Safety and security have always been a priority for the high-net-worth individual. And as privacy is eroded in the digital age, the luxury security business is booming. With crime ever-present and fraud increasing, the safekeeping of your family and assets is imperative.
Unfortunate events such as burglaries can happen to anyone, as the Duke and Duchess of Richmond are only too aware. In 2016, they were forced to hand over half a million pounds worth of heirlooms when the so-called Night Watcher invaded their Sussex Goodwood estate. The violent perpetrator struck more than a dozen times between 2006 and 2017 across Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Kent with a haul in excess of £10m. He is thought to be ex-military, brings a sawn-off shotgun to his raids and is still at large.
With Britain’s security brand regarded so highly, those who have served in the UK’s armed and special forces find that their services are in high global demand. Their experience and core skill sets allow them to deal with intruders and security monitoring effortlessly. It’s cases such as the Night Watcher that have convinced wealthy individuals to look towards innovative protection methods beyond mere security cameras and bodyguards.
With Britain’s security brand regarded so highly, those who have served in the UK’s armed and special forces find that their services are in high global demand. Their experience and core skill sets allow them to deal with intruders and security monitoring effortlessly. It’s cases such as the Night Watcher that have convinced wealthy individuals to look towards innovative protection methods beyond mere security cameras and bodyguards.
Instead, clients are beginning to opt for solutions like security architecture within their homes and wearable tracking devices that can be stitched into clothing or collars so that they can monitor pets and children at all times. Parents especially have found that using tracking devices for their children, such as GPS wristbands made by TechSilver or actual chips for ‘geo-fencing’, help lower their profiles.
Private security advisor Heyrick Gunning suggests that there is demonstrably an upward tick in covert security, “Possibly, people have realised the brash show of wealth is counterproductive. The really clever stuff you won’t even see.” Through his extensive experience with clients worldwide, he concludes that the best approach for the wealthy to ensure their safety is to regularly review and alter their security tactics.
Today, cybercrime such as digital extortion and ransomware are far more common than physical burglaries. A large part of a security team’s job is to ensure web-based due diligence is performed to avoid holes in the client’s online security that malicious hackers could exploit.
Professionals in the private security sector highlight some new practices that are securing the wealthy’s private residences. These include ‘duress safes’ that emit covert distress signals to the local police once a specific code is entered into them, smoke machines that are triggered upon invasion and visually impair intruders and video analysis technology that allows security teams to virtually conduct patrols. These new methods sit alongside the more traditional approaches of bodyguards, bulletproof glass and reinforced security doors.
This “all or nothing” mantra regarding security is being adopted by the wealthy across the board. Even the most well-prepared celebrities, from Kim Kardashian to Steve Jobs, have experienced violent break-ins and burglaries in the past despite their dedicated bodyguards. Although, with the continuous innovation of modern-day technology and the skilled people behind the scenes, the options for your safety are endless.
