Drive Like A Spy

Drive Like a Spy
He kept some of the most famous, high

profile, targeted people on the planet safe.
Now, for the very first time ‘The Protector’
reveals tactical and defensive driving
techniques that should be covered by the
Official Secrets Act
The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

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A special report from GAUKMotors.co.uk and GAUKMotors.com
About The Protector

From humble beginnings as a naive bobby
on the street, The Protector worked his
way through the ranks becoming a pivotal
figure in combatting some of the world’s
most active and dangerous terrorist and
paramilitary organisations. He had a
particular talent for being in the right place
at the right time cutting down the enemy at
its core.
Millions of citizens slept soundly because The Protector didn’t!
His talents did not go unnoticed by ‘the bosses’ and he was hand-picked for numerous
special assignments.
He managed surveillance and counter surveillance in Northern Ireland in the early

eighties, a frightening and dangerous place for a British serviceman. 
 
He protected the likes of Margaret Thatcher, members of the Royal Family most notably
Diana. He was the personal Protector of people so important that if his was not at the very
peak of his game and the enemy had succeeded, the world would have been a very
different place.
The Protector was finally retired after being run over by the very terrorist organisation he
had, for so many years, hounded.
The Protector has so many secrets to tell but he’s gagged by The Official Secrets Act and
now lives a quite life in the shadows with his family.
BUT Stealth Driving is something he can talk about and in this extensive and revealing
manual, he spills the beans.
Now most readers will not be not planning to go to Somalia or Afghanistan but there is so
much that we can learn from the extensive training The Protector undertook that this
manual will keep you safe in today’s urban jungle.  
 
From Road rage to surveillance, from tactical driving all the way to hijacking and personal
safety … it’s all here.
Enjoy! The Protector 

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How to Use This Manual
Copyright and Disclaimers
Introduction 6
Why"Stealth Driving"
The need for different Driving skills
Chapter One :: Choosing a Vehicle 10

Working alone or as a team ?
Choosing a "Grey'' vehicle
Additional equipment ?
Purpose Built Surveillance Vehicles
Checklist
Chapter Two :: Basic Driving Skills 22

Remembering the basics of Driving
How Attitude can alter your Driving
Checklist
Chapter Three :: Advanced Driving Techniques 30

Risk Awareness & Avoidance
Predictive Skills
"Controlling" other drivers
Signals, Warnings & Avoiding Conflict
Weight, Balance and Maintaining Grip
Braking Skills
Cadence Braking
Threshold Braking
Checklist
Chapter Four :: Surveillance Driving 53

Target selection and recognition
Progressive Target Surveillance
Multiple Target Surveillance
Avoiding the Obvious Mistakes
Checklist

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Chapter Five :: Counter Surveillance 65
Avoiding being targeted
Identifying the watchers
Losing a "tall" safely
Informing the Authorities
Checklist
Chapter Six :: Hijacking & Personal Safety 72

Recognising the Risk of Hijacking
Typical Hijacking Techniques
Avoiding the Hijack
52 Extreme Solutions
Checklist
Chapter Seven :: Ambush & Vehicle Tampering 78

Anticipating the use of weapons
Avoiding ambush
Vehicle Tampering
Checklist
 
Conclusion 85
Exercises
Tables

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How to use this manual
Successful Stealth Driving can only be achieved by understanding
your own driving habits and predicting those of others.
To make the best possible use of the Stealth Driving manual simply read through the
manual once, highlighting the areas that you genuinely had never considered before.
Then, by using the exercises and diagrams shown, you should spend one whole day on
each area that you need to learn, not only reading, but going out and practising
techniques. Only this way will the vast amount of detail that is required of a good Stealth
Driver be absorbed sufficiently to be of any use. Always use routine driving as a form of
exercise. Pick "targets" at random and test your predictive skills. Find a stretch of road to
enhance your forward vision and practise the 12 second rule that you will see described
later. Finally, you will need to find somewhere off-road and a set of old tyres to practice
your braking techniques - even if you take professional guidance in this area.
Copyright and Disclaimers

This manual aims to show the basics of the most successfully used techniques in the field
of security and surveillance. The manual represents accumulated knowledge of years of
training in the field using multiple training techniques. We cannot accept responsibility
for the misuse or misapplication of any of the information contained herein, nor accept
responsibility for any accidents, injuries or other losses, no matter how caused.

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Introduction
The production of this manual and the associated training material is an accumulation of
many years experience in the Security profession by a a man who will only be known as
The protector. This manual has been produced as there is a constant and ongoing demand
for basic information on the areas covered. This information is required by corporate
security operatives, private investigators and even police forces and other security
organisations.
While we do our best to cover drivers needs, in this particular area it is clear that some
readers will only be capable to carrying out all of the skills required if they complete a
course of practical training. There are many potential sources of such training - details of
which are included in the resources section. The majority of you, however, will have
already acquired some of the necessary experience and/or skills to allow you to sensibly
adopt the techniques contained herein. It is for this reason that we offer the manual in a
self-train format.
Why "Stealth Driving"

The term "Stealth Driving" has been adopted as it best describes the role of security or
surveillance personnel when using their vehicle operationally. While the true meaning of
"Stealth" has little to do with the technology that we associate the term with, both uses of

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the term are relevant to the skills we will cover. We shall show you how to become
"invisible" to your target and other road users while maintain ing a high level of control of
your personal safety.
Stealth Driving
Driving in a covert fashion to either maintain security or to remain undetected.
"Stealth Driving" is set to become an important extension to traditional driving skills as

the World be comes a more complicated place in which to live. Many of the contributors to
The Protector’s training are currently engaged in providing these skills to various groups
in the troubled countries that formed the former Soviet Union. With widespread crime,
lawlessness and general anarchy existing in many places, there is a great need for visiting
VIPs and businessmen to protect themselves from the most obvious dangers.
Likewise in the field of Private Investigation, there is an increasing use of Pl's for roles as
diverse as monitoring employees activities to preventing Industrial Espionage. This has
resulted in many operatives being caught through a lack of awareness of how operate
"covertly". Much of the blame lies with the media, the art of surveillance is often seen as a
world where PI's sit in full view of their targets but are never spotted. The real world is
completely different from this fantasy environment and the techniques used are less
obvious.
What this manual sets out to achieve is three things.
Firstly - an understanding of the professionals approach to the areas of surveillance and

low-profile security driving. Some of this may seem to be out side of the scope of what you
anticipate needing for your own area of involvement, but I have never heard of anybody
being too prepared for a surveillance operation, usually the de-brief is loaded with "If
only" and "Next time I would".
Secondly - personal safety is a very important area and one which is often ignored, even
by profession also, once a pattern of working is established. The feeling of invincibility
overcomes logic and soon the person is caught out. This can either relate to their own
stupidity while driving or to allowing themselves to be caught or exposed to danger. By
making the safety of your driving almost automatic, the additional dangers can be more
readily avoided or overcome.
Thirdly - and this is the most interesting part, is that the techniques being offered here
are selected for their practical aspects and so can be readily taught to family, friends etc.
thus improving their own personal safety. It will be many years before there is a
government strong enough to enforce stricter driver training, (simply because drivers are
voters and therefore must be allowed to do as they please), so you can anticipate more
danger on the roads before things change for the better. This manual is designed to
address that balance.

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The need for different Driving skills
While many people consider driving to be nothing more than that more and more are
finding that the basic skills taught at novice level are nowhere near enough to cover even
the most basic driving job. The addition of theory training has helped matters slightly but
the reluctance to match Driver Training and Testing to the needs of modern road
conditions has done much to case the "Road Rage" and other problems associated with
everyday use of the roads.
Road Rage
A recently invented term for an age-old

problem of reacting to another driver's
apparently poor driving habits, often in a
violent or dangerous way.
This situation would be bad enough for

those who use the roads to travel to and
from work, but if you add to this the people
who use the roads during their work, you
will quickly see that greater skills and a
completely different knowledge base is
essential in order to operate efficiently. Whether you are operating in a security capacity
or carrying out surveillance, your needs should comprise the following:
• The need to drive safely and not cause an accident.
• The need to avoid being involved in other people's accidents.
• The need to be visible to the majority of road users.
• The need to be invisible to specific road users.
• The need to anticipate the actions of other road users.
• The need to anticipate the decisions made by your target.
• The skill to carry out all of the above while concentrating on other factors such as
navigation, communication, finding escape routes, remembering secure observation
points etc
You can see that for the average driver, even managing the first two elements is a difficult
prospect - otherwise we wouldn't pay so much for" car insurance. Add to this the more
complex elements listed and you will see the real problem is one of lack of training. "Pro-
Active" skills are not automatic and will re quire concentration and effort far above that of
the average person currently driving a car on the streets of the UK, but not beyond
achievable limits.
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Pro-Active
In driving terms this means the ability to predict the actions of others rather than waiting
to see what they do and then react to it. You may find the acquisition of other skills useful
to the enhancement of your "Pro-Active" abilities - you should consider driving courses on
track driving to improve your awareness of grip and car control, off-road driving to
improve your awareness of balance and stability. If possible some form of skid-control
exercises should be tried, whether by skid-pan or the more useful skid-car. These can be
used to improve your handling abilities in extreme conditions, but also the practice of
emergency braking that may one day save your life.
One final point is that in order for you to operate successfully you will need to develop the
skill of illusion, of appearing to be driving/parking for a purpose other than the
surveillance or other mission that you are engaged in. You will see upon reading the
surveillance section just how obvious some people can be when trying to appear covert. It
is not a natural skill to drive in anything other than a normal fashion when engaged in
these activities, often your instinctive behaviour or other traits will give you away if you do
not actively control them.
Remember, a successful operation is one without unexpected results.

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Chapter One Choosing a
Vehicle
"You can have any colour you like - as long as it's black."  
Henry Ford discussing the Model T.
Before we get into the minefield of choosing the ideal surveillance vehicle, let us
concentrate on the reasons why we are even thinking of such a decision. To successfully
maintain surveillance on somebody, we need to recognise that whether they are simply
skiving from work or evading the Child Support Agency, your client needs you to monitor
a target who is almost certainly guilty of what your client believes is the problem. This
makes him a difficult target from the start, because he is likely to be more wary, more alert
to the unusual and in a lot of cases, actually expecting to be caught at some point if he
drops his guard.

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In the simplest cases, timing is all that is needed to secure the evidence that your client is
seeking. Social Security departments, for example, often make appointments to call on
claimants unexpectedly then stake-out the address some hours earlier, often catching the
co-habitee leaving or the claimant hid ing the van he uses for work that has been parked
outside his house all night. This works because of the state of mind of the individual being
monitored. If he doesn't think about the consequences of his actions, he may well be
sloppy, if he doesn't consider.the possibility of being watched, you could sit out side his
house in a car with "Private Investigator At Work" emblazoned along the side and he will
assume that you're watching his neighbour.
Even if this is your bread and butter employment, there is still the risk of the alert
neighbour spotting you and contacting the police having a patrol car interrupt your stake-
out is bound to raise your profile to the point where even the most brain-dead target can
work out your reason for being outside his house. There are countless other reasons why
your work will involve the tailing of targets or the monitoring of premises, whether
visually or by electronic surveillance methods. To some degree these could all entail some
form of additional driving skills or enhanced awareness being required in order to
complete the task.
What we must concern ourselves with are surveillance operations up to and including
areas such as Industrial Espionage and Fraud. Matters which require greater precision if
you are to avoid being caught while carrying out your work. In many of these cases you
will require several operatives or you will need to operate equipment without arousing
suspicion. This is why the selection of the correct vehicle for surveillance is necessary and
the answers that I am about to give may surprise you.
Working alone or as a team ?

First we must consider the practical aspects of the job in hand. Some of you may choose to
work alone, which can make surveillance operations more difficult. Others have a team of
trusted "agents" who join in on surveillance duties to ensure that every aspect of the job
can be covered, including prolonged surveillance of an individual target.
Normal Behaviour
Often the subject of great debate, we simply mean appearing to fit-in with the area you are
working in or the activities of people in that particular street.
Team surveillance operations require more than just a regular car to be effective and
undetected. Imagine seeing four or five people parked in a street, just sitting in their car
nothing could appear more suspicious. Likewise, an individual driver can also appear to
stand out if his actions and activities do not match the "norm" in terms of typical
behaviour. Remember that neighbourhood watch schemes are very much in evidence
these days and should be considered as being unpaid but effective counter surveillance
teams who will happily screw-up your operation without even realising it.

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In my experience, the ideal vehicle for surveillance work is seldom a car, simply because
you are too visible inside it and your actions cannot be readily disguised. If you are
working alone, however, you may not have a choice of vehicle, so if you are considering a
prolonged period of surveillance, at least try to swap cars with your partner or a friend
from time to time to vary the vehicle used. This will at least prevent any pattern of
recognition forming in the mind of the target. Hire cars are another possibility but this
depends on the rate you are charging for the job, or the agreed expenses.
Team work allows greater flexibility, but demands a more suitable vehicle, which often is
narrowed down to simply a van or an MPV with "blacked-out" windows. The benefit of
this is that it can be made to simply disappear by blending with the surroundings and
offering a lower profile than a car. Strange as this sounds, size is not the issue here, but
expectations and perceptions.
I know of at least one PI who chose to carry out his entire surveillance of one company by
using an HGV which he parked outside their premises each night. It was fully equipped for
him to live-in and the security guards paid no heed to it as they were only concerned with
vehicles entering and leaving the premises. In the road outside, it was common practice
for an HGV to park overnight - often several each night - so he simply blended straight in
with the background.
The ultimate team situation would allow for a string of vehicles to be used - as often seen
in spy movies and police dramas on TV. In the real world, however, this can prove more of
a hindrance than you may think and I would suggest that although one or two back-up
vehicles are necessary for large scale surveillance operations. the principal of using one
vehicle for the team to operate from can often be a sensible one. Whatever your needs and
your decision, you will need a "Grey" vehicle in order to reduce your profile to acceptable
limits.
Choosing a "Grey" vehicle

To understand what a "Grey Vehicle" is, we must think of what we are attempting to do in
terms of stealth technology. It is common knowledge now that "Stealth Technology" in
the military sense is all to do with avoiding detection by radar and as much as possible
visually . This means aircraft, ships, even tanks that will "disappear'' at night, so allowing
night operations to be carried out in almost complete safety.
Stealth: a definition secrecy, furtiveness, covert,

undercover, clandestine.
Fortunately for us, most targets are not radar equipped, so our "stealth" can be acquired
more simply. In the popular media and in particular the world of cinema, the typical
surveillance vehicle is the van. This may not come as a surprise to you, but how many of
you already use a van for surveillance? Our vanity in wanting a flash motor for impressing
clients or to look good outside of our office is often the deciding factor in our choice of

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vehicle - and these days the practical answer to many of our problems is a multi purpose
vehicle, or MPV.
MPV's are usually considered to be vehicles like the Renault Espace or the Chrysler
Voyager, vehicles with multiple seating and options for carrying other loads. These are
fine, but if you were to try surveil lance in a typical MPV, the chances are you will be
spotted. Imagine the types of routine work we are talking about, employee surveillance,
the new trend of checking out the local area for a potential house purchaser or even more
mundane, issuing summonses or writs. All of these may require you to follow your target
until the ideal opportunity to serve the papers or take the photo arrives. In a typical MPV
you could be a little too conspicuous, especially if the area you are operating in has very
few of them parked at the side of the road.
If you are adamant that the nature of this vehicle means that it is what you choose, then
ensure that you disguise it by darkening all but the front side windows and windscreen. At
least then you can observe from the rear of the vehicle in relative safety and when
following your target, he does not have as clear an image of you in his mirror as he would
like. Try also to opt for a used vehicle, and relatively common. to reduce suspicion. Even
consider a halfway vehicle between your dream MPV and my ideal choice, the van. Many
vans are available in minibus format with an "executive" option that simply offers the
seats and trim from the same manufacturers MPV in a larger body shell. This minibus
then forms a better basis for disguise and blending with it's surroundings - as l shall
explain later.
Drivers Field of Vision
For serious surveillance work, l would opt for the most invisible vehicle on UK roads, the
Ford Transit van. Think of the number of Transits you see today cruising the streets,
carrying tradesmen, builders, deliveries, parcels etc. If you opted for a similar vehicle, it
would instantly achieve the required invisible status and prove to be more adaptable than
you would imagine. Transit vans provide better views over the traffic you are following,
they also offer greater opportunity for spotting the signals given by your tar get vehicle
earlier, and in rural areas, allow you to monitor movements over hedgerows while
remaining invisible.
In traffic, a van allows you to ride closer to your target vehicle than normal, allowing you
to reduce the risk of losing contact - something which few vehicles will let you do. (I do
know of one London based operation who only use black cabs as their surveillance

