes.

Who's going to be the security driver, open that lot, and you will

never know until things go wrong.

And that security driver's got to flick a switch and go, hold

on, I'm getting your right.

Because we've got trouble.

So, you know, quiet efficiency is the hallmark of a true professional when

it comes to, to EAP driving or any other industry, you know, you just go

about your business quietly, don't draw attention to yourself, just do your job

and, and keep everything under control.

And there are some people out there that do that really, really.

But there are some people in the driving world that think that because

they come from a certain background and they can do it and they can't

because they haven't practiced it.

They don't go and refreshes.

They haven't practiced it for ages.

They might get into a vehicle that they're not familiar with.

You know, they don't, they don't know where all the controls are.

A classic example.

I was asked to train somebody, who's the chauffeur to the managing

director of a large company.

So I was asked if I could do.

And this guy, um, been in, been a chauffer for 35 years.

So I thought, okay, fair enough.

It should be all right.

Didn't want to let him put him into a vehicle he wasn't familiar with.

Um, let him get on with them.

You set the seat up, but then when it came to our dunno, 40 minutes into

the end of the journey, um, giving him instruction and explained it to him,

what I expected to learn him to learn and what I was going to teach him.

He was asking me where the controls were.

So, you know, you can't have a security driver jumping into a vehicle

that they're not familiar with.

And sadly, I see it happen all time.

People would go and hire a call from Amos Hertz.

You know, somebody who is SIA.

The jump in a vehicle.

I haven't driven it for a year.

It's a new model done the way the controls are.

Don't get shown where the controls are and then when things go wrong and they

haven't driven that vehicle, they don't know how it control how it's controlled.

They don't know how it reacts under stress and that severe in under maneuvers

that's when things go wrong and you can't afford in our industry to have that.

Because you lose your reputation, you lose

your business.

No, you're totally right.

I mean, if you're employed as a security driver, you need to

know your vehicle inside out.

And of course you may be asked to change your vehicles, but you should have a

knowledge of high powered vehicles.

You don't have to control them safely and get your principal from

a, to B in a safe and secure manner.

You're right.

What you're sitting as well.

You know, when we were talking about what makes a quality driver.

We was talking about before on different podcasts, you know, Skillfeed unless

you're carrying out and doing refresher training in that area, there's a

lot of skill feed involved in that capacity and she, you do, you need to

continually refresh your skills and, you know, be all over your vehicle.

But anyway,

with vehicles now you've seen lots of talk about self-driving.

If there's any place for that?

what's your thoughts on them and the limitations of the self-driving vehicles?

Uh, the F the first self driving vehicle I saw was out

in San Francisco when, uh, I was out there meeting a client last year.

Uh, yeah, last beginning, last year.

Uh, I looked at it and thought it was a spaceship on wheels.

You know, all these F every corner I had these gadgets on it.

Every bumper had the gadgets on it.

I looked at it.

I would want to pull up outside the Dorchester in one of them,

you know, it's like, look at me.

Um, I don't think, I don't think we're going to get rid of them because.

You know, the three of us on this podcast or of a certain generation.

Um, but the young stares of today are all about tech and the latest

gizmo and gadget, you know, a classic example of that is, you

know, like how many times an iPhone.

And look how many they sell.

Are you telling me that from the last one to this one, there are that many

people that haven't got an iPhone that go out and buy them in their millions.

No, they want the latest.

So I think the younger generation will want the Teslas and the, you know,

the, the battery powered cars that perhaps won't get you up at night.

Um, and they're quite happy to stop.

Um, and I think that generation as well will be equally as happy

to be in a self-driving vehicle.

Somebody like myself doing the job that we're doing.

No, not at all.

Not at all need to be in full control of the vehicle.

And Neil.

That's what the, uh, the word on the street has been, that maybe you won't be

in full control and it doesn't have to be a futuristic self-driving vehicle, even

if we allowed them on smart motorways.

Um, what about vehicles that at the moment have collision avoidance system?

What about vehicles that at the moment can take your control away from you?

Um, you know, you, you say that in the UK, we don't have too much cold for almond

vehicle space, 67 or something like that.

