Rich people are hiring bodyguards to go to Disney World for summer vocation. Paul Viollis CEO of Viollis Group International, a global security firm says, “Our summer was huge . . . on the heels of what happened in Paris and London, we’ve gotten maybe 20 new clients.”
Paul Viollis firm offers multiple layers of protection — from security drivers and armored vehicles with bulletproof glass to vacation bodyguards. But in the case of a suicide bomber or a truck plowing into a crowd, what can a bodyguard even do?
Engbrecht says it’s all about intel and prevention.
“The venues [where terrorists have struck in these cities] are absolutely predictable. We make sure [the client] is not sitting in an outdoor cafe at [the wrong] times,” based on intelligence gathered from governmental and private contacts, said Engbrecht, who charges up to $1,500 per day per guard. “When we go to Paris, we avoid the large concerts or venues where there are people in a concentrated area. We avoid anything that can be a target.”
Guards are also trained to take down an active shooter, if need be.
“They can’t predict a terrorist attack, but they can advise you to avoid an area where you shouldn’t be,” said Paul Michael Viollis.
Personal-security requests aren’t just limited to major European cities. Experts say they’ve seen an uptick in Europeans and Asians hiring guards for Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The visitors are asking for “armed escorts,” said Paul Viollis. “They’re afraid of terrorist attacks in Disney. We never saw that until about a year ago.”
Michael said he wouldn’t risk it because bodyguards at the happiest place on Earth “would ruin the experience for my [child].” In Paris, he told his son, the guards were simply guides. “I don’t want him to worry and ask questions.
“The guards’ job is to be extra cautious and paranoid so I don’t have to worry about it.”
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