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vehicles, for similar reasons, but they have draw backs - especially if the surveillance then
takes on a static form.)
Conspicuity
The ability to control how you are seen by other vehicles and how you can increase the
number of vehicles/people that can see you in order to reduce the risk of one of them
causing you a problem.
In general, the Transit allows you to control your level of conspicuity a feature which is
essential in professional surveillance. As you read on you will realise that not only does it
become important to remain invisible to your target, but it may become important to
increase your visibility to other road users in order to maintain your position in relation to
the target vehicle. What makes the Transit eve n more ideal is adaptability. Here is a
vehicle which from the outside can look inconspicuous to the casual observer, especially if
the colour chosen is white, but inside can offer an amazing level of options for adaptation
into your ideal surveillance vehicle.
For practical purposes, consider a short wheelbase model , 2.0 petrol for this type of work
is probably more suitable, with a side-door as well as rear door or tailgate. Colour is
important, white being the obvious choice, but any common colour will suffice. Remember
that the vehicle has to blend into it's surroundings, so look at the most common van
colours in your area. White and Red are the most common nationally because as with
cars, they are the easiest colours to sell on. BT Grey is another possibility, but whatever
you choose, keep it plain, no stripes.
The vehicle comes with a large fuel tank as standard, which is designed for a long day of
deliveries, so it works as a bonus on operations that are of indeterminate length. Likewise
the battery is heavy duty and can sustain longer use of electrical equipment when the
engine is switched off although personally I prefer to fit a second battery for this role in
order to preserve the vehicles starting capability for emergencies.
You should consider how it's appearance can be altered if required. Magnetic or self-
adhesive signs or logos can be carried to alter the vehicle's appearance if necessary. Taking
turns at driving can give the appearance of different vans. There is even an operative who
has had the two sides of the vehicle painted different colours, so he can appear to be a
different Transit when coming from a different direction. He keeps the front and rear
white to blend in traffic and claims that nobody even notices the un usual colour scheme.
Even his family thought for ages that he had more than one van!
Now for the interior. Most Transits have three seats up front. Replace the bench seat with
a second drivers seat and you have better access to the rear, better adaptability for the two
operatives up front as . both seats will then be height adjustable, and more room to carry
equipment between the seats - cam eras, monitoring equipment etc. The installation of a

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cool-box or camper fridge behind the seats or under the dash provides the necessary
repository for refreshments and allows longer continuous operation of the vehicle.
The "glove-box" of a Transit can accommodate a medium sized briefcase, or again a lot of
other equipment. You can easily mount a scanner inside, or a video recorder for use with a
micro camera mounted on the dash or the rear-view mirror. There are a plethora of after-
market options available for customising the cab to suit your personal requirements, from
more comfortable seats to air conditioning units.
The cab also is large enough to allow more personal comfort for long surveillance
operations but the real bonus is what you can do behind the cab.
An ideal installation would involve a second row of seats installed, or two bench seats
fitted facing one another. This increases your passenger capacity to eight operatives, with
room for two to sleep if necessary, although bunks could also be fitted for this purpose. A
table offers additional comfort, but also acts as your mobile office, simply by using a
laptop with modem and GSM phone. This allows contact with your office, your client,
access to databases or other information sources and most importantly allows routine
work to be carried out while engage on remote or long operations.
Eventually you may feel the need to operate from your van full-time and so do away with a
separate office altogether. Again this is quite common practice, with a mailing address and
hourly-rented office space fulfilling the more traditional requirements of the business.
This leaves you free to conduct more of your work "hands-on" while still being able to
function in your managerial role. The advent of the "Limo Van" in the USA has meant that
more and more manufacturers are producing equipment that can be run from within a
van using 12v power and the use of vans as mobile conference rooms is becoming a most
cost effective method of conducting business across the USA.
In the UK, where we are more reserved about such things, there is resistance to any form
of widespread adoption of Teleworking and in particular the idea of not having an office to
call your own. We need to think more openly about this as office space is becoming more
expensive and the necessity diminishes. Think carefully about how you could combine
your routine business needs with your surveillance requirements. How you could offer a
service to your clients which is both discrete and instant. In a business such as Private
Investigation where time is literally money and clients often cannot afford to wait to
resolve their problem, the flexibility of travelling equipped for any task is becoming more
and more appealing.
Additional equipment?
Other useful options include the installation of navigation equipment such as the models
fitted to luxury cars. These can also operate in unison with a laptop and provide a record
of journeys and locations for your clients. There is even scope for the vehicles movements

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to be sent directly to your office to keep them automatically appraised of your
whereabouts without the need for voice communications.
One thing that I haven't mentioned so far is weapons, for personal protection. This again
is a matter of personal choice and while I do not condone the use of weapons in most
circumstances, It is obvious that there are a myriad of hiding places for practical self-
protection devices around a typical van. If you are licensed to carry weapons or require the
means to protect yourself from a potential threat, you will appreciate the flexibility that
this has to offer.
With imagination, you can see that other options exist, storage space for clothing, a water
container , even a toilet facility can be incorporated into the van. More importantly there
is room-for other aids to successful surveillance. Consider the following scenario to see
what I mean and then extrapolate your own ideas for your personal needs.
Imagine you are tailing your client, he takes a taxi, then is dropped off at a shopping
precinct. You let out one of your operatives to follow him, then he gets another cab and
suddenly he disappears. Well, what if the operative you discharged from the van took with
him, for example, a mountain bike. He wouldn't look out of place in a shopping precinct,
and could have any number of reasons to stop and check a tyre, or fiddle with something
else on the bike. Then when he sees the target take the cab, he mounts the bike and gives
chase. Invisibility can be maintained, he can make radio contact and give you a direction
to follow, then in normal traffic can follow the target until you can catch him and bring
him back on board.
That's just one possible scenario. In the USA I have seen vans equipped for up to eight
operatives and containing everything from skateboards to surfboards to act as cover for
operatives. Clothing can be changed and a team of six can be given the flexibility to work
as a team of eighteen. For regular work of this nature, you may want to opt for a long-
wheelbase version of your chosen van, but for now lets concentrate on the most popular
aspects of the business.
Unless you are engaged in the more extreme areas of surveillance, you are likely to be
monitoring the movements and activities of ordinary people carrying out their ordinary
lives. This simplifies matters in that you can adapt more easily to operating from a van
where all you need to do is maintain a static watch on a target or track and record the
movements of certain individuals. Only when you land more extensive work on a
corporate level would you need to consider further investment in equipment and
accessories.
Generally, extra seating, storage, a couple of bikes, plus your surveillance equipment is all
you will need to carry. Remember to make it all appear quite normal though. As with any
vehicle, routine police checks can occur and if the van looks like the lair of a bunch of
mountain bikers it attracts less attention than if it appears like something out of Mission
Impossible! Also ensure that the equipment is well se cured. Remember that the van has
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to be made mobile at a moments notice - so be prepared to dump food etc. into a handy
bin.
One final point worth mentioning in the area of equipment is the extra tools and
emergency equipment that should be carried. A simple list would be something like this:
• Trolley Jack and professional wheel-brace (for faster wheel changes)
• Spare bulbs, fuses, and traditional breakdown equipment
• Fire extinguishers specifically for electrical fires
• Snow shovel - useful for mud and other uses
• Basic tools plus a decent hammer (for instant panel re-shaping)
• Torches and other emergency lighting
• A good breakdown recovery service in case a fault means you need to abandon the
vehicle while
Obviously I could expand this list indefinitely, but you get the general idea. If you are
working in a potentially hostile environment and feel that the threat of vehicle tampering
exists, you may wish to consider the addition of more sophisticated equipment such as
Goodyear EMT (Extended Mobility Tyres) which enable you to drive at normal road
speeds after suffering a puncture.
Sensible additional precautions would also include:
• Bonnet locks to prevent tampering.
• Carry a spare distributor cap, leads and rotor arm as the removal of these is the most
common method of vehicle disabling.
• Consider the fitment of "bullet-proof' glass to prevent unauthorised entry to the

vehicle.
• Replace the traditional locks with more unusual types that will either prevent or at
least seriously de lay any attempt at forced entry.
• Modifying the exhaust so that the visible tailpipe is not the functional one, thus
preventing the classic potato in the tailpipe method of vehicle disabling.
You must make a personal choice as to the level of expenditure and the degree of effort
you put into the preparation of the vehicle. Most people tend to look at a basic equipment
level and then develop and expand it as they develop their business - this is what I would
recommend. There is little point in invest ing too much on the off-chance of being offered
a high profile, high risk contract when the bulk of your work is of the more mundane
variety.

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If you have a large budget, there's one other option:
Purpose Built Surveillance Vehicles

A natural extension of the last section would be the decision to produce a vehicle that is
designed to be used either solely for your business or as a dual purpose vehicle. The
equipment options mentioned can, with the exception of the surveillance equipment, be
used for personal or family use. There are several choices available, both in cars and vans,
but as we are dealing specifically with surveillance, let us consider the basic Transit Van.
A van provides the ideal base - for the reasons discussed before , but if you feel that a
minibus would be preferable, then with blacked out windows it serves the same purpose
but is less "stealthy".
Another option is to begin

with a van but to include a
large "picture window" in
the side as with US built
leisure vehicles. This would
make the vehicle less
stealthy from the side, but
from almost every other
angle it would look like a
van. The bonus is that the
view from inside is enhanced and it allows you to park in a less conspicuous position and
still have the required view of the target.
Another idea is to provide a sign that covers the window when not required for
observation. This would require some care to appear convincing, but is well within the
capabilities of sign-makers. For practical purposes, the more the vehicle looks like a
"standard " Transit from the outside, the better it will serve as a professional surveillance
vehicle.
After choosing your make and model of vehicle, consider the finer points such as the
various body types and sizes, differences in engine types and sizes, the final decision is
yours, of course, but consider the following points:
Long wheelbase vans can carry more, but are less manoeuvrable, more difficult to park
on urban streets and may be unable to follow into car parks and other restricted areas.
(High roofed vehicles definitely could not)
Short wheelbase vehicles may not be able to carry all that you want, may have less
flexibility than you would like and may limit the size of your surveillance team - causing
you to need other vehicles. Always try to consider the amount of space required before
committing to a Vehicle.
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Petrol-engined versions should be OK for the minimal loads you will carry but will be
thirsty. Performance is also less than that of a car with a similar engine size, so opting for
the larger choice is a sensible choice. Turbo diesels, however, while powerful and practical,
are noisier and can be more sluggish when climbing hills or in other situations.
Consideration should also be given to the mechanical attributes. Having the engine tuned
for greater speed or acceleration is possible. Generally, however, the Transit 2.0 or 2 . 5Td
is sufficiently powerful for all but the most extreme requirements. Other vans have similar
choices of engine and the same rules apply. Transplants are also feasible, but in order to
maintain reliability, changing engines should only be carried out after consulting a
specialist.
As the vehicle is not going to be carrying vast loads, look into the options for shock-
absorbers, tyres, brake enhancements etc. Many of the items that would make the vehicle
more useful to your specific needs are available off the shelf. In fact, there are specialist
tuners, suppliers and a wealth of after market options for the UK's most popular van, all
you have to do is search them out. Avoid the obvious mistakes - No alloy wheels! No noisy
exhaust systems! No wide wheels with low-profile rubber! Instead, choose a sensible range
of improvements rather than trying to produce a race or rally prepared vehicle.
In addition to this, there are also internal considerations that require attention such as
security. If you are going to equip a vehicle with a comprehensive suite of surveillance
equipment, then you will need enhanced security to ensure that while absent from the
vehicle, you are not ripped off by some casual thief. As well as a comprehensive pager
alarm and immobilisers, you should also consider armouring the lock-plates and in fact
replacing the standard locks with something mo re substantial. Consult a professional
security consultant for the best advice on what is and isn't possible on your chosen
vehicle.
You can also alter the internal appearance and practicality of the vehicle with
commercially available extras. Sound-proofing kits are a good idea, as they can work both
ways and prevent passing pedestrians from hearing too much. Also look at options for
camper vehicles and other conversions - almost all of what you will need is already being
produced by small manufacturers somewhere. A few days of good research will unearth a
wealth of useful sources. Many of these suppliers are also open to building equipment to
order, with no questions asked s they assume that you are converting a van into a
camper!
Once the vehicle is converted, equipped, secured and ready for operations, you should
then ensure that your finished vehicle is still MOT worthy, covered by your insurance -
(many companies would cringe at converted vehicles) - and as a final point, fully serviced
by a reliable mechanic. So often the desire to build the perfect vehicle is marred by the
general ignorance of the basic mechanical condition of the original donor vehicle. You

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must consider this a high priority and ensure that your modifications and improvements
do not compromise the ability to access the maintenance points of the vehicle.
Strict adherence to the higher maintenance required by vans should be meticulously

carried out, how ever, as you do not want to compromise a major contract for the want of
an oil change. Vans have a good record of reliability, especially in the start-stop driving
that may well occur when on surveillance. In addition, they have heavier duty systems and
can withstand more abuse than a typical car. In general, Vans offer a practical advantage
over cars for almost every aspect of the surveillance business and this. is why they have
been the principal choice of government departments and other bodies for 30 years.
So far I've only discussed Transits, but naturally you can adapt these ideas to other makes
and types of vehicle. Just remember that the possibility of being spotted increases as the
commonality of the chosen vehicle decreases. If you want to use a purple coloured US
built Chevy van, then that's your choice of course, but don't be surprised if you are spotted
on your very first job. Only you will know exactly what you want to use the vehicle for and
to what degree you can afford to personalise to suit your individual tastes or off-duty
requirements. We have discussed modifications for vans as they are the most practical,
but even a typical MPV could be adapted to include some of the options - although there is
a trade off between carrying people and equipment that requires more careful
consideration.
Chapter 1 • Checklist
• Always choose the vehicle you need rather than the one you think suits your image. Re
member that for surveillance, a van is the optimum choice - and the most adaptable.
• Choose a vehicle that is both commonly used and regular in appearance - nothing
flashy. A Ford Transit is a typical example , but not the only choice available to you.
• Equip your vehicle for the range of work you wish to be able to offer - including
additional seats for extra operatives and equipment racks for bikes etc.
• Ensure that the external appearance is normal wherever possible and that any
alterations made are discreet. One-way film on any side or rear windows for example.
• Internally, you should install soundproofing and panelling to provide a quiet and safe
work ing environment. The choice of different seating for enhanced comfort is also
recommended.
• Equip your vehicle with communications and navigation equipment , especially if you
are likely to be operating outside of your norm al area or over a large part of the
country.
• Utilise the additional seating and other options to provide a mobile office or centre of
operations for yourself. Consider running your entire business from the van on a daily
basis.
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• Enhance the security of your vehicles with protected or replacement locks,
immobilisers and page-alarm. Even consider in-van cameras to monitor unwanted.
intruders.
• If necessary, consider more extreme options such as run-flat tyres or bullet-proof glass
to in crease personal protection.
• Finally, do not neglect the obvious areas of routine maintenance, the MOT approval of
the vehicle and especially adequate insurance cover for the finished vehicle plus any
permanently installed equipment.