Right.

But, and this fence, for example, Given to me by some Americans, admittedly,

Americans has a bit of an environment.

Um, what if you stood in front of a Tesla and behind a Tesla,

the Tesla will be immobilized.

Uh, it won't go anywhere.

And if you had, uh, some fire, um, and, and you hadn't.

Then maybe a problem could ensue.

Um, what are your thoughts there?

Because there's a big difference between a fully space ship ESC, a

self-driving vehicle, and one that can take control away from you.

It goes back to this stuff that Joe talked about when, um,

when he was on, um, the last time that we were talking, um, and that is, you

know, being able to switch stuff up.

You know, it's great to having these vehicles, they do everything for you.

However, in our industry, you need to be able to limit what it does

because the example you give is the best example I've heard of.

Somebody stands in front of somebody stands behind, where are you going to go?

Cause the car's not going to move, you know?

And all of a sudden you've got.

You got a dead security driver and you got a dead principle or at least the dead

principle, if that's what they're after.

So you need to have, have the choice, the option to turn these

facilities off on some vehicles.

I think only ODH you can do it.

I'm driven at ODA eight for ages, but I think you could turn, there was, there

was like a collision avoidance thing.

Um, and you could turn that off.

Um, if you, if you needed to, whether that's the case now or not.

I do not know cause I haven't driven one for a number of years.

And then maybe following on from that, you know, some, some

people have said, well, privacy is a really key consideration.

And with the private jets, they, they quickly cottoned on to turning

off the call, sign on that very popular website that everyone, you

know, watches, planes go in and out, you know, limiting information.

Um, All we at all worried about the on March of telematics and the

on March of data in the vehicle.

Cause, um, principals are, are very sensitive to, uh,

industrial espionage, right?

Uh, how, how, how attuned or worried should the driving committees.

Well, first things first, when, when somebody gets into a

vehicle and they plug this there, their phone name to the USB to charge it.

The one thing you don't do is download your contact details, period.

You don't, you don't allow the vehicle access because as soon

as you do, um, I, you hand that vehicle over to somebody else.

They've got your address, book simple, you know, how many people jump into

a hired vehicle or any other day?

Plug their phone in lead the contacts Bosch

and they're

all in the vehicle.

Yeah, it doesn't, it doesn't have to be a high-end industrial espionage.

Does it?

It can just kind of say sink.

Um, I don't think we've got to this stage in the UK

where, you know, we have, um, signal jammers, blockers and stuff like that.

Um, we've moved as a company.

We've moved some very out.

Everybody says, you know, let's go high net with I'm talking ultra high net worth.

Ultra ultra high net worth.

They've never asked for signal geometers blockers or anything of the sort.

Um, but they do it properly.

Um, and you know, a team will run.

And you with them for a day or two beforehand, and you go out

and you do your records properly.

That's the way it should be done.

Not somebody lands on a jet.

I need a security driver and I need, I need protection.

And we're, I'm not telling you where I'm going until I land and I get in

the vehicle and then I want to go here and it's like, oh, wait a minute.

We haven't been down that road for the last three weeks.

I wonder if there's any language, what would assume.

Because they've not given you the details.

And then also people out there that value their privacy so much that

that's their, their way of, of working.

They tell you when they get into the vehicle, they don't understand our role

goes back to the top of this podcast.

You know, people understanding what we do, um, as security drivers

and what we do as a security.

What

should people be aware of coming up?

Obviously, there are some big events at the moment.

We've got the Glasgow summit, uh, going on, um, what big events, particularly

in the UK, just because I suppose, you know, you, you, you can speak to that.

W w where perhaps we're going to really feel the pinch.

If we don't have a security driver,

it depends on what line of work you're in.

Any businessmen coming in for a large conference where, whether

they're an attendee or, or, or a keynote speaker, um, they would

need, um, somebody that perhaps has.

Going to business that upset friends of the earth, all animal lovers, et cetera.

Um, they would need, any face from the, uh, filming on stage, you know, filming

screen that perhaps is going to go.

Into an area where they could get mobbed.

