DUBAI // For more than a thousand years, the samurai lived by a code of honour known as Bushido, the way of the warrior. With an emphasis on feudal loyalty, a samurai had to be ready at any time to lay down his life to protect his lord. It is a principle that lies at the heart of what John Sexton believes and teaches other people to do. Mr Sexton, a former police detective and UN special investigator who has worked in the Balkans, Ireland and the US, has opened a multinational firm, Sexton Executive Security. And he has just signed a deal to establish a training school for executive bodyguards in Ras al Khaimah, one that will be the first of its kind in the region. "It's a bit melodramatic to talk about jumping in front of a bullet, but if it came to it, that's the job," says Mr Sexton. "The most important thing is to protect the principal and get him away, and if that means jumping in the car and leaving one member of the bodyguard detail behind, then that's what has to happen." He reaches into his bag and produces a slim book, The Code of the Executive, which updates the ancient samurai code for the corporate world of the 21st century. "In samurai philosophy, if you walk with the concept of your mortality in your mind, if you are aware of the possibility of your own death and have come to terms with the knowledge it will happen one day, you pay more attention to what is important in life and are less concerned about material things," he says. "There is good money to be made in this job, but the most important part of it is not what's in your pocket - it is that you have given your word to do everything you can to keep this person safe." Mr Sexton's firm offers training in defensive driving techniques, unarmed combat and protecting VIPs while travelling on yachts. There is no training in the use of firearms, as the UAE does not allow private security guards to carry guns. Mr Sexton says the most important course offered by the school, and one of the main reasons he set it up in the UAE, is the cultural awareness training that will enable bodyguards to understand and respect the values of clients from this region. "It is things like knowing not to physically touch a female family member," he says. "Mistakes like that can be easily made but cause a lot of offence, and we can't work properly unless we have good relations with the client. "If we can offer people the chance to become immersed in the culture of the Middle East, that is training they cannot get in the US or Europe, and it will give them an advantage, both when working in this region and when they are protecting VIPs from the Middle East on trips abroad." Much of the training is focused on how to spot potential trouble and either defuse it by negotiation or avoid it all together. "The job is protecting people, not getting in fights," says Jerry MacCauley, a police veteran from Florida who is now Sexton's director of training. "The first thing we teach is threat assessment, to recognise there is a problem developing and work out a response, either by moving away from it or using conflict resolution techniques to defuse it. "If you do then need to get in to the physical stuff, then we teach that too but you need to be proactive and know how you are going to keep the principal safe, not just react to what is happening." Too many bodyguards overreact to situations, potentially causing embarrassment to the client and even getting them in to legal difficulties. "By their very nature, celebrities attract a lot of people; when the Beckhams or Bono move around there are a lot of members of the public out to try and see them, and the vast majority of those people just want an autograph or a picture. "There are too many people in the industry who just want to flex their muscles and there are clients who want to be surrounded by huge guys in gold chains roughing people up, but we don't provide that." Instead, he says bodyguards engaged in executive protection have to be able to blend in. "If you see two guys in suits walking down the street, I want you to be unable to tell who is the executive client and who is his protection," he says. When trouble does develop, the bodyguards have to see it coming and stop it before the person they are guarding comes under threat, meaning they are also responsible for protecting him or her from embarrassment. "You don't want a chief executive or a world leader to trip on the stairs as they are walking on to the stage; you want the bodyguard to notice the potential for things like that before they happen," Mr Sexton says. "A few years ago some people hit Bill Gates with a custard pie when he was at a function. A lot of people would see that as not a huge deal and say 'it's just a pie', but aside from the embarrassment, think if it had been something else. What would have happened if someone had got that close with a knife?" Although the courses are available to practically anyone, the vast majority training to become bodyguards have worked in law enforcement or the military. Modular courses cost from US$2,000 to $8,000 (Dh7,000 to Dh30,000). However, top-quality bodyguards can earn fees of $40,000 to $150,000 a month. "We are aiming at the high end of the industry; a lot of the people working for me have backgrounds in special forces, the marines, or as police officers," Mr Sexton says. "What we do is complement their existing skill set with knowledge that will help them work in a civilian environment." gmcclenaghan@thenational.ae
