I have had the honour of working with the US Secret Service in the past, a role that involved moments of tension, good humour, a fair bit of coffee drinking, and some very intelligent conversations.
One related to the difference of approach to Protection work based on the cultural background of the host country. For a Presidential Visit, the USSS work with the local security teams to agree how the President will be protected – this is a balance between the expectations of the USSS and the local knowledge of the hosts. For example what is ideal in the US may be problematic for the host country and a better alternative suggested.
Most of this is a pragmatic conversation between experts, however culturally there may be fundamental differences that lead to certain responses.
- In some countries, if a VIP is attacked they will be moved away from the threat.
- In other countries, if the VIP is attacked they will defended at the scene.
Culturally, running away may not be seen as acceptable and to expect it may therefore meet with resistance. The planned response may not be followed.
The existence of these cultural differences also applies within companies, especially multinationals or companies formed by mergers, where different teams have different cultures that may in the event of an emergency clash with the preplanned corporate responses. In the worst cases, you can find that not only are reacting to an attacker but also your own side.
Running exercises to identify the issues is important, as is clearly defining expectations and roles in handling an incident.
