Close Personal Protection Specialist Training Course — A Family Affair

The Todd Group, formally and formerly the Baldock Institute, have a history second to none in New Zealand for conducting specialist close personal protection (bodyguard) training. The Todd Group close personal protection involvement dates back to our first chief instructor the late Harry Baldock a World War II chief unarmed combat instructor to the Army who not only trained the troops in unarmed combat but also the personnel to bodyguard our officers and dignitaries in war time.

The current chief instructor Tank has continued with providing bodyguard training for more than two decades in New Zealand and operates the oldest such facility and is the most extensive private training program provider of close personal protection in New Zealand.

In an industry that is very low profile to no profile at all everything is about referrals and training providers are recognized and respected for their rank qualifications professional expertise and record of service as well as history in the industry.

The Todd Group has been at critical manning with their CQC instructing team for several years and with capacity schedules of training commitments nationally and internationally group close personal protection courses are only conducted every two to three years. There simply are no available slots to conduct such specialist resource and labour-intensive courses more often.

The courses we conduct here in New Zealand include land, air, sea, rail and armed practical components as well as multiple exercises and all the international industry required close personal protection subject theory and practical. This makes it a very extensive course requiring considerable resources and training facilities including a headquarters and camp as well as several satellite training facilities.

Although the Todd Group are not primary recruiters and are primary specialist training providers we do receive requests for personnel and contract offers. The industry in New Zealand is somewhat small but we do have graduates from previous courses working close protection in New Zealand and many globally.

We have been training providers and personnel providers for the biggest close personal protection contract in New Zealand over the past 20 years and internationally have trained hundreds of operators in CQC and CPP that through their professionalism have gained a reputation of being industry professionals and have as such ensured further referrals for training to the Todd Group.

The Todd Group having over 30 depots globally and some of the dedicated instructors being actively involved with training licensing and provision of personnel has even extended our people and services further.

The latest CPP course of instruction attracted a full muster of serious candidates.

There were over 150 more inquiries and applications than the course could provide positions for. Several confirmed applicants already working close protection had to withdraw at the 12th hour due to immediate departure requests on protective contracts abroad.

Fortunately due to the considerable wait list for positions from willing candidates these positions were filled right up until immediately before the course commenced.

The exponents on course came from a wide range of backgrounds including military NCOs the police very successful CEOs the security industry a senior fire fighter a doctor of finance and an undefeated kick boxer.

The expertise and experience of the candidates was wide and varied and included a former US drill Sergeant who served in Desert Storm, a former member of the South African military with anti-poaching experience and now involved with security management in Africa, an Army staff sergeant and senior physical training instructor and some very successful corporate CEOs.

In the mid 1980’s when undergoing training in New York I was impressed with the number of limousines chauffeurs and bodyguards and then after Wall Street fell I noticed on my return training trips annually over the next 10 years how numbers of chauffeurs and bodyguards were never the same again.

The current recession has also had an effect on chauffeurs and bodyguards and more and more corporate moguls and CEOs and company directors are looking at undergoing close protection training themselves in order to be more knowledgeable prepared and capable especially in anti- actions on over counter measurers.

Being able to plan prepare and practice for their own and their families protective requirements empowers them and provides complete new levels of recognition and the means to avoid potential situations.

I have trained many families in self-protection and fathers and sons and even grandfathers, fathers and sons in self-defence and unarmed combat over the years but I've never had fathers and sons on close personal protection courses until this recent course.

This course had Dr Michael Snowden and his son Adam as well as my adopted son Lucan.

Lucan’s dad trained from me over 20 years ago and I promised him I would take care of Lucan in the event anything ever happened to him and he sadly passed away not long after I made my promise to him and that as far as I was concerned if anything ever happened to him Lucan would be family.

Well Lucan has grown up now and his mum Fran, sister Abbey, and half-brother Aidan, as well as his grandparents, aunties, uncles, and us, his adopted, family are all very proud of the fine young many he has become. I am very proud of Lucan, my adopted son, the responsible mature young man he is, and the fact that he is a committed practitioner of close quarters combat is really pleasing and most satisfying.

My daughter Jessica, a national wrestling champ who takes her sport very seriously just like Lucan does and is very happy to have an adopted big brother and thinks the world of Lucan as does my wife Trish.

Having Lucan so interested and committed to CQB will be important for the future of the Todd Group and will ensure along with all our dedicated Todd Group depot instructors the group will have the right caretakers to ensure its continuation leading in our field well into the future.

Profiles Mike and Adam Snowden

Mike and Adam Snowden

Adam (front) and Mike (rear) escorting principal Mark on the air exercise phase.

