For a couple of days I’ve been watching VIP1 and 2 (The Girlfriend) to try and establish a pattern that might help the job. His villa is by the sea and has walls, gates and alarms but is not at all good from a security point of view. A public path runs between it and the sea and the wall at one point is far too close to the low roof. The adjoining properties are too near as well, I know this because I am staying in one of them, courtesy of the agency. With all that taken into account, I don’t envy the bodyguard his job. Close protection is very much a team job and he is on his own with the dog, which itself is not a security asset unless you fear handbag snatchers.

 

I probably said before but I don’t like gimmicks and gadgets, I’m no James Bond in that respect. Occasionally, though, something comes along that is very useful and on this job I’m using one of my favourites.  A small motion sensor, originally designed to protect bicycles, sends a radio signal to a nearby camera that starts filming and uploads directly to my phone, which is very clever. The little Fiat Hire car is parked just up the road, actually outside my villa, with the camera on the back shelf pointing at the gate. I clipped a sensor to the steel garage gate as I stopped to tie a shoe outside the VIP villa, and a second one on the beach-door as I strolled nonchalantly past down the path. Now, whoever enters or leaves, I know about it.

 

This afternoon, they all left the villa together in the four-wheel drive and headed for town. VIP 1 and 2 walked a round a bit berore choosing a restaurant and settled in to what became a long lunch whilst SG (security guy) amused himself with calasthenics behind a bush in the land opposite.

 

 

I shouldn’t let my judgement of him be clouded by sympathy but the bare minimum to do his job is two on-shift at all times. One is watching the watched, whilst the other is watching for watchers (that’s one of mine, not Grandads) I looked really hard for a second team-member but there isn’t one.

Every other night they have a takeaway delivered from the Namaste Indian restaurant and sit in the glass-walled conservatory watching the sunset over the harbour.  Occasionally VIP2 is very friendly towards VIP1 on the sofa after the meal but I can’t help worrying about the effects of chilli-mouth on his soft parts (and they usually are, it must be worry over the oil price). I also noticed the rather amusing figure of SG peeping from between the curtains of his room which overlooks the romantic scene. A Night-vision camera-lens is a wonderful thing and yes, I have got lots of pictures of nocturnal animals and insects on the memory card in case anyone asks what I am doing.

VIP2 is due to visit the Peluceria (hairdresser – get me with the Spanish!) tomorrow morning, which I know because I have access to her phone diary thanks to a link I was sent in the ‘manual’ I have a week left if I wrap the job up then but there is no rush and I think I have the makings of a plan..