Not only would they need a security driver to safely set them down somewhere,

but they'd also need people with them.

They'd need executive protection as part of a team.

And some people, you know, some people don't want protection.

They, they want a security driver.

Who knows what to do with this vehicle, how to get out of trouble, how to

drive safely, smoothly, and swiftly to the conditions and the speed limits

who will then set them down quietly, where they need to go to park up and

just blend in with other chauffeurs.

And then on that, that, that blending in.

Uh, skillset and one that perhaps people, you know, doing covert surveillance,

operations would be familiar with, but in the same, in the same sort of

thing, what if you're an AP professional out there thinking, you know what?

I want to make the jump I want to specialize.

Um, what should they do?

You know, is it a common occurrence?

Is the crossover common?

I, I don't even know.

I'm just, I'm just thinking what our community might want.

The awesome people.

Uh, an example.

Okay.

Uh, on the training course I did.

There was somebody that was, um, excellent protection with a mat.

He, um, he spent a lot of time with the majesty, um, and was up in Balmoral

a lot as part of the team up there.

Um, and he wanted to do the D the security driving course.

And no, you would afford.

If we got some, we've got somebody here from wild protection, that's his job.

And he's learning how to handle a vehicle under pressure.

So, you know, there are people out there that are involved in, in the

security world that recognize that.

What we do is a totally different skillset to what they do, whether

it be covert or overt security.

Um, another one, uh, that was on the course with us, um,

ex military, uh, army chap.

Um, he did the driving course with us, bumped into him in

Winchester a little while back.

Um, he was working for a private time.

They wouldn't, they wouldn't, um, work the way that they were supposed to.

They were asking him to take shortcuts, which was in danger and the principal,

which then would have ended up with him being in hot water, because he was with

a team that had a diplomatic immunity and they were going through red lights.

They were breaking speed limits.

And going through cameras, you said, look, I've got a driving license.

I need to protect.

Otherwise, I call them work.

Um, uh, but you know, so there's somebody who's already from a security

background training to come across to our site doesn't happen all the time,

but it does happen from time to time.

question.

I think, I think I find that there is a lot of people that switch

over to the security drivers side.

It tends to be people who are getting on in their career.

I find you're getting a little bit.

They were thinking they want to be out on the grounds, being at PG working all hours

and the kind of someone moved into an aura state type role or security driving

is a lot of people going into that area.

Cause they love getting a lot of experience over the

years, carrying out their job.

So it's just a, just a quick question.

I.

They transitioned across, then they go through any formal training.

I,

yeah, I do find

some people do look to do training, but you also,

as I mentioned earlier on, there's no licensing, there's no prerequisites.

And you find a lot of people who are, it may be ex-military or it may

be people that work in the security industry for 10, 15, 20 years.

And I want to drive.

And then all of a sudden they have the hot, I'm a security driver and they may

not have done any additional training.

Um, but that's, that's I guess the danger and where we're at at

the moment, there is no licensing.

But.

I think it all depends on the individual.

You know, you got people who are hugely professional and want to Excel

in everything they do, you know?

So they'll continuously develop themselves in the area that they're working on.

You you'll find people who, you know, they get a job and they're happy because

they're getting the bills and they don't want to invest in themselves.

You'll just take the money and carry out their role.

And I think it's each to the owner it's specific to each individual.

Which is perhaps the point of this podcast because each individual

in the IPI community could be a medic, could be, uh, a paramedic, obviously.

Um, we had some comments, so of course that there is a massive difference.

Um, w w it could be eight drive.

It could be a security.

Each to their own, but inside this broad collection, we seek to, uh, to

enlighten the circuit magazine, uh, community Neil, I personally look

forward to seeing you very soon.

In fact, in London, I know you're at the CP world conference.

I will be there.

We're exhibiting.

So we're very much looking forward to seeing you.

Um, and, uh, and yes, I think this is fantastic.

We're going to have to revisit it when the self-driving cars

are a little bit further along.

Um, but, uh, but this has been fantastic.

Um, Neil from Sean and myself.