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Chapter Two Basic Driving
Skills
Attitude is contagious - is yours worth catching ?
Professional Driving skills are only achievable if you adopt a Professional Attitude to your
driving. In order to achieve the required attitude, it may be necessary to provide yourself
with an incentive and a reason for changing what you already thinks is acceptable in
today's driving climate. Much of what needs to be achieved here is going to depend on the
attitude of the other driver as well - and equally on what has been taught when you and
the other driver were novices.
Remembering the basics of Driving

Let's take a step back at this point and think about how our driving skills were originally
taught and how they develop, or not, over the years. Most people have vivid memories of
learning to drive or of the test itself. I'm sure that you all remember being told-off for

Page 22
crossing your hands and for failing to give a signal - even when you were the only car on
the road!
As a novice driver, many of the risks that existed were not always obvious to you, your
awareness was yet to be developed. This should have been the priority of your instructor,
but more often than not, the priority was learning the routines of the test itself, without
always being given a full understanding of the reasons for doing so. The lessons would
consist of learn ing specific skills that cover the various elements of the Driving Test and
in fact would often take place in areas known to be test routes. The first time that some
drivers eve r saw a dual carriageway was after they passed their test.
At the end of this period of tuition, usually conducted in as few lessons as possible, in
order to impress your friends, the test was taken and usually passed without much
difficulty. Then, as if by magic, you were a qualified driver - with the same standing as
other road users, despite the lack of experience. I’m sure that the only emergency braking
that you have carried out since then was for real, which means that it is likely that it took
place at 25mph on a good road surface, slightly uphill and with plenty of warn ing that you
were about to do it.
What does not exist, at least not yet, is a compulsory dual-carriageway section, or
motorway, or any thing at all concerning modern technology, sµch as ABS. In fact the rest
is much the same as the test you took, without the hand signals which are now ignored on
practical grounds. (In fact in some cities, there is even dispensation granted that allows
the emergency stop to be skipped if the traffic density is too great!)
What exactly have you retained from the lessons needed for the test? Well, the mechanical
skills needed to move the car - (except that many drivers still don't understand why they
have so many gears). When you have "Right of Way" and when to "Give Way" . Possibly a
fair amount of Highway Code, especially if you had to take the new theory test, and
perhaps the prescribed method for carrying out certain manoeuvres.
I am sure that you also remember the routines for observation using mirrors - although
many drivers still do not understand what they are looking for! The classic example is that
when novices are being trained to turn right from a major road into a minor road, they
are told to check both their interior and door mirrors before moving out into the centre of
the road, and to stop with their wheels straight, pointing along the centre of the road - in
case their foot slips off of the clutch. This avoids the car lurching into oncoming traffic, or
rather that is what you are supposed to tell novice drivers.
In the real world, the most likely event is a rear-end shunt - the most common car
accident in the UK. It is this which would push you into oncoming traffic. Apparently
telling a novice driver that this may hap pen is considered to be too scary, so instructors
are told to avoid it - or in some cases are only told the first version themselves, hence the
poor quality of information given to novice drivers. If you relate this to surveillance
driving, you can perhaps appreciate that by having to make decisions based on other
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people's journeys, you are likely to put yourself at risk of being involved in a shunt when
the driver be hind is unable to anticipate your next change of speed or direction.
It is only when you can understand these risks that you will see the need for
the more extreme control techniques that I shall cover in the next chapter.
Another point that is remembered is the need to control speed in urban areas, although
very few drivers religiously use speed correctly - especially when to do so would incur the
wrath of the drivers following them, provoking "Road Rage". The most recent figures
indicate that 70% of all drivers break the 30mph limit, which puts pressure on the
remaining 30% to comply or suffer the abuse that follows. I'm sure the true figure is
actually more than that if you consider the drivers who lied when answering the survey
questions and those who literally aren't aware of breaking the limit.
Not surprisingly 57% of drivers also admit to breaking the 70mph limit and 19% claim that
they regularly exceed 80mph, and not always on Motorways. As for company car drivers,
the latest Lex report shows that 50% of company drivers think that breaking speed limits
is "acceptable" and one in five think that they should be allowed to set their own limits
according to conditions! This sounds a ridiculous idea in theory and would be quite
impossible to put into practice as every driver would have there own judgement of what is
safe - pretty much as they do already , hence the continuing problem of pedestrian
fatalities and the increased use of controlled crossings.
This is the area that is directly in conflict with the design of modern vehicles and the
artificial sense of safety that drivers feel when travelling at speed. As a professional driver,
you will need to control the urge to use speed just because it is available to you -
especially on surveillance operations. It is better to consider blending with other traffic
and then controlling their speed where it is considered necessary for your personal safety
or for the benefit of the operation.
Safe Driving Culture
Utilising the correct attitude to safe driving and correct Business Ethics when driving.
Back in the real world we need to look at how to promote a "Safe Driving Culture" for
yourself or your business, while allowing you to operate successfully. If this proves to be
impossible for any of your operatives, then it is usually the demands on the driver that are
to blame - for which you will need to arrange appropriate training in the area of weakness.
There is little point offering to carry out any surveillance if the stress that it causes leads
to problems in either your personal safety or the correct conduct of your business.
The correct Business Ethic to adopt is one of always wanting to conduct your business
without causing any unnecessary risk to third parties or to your own staff - including
yourself of course. If you find your self unable to operate effectively without taking high
risks to do so you may as well consider a career change - professional operators are
considered to be the best planners , they take only controlled risks to achieve their
Page 24
objective and they do not risk themselves or their other team members no matter what
the significance of the operation.
It is all too easy these days to hide behind a shield of data which proclaims that your
choice of vehicle alone is going to protect you from the more severe risks in accident
scenarios- but what about avoiding the accidents? Surely the best insurance that you can
have as a driver is the knowledge that you are do ing as much as you reasonably can to
prevent accidents from occurring - rather than simply accepting them and trusting to
technology to keep yourself and your passengers alive!
I have always been amazed when speaking to drivers who have just written-off their pride
and joy in the back of another vehicle, especially when they describe how they braked -
but "the ABS didn't work so I hit the other car''. Often the ABS worked fine, but somehow
the drivers thought that the car steered itself away from danger! Another common
misconception is when the ABS operates, often in a violent way, drivers think that there is
something wrong with the vehicle, let go of the brake pedal, and hit whatever they were
pointing at!
In all of these cases, there is scope for developing the correct attitude to your driving -
even if until now you hadn't given it much thought. If your work depends on you being
able to guarantee being able to follow a target, or provide secure transport for a client,
then you must first be able to protect yourself from the risks that other drivers are simply
unaware of. You must control the space surrounding your vehicle as if it was a bubble
which may be squeezed on occasions, but which must never be allowed to burst.
How Attitude can alter your Driving

Pro-Active
to see what they do and then react to it .
Overall the skills taught in these your weeks of driving were quite simply re-active and not
the pro-active awareness skills needed for driving in the real world. It is still up to the
individual to try to find the additional experience from somewhere - very few ADl's are
asked for further lessons after the test has been passed, for reasons of finance and because
there is no legal requirement to do so.
Re-active
Literally the opposite to a pro-active driver, the re-active driver always waits for the other
driver to do something before deciding what to do next.
The reason that pro-active awareness is missed out in early driver training however is
quite simple. If it isn't in the test, then it doesn't need to be taught! This is not simply the
ADl's fault, but also the obvious reaction to publishing the test syllabus and not promoting
strongly enough the full range of skills required for driving. Pupils, or more often the
Page 25
parents who are paying for the lessons, are far too wary to pay {or additional motorway
training or other additional lessons, preferring instead to impart their own particular
skills in these areas to their trusting offspring.
ADI
Official term for a Dept of Transport Approved Driving Instructor.
What has this all to do with Attitude, well after learning the basic mechanical skills,
followed by a period of developing your awareness of the hazards of the road, you
eventually learn to express your personal ity through your driving - this is the Attitude
that we are talking about. Initially, this is the area that you need to be honest with yourself
about.
If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, then your own attitude needs to be
assessed in more detail:-
1. Do you ever use your horn or gesture at other drivers?
2. Have you ever aggressively defended your space on the road and prevented another
vehicle from cutting ahead of you?
3. Do you find driving these days is less enjoyable?
4. Do you ever travel over the speed limit in urban areas?
5. Do you ever drive too close to other vehicles?
6. Have you ever been involved in a rear-end shunt?
Now before you lose your temper and skip the rest of this chapter, let me explain why
often it is your attitude which can cause you the problem and not the actions of others.
If you answered yes to question (1.), then you are doubtless seen as quite "normal" in
terms of drivers in the UK - but it doesn't mean you are right. Drivers mistake the horn as
being some form of defence mechanism, a means of expressing anger or contempt for
other drivers - but the same drivers seldom use their horn to prevent the problem from
occurring.
If you consider that the correct purpose for the horn is - "to warn other road users of your
presence"- then perhaps we should adopt the European approach of defensive use of the
horn and not aggressive application after the problem has occurred.
Have you ever been overtaken by a vehicle and heard him toot his horn before doing so?
The chances are you have, and you looked to see why he was tooting at you, but you
probably didn't notice his nationality. Most European countries teach the use of horn for
safety when overtaking - to ensure the other driver is aware of your presence.

Page 26
In the UK we consider it to be bad manners, or we are too embarrassed to use the horn for
such as "trivial" point as protecting our lives when overtaking. Try it, especially when
forced to overtake vans or other large vehicles on narrow roads - you'll be amazed at the
difference.
Likewise, instead of wondering whether that vehicle ahead is about to emerge in front of
you, toot your horn and grab his attention - he may never have seen you. Of course on the
continent of Europe you would flash your headlights for this hazard - but here it would
add to the problem and not reduce the risk. Headlight flashing is now a national
obsession and each year accounts for thousands of accidents and near misses, both in the
UK with visiting drivers and in Europe when we travel abroad and expect everyone to
know what we mean.
Question (2.) is more of a personal problem, the defence of personal space to prevent the
intrusion of other ('.!rivers. Again our reasoning is flawed, as to reduce space ahead of us
to prevent others gaining access to it only increases the risk to ourselves. It is necessary to
try to control this urge and to remind yourself that just because another driver takes the
space ahead of you, you aren't being pushed back-. wards in the queue - merely reducing
speed for a fraction of a second to allow him into the space. There is little point trying to
prevent this driver from completing his manoeuvre once you have allowed him to
commence it. In the next chapter, t he correct control techniques will be discussed to
prevent this situation from occurring in the first place.
Now we come to a very emotive issue. If you said yes to Question (3.) then you are simply
reflecting the feeling of the nation as a whole . Driving used to be fun but now there are
too many people trying to do it all at once. Now we are controlled by cameras & speed
bumps vehicles are being banned from city centres. In actual fact this is predominantly an
urban problem. Rural driving anywhere except around Lon don is still enjoyable - ask any
of the Motor ing journalists who frequent the Scottish Highlands or the Lake District to
conduct their road tests.
What is missing is a sense of achievement. We can no longer take pride in travelling from
A to B swiftly and efficiently as it is not in our control anymore. We need instead to try to
set other goals. Minimise the number of times we are forced to stop. Learn to anticipate
hazards earlier and take control of the situation before it controls you. It is because of this
problem that almost all of you answered yes to Question (4.). The speed limit in urban
areas is set for a reason , which has nothing to do with your personal need to make a
meeting on time. Only your attitude can prevent you from killing a pedestrian.
Questions (5.) and (6.) are similarly linked, in that many of you would have answered no
to QS. Without really understanding what too close actually meant , but on Q6. A large
proportion of you would have had to answer yes - followed by "but it wasn't my fault". This
is the attitude problem that we need to conquer to our own satisfaction before we
consider improving our driving skills and using them for our business.

Page 27
If you follow another vehicle at a "safe" distance, i.e. that which is prescribed by the
Highway Code, and you do nothing more to prevent the risk of a shunt, then chances are
you are driving too close most of the time. You have to consider other variables:-
ABS
Anti Blockiersystem
Originally a German invention and used for years in aircraft, the term is a Bosch
registered trademark for an Anti Lock Braking System to help prevent skidding under
braking.
• If the driver behind you is too close, when you stop safely, he won't!
• If the driver ahead of you has ABS and the road is dry, he may stop much sooner than
you can.
• If the driver behind you has ABS and the road is wet, he may well take longer to stop
than you.
• If you have ABS and the other drivers do not, then you may stop quicker than the
driver behind you or slower than the one ahead of you - and without practice, avoiding
either is almost impossible.
Fuzzy Logic
The science of understanding that the universe is not all black and white but rather more
complex. That is only one consideration, but really illustrates that in this world of Fuzzy
Logic where there is never a definitive answer, we need to adopt a more flexible approach
to the methods we use to protect ourselves.
It is one thing to cause a shunt by driving into another vehicle and quite another to be hit
while you are already stationary. Many drivers still think that the latter is blameless on
their part whereas the first scenario is "always the fault of the driver that hit the vehicle he
was following". If you talk to any Insurance Investigator, you will find that this is not the
case. Much more is made of the type of vehicles, the age of the drivers, the road conditions
etc. etc, although these are precisely the areas that the drivers them selves were obviously
not considering prior to the accident.
Excuses like "I had to turn right, so I stopped to wait for a gap in the traffic and the guy
behind me drove into me" are just not acceptable if the alternative was to drive on and not
have the accident! These days we are too wrapped up in who is to "blame" for the accident,
who had "right of way" and whether or not one party was "signalling their intention" when
the accident occurred. What is more relevant, surely, is why the drivers did nothing to
prevent the accident occurring, why one vehicle thought he could stop, because he "had to
turn right" when the car behind him had no idea he was going to do so.

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We need to discuss these matters in more detail, which is why after you have taken to time
to consider some of these points, then perhaps taken yourself out for a drive to try to
assess your own attitude traits we can move on to the next chapter and look at some of the
areas of driving skills that you would only learn if you either paid for advanced tuition or
received it as part of a corporate training policy in a previous employment situation.
Chapter 2 - Checklist
• It is imperative that before you begin adopting advanced driving skills, you consider
what you have been taught previously and how it relates to modern driving.
• Ensure that the your Safety Culture begins in the Car Park and ends when you are
safely in doors at the end of the day. There is no point driving safely on business, then
having an accident on the way home - or when driving with the family.
• Try to channel the competitive nature of your driving into the more useful area of
trying to be safer than the other driver. In professional driving, there is little room for
ego and aggression.
• Try to ensure that your staff do not feel compelled to treat their daily driving as some
kind of competition that they must win in order to stay ahead of their colleagues.Look
for ways to reduce stress among your staff - such as allowing the opportunity to work
remotely or insisting on using other forms of transport for long journeys - they will
appreciate it and you will benefit in terms of their productivity and health.
• If you are considering a Business Ethics policy, try to incorporate your Stealth Driving
into it as it is an important area in terms of taking responsibility for your staff, their
safety and their behaviour - many companies are considering doing this.
• Ensure that you are not being taken in by the amount of advertising hype that centres
around the safety of the car you drive. Remember that this is predominantly passive
safety or involves re-active measures. The only pro-active measure in the avoidance of
accidents is the ability and attitude of the driver.
• Remember the importance of being able to complete your assignment safely. Your
business could be adversely affected by any lapse in attitude which leads to a time
consuming and costly accident.
• Finally - and this is the most important thing to consider when looking at your
personal driving skills It is better not to have an accident than to allow yourself to
become involved in one that simply isn't your fault. Blame is the least important
element compared with your personal safety and that of your staff and clients.

