Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Sit vac: Brave bodyguards ...but must be plain Janes
NATO seeks female staff
THE hunt is on for British “plain Jane” bodyguards to protect NATO officials around the world.
The hit series Bodyguard has led to increased interest in close protection jobs. Now NATO is recruiting bodyguards and is encouraging women to apply.
A source at NATO’S Joint Intelligence Division said: “We are looking for a few good women – not glamorous extrovert ladies. They must not stand out.”
Candidates will be physically fit, highly trained in the use of firearms and have advanced driving skills.
They must also be quickthinking and brave – willing to put themselves in the line of fire to protect their “principals” from a potential attack by terrorists or extremists.
The source added: “We need women to bring a balanced approach to the teams who protect men and women around the world.
“They will need to be intelligent, fit and very aware of their environment in order to protect their principal.”
The job pays around £3,000 a month, tax free, and candidates must have four years’ experience in close protection.
There is an acute shortage of women bodyguards across the security industry, but the UK has the highest number of military-trained female operators.
In the British military, close protection usually falls to specialist units in the Royal Military Police, and the Mirror understands around 60 women are currently serving in close protection roles.
NATO has them in its sights as it tries to improve diversity on its staff.
In the hit BBC thriller Bodyguard, Richard Madden played the close protection officer guarding the Home Secretary, played by Keeley Hawes
We need women to bring a balanced approach NATO SOURCE IN JOINT INTELLIGENCE DIVISION