Dr Michael Snowden, a martial artist, had two martial arts careers before he became a military combative practitioner. Between the ages of 18 to 25 he gained a first Dan black belt in Shotokan and then after some twenty years out of martial arts he began his second involvement between age 45 to 50, when he re-sat all belts to get to shodan ranking again.

Mike was an active karate tournament competitor between 1995 and 2000; he competed in many open and veteran competitions in NZ and Australia and filled a cabinet with trophies. His last tournament was the NZ karate champs in 2000, in the open heavyweight division, at the age of fifty.

Mike started training in CQB in 2000 and has successfully completed the formidable basic phase one test as well as the advanced phase two testing and is a phase three combative specialist.

CQB courses of instruction attended: Annual international CQB courses of instruction Phase 1 2000, Phase 2 2001 and 2002, Phase 3 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009.

Passed phase one test 2000, passed phase 2 tests 2002, phase 3 exponent since 2003.

Special courses completed include 2000 combative survival course, Thailand training camp 2004 and CPP basic level special course 2009.

Mike has an impressive university and business background that includes being a chartered accountant with a BA, MCom and PhD degrees from the University of Auckland.

He has also been a part time lecturer for several years at what is now the University of Auckland Business School.

Business wise, Dr Michael Snowden has founded three entrepreneurial IT companies over the past twenty-five years.

The first company, Financial Systems Limited, was a systems integrator, which began when IBM launched the PC into New Zealand in 1983.

The second company, The Great Elk Company Limited, was a global software company, specializing in CRM for multi-national organizations.

The third company, OneNet Limited, was founded in 2000 and is a pioneer and market leader in cloud computing. Michael is fully occupied currently as CEO of OneNet.

He has also completed the Owner/President Program at the Harvard Business School.

Adam Snowden, son of Mike, started off training with his dad in Shotokan karate for three years then moved on to Taekwondo for four years. He competed in a number of tournaments both in New Zealand and Australia. He played three years of first fifteen rugby for King's College and made the Auckland Under-16 and Auckland Under-18 teams before being accepted into the Auckland Rugby Academy, which was on his path to becoming a professional rugby player until injury ended his rugby playing aspirations.

Adam is currently a 2nd phase advanced CQB exponent.

He begun training in CQB in 2007 and has attended the following courses of instruction: Phase one annual International CQB course 2008, Phase 2 annual International CQB course 2009.

Phase one tested and passed 2008.

Special courses and awards 2009 annual prize giving award recipient of the special award for best controlled aggression and also completed the CPP basic level specialist course of instruction.

He is also currently studying a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Auckland University. In 2007 Adam started crowd control work in Auckland for Lee Smith.

* * *

Lucan Whiting

Lucan and Tank at Fight Times, Dunedin

Jess, Trish, and Lucan

Born in Dunedin and son of the late Anthony Whiting, a close combat specialist.

Lucan was educated in Christchurch at Lincoln High School where he excelled at most sports including rugby and swimming.

He spent 3 years in the Army cadets and as a reward in 2001 for winning the NZ skills competition he and his fellow cadets were rewarded with the privilege of a stay with the SAS. This is where he got his first introduction to CQB when they were taken for some CQB training.

Lucan is a qualified personal trainer and has worked in that capacity and currently works as a warehouse dispatcher where he can use the physicality of the job to aid in the maintenance of his physical attributes for fighting in the ring.

Lucan has been Thai boxing for the past four years at Sitnarong Thai boxing gym where he is well known and respected for his commitment to the sport and for his fine skills and hard hitting right hand. He has had four fights and is undefeated.

In 2007 while at his Dunedin family home Lucan begun his training in earnest in the Todd Systems of CQB personally under the individual instruction of Tank who then arranged for Tim Wright, the Todd Group Christchurch chief instructor, to continue training Lucan in phase one CQB.

He attended the 2009 annual International CQB course of instruction and passed the phase one course identifying himself as a leading exponent on course.

November to December Lucan attended and completed the CPP basic level specialist course of instruction.

* * *

Geoff “Tank” Todd

Geoff “Tank” Todd is the chief instructor of the Todd Group formerly and formally the Baldock institute close combat instructing providers since 1927.

Tank has spent his entire life as an exponent instructor and advisor in military armed and unarmed combat.

Tank started training under Harry Baldock in 1973 and took over as chief instructor when Harry Baldock his instructor retired in 1982. The Todd Group is oldest global private training provider of its kind to the military of European Military armed and unarmed combat.

Tank is the only living combative instructor to be instructor qualified by the late Sergeant Major Harry Baldock and Col Rex Applegate as well as Platoon Sergeant Charles Nelson.