Page 29
Chapter Three Advanced
Driving Techniques
"Never rely on other road users to do the correct thing!”
(Extract from the DSA Driving Manual)
Risk Awareness & Avoidance

While you may feel that as a driver, you do not take excessive risks yourself , it should be
obvious that the biggest risks come from other road users or from the road itself. Risk
assessment and evaluation is not taught as a subject, the only area of risk that is covered
relies on understanding such principals as "Right of Way" and "Priority" - both of which
are fairly vague legal terms.
To understand Risk, we have to first accept the basic principal that when driving our
vehicle , we can never remove all risks - merely .reduce them to what we would consider to
be "acceptable". This is a difficult concept to grasp at first as we often consider that we
have driven carefully and taken every pre caution possible during a particular journey. The

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fact that we arrived safely however, is more to do with statistical possibility than simply
our own ability.
We love to share stories of the most unlikely happenings - in other words areas of
extremely low risk that nevertheless actually took place. Here are some examples:-
• A lone golfer, who hit an unfortunately wild shot on a course in Africa, brought down
the entire air force of a neighbouring country. All four aircraft were flying in close
formation when the ball shattered the canopy of the lead aircraft, and killed the pilot -
this caused the aircraft to go out of control and so collide with the other three. The
odds against this are astronomical - but it happened!
• A woman driving down 5th avenue in New York back in 1992 suddenly heard a loud
crash and felt something hit the rear of her car. Upon examination she found that a
meteorite had gone straight through her boot and buried itself in the road. Not only
was this the last thing that she expected, but she was very lucky that it was only her
boot that it went through!
• A man sitting in stationary traffic in the middle of Paris back in 1995 was quietly
picking his nose, when suddenly he was rear-ended by a late-braker and unfortunately
his finger was pushed up into his brain and killed him. He wasn't discovered for
another couple of hours as the traffic simply drove round him and the person who
caused the accident left the scene without checking on the other driver .
• Finally, there is the famous story of the van driver who was driving past the RAF base
at Northolt when his van was broad-sided by a Learjet crossing the road having
overshot the runway. He certainly wasn't expecting it but as this was the 33rd such
incident since 1960, perhaps he needed to understand the aircraft warning sign a little
better.
There is a useful chart that details Risk in the resources section - but for now, let us
consider a small section of it:-
Risk of Death Cause of Death
1:50,000,000 Being hit by an aircraft crashing in to you.
Let us start with that last example of an extreme risk, that of being hit by an aircraft -
1:50,000,000 sounds like fairly low odds and we probably wouldn't worry about it.
However the same odds apply to winning the National Lottery and millions of people work
themselves up about this every week. This shows \hat the perception of statistics is that if
they are about something beneficial we feel that they are shorter than if they are about
something dangerous.

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1:20,000 Leukaemia
1:10,000 Road traﬃc accident for a Company Car driver -

(Less than 25,000 miles per annum)
1:8,000 Road Accident as either a driver, passenger or

pedestrian
We consider being diagnosed with Leukaemia as being extremely serious to us as

individuals - and yet we consider ourselves to not be taking excessive risk if we are a low
mileage company car driver or simply a road user. Yet the statistics show the fact that the
risks are much higher in both categories - and unlike Leukaemia, is more easily reduced.
So what about those of us who drive considerably more than the 25,000 miles mentioned -
well naturally as the mileage increases, so does the risk - but it is the proportion that is
interesting. Between 25,000 and 50,000 miles the risk is double, but add a further 10,000
miles and the risk multiplies by a factor of five. This clearly illustrates the limit of human
ability in terms of high mileage driving - and this is without the added risk of driving
which working as in the case of a Pl or security operative , or the use of radios or mobile
phones while driving. Consequently this additional risk must be estimated and considered
care fully when trying to assess your position in the overall chart.

(More than 25,000 miles per annum, but less than
50,000) - influenza - untreated Working in a Coal
Mine
1:3,000 Violence or Poisoning caused by someone who

knows you

(More than 60,000 miles per annum)
What is interesting in these last figures is that the risk to the typical Company Car driver
are identical to those of the average coal-face worker or somebody who contracts the Flu
but has no form of medical assistance. The comparison is that while most of us would
never consider working on a coal-face as we
understand the possibilities for death or injury, we do not m'ind driving high mileages for
our employer and would not even consider Flu as more than a minor inconvenience. This
is a clear example of how identical risks can affect different people in wildly differing
ways.
Risk is something that is seen as essential in life. Understanding it may also be the most
difficult thing to comprehend. If you can establish an early understanding of this most
critical area then there's no problem. In reality, the easiest way to approach the subject is

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simply to look at why it exists in the first place. A risk is very easy to define, the
dictionary definition is:
The possibility of meeting danger or suffering harm Vs

Exposure to the chance of injury or loss.
The table on Risk of Death is an excellent example - I have never seen anybody not be
amazed at how their view of Risk varied from the reality shown in the chart. There are
those who will say that because they smoke 30 cigarettes a day, the added risk of driving
25,000 miles is hardly worth worrying about. Others will point out that they have never
had an accident in 30 years, or that they are better than the average driver. Simply
pointing out that it's not only they who can cause the accident, but any drivers hat they
meet on any day is a sobering point. Reminding them that while they may not have had an
accident in 30 years, do they know for sure that they have never been the cause of one? Or
ask how many near-misses they have had and point out that that it is only a matter of time
before one of these is not a near-miss .
This resistance is common because these statistics bring home a reality that we would
rather not face. However, it can be overcome if approached as part of a larger picture such
as a corporate decision to beat the normal odds or it is seen as a challenge to prove that
your staff can better the average. Most companies only employ "above average" people
and so the provision of skill-based training to provide "above-average" safety is common
sense. However you choose to impart this information to your operatives, you need to fully
understand the true nature of the problem yourself, so gathering and reading as much
information on these areas as possible is not only sensible but can be essential.
People who take risk in their lives as part of their daily activities tend to find that this
satisfies their "need" and so are generally more placid and calm in all other aspects of
life. Bungee jumpers tend to be laid back individuals at other times, as do surfers, skiers,
professional pilots or scuba divers. They seldom see the need to drive fast or own a flash
vehicle , they tend not to drink heavily or smoke, and certainly not while driving. This
phenomenon is puzzling dozens of scientists who make it their job to study and
understand risk taking. The truth is that we do so to compensate for our otherwise
mundane existence and need to replace the hunting or combative elements of life that we
no longer are involved in.
The modern "combat" takes place in traffic and the "hunting" element comes when we are
carved-up by another motorist or feel aggrieved that they are not driving in the same way
that we are.
It is unfortunate that I have no publicly produced material that can more clearly show the
risk to you as an operative, which is not to say that such information is not available, but is
actually classified in the only format that I have seen it. What you can do is assume that
you are well into the high risk category as an "average" individual, which is why this
manual is designed to impart information to you that can make you an above average

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operative. Only by doing this can you be satisfied that you are not taking on an addition to
your other Pl activities that is above and beyond what you envisaged the job being:
I think that after studying the full chart and allowing yourself a true picture of the risks
you are taking in your work, you will realise the need for the enhanced training that this
manual provides and you may even wish to add to this by taking further training in a
practical form. Whatever effect it has on you, it is doubtful that you could study these
figures and not be surprised by the number and variety of categories that you may well fit
in to. Having completed this, we must now consider the best way of reducing the risk to
an acceptable minimum. The first part of this involves improving our powers of
prediction.
Predictive Skills
Pro-Active
to see what they do and then react to it.
Driver efficiency, now there's an emotive term. To most drivers that would mean how
quickly a journey could be accomplished or how many calls could be achieved in a day.
This is not the principal concern of a security operative or Pl. Whatever the problems in
your own particular field, improving driver efficiency basically hinges about one point -
increased pro-activity. A pro-active driver is one who is aware of increased danger and
ensures that when the accident occurs, he is somewhere else. He is able to perceive
increased risk in situations before he enters them.
How he can achieve this is sometimes quite difficult to explain during road training,
unless the driver himself has the desire not to get involved in the accident. This simply
means that he understands what the risk is, where the risk is and how it would affect him
if he were to get involved. If that sounds crazy, then perhaps we should take a step back
and look at this problem objectively.
A modern car driver has an extremely high level of comfort and a plethora of equipment
to make his day more pleasurable. His vehicle is capable of much more than motorway
speeds, in relative quiet and comfort, handles better than would ever be necessary in
normal driving and can out-brake most vehicles on the road. He uses this vehicle for
business, for pleasure, often for long holiday journeys as well as trips to the newsagent on
a Sunday morning. Many vehicles are also equipped as an extension of your lounge, or
office, with leather "armchairs", CD players, phones and even faxes and in-car computers.
So why is that a problem? Well let's look at it from the drivers view first. He feels safe, is
detached from the actual sensations of driving by his power-steering and modern
suspension, feels capable of doing more than he should attempt in terms of speed and
handling and so begins to drive in a style that accommodates that feeling. He also feels
that driv ing is not occupying as much of his concentration or ef fort as it once did and so
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he is tempted to do other things while driving. Most often he is using the phone, but there
are cases of drivers reading notes and dictating letters while driving at speed on motor
ways.
Kinaesthesia
A behavioural term for the sensory feedback felt by the body from external sources. In the
case of driving a car, it means the feedback you receive from a steering wheel and by the
way the car handles
The truth is that most drivers suffer from Kinaesthesia - and I use the term "suffer" wisely,
because it is the loss of feedback from the car that has caused some of the worst accidents
in recent times. Why would anyone willingly drive into fog at 80mph, unless they "felt"
safe and had the confidence of their cars ability to handle whatever happened next. They
obviously confuse the cars ability with their own and it is the driver who becomes the
weak link in the chain that causes the accident.. Before we can consider driving under
stress on a security or surveillance mission, we need to address this problem first. Most
importantly, we must never allow ourselves to think that we can do things that we
consider dangerous when carried out by others.
So why is it that are so poor at predicting the actions of other drivers? It all stems from our
initial train ing, where we were deliberately taught to drive to a system and not to think
for ourselves. Once the system was taught, we began to expect that everyone else drove by
the same system - despite the fact that even we did not maintain this degree of precision
or rigidity in our driving once we had passed the test. This has caused us to expect other
drivers to always signal, to always warn us of their actions - whereas the more a driver
uses a particular route, the less he will bother to signal or consider other road users.
For a good example of this, consider the driver who joins your road from a side road on
the left. What do you anticipate he will do next? If you said turn right, congratulations.
You have already discovered one of the best kept secrets in driving. Drivers who join your
road are not making the same journey as you, will not remain on your road, and will more
often leave the road in the opposite direction to the way that they joined than any other
option.
This is not some mysterious force in action, simply logic - more precisely "Fuzzy Logic".
Under the rules of Fuzzy Logic, for every vehicle that joins your road and travels to your
own destination , there are as many other possibilities as there are roads, entrances and
other features on that road. However , as drivers inevitably drive from A to B for a reason,
the reason is either on your road, or more likely on the opposite side of the road to the side
that they joined - hence the most likely outcome as described above.
On a practical level, this allows you to anticipate their next move and not over-react when
they suddenly brake or move out to turn. From a security level, it means that you can back
off early and maintain your options, from a surveillance driver's point of view, it allows

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you to anticipate the need to give the vehicle time to turn and to expect to be held-up. This
in turn allows you to look ahead early and watch your tar get until the vehicle in front of
you carries out his next move. The less surprises that we are faced with daily, the safer and
easier our task becomes.
Another example is that of following a driver into a 30 limit and seeing that his speed
actually drops to around 30mph. What does that mean? Well most often it shows that he
lives there, that while he paid no attention to other limits, he is conscious of the limit in
his own village and would not be able to live with himself if he ran into a neighbour.
Expect him to stop at the local shop, or turn off with little warning. In fact, look out for
him stopping to chat with a friend or neighbour. This should become more obvious as you
monitor other drivers and is just as likely to occur in urban areas, where drivers suddenly
change their habits for no apparent reason - and then stop or turn without warning.
Whatever you think about other drivers, no doubt at some time in your driving career,
other drivers would feel the same about you. We are all guilty of habitual driving and of
having predictable habits that we can learn to understand an if necessary alter in order.to
prevent them becoming a contributory factor to our next accident.
Earlier in the manual we discussed "Grey" vehicles - well there is one truly grey vehicle
which is almost totally invisible in the UK, the ubiquitous BT van. BT has the largest fleet
in the country, the vast majority of which are Grey vans - but what do you know about
them?
• If you notice a BT van emerging from a side road, what do you next expect to see
happen?
• If you pass a BT van on a narrow country road, with the driver busy up a telegraph
pole, what can you anticipate?
• You are following a BT van and considering an overtake, what extra precautions
should you take?
The answers are all connected, in that the most common factor associated with the use of
BT vans is that they operate in pairs, or even in teams. Logically you would expect one
emerging BT van to be followed by a second. Passing one van working on a pole often
means another nearby, possibly in the most inconvenient part of the road and often just
beyond a blind bend. Finally, if the BT van you wish to overtake is apparently alone, and
the second van is not in your own mirror, then he may be in a hurry to overtake himself, or
may turn off suddenly into a driveway or turning other than a "normal" road.
So where does this leave us? Do we need to adopt an intense paranoia about the actions of
other drivers? Luckily the answer is no! The easiest way to use this information is as a
reminder of why you need to control or maintain space. Space is the real goal in any
advanced or defensive driving technique, without space you have few options. Even with
space you are limited in certain areas and have to be prepared to use the space that you
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are protecting to give you the options that you are seeking. As long as you can slow, stop
or avoid hazards in your own time and under control, you will seldom become involved in
the problems of other drivers.
Space should be thought of as an escape route, a means of avoiding contact with other
vehicles. But why is it that you can manage to stop and avoid hitting others with care, but
then someone unexpected ly hits you and spoils all of your efforts? Believe it or not, much
of the blame could rest with you not having given the other driver sufficient information to
enable him to be aware of the hazard. You may have maintained your safe stopping
distance from the vehicle ahead of you but not allowed more because of the proximity of
the following vehicle.
So now we are moving from theory into practice. Now that you have understood that you
can predict the actions of others, how do we notify the less wary? How do we "control"
other traffic without them becoming annoyed at us and exercising Road Rage? The trick is
to give them the signals that they will respond to, or to give them the impression that one
possible action is about to occur, when in fact you are about to do something slightly
different and perhaps more unexpected. Most importantly , you must constantly tell
yourself that no matter what you have learned and what you know about the potential for
danger, you will be the only person expecting it and as such must carefully take control of
protecting your own space.
"Controlling" other drivers

One area that is not immediately obvious is that of vehicle positioning. We are so
conditioned to what is regarded as the "normal" driving position that we seldom consider
any other. On your next excursion out in your vehicle, look for police cars and watch the
difference between a trained police driver in a traffic or area car and one from your local
cop-shop who is driving a typical patrol car. The difference will be come apparent when
you see that the trained driver is more fluid in his positioning. He will adapt his road
position to account for worn road surfaces, often driving in a "staggered" position to other
drivers.
This is part of the handling section that we shall cover later, but as a means of controlling
traffic, it is very potent. By positioning your vehicle slightly off-centre , you will attract
more attention as far as following drivers are concerned, while allowing you greater vision,
grip and therefore more options than the average driver. If you wish to take control of a
queue of vehicles, try slowing and simultaneously moving slightly nearer the crown of the
road. This will alert them to a potential change of speed or direction. Not only will drivers
take heed, but they will also do so without any bad reactions or Road Rage. What drivers
react badly to is lack of information, not a surplus.
For surveillance or security purposes, you will often need to look at your driving in a
different way, in stead of conforming you may need to control other drivers, without them
becoming aware. The main aim may well be to hold back so as to avoid being spotted by

