Security chief John Greenslade advises safety-conscious travellers to check
into a US hotel, particularly a Hilton, because they use undercover guards
to protect customers, as well as closed circuit television.
“The Hiltons are very security aware and in general the Americans are so wary
about being a target, so they are switched on,” he says. “They are good at
the covert security; guys in plain clothes and with earpieces mingling with
the crowd. I know who they are, but they’re pretty difficult for members of
the public to spot,” he says.
Greenslade, 38, is the managing director of the Anvil group, a company that
provides ‘close security’ for executives. Around 95 per cent of the firm’s
work is for corporations that want protection for their senior executives.
Anvil also uses software which allows firms to monitor the behaviour and
expenditure of their executives abroad. Anvil has around 20 full time staff,
200 freelancers and an annual turnover in excess of £2m. In the past year,
Greenslade was travelling virtually every other week, to countries all over
the world, on business.
You must have some great stories from your trips?
We’re in the business of planning for what can go wrong and making sure it
doesn’t. Preparation is everything. I’ve been in the business for 18 years
and not really had any major incidents. There haven’t been any '24'-style
shoot-outs in hotel lobbies that I can tell you about, I’m afraid.
The nearest thing to a major incident is when I was travelling in a big
Mercedes on a tight road in central London and we had a stand off with
another guy who was coming the other way. The guy was screaming and shouting
abuse and was about three times the size of me. I just went up to him and
apologised and said ‘look, if I give you £20, would you back up for us and
let us through?’, and he did. Someone asked what on earth I’d said and I
replied that I’d told him I would rip his head off if he didn’t back up!
Haven’t your bodyguards been in a few scraps?
It’s interesting that that is the image of protection. One of the reasons we
don’t look after pop stars is that they like to make a statement with a
20-stone bodyguard and it gives the business the wrong image. Obviously, our
people have to be physically fit because we put them in front of the client,
but they also have to be responsible and mentally alert. We’ve been behind
the campaign to clean up the industry and now I’m pleased to say there are
strict rules and regulations in place. Some time ago, murderers and rapists
could come out of prison and get a job in the protection business.
Do you have your own bodyguards for trips?
No! I can’t afford the protection and I think my company would probably feel
that I’m replaceable.
You’ve got quite a carbon footprint. Any plans to cut down on travel?
Of course. Everyone needs to do their bit to cut back where they can. I have
travelled an awful lot in the past year, but if we can do a conference call
we will. We certainly don’t travel unnecessarily.
