BBC World Service South Asia

Business Daily

Factual: Money

The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.

Business Daily: Bodyguards: Up Close and Personal

Bulletins

Bodyguards: Up Close and Personal

29/08/2018 GMT

BBC World Service - Business Daily, Bodyguards: Up Close and Personal

What does it take to be a close protection operative?

Bodyguards are an essential part of the entourage of any top politician, high net-worth business person, celebrity or royal. The industry is booming and could be worth $240 billion by 2020.

Political instability in certain parts of the world and an upsurge in super-wealthy individuals in the UAE, China, and other parts of Asia, are all factors contributing to the boom. 

And more women are now signing up to be bodyguards, many of them returning from active duty in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Vivienne Nunis speak to one of them, Jacquie Davis, about her experience as a close protection officer, including the time she rescued a woman held hostage in Pakistan.

We also hear from Paul Ellis, who worked as a close protection officer for British cabinet ministers and Lisa Baldwin, a more recent recruit to the profession.

(Image: Close-up of a bodyguard. Credit: Getty Images.)

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Business Daily

Bodyguards: Up Close and Personal

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service South Asia

About BBC World Service