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your target. Or it could be to maintain space in order to protect a passenger from a risk of
hijacking or assault. Whatever the specific reason, you need to practice safely and carefully
in order to be comfortable with the use of these techniques before you need to use them in
anger.
The principal aid to all of this is the inability of other drivers to calculate what it is you are
doing. Most drivers can happily travel from A to B and never even realise that there was
another vehicle sharing the road with them. Many have no recollection of anything along
the way - except for situations which cause them to react suddenly. It is critical, therefore,
that while we need to control drivers to attain our own goals, we do not wish to do so in an
antagonistic way.
We have mentioned positioning, now we must consider speed. The use of speed is very
much a discipline, which relies on you understanding the level of hazard in a particular
situation. Sometimes your decision does not fit in with the general use of speed in the
area, which means that you need to need to have the courage of your convictions and
influence the speed decisions of other drivers.
For the traffic following you, this can be an easy matter, simply making early decisions
and gently ad justing your speed to suit will be accepted by other drivers quite readily.
Sudden changes in speed, how ever, will be met with some unexpected responses and
possibly cause an accident. Even sudden acceleration can cause a problem as you "tow"
other drivers with you into situations which they are unprepared for.
Think about a string of drivers having the qualities of a length of elastic. As the elastic
stretches, the ten sion increases and if suddenly one end of the elastic is released, there is
a violent and sometimes painful reaction. Your acceleration to catch your target may
result in a string of vehicles doing likewise without any expecting you to suddenly stop or
turn. The consequences of this are obvious and avoid able.
Similarly you have choices when confronted with vehicles wishing to enter the same
narrow space. Imagine confronting a fellow pedestrian on the street. You both stop,
apologise, then more often than not step the same way, then apologise again, and so on. It
can take forever to avoid each other and continue your journey. Alternatively you could
spot the other pedestrian sooner and take the initiative. Similarly in driving, if you can
take the initiative, positioning yourself early to take the space, you will control the other
driver's speed. He sees the change in position not as a threat , but as an indicator of
potentially greater speed. You can take advantage of this without actually increasing your
speed at all.
The same technique applies to the area of controlling emerging drivers or assisting other
drivers to choose not to do something stupid in front of you . Adopting a more central and
dominant position in the road will give the impression that you must be travelling faster.
Rather than take the chance, other drivers will generally avoid conflict. With skill you can

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make your passage through congested roads considerably smoother, easier and less
stressful than you could currently imagine.
Another control technique - which is something that needs to be considered for all driving
- is the use of the horn. Once you overcome the typical "British" reaction of
embarrassment, the horn becomes a useful control device for the stealth driver. Use it as
the Highway Code prescribes, which means for warning other drivers of your presence. It
should not then cause any problems with drivers feeling that you are being aggressive or
deliberately trying to upset them.
In a surveillance role, t he horn can prevent drivers pulling out and causing you problems,
or pedestrians stepping out and causing you to stop. In faster traffic, the horn protects you
when overtaking, when approaching blind corners, crests etc. What it does not do,
however, is give you any form of automatic priority or other "rights". You need to
understand the risks fully and always be prepared to give in to the un expected or extreme
situations.
The horn is supposed to have the same protective quality as the flashing headlight but
unfortunately lights are now abused too much - although there is still benefit to be found
in using long-flashes of the headlight or driving with the headlights on, if the
circumstances dictate additional high-profile visibility. In urban areas, horns and
flashing headlights are so commonplace that your use of them is unlikely to be noticed by
the target vehicle - so once again you have a tool at your disposal which can give you an
edge over the "average" driver.
Airbags
Designed originally as an alternative to the seat-belt in American states where making

drivers wear belts was considered to be an infringement of their liberty, it has now become
accepted as a "must-have" accessory
So why doesn't the "average" driver worry about anything going wrong? Well, he "knows"
the safety features of the car that will save him, he believes that everyone else on the road
knows that he is there, and worst .of all he thinks that he will be able to cope with their
next move. This perception is not helped by the fact that advertising of cars often involves
demonstrations of accidents and how easy it is to avoid them. The promotion of Airbags,
ABS and Traction Control in these adverts all help to give the perception of safety without
actually having to cloud the issue with the facts.
ABS
Anti Blockiersystem
Let's look at one example of how this came about. ABS - now commonly known as Anti-
lock Braking Systems - was originally devised for use in aircraft. It basically reduces

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braking pressure when lock-up of wheels is detected and then re-applies the brake when
rotation is restored. What it means is that control of steering is maintained.
BMW and Mercedes-Benz produced the first modern systems for cars in the eighties,
although I remember a mechanical Dunlop system on the Jensen FF in the late sixties.
When the nineties arrived, so did safety as a means of selling cars. Suddenly the car to
have was the one with the best seat-belts, or the best crash-protection, and then of course,
the one with ABS. The fact is that despite the widespread use fitting of ABS and the
acceptance of it as a safety device , the average driver knows little about it or what it can
do. There are numerous comments about ABS which I have heard over and over again.
Traction Control
A derivative of the same ABS technology which uses the same sensors to prevent wheel-
spin or loss of traction.
"My new car has ABS, I can definitely feel the difference compared with the
last one."
Not true, unless maximum braking has been applied and a skid is caused, the ABS system
remains passive.
"Now that I've got ABS, I definitely feel that I stop more quickly."
Not true, in fact ABS - when used - can actually increase stopping distances rather than
reducing them, depending on the sensitivity of the system. It's principal aim is to retain
steering and control - not improve braking.
"My ABS has a switch on the dash, I always make sure that I switch it on
and that the light comes on before I drive off."
Well, for a start the switch is there to de-select the ABS, and the light comes on when the
ABS is switched off.
What this all means is that the addition of a safety device has actually caused a
misconception of perceived safety and so the true benefit of the device itself is not
realised. What it means to us as .drivers is the possibility of them becoming less aware of
the risks and so the risk to us increases. In the USA, where this risk was first identified,
drivers of ABS equipped vehicles in some states have to carry huge stickers advertising the
fact so that other drivers give them more room. In others they are actively encouraging the
disconnection of airbags or the fitment of a disabling switch to control their operation.
Signals, Warnings & Avoiding Conflict

Brake lights are one of the least understood items of a car's basic equipment. The need to
display them has never been more important, but the fact is that with modern braking
systems, we can actually brake more rapidly. It becomes clear that this indicates a
reduction in the time that brake lights are on show in a situation where the need to be
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aware of the braking is greater. The solution is to show brake-lights be fore actually
applying brakes. Simply resting your foot on the pedal displays the lights, giving other
drivers adequate warning time. This is a sensible way of generating space behind you -
something which novice instructors seem either unaware of or unwilling to teach.
Having taken control of the space behind for braking purposes, what happens when you
need to steer around the hazard instead of simply stopping? This will be almost
impossible unless you have planned it from the outset. Consequentially, it is vital that you
offer yourself an “escape route" for any hazardous situation. You should continually look
for space, monitoring the potential for risk and then imagining where you would steer in a
particular situation. Having achieved this you will find that simply knowing of an escape
route and looking at safety rather than danger, you will more often be able to achieve it
easily.
Where will this escape route be? Well, everywhere from side-roads to peoples driveways,
from pavements (empty of course) to the opposite carriageway (likewise). In a security
situation you may need to take a more extreme escape route to avoid physical danger
whereas when under surveillance you will probably be happy to avoid a hazard and then
continue your work unscathed after negotiating the problem more carefully. The sight of
you accelerating down the wrong side of a carriageway is more than likely to draw the
attention of your target, as well as the general public and any local constabulary.
Other escape routes to consider include the hard-shoulder of a motorway, the grassy
central reservation of a Dual-Carriageway, or through a hedge into a soft grass field. All
may be preferable to being involved in a multi- vehicle collision or endangering other road
users. One way of remembering to do this is every time you have to make an adjustment in
speed that you weren't expecting, ask yourself why you weren't expecting it and whether
you already had an idea of where to go in emergencies. If you did not, then your
concentration level is lower than is necessary for safe driving.
It needs to be pointed out that driving on surveillance or as a Pl is not so dangerous that

these extreme measures are always necessary. However, the point is that all drivers should
receive such information, but unfortunately are only trained to a level that was considered
adequate for the 1930's - with a minor tweak here and there since. In general the standard
of driving in the UK has not kept pace with the in crease in average speeds or the
complexity of the vehicles being driven. How often do you read in your local paper "the car
left the road" as if some how the driver had no part in causing the incident?
The final part of the art of avoiding conflict is in seeing the warnings that others miss. You
will be aware of warning signs that you see every day - as per the Highway Code - but
probably unaware that they are erected to commemorate an event that has regularly
occurred and not simply erected at great expense to prevent accidents from occurring.
The same applies to the erection of Pedestrian Crossings - often in the most ridiculous
place you may think, but in reality it is because this is where people are getting killed or
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injured. The true warning is in the road itself, the speed lim it, the presence of shops and
other hazards which all indicate the need for pedestrians to cross. Most obvious of all are
skid-marks, clearly indicating the late-braking by drivers caused by a hidden or obscured
hazard.
Think of skid-marks as the greatest free road mark ing of all. They occur all over the place,
from hidden junctions to bad bends. Often they trace the path of the vehicle that left the
road on a bend, which actually indicates a potentially worn road surface. Later you will
learn to expect the skid-marks as you begin to recognise the wear and tear on road
surfaces, thereby making it easy to reduce speed earl y and avoid the possibility of control
loss yourself.
Other warnings exist to provide the same level of information - the fact that street lights
usually appear on the outside of bends means that bends can be spotted early and the
direction of travel calculated.
The presence of the same lights in the distance can also indicate junctions or the presence
of a 30mph speed limit. If you wait to see the sign to know that these are approaching,
then you are becoming re active as this information is clearly available much earlier with
a little effort.
Driving can be a pleasurable experience, with minimal stress or other hassle, provided you
know how to decipher the information that is freely available. Here are a few more
examples:-
If you see vehicles coming towards you with lights on - expect to encounter fog, rain or an
other weather hazard.
If you are travel ling on a busy road and the oncoming traffic is "bunched" into small
groups, expect road-works or traffic lights for some other reason to be waiting up ahead.
If the motorway you are travel ling on has a brown tourist information sign, you could
expect a lot of activity sign at the next exit - because over a million visitors a year need to
visit that tourist attraction to warrant a motorway sign.
If you are approaching a bend on a rural road, but the hedge directly ahead has a hole in it,
you can expect a poO[ road surface or an adverse camber - either of which would prevent
you from making it around the bend. (Remember, slowing and being wrong is better than
not doing so and being right.)
Weight, Balance and Maintaining Grip

Now we have covered the basics of getting you to look outside of your vehicle to gather
more information, we should briefly take into consideration the forces acting on your
vehicle should you need to make a change of speed or direction in order to avoid any
problems.

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Weight is a critical factor in vehicles. If your vehicle is full of equipment for your work, try
to spread the weight and secure the heavy items securely. There is nothing worse than
when you brake hard and the contents of your vehicle continue moving forward. I have
already mentioned the benefits of using a van and this is yet another one. Having to carry
equipment around is a nuisance, but in a van it can be accommodated without
compromising the safety of the vehicle too much.
The other problem with weight is how it affects handling and other characteristics of your
vehicle. Having the correct shock-absorbers, tyres and importantly tyre-pressures, will all
help to offset this problem. Too much equipment in the boot of your car may not be
noticeable in normal driving, but as soon as you brake hard or swerve to avoid a hazard ,
you will find the vehicle wanting to "swap-ends" with catastrophic results. If you must
carry heavy equipment, try to carry some inside the passenger cell and therefore between
the axles, thereby distributing the weight more evenly.
After you have taken care of the weight problem, balance can be maintained more readily
if you remember to always brake and steer smoothly and precisely. Sudden or jerky
movements are the most common cause of control loss - especially those caused when
braking on the approach to a bend. Most
drivers fumble with their gear-levers while braking, often changing through the gears for
no reason. This is an antiquated approach as engine braking is neither desirable or very
necessary in modern driving.
Always concentrate on removing all excess speed first, then changing gear to the required
gear for the bend or other hazard. Then as you accelerate through the hazard, both hands
can return to the wheel to maintain control.
This may sound a little like stating the obvious, but again very few drivers actually do this
as it is not a natural skill to learn. Most drivers are still changing though the gears as they
were taught many years ago, although many go through the motions without releasing the
clutch between gear-changes, which means they are in fact approaching the bend out of
gear, with one hand on the wheel and with limited control if things go wrong. This is one
area which has been amended in the driving test and now you can be marked down for
changing down gears for no reason. Control is gradually becoming more important in
order to reduce the accident rate among younger drivers and this is seen as one way of
achieving this easily and safely.
LGV
Large Goods Vehicle used to be known as Heavy Goods Vehicle or HGV.
The available grip on modern roads is notoriously variable, with road surfaces breaking up
all over the country and "patching" taking place to provide temporary repairs rather than
complete new surfaces. Grip depends on the "footprint" of your tyre on the road surface
and the quality of the surface that it makes contact with. If, for example, the two nearside
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wheels of your vehicle are on good tarmac, but the two offside ones are on a worn patch
caused by LGV's braking , any attempt t.o brake will result in a sharp veer to the left. This
surprises many drivers and then panic sets in , causing more severe control loss.
Aquaplaning
The effect caused by a build-up of water under the tyres of a moving vehicle.
Try to consider the size of each tyre's footprint, multiply it by four and remember that this
is all that is keeping you on the road. In the wet it can be reduced by the surface water and
tyre wear. A new tyre can expel twelve gallons of water per second , per tyre at 60mph. A
worn tyre proportionally less of course and a worn tyre on a saturated road hardly any.
Hence the common effect called "Aquaplaning" which can affect any vehicle travelling at
over 40mph. The best description of aquaplaning that I have ever heard is "surfing with a
tonne of car strapped to your butt".
Needless to say this was an American definition but certainly describes the feeling of
helplessness that arises once the car begins to aquaplane. Once you feel control being lost,
lift off the accelerator, but do nothing else until contact with the road is restored. You do
not want to hit the road surface at speed with your wheels turned at 45 degrees and
suddenly find yourself spinning out of control. This is the same as skidding on ice and
better avoided than experienced for real.
From these examples, you can see the benefit of correct balance and weight distribution.
What is less obvious is the difference between classes of vehicle. Many of you will be
driving 4x4 vehicles, although not necessarily off-road vehicles in the true sense, but
urban off-roaders designed as leisure vehicles. Unfortunately they have one drawback that
is seldom mentioned when purchased. The higher than usual centre of gravity makes them
considerably more unstable at speed or when turning sharply. Vans are similar, but less
severe than 4x4 vehicles due to wider track and a lower floor.
This difference must be taken into account when practising the braking exercises and
other routines mentioned in this manual. You are responsible for knowing the limitations
of your own vehicle and we cannot accept responsibility for any difficulties that you may
suffer through over zealous use of the techniques recommended in this manual.
Remember that only you can control your vehicle's condition, the position of your tyres
and the speed you are travelling at. If you leave the road, there is often no-one to blame
but yourself!
Braking Skills
The importance of braking skills cannot be over-emphasised enough. It is the single
weakest part of our driver training, but the most important skill if we are to avoid an
accident. The use of braking needs to be a controlled action based on a choice of where to
brake, when to brake and how hard to apply the brakes. Unfortunately, in most cases, this

