Close protection and VIP security: when you need it and how it is organised

Greek Law 2518/1997 expressly lists the “protection of natural persons” among the services private security companies provide (art. 1 §1(b)), and states that these activities do not affect the competences of the state authorities (art. 1 §4). Anyone providing close protection professionally needs a personal work licence, category A or B (art. 3).

• It is: threat assessment, movement planning, venue reconnaissance, presence close to the person, and moving them away from danger when needed.
• It is not: a show of force, a substitute for the police, or someone who simply “stands next to” the client.
• The best sign: a quiet day. A good assignment looks simple because the problem was avoided before it appeared.

Check the licence of the company and of each officer before the first movement. See the guide to checking a security company’s licence.

• The person: public exposure, past incidents, who may have an interest or a grudge, social-media presence.
• The schedule: where, when, with whom; what is public and what is not.
• The venues: hotel, offices, restaurants, event spaces — entrances, exits, who controls access.
• The movement: routes, vehicles, points where the movement stops.
• Health: nearest hospitals and the person’s medical needs.

The answer is not always “more people”. Sometimes one experienced officer and good planning are enough; sometimes you need an advance team and a second vehicle. OVIT starts every assignment with a risk assessment tailored to the person and the itinerary (VIP protection).

1. A primary route and at least one alternate, tested at the same time of day as the real movement.
2. Drop-off and pick-up points at every venue, with a fallback if the main one closes.
3. A safe room at each location where the person can be moved if needed.
4. The nearest hospital to each point of the schedule and the route to it.
5. Timings: when the advance team arrives, when the person arrives, how much margin there is.

On OVIT assignments, the advance team surveys venues, plans medical cover and coordinates with local authorities; when traffic, a protest or the weather changes the plan, the operations centre coordinates the route change.

• Hotel: floor and room, lift, service entrance, which staff know the guest’s name.
• Event venue: guest list, accreditation, holding room, seat in the hall, exit.
• Restaurant or meeting: a table with a view of the entrance, access to a second exit.
• One channel: who speaks to whom while the event is running.

OVIT also guards hotels, with floor and suite control and coordination with the guest’s own team (hotel security), so both sides work from the same picture.

• Detail leader: close to the person, with the final word on movement.
• Advance: arrives first, checks the venue, confirms the arrival point is ready.
• Driver: trained on the routes, with the vehicle ready to leave at once.
• Operations centre: assignment status, route changes, contact with the client’s lead.
• Client lead: the chief of staff or assistant who approves schedule changes.

Each assignment ends with a report: what happened, what changed, what to change next time. OVIT gives the client’s authorised lead updates on the movement without interrupting the person, and closes with an after-action report.

• Need to know: only those who need the full schedule get it; everyone else gets their part.
• Social media: no real-time location posts by the person, their circle or the team.
• Bookings: where possible, under a name that does not give the person away.
• Team appearance: suited to the setting; a team that stands out draws the attention it is trying to avoid.

Discretion binds the company too: ask for a confidentiality clause in the contract and who inside the company sees the schedule. See what to ask before you sign.

Article 5 of Law 2518/1997 opens with a prohibition: representatives and employees of private security companies may not carry or possess weapons. Paragraph 2 allows, where special security reasons exist, a permit to carry a revolver or pistol for staff guarding public buildings, banks, museums, buildings needing special protection, utilities or other high-value installations, and for staff transporting cash and valuables.

This guide goes no further than that text. If a company offers you armed close protection, ask in writing for the legal basis and the relevant permits, and check them with your own lawyer.

In practice, protecting a person rests on planning, reconnaissance and moving quickly away from danger. Request a proposal for the person, trip or event you have in mind, and read first how to choose a security company.