He has Military Master instructor qualifications in three countries and is a director of the International close combat instructors association.

For the past 16 years Tank has been a special operations group chief CQB instructor and like his former instructor the late Harry Baldock he is an Army chief CQB instructor.

He is the only civilian to achieve Special Forces hand to hand combat master instructor status.

Since taking charge of the Baldock HQ facility in Dunedin New Zealand he has been responsible for its growth to the present where there are now over 30 Todd Group depot instructors worldwide.

Tank not only writes military combative manuals, programs and doctrine but has also published 5 manuals on close combat, self defence, and tactical control and restraint and produced 11 DVDs on the subjects.

The Todd Group has a history of combative excellence and attracts operators, instructors and exponents form all over the world.

Tank was a Hall of Fame inductee in 1996 as Unarmed combat instructor of the year.

He also trains specialist police units and security forces and close protection units and personnel.

He has been an exponent and instructor of close combat for over 30 years and from his early days when he worked several jobs including crowd and owned businesses to fund his world travel and training in close combat for the past 27 years.

The Todd group are not only training providers and consultants but also have a manufacturing wing of training equipment and weapons and operate 4 combative and martial arts supply stores.

He lives close combat 24/7 and trains thousands of exponents and instructors every year.

The Course

The two weeks of the course for myself as the course chief instructor, my lad Lucan, and Dr. Michael Snowden and his son Adam, along with all the other course exponents went as follows.

Once the exponents had arrived from as far away as Africa and had settled in at camp Todd the two weeks of non-stop theory, practice and practical exercises begun in earnest.

The first two days the exponents left the quiet of camp Todd, secluded and nestled in 280 acres of native bush for the Todd group headquarters situated centrally in Dunedin.

Being confined to the lecture room taking copious notes on such subjects as protocol and etiquette, CPP related duties and responsibilities and the establishment of control rooms provided more than a little writer’s cramp.

Having the Todd group CQB practical training facility adjoining the lecture room enabled appreciated breaks from writing and the practice of specialist close protection related close combat.

Day two and the theory included the introduction to training and certification requirements for close protection as well as definitions and codes and the opportunity to handle industry-required equipment during the equipment lay down.

Moving into advanced planning and the conducting of threat assessments and surveys and exposure to the required types of security and the compiling of operation orders the exponents were beginning to understand the important requirements in order to conduct specialist close personal protection.

Before the end of day two incident management, danger areas and offensive actions theory needed to be completed as well as the theory for maritime operations and more specialist close protection related close combat.

Day three and the practical advons began in earnest with the maritime and air operations.

Returning to the headquarters with all the completed surveys maps photographs and plans the exponents split into four man details and started to compile the operation orders for the upcoming air and sea practical exercises.

The rest of day three comprised of theory on vehicle operations and pedestrian escort movement formations as well as vehicle convoys and embus and debus procedures.

Day four and it was the practical air exercise, which enabled the employment of the convoy principles, embus debus, pedestrian escort and air operations principles and skills.

Immediately after the practical air exercise it was back to the headquarters and theory in relation to firearms including safety range regulations and orders and the fundamentals of marksmanship, combat aimed and instinctive shooting weapon selection as well as ammunition selection and care and maintenance of firearms.

Day five begun with familiarization with airport facilities in relation to VIPs and their special arrangements in relation to boarding disembarking luggage and vehicle tarmac considerations.

Being given a personal guided tour of an airport and having the facilities and capabilities explained through physical familiarization combined with the previous theory was most beneficial and ensured exponents were made aware of not only what facilities were available to VIPs but also how to make formal requests for services.

Day five also included having access to the railway station and passenger carriages to undertake an advon for the upcoming practical rail exercise.

Half a day was then spent on the range learning about firearms safety and working on aimed and instinctive shooting skills.

The day ended with continued close protection related close combat training and the compiling of operation orders for the rail practical exercise.

Day six begun with the completion of the maritime operation orders in readiness for the maritime exercise set down for a night sailing that same evening.

Post maritime advance at the port and then it was back to the headquarters to prepare for the practical rail exercise where the details performed the pedestrian escort of the principal in each detail to the designated prior arranged carriage.

To ensure the details and individual operators remained flexible and innovative once we had boarded I enlisted the assistance of two young female passengers that I instructed the details were additional principles and required protective services over the duration of the entire exercise. A nice little curve ball that required immediate changes in structure and put additional demands on resources and personnel.

The exercise took us from the Dunedin Railway Station to Palmerston where there was a 45 minute stop for lunch and shopping that involved continued pedestrian escorts and the opportunity to utilise radio skills previously learned and practiced in the comms theory and practical lessons.