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is not the case and the brakes are used reactively, usually late and often too severely for
comfort or safety.
The best way to understand the need to brake safely is to consider the forces that are in
play when brak ing is applied. Dissipation of energy is the principal factor involved and
the most important form to be considered is Kinetic Energy.
While I do not intend to turn this subject into a physics lecture, it is necessary to grasp one
simple princi pal that affects the outcome of every collision accident suffered by drivers
irrespective of other circum stances. What you need to remember about Kinetic Energy is
that it increases as a product of the square of the speed of the vehicle. The formula is very
simple:
Kinetic Energy = 1 MV2 , where M = mass & V = velocity
This means that while you may think that travelling at 40mph is only 33% more than the
30mph limit and so is not a particularly serious offence, the kinetic energy available at
40mph is far greater and so causes more damage and far greater injury. The move to
introduce 20mph limits in the highest risk areas is actually a very sensible proposition, as
most children would survive a collision with a vehicle at this speed. Unfortunately in a
30mph collision, most children are seriously injured and many die, while at
-40mph most die! Unfortunately for most children, they do not live in 20mph speed zones
and even if they did, most drivers fail to adhere to them correctly.
The most common age for a child to be involved in a road accident as a pedestrian is at 12
years old. This may seem strange, but it is the age when the skills required to judge the
speed of an approaching vehicle are yet to be attained, but at the same time they are
considered old enough to explore the area alone, on foot or on bikes, and so share the
roads with the vehicles that they are unable to safely avoid. By the age of 16 these skills are
just about attained, but a year later they are behind the wheel and likely to run over the
twelve year olds who appear to run out in front of them without warning.
ABS
Anti Blockiersystem
Originally a German invention and used for years in aircraft, the term is a Bosch
registered trademark for an Anti Lock Braking System to help prevent skidding under
braking.
The Kinetic Energy formula also explains the stopping distances recommended by the
highway code. The stopping distance for a vehicle travelling at 20mph is only 20ft, but at
40mph it is 80ft. How many drivers can honestly say that they know that there is no
hazard within 80ft ahead of them in an urban environment? At 20mph we are covering
30ft per second, and if our vehicle weighs one ton, we have a kinetic energy value of
1,008,000 ft/lb. At 40mph, where we are covering 60fps, we have an incredible amount of
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energy, over 4,000,000 ft/lb . and at motorway speeds, 80mph in the real world, an
amazing 16,000,000 ft/lb. of kinetic energy - which explains the horrendous damage
caused in even the simplest motorway accidents.
In the real world, braking skills are taken for granted, in that we are expected to learn to
brake through practice in our normal lessons, but even the so called emergency stop is
conducted at 30mph in a con trolled fashion. We then progress to faster, more powerful
cars, equipment such as ABS and other newer devices and yet do nothing to improve our
braking skills. What we need to look at now is how to improve our ability to react, to brake
and even to out-perform the ABS that is fitted to our vehicles, or be able to use non-ABS
equipped vehicles safely.
As well as raising awareness, there are areas of knowledge and training which can make a
real difference. For example:
When your new car is delivered, ensure that you are fully aware of any new equipment
fitted and can . make good use of it if necessary. For example, an emergency stop on a
straight and wide stretch of road will ensure that the ABS is functioning, is working on all
wheels and that the driver is familiar with it's operation. (When drivers first hear and feel
the ABS working they often release the brakes
fearing that a wheel is falling off or that the braking system is damaged. This prevents any
thought of avoiding the hazard - so they hit it!)
Understanding the possible reasons for common accident scenarios and the causes of
them will serve to remind you of the areas which you are most likely to ignore when you
are driving a high mileage on a daily basis. This can take the form of group discussion,
review of near-miss reports, (see 3) and theory training using some of the aids provided
with this manual.
Increased awareness of the number bf accidents that have occurred within your company ,
as well as the number of near misses, will ensure that your company drivers do not think
that they are "immune" to accidents or that accidents always affect others but never
themselves. If you do not al ready have a recognised reporting procedure for near misses
as well as accidents, you are missing out on a valuable resource. The ratio of near misses
to actual accidents currently runs at 9:1 or higher, so highlighting them prevents accidents
rather than simply waiting for them to happen and then trying to prevent a repeat.
Regular practice of your braking to ensure that your equipment is fully functional, that
your brakes are efficient and not pulling unexpectedly and most importantly, that you can
manage to use the Thresh- old Braking technique that you are about to learn.
Only by taking a positive decision to carry out this level of self-training and understanding
of this area of risk can you hope to be able to either use your ABS equipped vehicle
correctly, or to avoid involvement in an accident irrespective of whether your vehicle is
ABS equipped or not.
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Let us look at braking techniques in more detail and in particular what you can achieve
with a little practice and how this compares with the average driver that you meet on the
road.
Cadence Braking
Cadence Braking
A basic skid prevention technique that involves pumping the brakes as they begin to lock-
up.
It is considered now to be a cause of instability and if used in an ABS equipped car, it can
be dangerous and prevent maximum braking from being achieved.
The only braking technique that you may have hear of is Cadence Braking. This dates back
to the . 1930's and was the prescribed technique of improving the braking ability of
vehicles when skidding occurs. It also helped to offset the problem of the inefficiency of
early brake systems and the fading that occurred if prolonged braking took place.
The technique involved "pumping" the brake pedal to constantly release and re-apply the
brakes rapidly , thus preventing long skids - but unfortunately at the cost of increasing
braking distances. This technique rapidly became outdated as braking systems improved
and then more recently ABS and other electronic aids were introduced. Unfortunately,
many drivers still insist on using cadence braking or do so by re flex, with devastating
consequences .
Imagine first what occurs when ABS operates on a modern car:-
• The Driver applies the brakes hard or on a wet surface
• The ABS sensors detect that one or more wheels are locking-up
• The ABS releases one or all brakes momentarily, then re-applies them for the driver.
• The vehicle remains under control and so can be steered to avoid danger but it may
take longer to stop in a straight line.
This indicates the one thing that most people are not aware of - ABS is a control device
and not a braking device. The ignorance factor here stems from the showroom where
most salesmen have never even experienced ABS in anger and do not grasp the
significance of the equipment. Furthermore, they do not see it as anything more than a
means to sell vehicles - otherwise training would be offered to all purchasers.
Now you need to consider the reaction of most drivers to the ABS as they first feel it opera
ting. The most common reactions are as follows:-
Panic - The driver feels a severe juddering through the brake pedal and thinks
that the wheels are falling off. Consequently he releases the brakes and careers into
the object he was hoping.to avoid. This is the most common reaction in drivers
Page 47
experiencing ABS for the first time and so causes the most common problem in
road accidents - the rear-end shunt.
Fear - The driver is concerned at the strange sensations he is feeling and freezes
on the controls. This means that although the option to avoid the other vehicle or
hazard was available, the driver failed to take that option and hit the hazard under
full control. Little can be done to overcome this without practice and the know
ledge that the ABS may operate under emergency braking. Only after one or two
attempts , the ABS becomes a useful tool.
Habit - This is the worst scenario. Drivers who have many years experience of
driving, but little or none of ABS operation, find themselves tempted to use
Cadence Braking in an emergency. This is dangerous. The rhythmic pumping of
the brake pedal will coincide with the operation of the ABS and the result is the
driver releasing pressure as the ABS tries to restore braking. This can result in
violent undulations in the vehicle's movement, known as porpoising in Driver
Training circles. The result is no control or braking !
It is now obvious that the need for training is becoming essential. The problem then arises
that depend ing on what level of training is offered, drivers may have a number of
reactions when braking in an emergency. Many will concentrate on minimising their
braking distance, some will concentrate on steer ing round the hazard and the remainder
will still wonder why the ABS isn't working - due to the fact that one in ten systems
currently in use do not work correctly or will fail when used due to poor maintenance.
Threshold Braking
The latest emergency braking technique taught to professional drivers and government
bodies in many countries around the world.
The solution is simple and is one taught by security forces around the world, as well as at
the FBI Driver Training centre at Quantico, Virginia. In the UK it is known as Threshold
Braking although other terms are used in certain countries. Developed from the skills used
by Formula One drivers, Threshold braking is very simple. If you consider the reason why
cars skid which is a loss of friction caused by either a smooth road surface, a wet road
surface or simply by excessive brake pressure - it is obvious from a theoretical viewpoint
that reducing that pressure will remove the problem.
This is the theory. In practice, however, it takes more skill to only remove the excessive
pressure and to allow the vehicle to brake at maximum efficiency. A look at the braking
diagram will illustrate the problem, but from a practical self-training point of view, you
will need a car equipped with some old, worn tyres. (The reason for this is the high risk of
"flat-spotting" the tyres at first and the excessive wear caused by severe braking.) After
equipping the vehicle, you will need an off-road site suitable for practice. Many disused
airfields and other facilities exist and it is well worth tracking down your nearest one.

Page 48
Now you need to ensure that the ABS will operate or the vehicle will lock-up. A safe way of
trying this is to carry out a series of emergency stops from 25mph and increasing the
speed in 5mph increments. By 35mph you should be experiencing ABS operation or
leaving strips of hot rubber on the surface of your test area. Now try an emergency stop at
40mph but as soon as the vehicle locks-up or the ABS begins to clatter, gently release
braking pressure until grip is restored or the noise of the ABS stops. Now comes the
difficult part. Hold your foot at this point and you can maintain maximum braking effi-
ciency. Gently applying mo re pressure will prove this as the skid will re-start or the ABS
cuts in again. Now you have achieved braking that is more effective than ABS, and
retained full control of the vehicle.
From the simplified graph, you can determine that the principal benefit of Threshold
Braking is to offer control and stability that even ABS cannot achieve and to ensure that
control of the vehicle is down to you and not an unreliable mechanical or electronic
device. Currently 10% of all ABS systems are either not functioning or defective in some
way. Unfortunately the drivers of these vehicles will never know until it is too late. The
operational efficiency of ABS systems is getting better, but is not as good as the track
record of the brakes themselves.

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Using the Threshold Braking technique, now you can develop the ability to brake and
avoid the hazard. To do this, you need to set up an obstacle, preferably using traffic cones,
(see diagram), then simply carry out the same exercise as before . This time, however,
you need to remember that the point of the exercise is to steer around the obstacle rather
than simply to brake. Once you brake and obtain control through threshold braking, steer
smoothly but hard to clear the obstacle, then correct the steering so that you end up
parallel to the target. This is to simulate a lane change or move to the hard-shoulder of a
motorway. After several attempts , your
confidence will rapidly grow and the
simple act of lane changing will become
second nature - which is exactly what
you will need in an emergency.
1) Apply maximum braking, then release

as wheels begin to lock, freeze as soon as
nearest point below lock-up is achieved
2)Steer in the chosen direction, smoothly

and looking precisely at where you wish
the vehicle to go.
3)Correct the direction of travel and

either remain in the next lane or return
to the centre as you see fit.
You can also try the exercise with the

ABS alone if your vehicle is so equipped.
The effect is the same but the braking
less efficient. You will also notice the
change in the way the ABS operates
while steer ing, continually adjusting to
compensate for the difference in the
available grip. Trying to beat the ABS is a good indicator of your skill level as the ABS will
give you somewhere between 85% and 95% braking efficiency, whereas Threshold braking
offers 98/99% in a continuo us format. As you gain confidence, try to work on avoidance
in both directions - our instincts may well want us to move to the left, but the escape route
will often be to our right. Once you feel confident, you may like to vary the shape and size
of your exercise area, narrower lanes etc. If you are confident in your ability to avoid
hazards instinctively, you only need to practice the methods of finding escape routes
mentioned previously.
Another useful addition may be to find a local skid-pan or to use your training site on a
wet day when the same effect can be achieved at lower speeds and the drama of the
potential skid is increased. Remember to allow plenty of room for mistakes though! If you

Page 50
have access to a skid-pan, consider taking some professional training in skid control and
then add this to
your armoury.
Skids do not only
occur under
braking, so a
thorough
familiarity with the
handling of your
vehicle will be the
most valuable
accessory you can
buy and as a high-
risk driver, the
best investment
for your business
that you can make.
You may find that your instructor does not understand what you mean by Threshold
Braking, but if you ask, I am sure he will let you practice. Don't be surprised by his
apparent lack of knowledge - there are comparatively few instructors in the UK who
understand braking techniques in such detail. Having practiced this exercise and ensured
that you are prepared to use it in a real emergency, then consider sharing this information
with family or friends.
Braking is one of the least understood but most important aspects of driving - it should be
considered a potential life-saver and as such, not simply be limited to yourself, but to
those around you. The same rules apply to ABS, where you may decide to use this as your
primary control aid, keeping Threshold Braking for emergencies. This is OK as long as you
practice and ensure that the system is well maintained. There is little point in having ABS
if the one occasion that you need it, it either fails or you forget how to use it.
• Remember that advanced driving is not the same as fast driving or aggressive driving,
but rather the applied use of greater knowledge to improve safety, allow smoother
driving and provide more opportunity to avoid hazards or other risks.
• Space is the principal area of protection and must be controlled or maintained in as

many directions as possible to provide a cushion of safety around the vehicle. Any
intrusion into this area should be countered with an increase in space in the opposite
direction.

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• Speed needs to be used prudently, not always driving to the prescribed limit, but
adjusting speed in accordance with the prevailing conditions, level of risk and the
needs of other road users as well as yourself.
• Control of the vehicle is maintained and improved by the careful control of the balance
of the vehicle. Careful control of weight distribution and driving in accordance wit h
the weight being carried will ensure that the momentum of the vehicle is controlled
and it's stability is never compromised.
• Speed as well as steering need to be adjusted and used smoothly and carefully.
Forward planning will allow gentle speed decay rather than violent changes in the
speed of the vehicle which can lead to skidding. Likewise the smooth and controlled
application of steering can assist in the detection of any control loss caused by
oversteering or understeering.
• The vehicles limits in terms of performance may well fall inside your own personal
limits of ability. Never allow these two to become confused and make demands of your
vehicle that it can clearly not achieve without extreme risk.
• Braking safely is an art - it involves the smooth application of sufficient pressure to the
brake pedal to control the reduction of speed without the possibility of losing control of
the vehicle. Take time to train yourself in a skid-ca r or on a suitable surface with work
tyres fit ted. Try to learn the Threshold Braking technique that can be used on any
vehicle to maximise braking.
• Skid control is a skill which must be acquired if you are to drive professionally. It
should not only be associated with driving on snow or ice, or on saturated roads, but
should be considered to be a part of everyday life that can be caused by poor road
surfaces, painted road markings and even dust on a dry road in summer. With care and
practice, most skids can be avoided by the use of your predictive skills - and those that
aren't should be controllable and survivable relatively easily.

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Chapter Four Surveillance
Driving
"Surveillance is 99% boredom followed by 1% mayhem"
(Quote from an ex-KGB operative)
Surveillance Driving is not normally recognised as being a particular skill when it is seen
in the context of Pl operations. This is because the Pl does not usually see his risk level as
being on a par as that of an operative of one of the world's security forces. The truth is that
the risk to the operative conducting the surveillance is higher than normal due to the
simple fact that he is having to drive in a reactive rather than pro-active format. This is
obvious as unless he knows his target's intentions, he has to wait for each change of speed
and direction to be able to respond with a decision as to what he needs to do next.
Sometimes the options to improve on this are limited, but in general, the more the
operative tries to use his enhanced skills in prediction, the less re-active decision making
he needs to make and so the smoother the whole operation. In most operations, the target
is conducting either a regular journey or a trip to a relatively predictable destination.
Often it is only when this routine is broken that the actual purpose of the surveillance is
achieved and the operation successfully concluded.
Before we get involved in the more complex aspects of multiple target operations, let us
establish a few ground rules:
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Target selection and recognition
What exactly does this mean? Is there a special skill to selecting and recognising your
target? Well, not really a skill, more a use of common sense. Before you can begin to follow
your target, you must ensure that you have the correct target - especially if he is aware of
the risk of being followed and may employ a decoy. Try to assess the identity and use
verification with available photos and other information be fore committing to following
the target vehicle. There is a need to ensure that you have a good position from which to
check this, using whatever needs are at your disposal. Try not to be fooled by the use of
clothes belonging to your target that are easily identifiable, but the face is obscured. If
your target suspects that he is being watched, any number of ploys will be attempted to
give the impression that he is either leaving or remaining when he has already left by a
covert means.
Once you have selected the correct vehicle to follow, you will then need to develop skills in
positioning and observation well beyond those of average drivers in order to complete
your operation successfully. As a novice driver, one of the principal objectives is to be able
to learn how to keep the car on the road, away from the kerbs and away from the
opposing.traffic . In order to achieve this, certain guidelines are given to novice drivers
regarding where to position the car. "1m from the kerb", for example. Whatever you were
told, after a few lessons it became habitual t o follow your chosen method and this
becomes imprinted on your brain - basic programming for your "autopilot".
Defensive Positioning
Choosing the optimum position to give you the greatest view and the best chance of being
seen by others, the best options to avoid hazards and the opportunity to brake or escape.
After passing the test, you may think that you have become more flexible, but the fact is
that because the average driver uses auto-pilot while driving, to avoid having to
concentrate, he is likely to stick to the earliest learnt principles of positioning. What is not
going to happen automatically is any form of Defensive Positioning, for this to take place
there has to be a conscious effort to break away from the simple programming that was
required for the passing of the driving test and in it's place to offer a reason to think
differently.
In the most extreme cases of "normal positioning" , drivers have been known to follow
each other int o the most ridiculous situations. No doubt you will all have seen cars sitting
behind stationary buses - thinking that they were sitting in a traffic queue. These
drivers failed to see beyond the bus because they were follow ing a novice approach to
positioning. Often they then cause a further tailback to form as other drivers simply join
the queue without questioning the reason for it. In one of the most extreme cases I have
personally witnessed, a car in Manchester followed a tram into a road which then became
a rail-track only - and claimed not to have seen any signs!