Thank you very much for being such a great guest on the circuit

magazine podcast, gentlemen,

sanctuary

vitamin

It was great to look under the hood.

Sorry.

I had to, I had to do it at protected mobility and, and obviously Neil Davis,

uh, spoken before at our protective mobility event earlier this year,

but it was really nice to see him.

Um, Sean, what, what, what did you take away from today's session?

It was very in line with my thoughts.

I agreed with everything he said.

It's, you know, it's a serious profession I think, and people

should take it seriously.

It's not anybody can drive a car, but to be a security driver and

call yourself a security driver.

And I think, you know, you really need to build that.

I've maintained.

Good control of the vehicle, have knowledge of your vehicle and

indeed that craft and always be willing to work on it.

Um, because you might've been doing it 30 years.

There's always something new to know new tech.

Yeah.

Even if part of your job is a bit of a concierge service, knowing the new

places, the new threats, the new bars it's always to be updated and whether

or not we have people crossing over, uh, is, is, is as another point.

And whether or not people can do it all themselves as some sort of

super EAP professional on their own.

I know we said it was because of budget, but I think Neil said,

you know, it's not desirable.

Um, But I'm really looking forward to it.

And I'm going to see Neil at the, uh, CP world event, uh, on Saturday at

the victory services club where we, as the circuit magazine have a stand.

So very much looking forward to seeing everyone there that Saturday,

the 13th of November in London.

And, uh, and, and please do stop by, uh, putting faces to the name and name

to the faces will be very, very useful.

What else have we got coming up short?

Oh yeah.

Well, you've mentioned the CP world conference on Saturday and the UK in

London, which will be a great event.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to attend, but we also have the

workplace violence event from the Circuit magazine, which is on the 19th.

Yes.

So I'm very much looking forward to that and the different guest speakers.

Maybe you can tell us

a bit about that.

Absolutely.

So we're going to go, uh, and, and, and add, you know, soft power, uh, speakers

and hard power speakers, people that touch, um, you know, the raw emotions

that, you know, workplace violence creates and, and, and is inspired by.

But for example, Our friend, Joe Saunders, uh, is coming back to talk

about managing workplace violence.

Obviously we, we, we, we like, uh, his work and the managing workplace

violence, you know, uh, podcast as well.

So it's really going to be a quite accessible forum.

It's going to be in the UK often evening the U S afternoon, and then

the Australian early morning, but not so early, that it's impossible.

So it's going to be great for the community and talking about the community.

I don't know if we saw, but, uh, the BBA amp, uh, had some lively debates.

Didn't it?

On last week's podcast, topic of robotics?

Um, I was, I was suggesting that may be robotics, could help relieve mundane,

repetitive tasks from EAP colleagues.

Um, but, uh, but it was good to see the debate, wasn't it.

Sure.

But I think.

The term robotics, maybe slightly misconstrued.

Um, I think some people may think, are you suggesting robotic robots will replace

an EAP operator or some function there of where I think if you're talking about

technology, um, and games and technology, for sure, you know, technology can

be harnessed in many different ways.

It can be a force multiplier and it come take away.

Some of them mundane tasks.

Easier and, you know, maybe more efficient.

Um, so you should definitely look, you know, keep an eye, keep

abreast of the latest technology.

Um, but yeah, no, it was, it was an interesting debate.

And then we heartily encouraged the same debate after today's

podcast on protecting mobility.

Um, maybe there are strong views on, uh, self-driving cars.

Maybe there's some strong views on, uh, you know, uh, immobilizes and,

and, and things that we've touched on also with Joe or Tara before, um,

in our protection mobility forum.

So please keep those comments coming.

We need the debate because of course we are shining one light

in one area of our community.

There are many other leading lights and we are very keen to hear from you.

So please like share and subscribe and, you know, maybe think of one person that

does not yet know about the podcast and get them to have a listen and perhaps,

uh, engaged to grow the community.

Uh, that would be a fantastic thing.

If you could do that just for.

From Sean and myself, this has been another fantastic edition

of the circuit magazine podcasts.

You have

been listening to the circuit magazine podcast,

be sure to subscribe and be sure to not miss an episode.