The exercise went off without a hitch and we returned to the headquarters where they continued with theory of premises, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detection and safety procedures.

Further theory included vehicle selection and driving skills including evasive and aggressive offensive driving followed by surveillance and counter and anti surveillance principles and skills both for static and mobile employment.

The afternoon ended with actions on armed threats directed at the principal and the employment of specialist close protection related close combat to neutralize the threat.

That evening was the night maritime exercise on the monarch, which went off without a hitch.

Each detail was issued with information in regards to their principles for the upcoming exercises including survey forms to enable them a heads up and as much time as possible in preparation of the operation orders for the final exercises.

Day seven and it was practical IED searches of vehicles and buildings before heading off for the practical driving phase.

The practical driving phase included four wheel driving of lead, trail, and cargo vehicles in order to be prepared for actions on ambush situations where the vehicle may be forced from the road.

Then it was evasive driving practicing forward, reverse and K-turn evasive driving manoeuvres.

The driving practical then moved on to aggressive offensive driving ramming vehicles from alongside and also pushing them out of the way when they block the road.

Finally vehicular ambush vehicle transfers for actions on situations where a vehicle had gone down were practiced before leaving the driving facility.

Dr. Clive Dreyer conducted the emergency medical procedures back at the headquarters in a most practical and informative manner.

The lecture was clear and he invited questions from the exponents and provided answers in a down to earth practical manner that the exponents could thoroughly understand.

Going from the lecture room straight into the training facility for practical emergency medical evacuation procedures provided a hands-on appreciation of the actions on requirements when a man goes down.

Day eight and advons on hotels were undertaken prior to the upcoming final practical exercises.

The afternoon final theory included information on securing contracts and related meetings and subjects including retainers while undertaking pre-contract assessments and surveys.

The final lectures covered war zone close protection including a very well received and much appreciated paper written by a former Special Forces soldier and long-term close protection operator with considerable experience in war zones and maritime close protection against piracy.

He compiled an extensive insight into such operations and the requirements in personnel equipment and weapons that was most informative and revealing.

The lesson concluded with an extensive DVD presentation on the requirements for close protection operators in war zones from major global close protection companies.

We then had a guest speaker from the security industry covering the upcoming parliamentary changes in relation to the security and close protection industry in New Zealand, which also covered the crowd controller and private investigator aspects.

The remainder of day 8 and the first half of day nine were spent completing the final operation orders for the three days of final exercises.

Day nine and the exercises comprised of a business meeting of two principles at Carisbrook rugby stadium in the principles company corporate box followed taking both principles for coffee in the CBD and then taking one principle to the hospital for a business meeting.

The evening exercise was to protect three principles at the 100-year celebrations of the Forbury Park Trotting Club where they were joined by two guests.

The Mayor and city Councilors members of Parliament and life members and VIP guests of the Forbury Park Trotting Club were all in attendance and having close protection specialists in class A’s initially attracted some attention and comments were made such as are they here to protect the mayor because of the Forsyth Barr stadium.

Before long because of the exponents ability to maintain a low profile and appear as if they should be there, those in attendance didn't give them a second glance.

Day 10 was the final planning for the exercise that night that included providing protection for Mr. and Mrs. Alistair Hogg during their attendance at the Edgar Centre for the Aotea Jones Group end of year social function.

After the evenings entertainment Alistair requested to be taken to a central city apartment where his protection detail remained on duty in an adjoining room.

Alistair decided in the early of the morning he required a meal and had his detail escort him through the Saturday night crowds and back to the apartment.

Day 11 begun with a breakfast engagement where the principal Alistair Hogg met up with myself and my wife Trish at a central city restaurant for breakfast.

Once breakfast was completed the detail then had to ensure Alistair safely returned to his seaside home and make their way back to camp Todd.

This was the official end of the course and exercises and the exponents were provided with a fitting BBQ and presented with their course completion certification.

I have conducted many CPP courses and this one will be remembered for the camaraderie, cooperation and general great teamwork of a wide age and background-ranged group of serious exponents.

From my point of view everything was positive especially the very apparent leadership skills demonstrated by the Army staff Sergeant on course and how he led by example and his example promoted professionalism and demonstrated the importance of attention to detail and self-discipline.

This individual is also a committed CQB instructor in a charge position in this field, which is very pleasing indeed.

We were still receiving applications and inquiries for the course late in the course, and to all those that missed out, the next group course will not be until 2012 and the only option to receive this course of instruction subject to available dates would be individual tuition by arrangement, which is a more expensive option.