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Driving in the UK is difficult enough, but simply by having to drive while following
your target can multi ply the potential for risk and must be compensated for by
enhancements in your skill level. To be a good stealth driver, you must be an excellent
driver generally. Obviously if you are following a target vehicle, you cannot afford to let
these incompetent drivers prevent you from carrying out your task so you need to adopt a
different set of rules. What you must adopt is a state of mind that allows you to predict the
actions of others so that you are not distracted from the main aim of your mission.
Whatever stupidity you observe , you must remain dispassionate and focused on your
target - let other drivers make their mistakes and never think that you can change their
way of thinking by the use of gestures or aggression.
As you enter traffic with your target vehicle in view, you need to adopt a position close
enough to maintain a good view - (as we have already mentioned, a van would afford the
best forward vision) - as well as to give you an idea of the driver's intentions, such as
turning or stopping. Whether or not you are driving a van, consider taking up a place
slightly off- line from the other traffic, usually further out in the road. This gives the driver
a commanding view several vehicles ahead and is one of the most common procedures
taught to police officers. The other benefit is it allows you to communicate with several
vehicles behind, as your tail lights and right hand indicator are more visible.
From this position you can identify a feature of your target vehicle which will act as your
focus, so that you can avoid mistaking it for an identical vehicle that may suddenly join
your traffic queue. Likewise you can use your position to look beyond the target vehicle to
see what hazards they are approaching before they recognise it themselves. This advanced
information can allow you to adopt a more defensive position yourself in case you are
unsure of the next action of the target vehicle. As an example, if you see a junction
approaching and a choice of lane is necessary, you can adopt a central position until you
are sure of the choice being made by the target vehicle. (Note . if you feel that the target
vehicle is trying to lose you by making an late or irrational decision, occupy both lanes and
give your self either lane in case you need it)
Losing your target is common in modern traffic, but don't panic. Use your judgement and
try to maintain the route you anticipate the target using. Look for clues as to where it may
have gone and don't forget to scan for parked vehicles or vehicles travelling in the
opposing direction. In the majority of cases, you will re-establish contact in no time and as
long as you have confirmed the ID by using the distinguishing feature mentioned earlier ,
there is little room for error and the operation can continue smoothly.
If the vehicle is difficult to follow due to it being a common type or colour, (imagine tailing
a yellow cab in New York or a white Transit in the UK.), then you may need to resort to
"marking" the vehicle your self. Depending on the vehicle, there will be a spot where a
carefully and discretely applied fluorescent coloured sticker can be applied to the offside
rear corner, thus making identification easier in dense traffic. Stickers can be plain or
disguised with some form of icon giving the impression of being an advert for a band or
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some other marketing promotion. If applied to the bumper or if it is an MPV, the corner of
the roof, where you can see it easily from a van, the sticker will provide an easy marker
and thus reduce the workload on the driver of the tailing vehicle. (As a bonus, the sticker
shows up very readily on a video camera should you be undertaking a rolling video
operation.)
When the opportunity arises, consider changing drivers in order to vary the appearance of
your own vehicle. If you have followed the recommendations given earlier, changing the
appearance of your van with magnetic signs can also occur at this point. Ideal
opportunities are when the target is refuelling,
shopping, or making a brief business call. At this point, you also need to have a position to
observe the target or at least the entrance he will use to emerge. Your own position
should cover any possible direction of travel once he emerges . Ideally a side-road or
entranceway allows you to reverse into a secure position and only the nose of your van
would be visible.
Remember that if the target enters a car-park or some other off-road sire, there may well
be a second or third exit that needs to be covered and operatives may need to be dropped
off to be available for ongoing surveillance by foot or bike. In the most severe cases, the
target may be making a vehicle swap and it should be possible to cover this by dropping
an operative to follow the target into the car park on foot. The use of additional operatives
is not always possible, however, so consider "abandoning" the van on the side of the road
- hazard flashers on a static van are an extremely common sight - and following on foot to
ascertain the actions of the target.
Swapping vehicles is another common ploy, especially in the areas of fraud and industrial
espionage. Ensure that you. have positive target recognition in the correct vehicle before
re-commencing the surveillance. At the very least, the information gathered from a vehicle
swap or the targets use of the car-park to "shake-off' a tail is another useful item of
evidence that will further add to the proof of his guilt. If a driver uses a car-park for such
purposes he is bound to be about to carry out something worth following him to - but if
you lose him on the first attempt, you can be better prepared the second time.
Depending on the reason for following the target vehicle, there may well be a second
target to follow, which we will cover in the next section. For now consider the need to
complete the surveillance of that first target and the possibility of further clandestine
meetings or activities taking place. The same devious methods are used by the unfaithful
husband and the industrial spy alike, so try to think of what you would need to do in their
position and be prepared for it.
Sometimes the target has a specific method of changing vehicles - whether it's booking his
car in for a service and borrowing the courtesy vehicle or abandoning his vehicle at an
airport long term car-park to give the impression of leaving the country while actually
switching to a hire-car for a day, week or what ever. Often the solo operative trying to
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follow his quarry and mistaking the car swap for a genuine trip abroad will find himself
stranded as the target collects his pre-paid hire car keys in the terminal and leaves by a
separate exit to collect his hire car. Remember , there's usually a next time and you can
wait by the hire car compound on the next occasion.
The last thing to consider is the use of disguises - not false beards , but simply changing
clothes while swapping cars may well throw off the unwary tail. Look for the target leaving
his vehicle with a bag and heading.for the gents or stopping at a golf club or sports centre
where he may well have a perm anent locker. Often the opportunity to continue
surveillance by road is lost by simply making a wrong assumption about the motive for
choosing a particular place to stop. In the more extreme cases, targets have been known to
swap vehicles in car washes, exchange clothes and vehicles with van drivers in cafes and
even park up in the cafe car-park, then slip out the back and catch a lift with a depart ing
truck from the other parking area.
All of these ideas have been used as evidence of the targets guilt and so any evidence of
these identity changes, disguises or vehicle swaps can be used to strengthen your client's
dossier of evidence. If you can also acquire evidence as to whose vehicle has been used in
the swap or whose premises are used for the storage of disguises etc. it will be a useful trail
that could prove to be critical to the case as a whole.
Assuming you have successfully picked your target and followed him for the duration of
the journey, there is the problem of what to do when he arrives. You will want to select an
ideal observation point for the rest of the night or even a few days, but did you do anything
to reserve your space when you left?
The chances are you didn't, but one of your operatives could hold the space with his car as
you left if you had planned it - or if working alone, a few strategic cones can do the trick.
(Yet another good reason for using a van, portable parking space)
After you have successfully completed the journey and either arrived back at the target's
residence or the destination, make a decision as to whether you need to refuel or carry out
other routine operations before the next journey is made. At this point, it is also worth
considering whether the target vehicle is in a better position for attaching a tracking
device, thus saving the need for close surveillance next time.
The use of such equipment has meant that "virtual surveillance" is now possible, as is "out
of sight" surveillance which can enable the use of different vehicles and the better
selection of parking places when static. Depending on the needs of the mission, the risks
can be controlled much more easily in some cases - but we will continue looking at the
worst case scenario as this is where the greatest benefits can be achieved.
Finally, remember that once you arrive at the destination and prepare to take-up static
surveillance, you become the target in that the static vehicle with obvious occupants in
residence stands out in an urban area like a sore thumb. You will be spotted by

Page 57
"observant" neighbours, passers by, kids playing in the street and passing Police patrols.
Nothing looks more suspicious than a car full of people who appear to be doing nothing in
particular. With a van, the driver simply needs to park and then leave the vehicle, thus
removing suspicion, leaving his colleagues in place in the back of the van. He can easily
return at some point to rejoin his colleagues, after dark or slyly slipping in via the side
door. Vans are an every day sight on our streets and in most cases are ignored by the
majority of people. The exception is if they are parked badly, inconsiderately or
annoyingly in the way of a local resident. Do your best to find the least conspicuous and
least inconvenient spot from the point of view of the other residents, that way you can
expect to be ignored most of the time.
Progressive Target Surveillance

So far we have considered following one person in one vehicle. What if the target is more
than one per son, or more than one vehicle is involved. This is where progressive
surveillance comes into it's own.
Beginning with the methods described previously, you will one day find yourself with a
dilemma 7 whether to follow your original target or to continue with a new target
following a meeting between the two of them. If you are prepared for this, there is no
problem. A second vehicle or tracker on the first tar get's vehicle can assist, which is why
planning on these kind of operations is essential. You may have to decide in an instant
which is the more important target and you may not have the luxury of calling your client
for a decision.
What do you decide to do if you are on your own? Well , unless you have the need to
maintain surveil lance on target one for some reason that is more important than learning
more about target two, the choice is obvious. But to carry this out you need to know if he is
going to leave on foot, take public transport or if he has a car nearby. Consider leaving
your vehicle to assess this and to get a closer look at the new target. Return to your
vehicle, however, before the new target leaves in order to safely ac quire photo evidence
and to keep your options open for tailing him.
In most circumstances, staying with your vehicle is the best option, even if he takes a bus.
If there is a tube-train or underpass involved however, you need to consider abandoning
your vehicle and following on foot or bike - (see the choice of vehicle section). If you need
to abandon the vehicle , raising the bon net and depositing a handily positioned bottle of
dirty water on the ground will convince any nosy officials of the genuine nature of your
breakdown. Arrange for the vehicle to be collected if possible or if you feel that you are
going to be tailing the new target over a long distance.
The same techniques as before are employed in positioning and in maintaining the view of
the new tar get, but be more aware that you are likely to know less about his anticipated
movements and he may well leave the town and head for an airport, or just go home. As
soon as you can make a safe decision as to what you feel his actions are, then make a call

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and update your base or your partner of your location and intentions. You are now
entering a more uncertain area in that you have no background on the target and need to
be wary of protecting yourself and your vehicle. Generally, however, the second tar get is
less likely to expect to be followed, less wary of vehicles tailing and so can be followed with
less concern over being spotted.
If you have a contact who can offer a trace of the new target's licence plate, consider using
this now and see if the target's address fits the general route being taken. If it does, then
you may be able to predict his movements and make it less likely that you need to make
sudden decisions. In addition, you can - if necessary - arrange for a fellow Pl to make his
way to the location and when you arrive , for him to maintain fixed surveillance.
Alternatively , you may wish to have someone confirm that target one has re turned home
or travelled to the anticipate location .
Never forget that it may be possible for the target to be setting you up with a dummy
meeting and a false second target.
Multiple Target Surveillance

For more elaborate operations, it may be necessary to establish a multiple surveillance
operation, for which your van would make an ideal operating base. You will need more
field operatives, at least two per anticipated target, as well as additional equipment and
disguises etc. From a driving point of view, the difficulty arises when the targets travel in
one vehicle and then separate.
As we have previously mentioned, a typical surveillance van can be equipped with

mountain bikes and so when a target leaves the vehicle that you are following, you can let
an operative out unseen to continue pursuit. If the second target has his own vehicle, in
urban areas the bike is often sufficient to continue the operation. If this is not the case,
such as a rural location or on a dual carriageway, then a deci sion needs to be made as to
which to follow at that point. Generally, if the target vehicle has additional targets on
board, you may choose to follow it and leave an operative to try to follow the loose target
as best he can.
If he begins to follow by bike, he can always change to a car or taxi as soon as the
circumstances allow - especially if arranged by yourself by telephone. This is often enough
to overcome the crisis and the target can be covered safely. However, it is also easy to
loose this second target if he has prepared his own getaway previously and you should be
prepared for this eventuality. Don't forget you will need to re cover your operative at some
point.
But what if the targets are all in vehicles, then you need to arrange for a set operation plan
for which you will act as co-ordinator. If you adopt this role, take a back-seat in the main
surveillance and concentrate on co-ordinating and assisting where possible. However, you
need to move with your targets, so choose the most important and follow well back -

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tailing the tail vehicle ideally. This way, any sudden problem can be overcome by you
taking over and continuing the surveillance.
If the operation is convergent rather than divergent, in that the vehicles all start separately
but converge on one point to meet, then the only real problem lies in the number of your
own vehicles present at the scene. Ensure that each driver is briefed on more than one
targets address and route in order to swap them during the meeting and so vary the
vehicle being used to follow the target. Never use the same vehicle both ways if it is
avoidable, the risk of detection is always present and on a two-way journey the
coincidence of being followed by the same car is often spotted quite quickly.
Whatever the needs of the operation or the number of targets to follow,there is one more
important area to consider, the driver.
Whether it is simply you or the team working for you, the stress increase caused by
surveillance is such that you will need to consider providing opportunities for training
exercises and for improving the skills previously discussed - observation and spatial
awareness. Allow for the fat that different operatives will have wildly differing levels of
skill and do not expect them all to have the ability to naturally drive well. If further
training is required, try to use professional organisations that can offer practical training
in the areas that you require. The typical route of using RoSPA or the 1AM may only serve
to reinforce basic driving skills and may not push the skill levels of your operatives
sufficiently to be of benefit to your operational requirements.
Avoiding the Obvious Mistakes

This your opportunity to put into use the accumulated knowledge of surveillance
operatives from many years of trial and error. In order to give the best impression of being
an innocent bystander rather than making it obvious that you are in fact not, you need to
learn from the mistakes that we are about to run through, In each case the point may be
an obvious one, but it didn't prevent the operatives concerned from making the mistakes -
even after training.
1) Parking in a prohibited space - is a sure sign that there is something not right. With
vehicle clamping at an all time high and the presence of red routes through major
cities, less vehicles park in restricted areas than ever before. Consider the need to plan
the parking place carefully, even using a nearby driveway with the owners permission
is preferable to remaining conspicuous and liable to be clamped.
2) Parking but not leaving the vehicle - as we have mentioned, is not only an obvious sign
that the vehicle is parked for some clandestine reason, but it draws the attention of
passing Po lice vehicles and Neighbourhood Watch members. Remember that because
you are "on a mission ", you do not have the right to do as you please. Others will view
any unusual actions by yourselves as threatening to their personal security or that of
their neighbours. Try to act as relaxed and "normal" as you can when you first arrive,

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you can always am end your behaviour as the need arises later. If you have a van or
vehicle with heavily tinted rear windows there is more opportunity for static
observation, but generally it is ill advised for more than short periods in a normal
saloon car.
3) Emerging from a hidden observation location , then returning out of sight - is a

ridiculous way of checking on a target. Cars simply do not do this normally, so you
shouldn't do it either. Park with your vehicle out of site if you need to, but then work
out a way to make your observations discretely on foot. There are a myriad of
possibilities for more discrete methods of observation and it is wrong to assume that
simply because you are in your vehicle, you are somehow invisible.
4) Giving incorrect signals - is a clear sign of a re-active driver. If you assume the target is
turning and then it doesn't, but stupidly you have applied your indicator, then it looks
very suspicious and you may have left yourself open to being spotted. The use of signals
must be carefully controlled and timed so as to perform a safe function without any
fear of them being misread or misunderstood. The general rule is that signals only need
to be given when they would benefit another road user. The simple rule is No benefit -
No signal.
5) Slow cornering - could be described as the most common failing among surveillance
operatives. If you are anticipating an ambush , then I would understand the need to
creep round a corner, but in any other circumstance, the speed of the vehicle makes
your intentions crystal clear and will confirm any suspicion that the target may have
already had about you.
6) Red-light jumping - don't do it! Even emergency vehicles are not covered by law in
such circumstances, so you will not stand a chance if the red-light camera catches you.
You also need to be aware that lights can be triggered by buses and emergency vehicles
using transponders, so any attempt to drive through a red light could make you
vulnerable to a collision with a bus or fast moving ambulance - which you probably
wouldn't survive.
7) Weaving and erratic positioning - is a dead give-away to the most unaware target. We
have discussed positioning in great detail and it needs to be emphasised that what has
been recommended is continual positioning that can be altered and amended gently
and smoothly. Seeing your vehicle in an unusual position will not arouse suspicion if it
remains in this position. It is simply seen as your preferred method of driving.
8) Sudden changes of speed and direction - when tailing are inexcusable as far as
professional operatives are concerned. They take great care to blend and appear to be
behaving in accordance with traffic flow - so should you. With good forward
observation, there is no need to suddenly brake or to violently change direction. In fact,
the best professional operatives can predict a turn and reduce speed before the target

