Close Protection · 4 min
Bodyguard vs Close Protection Officer: What's the Difference?
One is a job title people search for. The other is a licensed discipline with a defined scope in UK law.
Terminology
'Bodyguard' is the everyday word. In UK regulation the activity is called close protection, and it is a licensable activity under the Security Industry Authority.
In practice, when you hire a bodyguard from a credible provider, you are hiring an SIA-licensed close protection officer.
What licensing actually means
A close protection licence requires training and a criminal record check, and it is a legal requirement for anyone carrying out licensable close protection work. It confirms a baseline. It does not by itself tell you whether someone is good at the job.
The practical difference
The stereotype of a bodyguard is reactive physical presence. Close protection training is built around avoidance: planning, route and venue selection, positioning, early recognition and evacuation.
Where those approaches differ most is in the moment before something happens. One is waiting to respond; the other has already moved the client.
What to ask a provider
Ask whether the officers are SIA licensed for close protection, who will actually be on the assignment, and how they plan a day before it starts.
Start here
Need protection?
Tell us what the assignment looks like. We'll take it from there.
Where. When. How long.