Surveillance Course Advice-cheers

[jasonjames]

Hi

Im an aussie living in London. Briefly im ex police Aussie (5 rs)
Navy (7 yrs) and ben working in the security industry for 7 yrs both here in the UK and at home my last job being armed CIT.
I am considering both surveilance and CP and would to know whats the best course to take giving me a great chance to be operational and working.
Can I be trained to this standard without being ex police Surveillance or army surveillance trained.
I want the next step to be a wise career choice and the right choice to invest in.
Any help would be appreciated.
cheers

[nmc]

Jason

Having a Police or Military Surveillance background does you no harm at all as you already have skills, knowledge and experience - however it is not an exclusive club - i have many colleagues operational in both CP & Surveillance who have excellent reputations within their chosen sectors. In addition there are also people out there with excellent Police/Military careers behind them that for one reason or another just haven't made the conversion to the commercial world.

If you decide to embark on a training course or courses then choose carefully - ask difficult questions and do your research as courses are not cheap and good value must be had.

Best of luck to you.

[jasonjames]

thanks mate. I realise that my skills are nothing compared to alot of guys on this site and out in the field. But as you say its a bit of experience.
I was not specilised in Surveillance in either miitary or police so i want to be taught from scratch the best training I can get.
Thanks again

[nmc]

No dramas Jason. Like you say, not having any previous knowledge can be an advantage as there will be no cross contamination - that said when you do deploy on a task it highly likely that the different personalities on the Team will have different methods/terminology/SOP's etc so flexibility, adaptability and a good brief is the key.

[damian]

Hi Jason, I totally agree with Nmc and dont be put off by not having previous Specialist Surveillance experience. If it's something your dedicated to doing then like Nmc says, as long as you recieve good relevant , realistic and accredited training and have a good strong basic knowledge from which to build from then you will be sucessful and by having a open mind and utilising various methods and sops you will become a great esset to any team. Stick at it and good luck.

Damian Ozenbrook
Blue Square Global Ltd
Blue Square Global – Covert Intelligence, Bespoke Surveillance Projects, Close Protection, Risk Management, Bodyguards

[jasonjames]

Thanks damian

I appreciate your thoughts. I was just at crossroads really. I really want to stop doing various security jobs and specialise in a field. I was considering both Surveillance and CP course, I would like to do both eventually but the first choice is important. I dont want to spend 1000- 4000 quid and then be sitting there without working. Do you know if there is a variety of work and not just insurance work. I dont mind doing any type but obviously want to work towards more challenging contracts.
thanks mate
Any course suggestions?

[damian]

Your welcome,
I think that if you set out and look at both Surveillance and c.p and then through networking and being operational you will soon get a heads up as to who is recruiting and the various work opportunities. It may seem a little daunting at times but stick with it. Its Important to get some good training in both areas and everybody has varied views to which are the best courses. C.p wise i think its all down to the type of work you want to be involved with such as Hostile / Hight Threat work in Iraq ect or a more conventional role more suited to the UK Such as celebrity / executive work. Of course its wise to attend a course which makes you eligable for SIA. look at the various c.p related posts as there are some good courses mentioned.

Surveillance wise and without being biase there are only a few Courses out there worth looking at,some more established than others and again everybody has their own view. Look at accredited Recognised courses. We run acredited recognised Surveillance courses within the UK and Overseas and please look at our website for further information. Other courses to look at are iss training, argus europe and Ctr. All geographically spread and offering Quality training to suit various time frames, budgets and preffered locations. Whatever you decide will give you a good basic level of understanding and the rest will come from gaining operational experience. Use the forums and Internet as there are regular opportunities to gain work/contracts and its not all confined to Insurance work. Also network with private Investigators as there are regular requests for capable Operatives. You will succeed if your dedicated and like nmc said , keep a open Mind.

If I can help in any way then please contact me anytime for a chat as I am happy to help in any way possible. Also im sure all the other mentioned Training providers will give you their view and input, always good to get varied views.

Thanks
Damian Ozenbrook
Blue Square Global Ltd

[jasonjames]

Thank mate for taking the time to tell me how it is. The advice was great. To know where I want to work will determine the course and company. I know im not keen on celebrity CP work im more keen on operational. out there with a good team learning in a demnding environment. Im 38 now and anxious to get going.
As for Surveillance I will remain flexible but hope to work overseas.
All good, I will look at your website and thanks for all your advice .
j

[cpt291]

Hi Jason.

It is a tricky question to answer! What i would say though is that, as you know, CP courses are regulated and you must complete one to work in CP. If you choose that line look at your provider I have met guys who have done courses who can not get work because the course is not regarded highly enough in the industry. I would also do a Firearms course as tihs will give you the option to work in Hostile Environments and get away form the Celeb market.

When choosing your provider I would look at who accredits there courses. City & Guilds, Edexcel or Bucks New University. All of the accrediting bodies have different standards, in my opinion, and I have worked with all 3, I would choose Bucks New Uni training provider as the Uni's quality assurance is excellent and they are passionate about CP and security. Also, please do not choose a £1600 10 day course. To a certain extent you get what you pay for, like a car!

My advice on Surveillance is to wait out before doing a course. The reason being is that the sia and other organisations (Aset) are currently developing and agreeing the core competencies to license a PI/ Surveillance course. If you attend a surveillance course now it may not be recognised later on by the SIA and you will be back to square one. A similar thing happened with CP licensing, when only a select few companies were given exemption. If you choose to do a surveillance course be carefull who you choose to go with. There are people form the current training providers who think that surveillance/ PI courses are purely theory. They therefore have no practical element. I am campaigning against this as from my experience both elements should be included.

I have experience of some of the CP trainers and I have mixed views on who is best and I do not envy you making a choice! If you would like to private message me I would be happy to share my thoughts with you. I do not agree with it in public forum. I am sure you can respect that.

Look forward to hearing from you and i hope this helps...........

[jasonjames]

Thanks mate I will send a PM