Executive protection strategies secure election observation in Lebanon
Image courtesy of G4S
In May 2022, field observers from various countries, the Heads of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), and a member of the European Parliament gathered in Lebanon to observe the general election's final counting process and results.
To secure the election observers from potential threats, security professionals at G4S in Lebanon used close protection techniques and technologies during the 70-day operation. The protection operation included 18 armored vehicles used to transport officials around Lebanon, each with a specially trained driver. The cars were also used to collect the delegation from the airports and escort them to their hotel rooms.
Officials were protected by 24 close protection officers (CPOs) and two 24/7 security operation centers (SOCs), and emergency support was also mobilized, when needed. Everyone on the mission received appropriate PPE, comprising of a bulletproof vest and helmet.
The two SOCs were linked to share real-time information, track delegates and protection officers and to relay relevant information to the respective party. They acted as the central hub that monitored electronic security systems, surveillance cameras and alarms. The teams in the G4S SOC also processed all of the live security intelligence and emergency alerts. From the SOC, the entire security function and each of the deployments were coordinated.
In instances where there was a perceived heightened risk or a real threat, the SOC team was tasked with relaying live intelligence to CPOs on the ground and diverting drivers when an unexpected detour was required or when an incident may have caused a delay or been a potential threat.
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