Security Experts Top 5 Secrets For Hiring A Security Expert or Security Consultant
Espionage - Variety Is The Life Of Spies
In the current economic downturn many business directors are retaining the services of security experts or a close protection expert to offset the cost of employing a full time security director.
However for some strange reason business owners often throw due diligence caution to the wind when hiring a security expert or security consultant. Fail to plan - plan to fail rings true as your security expert may be a conman posing as a secret agent.
Imagine the following scenario: A wedding at a grand 19th century mansion with picturesque views of Washington DC, the power base of the USA. A city where intelligence and military spooks network as openly as conventional business people. Most are networking to gain access into lucrative security positions and/or government security contracts being brokered by politicians and lobbyists.
The guest list reads like a who's who of intelligence, undercover police commanders and special forces officers, sporting all manner of sophisticated satellite phones and other high technology security products which would not go amiss in the latest James Bond movie.
Expensive bodyguards in sharp suits and Gucci sunglasses protect their high profile clients and even higher profile security vehicles.
A former CIA station chief sips champagne with a serving security advisor to President Barrack Obama as the best man, a former special operations marine colonel prepares to deliver his speech.
They are gathered to support their friend and business associate who hails from a background in the British security services like GCHQ, MI5, MI6, the SAS and the US CIA. He marriage ceremony colleagues know from his Resume that he worked on various government defence projects spanning his security background.
They also know his Resume lists operational experience in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and that he retains a close network of fellow security experts with experience of special projects, special forces and the international government fraternity.
Furthermore they are aware of his personal involvement in the high profile British missing child case of Madeleine McCann. His involvement fee allegedly running to £500,000, paid for by the Find Madeleine Fund.
This scenario is real. As the Dublin Ireland born British security expert Richard Halligen saunters up to the priest, none of the most senior intelligence officials from either side of the Atlantic have any idea the marriage is a sham.
The security expert is an alleged conman. The priest is an amateur actor hired by the security expert to assist in fooling those in attendance.
Despite their collective security expertise none of those in attendance had any idea that Richard Halligen AKA Kevin Halligen* is a high profile imposter who is now wanted by the FBI after the Justice Department issued an indictment for his arrest on charges of alleged fraud amounting to £1.2 million pounds.
Nor do they realise that he has allegedly swindled some of his security guests out of finances they invested in his company. The fact that Halligen was already married in the UK and not divorced, didn't apparently flag up with any of his guests.
If it transpires that Halligen is the conman that the British Sunday Times Newspaper alleges in its November 22nd 2009 edition, then he is indeed one of those most professional of all conmen. After all who could plan a £360,000 high society wedding to his bride Maria Dybczak a commerce trade attorney with such meticulous detail only to drop a bombshell on her just 40 hours pre-wedding.
Halligen informed his bride to be that he had worked so deep undercover on Black Operations that his spy masters in the UK would not allow his name to be openly published on a marriage certificate. Believing his story, they both contacted their wedding day catering manager who also moonlighted as the director of a local amateur theatrical group to play the role of the priest.
Given that more and more business owners are looking to cut annual costs of employing a full time security director by retaining the services of a part time security expert or a security consultant, and given the ease with which an alleged security expert can fool some of the world's finest intelligence agency personnel, I thought it relevant to highlight my 5 top secrets for hiring a security expert.
Security Experts Top 5 Secrets For Hiring A Security Expert or Security Consultant # 1
Professional Due Diligence
Initially hiring a security expert or security consultant should be no different than hiring any other senior manager or director. Your HR department or manager should go through the same procedures as when hiring anyone else.
However, once you receive applications for the role then the professional due diligence needs to be ramped up considerably. I would advise any business owner without any personal security experience or professional security contacts to appoint an independent security expert who has not applied for the role, to oversee the due diligence for the appointment.
They may be the best person to identify the true security background of the applicant. Business directors need the confidence of knowing if the applicant claims a covert background as a secret agent, security director or close protection expert then the independent security expert will be able to ascertain if he or she is actually a conman.
Security Experts Top 5 Secrets For Hiring A Security Expert or Security Consultant # 2
Understanding the Official Secrets Umbrella
During my twenty plus years of security operations conducted across 42 different countries, I have come to recognise that occasionally a prospective security director applying for a job will often mention that they are restricted in everything they say due to the official secrets act.
If during your interview stage of a prospective candidate they raise this issue at any stage during the interview then treat it as a 'Red Flag Warning.' The British Official Secrets Act is not an all encompassing security blanket and there are definitely non-classified security operations which every security expert can discuss without breaching the Act.
In my experience anyone presenting to me for a security expert or a security business directors position who invokes the Official Secrets act across the board is usually a conman who will fail my due diligence.
Security Experts Top 5 Secrets For Hiring A Security Expert or Security Consultant # 3
Resumes & Curriculum Vitae
A conman can present in many guises, but frequently your first impression of a prospective security director or close protection expert will be their Resume or more detailed Curriculum Vitae.
It's no great secret that many people embellish their business background to enhance their chances of employment. Business directors are advised that candidates applying for the role of a security director or close protection expert are sometimes no different.
Some candidates will lie outright while other will simply embellish operational experience to present a more colourful and exotic background.
I have been retained by businesses in the UK, America, Canada, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East to conduct professional due diligence and prior history background checks on prospective candidates for a security directors role.
I have also personally interviewed hundreds of prospective security experts across the globe. The one consistent factor was that there were frequent worrying anomalies in their Resumes and Curriculum Vitae's.
Many Red Flag warnings present to a security expert but none more than when a prospective applicant lists detailed information about their background as a former secret agent. No former secret agent would ever mention this security sensitive information in a document being sent out to non security cleared personnel.
Security Experts Top 5 Secrets For Hiring A Security Expert or Security Consultant # 4
Understand The Mind-Set Of A Professional Conman
A conman applying for a position as a security director or close protection expert with your business will often present as one of the most plausible candidates any business directors will ever meet. They will be unfazed by conventional due diligence investigations.
The candidate who has the audacity to falsely claim a background as a former secret agent or member of a special forces team will have concocted a fantasy background based on some truths unearthed in research.
Frequently the key to them sounding plausible is because they have verbalised this fantasy background so often they have come to believe their story themselves.
Security Experts Top 5 Secrets For Hiring A Security Expert or Security Consultant # 5
Your Gut Reaction - Dig Deeper
If you remain uncertain about anything related to the candidate then trust your gut and dig deeper. Never be afraid to ask probing questions.
Throughout my extensive security career I have met and retained close contact with a great many 'real deal' security experts and security directors.'
They do exist, they are out there, they are fully prepared to back up their Resume and CV. And most importantly they will offer you far more value than cost if you engage them on an annual retainer basis.
* Halligen's crimes are alleged & he is presumed Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
