The requirement for Female Bodyguards has been growing in both popularity and demand. This is particularly true with Arab clients who over the past number of years have for religious and cultural reasons engaged female bodyguards to protect their wives and young children. Long gone is the misconception that you have to be a 6’5 male mass of muscle to work as a bodyguard and in its place images of a well trained, enthusiastic, outgoing people with positive attitudes. These seem to be common traits in the new breed of bodyguards entering the “circuit”. The realization that the first weapon we use is our brain and not our body is key to this.

Women's Bureau Director, Lisa Baldwin with Deputy Director Marie-Louise Jönsson

As IBA bodyguards one of the first things we are taught is that we are the grey person, we are there to blend in. Women have the distinct advantage of blending in a lot easier than their male counterparts. When it comes down to it women also tend to be much better at diffusing a situation, therefore in most circumstances prevent a greater problem arising which; let’s face it is what we are there to do. We firstly try to avoid a problem, secondly if this is not possible and we find ourselves in the middle of a situation our priority is to evacuate our principal(s) and get out of there promptly and thirdly, if left with no other option we confront the problem.. but never the other way around!

Although there may be a certain advantage in coming from  a police or military background it’s certainly not a requirement  and can in some situations be a hindrance, as bodyguard skills have very little in common with what you may have learnt in the military or during police training.