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vehicle even begins to signal themselves. This will serve to reassure the target that you
are simply travelling the same way by coincidence and not deliberately following him.
9) Turning into private roads or driveways - may sound quite ridiculous and unlikely to
happen, but in reality it often occurs when the operative fails to observe a discrete sign
or other warning of the nature of the road he is turning into. Use your observation
powers to the full - taking into consideration the increased use of security controlled
private housing estates and car parks. The last thing you want to happen is to appear
on a surveillance video carry ing out your own surveillance.
10)Looking out of place when you leave your vehicle - This can cover a multitude of small
de tails, but if, for example, you park your van and leave it in a suit or perhaps wearing
working clothes but wearing shiny shoes, it will appear immediately obvious that you
are not what you appear. Always carry complete changes of clothing and accessories
such as clipboards with delivery notes attached, perhaps parcels that you can appear to
be delivering or if you have a second operative with a car on the same site, use overalls
and pretend to be repair ing his vehicle at the roadside.
It must always be remembered that during surveillance operations you are vulnerable
because of the_ nervous paranoia that exists in society today. Driving slowly around the
block will give the impression of kerb crawling, parking and remaining in the vehicle
makes the average homeowner think that you are preparing to burgle their property. If
you are watching a target whose property is located near a school, you could be branded a
pervert by wary parents and if you simply park up in someone's driveway with. out prior
permission, you are trespassing.
Operations of this nature require planning of the most finite details if they are to succeed.
If you are not versed in planning of this nature you will need to rehearse and practice. One
possible method is to make a colleague aware that you will be carrying out a dummy
operation on them and ask them to see how soon they spot you and then to let you
continue the surveillance so that they can spot any flaws in your technique and methods.
Use of project management software on your PC can assist in co-ordinating the various
aspects of a surveillance mission and help prevent the more obvious mistakes from
occurring. Even simple hand-drawn flowcharts can make a difference.
One final and very obvious mistake that often occurs is in the registration of the vehicle
that you use. If your work involves high risk surveillance of persons whose contacts are
likely to be powerful, you will leave yourself at risk if the registration of your vehicle
becomes known to them and is traceable back to your business or your home. It is not
practical to adopt the James Bond approach of multiple number plates or false plates that
can be applied and you would find yourself on very shaky ground legally if you attempted
this. The more obvious route is to establish a front for the surveillance part of your
operation that can be used for the vans real identity and, if checked, can give a realistic
impress ion of the vehicle being harmless and normal.

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Surveillance is neither a simple task, nor one which everyone can naturally adapt to. It is,
however, a powerful weapon in the armoury of a surveillance operative or Pl. As long as
the preparation work is carried out correctly, there is a controllable risk involved and a
wealth of potential information to be gained. Driving stealthily is more than just a part of
this procedure, it is the single most important part of the tail ing operation. Too often the
untrained driver loses his target and in the attempt to regain sight of it that follows, is
involved in a ridiculous accident that becomes very difficult to explain to either the Police
or to an insurance company.
Driving is a serious business and never more so than when you are forced to drive and
maintain sight of a target. Your safety and that of your passengers and fellow road users
must not be compromised in order to achieve your goals - nothing is worth that risk.
There are other possible outcomes to this area of driving though, such as counter
surveillance and anti-hijacking, which involve risks that you are not in control of. It is
these areas that we must address next to complete the picture. In the meantime , use the
checklist to ensure that the principal points of this chapter are fully understood.
Chapter 4 Checklist
• While you may feel that you are following the correct target, the only time to be sure is
be fore he enters his vehicle, not once he has taken you miles in the wrong direction.
• To maintain safe surveillance, you need to think ahead of the target vehicle. If you
cannot see this far, you must attempt to predict or prepare for any eventuality.
• Your target may be suspicious of being followed. If t.his is the case, nothing will prove
his suspicions are true more than your erratic positioning or unnatural use of speed.
Try to use only smooth and gentle changes in both to avoid suspicion.
• Your skills in positioning will be essential to both maintaining sight of the target and
also controlling other road users. Do not let your escape routes become compromised
or allow other drivers cause you to make poor judgement or lose your cool.
• If you need to abandon your vehicle to begin surveillance on foot, ensure that your
vehicle is not left in a vulnerable position and arrange for it's collection as soon as is
feasible.
• Multiple targets cannot be followed by one vehicle , so plan in advance and either use
multiple back-up vehicles or decide which target is to be followed in the event of a
choice.
• Do not allow yourself to be fooled by the obvious ploy of a vehicle swap or use of a car
park with multiple exits.
• Do not be fooled by your target swapping clothes with a double at a suitable

changeover point - such as a sports club or gym.

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• Your vehicle may well be inconspicuous when driving , but once parked you may find
your self becoming the target. Plan the best spot to park and try to reserve it if feasible
while following the target vehicle.
• Finally, the surveillance business is riddled with stories which ridicule the incompetent
members who allow their cover to be broken by a careless oversight in their
appearance or by having their vehicle traceable back to their business or home address.
If you consider the lengths you are taking to carry out surveillance on your target, you
should always consider the same techniques and possibilities being used against you. 

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Chapter Five Counter
Surveillance
"The role of the double agent is simple. He gets paid twice for
spreading the same rumours about both his employers.”
In the unlikely event that you are discovered while on surveillance, or that you have been
retained to investigate a particular person - and that person is in a position to respond -
you may find yourself on the receiving end of some surveillance of your own. This may be
to secure confirmation of who your client is or to attempt to block or prevent your
surveillance by whatever means are at their disposal. Whatever the reason or eventual
outcome, it is vital that the possibility is recognised and accepted as soon as possible in
order to take the most effective countermeasures.
One important aspect of discovering this is yet another branch of the observation skills
that we have al ready mentioned. In this instance, you need to be aware of your
surroundings, of other vehicles that seem to be lurking for no good reason, or that follow
the same route that you and your target are taking. If you are alert to the possibility, this
may be relatively easy - except for one thing. We have already mentioned that drivers are
generally poor at absorb ing information about their surroundings, what we haven't
mentioned is that you may be one of those drivers. While you are occupied trying to keep
yourself hidden and stay safe, you may find yourself being tailed and monitored in just the
same way. To reduce this risk, we need to analyse observation skills in even more detail
than we have covered so far.
This may seem to be taking a daily event and subjecting it to in-depth analysis, which in a
way it is, but in order to drive from A to B safely, this may be exactly what we need to do.
It simply is not enough to expect everyone else to look after our safety, or to even think
about us at all. A common quote is that for every four cars that you pass in the street, only

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one driver’s aware of your presence. This is based on the fact that you can only
concentrate fully on one thing for 15mins out of every hour, that you have numerous other
distractions outside the car, inside the car, inside your head, that require your attention
as well'. As a surveillance operative, the figure is likely to be lower except on the one thing
you are being paid to watch, your target. This makes following you an easier task than you
could ever imagine.
Kinaesthesia
A behavioural term for the sensory feedback felt by the body from external sources.
Forveal Fixation
The medical term for fixing your point of vision on one object rather than scanning for
hazards. Often the object is the car ahead which then leads to re-active driving and a very
late response to impending hazards.
A more realistic figure is that you may only be aware of one other vehicle in every ten! This
is caused by two areas Kinaesthesia and Forveal Fixation. Both are closely related and
between them the driver has very little chance of being aware of external hazards unless
he is either deliberately making himself aware or has received an external warning to raise
his awareness. You will have noticed that this is not specifically a Pl problem, the most
common explanation of any vehicular collision, for example, begins with the phrase "all of
a sudden ". It's as if other vehicles just suddenly appear and cause a collision - when in
fact in the vast majority of cases, their actions were predictable and avoidable with only a
modicum of additional pro-active thought. In the case of counter surveillance only at the
point of contact be tween yourself, the target, and your pursuers will there be a sudden
realisation that you had seen them before, but simply hadn't realised that they were in fact
watching you. There are several levels of caution that we need to look into here, we should
begin with prevention before we discuss the cure.
Avoiding being targeted

If a driver has the correct attitude, then he will always be travelling at the correct speed for
the situation, the road condition, the weather condition s. He will then have no need for
excuses such as "All of a sudden, he will never have to report that he has driven into a
stationery vehicle or solid object, or that his vehicle has "left the road" and entered a field.
He will never need to worry about his braking abilities, the effectiveness of his ABS or
having to steer around hazards while braking. If this sounds too good to be true, then you
have just realised how few of us actually do have the correct attitude when it comes to not
wanting to be involved in another driver's accident.
Virtual Surveillance
Where constant visual contact is not always necessary, there is always the option of
surveillance by way of electronic tracking.

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The same is true of avoiding being targeted. If you are to be subjected to counter
surveillance for what ever reason, you will have to first become "visible" to your pursuers
and if you have followed the suggestions and principals made throughout this manual, you
will find that this may not be an easy thing for them to do. Likewise, if you have invested
in a "tracker" device for "virtual surveillance" purposes, you will be far less visible and so
almost impossible for your opponents to detect, let alone tail.
Take sensible precautions in any case, from the obvious points mentioned earlier such as
parking discretely to using a "grey" vehicle. You may also consider the additional
possibilities such as vary ing the personnel and vehicles used for the moving surveillance
and making journeys other than tailing using these vehicles to give the impression of
norm al activity. Establish patterns of behaviour that disguise your true purpose, while
avoiding patterns that give away your intended activities. This may sound extremely
obvious, but it by far the simplest way of avoiding the need for anything more extreme in
terms of losing a tail or preventing potentially dangerous contact or physical threats to
yourself and your operatives
Bear in mind that if you are being watched, then your client was more than right in
employing you as it appears that his suspicions were well founded. Give this information
to your contact by discrete means and you may well find that the surveillance is called off.
You should also take note of as many aspects of the opposition as possible in order fa be
able to provide a report of their activities to the authorities if an when the time comes.
There is also the possibility that your client has employed you for just this purpose -
because he is under surveillance, or thinks that he is, and would like to discover who or
why this is occurring. In this instance, the boot is on the other foot and you are the one
with the advantage as they will not expect you to be watching or countering their efforts.
In this instance, do precisely the same in terms of precautions and gathering information -
your client may well require you to give evidence of the activities of these people and if you
have hard evidence in a visual form, especially video, he may even be able to call them off
before any further harm is done.
This may sound very much like a scene from a "cold war'' film, but it is very much a part of
modern surveillance operations. Industrial espionage has never been greater, trade
embargoes are constantly being circumvented, employers are more likely to check on
senior staff if they fear a hostile take-over, the list is endless. In each case, the use of
trained personnel, such as yourself, gives you a whole new field to explore and in the
commercial world, one useful counter-surveillance operation can lead to on going regular
work on the other side of the fence. Finally, you must consider the private client who em
ploys you to watch a spouse or partner. Never discount the possibility of the other partner
feeling similarly aggrieved and employing an opposite number.

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Identifying the watchers
Unless they are wearing trench-coats and have the brim of their hat pulled well forward as
they smoke a cigarette while standing half-obscured in a shop doorway, you would
probably find it difficult to spot the average watcher on the street. In their cars, however,
there is a different set of clues to look for, which we have already looked at in some detail.
Whereas a pedestrian is a pedestrian, unless he is wearing the incorrect clothing or as we

hinted, over alls and shiny shoes, a vehicle user is a different matter altogether. Drivers do
so for a reason. Very few of us these days simply jump in the car and drive around
aimlessly for the fun of it. Seeing someone else do just that should be enough to arouse
your suspicions . If you are able to note the movements of vehicles passing your discrete
observation point, watch out for regular "cruisers" who seem to have no specific purpose
in mind.
Once they are stationary it becomes even easier. Look for the obvious signs such as the
parked vehicle with occupants just sitting in it, or perhaps a car with darkened windows
that appears to move a little from time to time. Vans are of course much harder to spot,
but you now are aware of the possibilities and can treat any unmarked van with suspicion
until you get the opportunity to find a reason to disregard the vehicle.
It is while moving that you need to be on your guard. If you have had no inkling of being
watched until suddenly you spot something out of the ordinary in traffic, you may well
have to call off your surveil lance at that point in order to limit damage to your operation.
If you are observing correctly, you will find that it is likely that this first time that you spot
them is their first attempt at following you - so you can take them for a ride and totally
disprove their theory about your activities. There are other options, such as calling for
back-up and having them followed, but identifying them is the priority and for that you
will need to be twice as sneaky, twice as cautious and twice as good as they are.
We will look a the issues involved in losing a tail separately, but for now consider the need
to identify them yourself . Try stopping after completing a tun into a side-road. If they are
following from a distance they will have little chance to avoid you and may well drive past
while pretending that they wanted to travel that way anyway. Alternatively, stop at a
garage or supermarket and let an operative disembark discretely to walk back past them
and take details or covert photographs. Finally, consider letting the operative out at an
opportune moment t0 collect their details while you drive an exaggerated circular route to
pick him up again.
Once the basic information is gathered, you should have a plan. Ideally, disinformation is
the key - use all your equipment and skill to show the vehicle being used in a totally
genuine role - such as "delivering" packages or making calls at potential business premises
should do the trick. Don't forget which identity your vehicle is using, nothing looks
weirder than a plumbers van delivering parcels or call ing at a clothing manufacturers for
example.

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Expect your watchers to be better trained, better equipped and more of a threat than they
probably are - you'll live longer. Consider the threat to be one which requires care rather
than confrontation or aggression. Whatever you think you may have spotted, there's
always the risk of being wrong and legally you would be seen as the aggressor. It is better
to avoid that kind of risk and to take a few simple precautions to protect your safety.
Gather evidence, take photographs or video footage, notify your office or business partner
as things take place and always keep them informed of your intended movements.
Losing a "tail" safely

Most of what is portrayed in losing a fellow surveillance operative who is being paid to
pursue you is usually nonsense. The image that Hollywood would have you believe is one
of car chases which result in the bad guys writing themselves off and so the good guy
escapes with the glamorous client. The reality is both a lot less glamorous and at the same
time easier to achieve with the correct degree of planning.
Most tailing of vehicles is conducted form a safe distance, which leaves you with many
possibilities for shaking off your pursuers. Stopping is the obvious choice, forcing them to
show their hand and pursue on foot. If you have a friendly hide-away that you can use for
that purpose, then do so. Your local bar or other hang-out will surely not mind you
using their tradesmen's entrance for a discrete exit. This can save a lot of hassle and
does work as long as you make the visit appear to be genuine. There are, how ever, other
methods.
In "Beverly Hills Cop" Eddie Murphy famously waited at lights to shake off a t ail. He
stopped on green and waited for the red to appear before suddenly accelerating and
beating the opposing traffic. This is a good theory but totally impractical in all but a rare
few cases. So many drivers jump lights anyway, you would be dicing with death and also
make it clear that you are aware of their presence by carrying out the action. A far better
approach would be to approach lights carefully and monitor the timing of their changes. If
predictable it can allow you to slip through just as they are about to change and so leave
the tail in a queue of waiting vehicles. You then have about 40 seconds to make yourself
disappear - so do so discretely.
With the widespread use of roundabouts, this method is not always feasible, but another
one is. If the pursuers are a few cars back and the roundabout large enough - you may be
able to circumnavigate the roundabout slowly enough to appear behind them. However,
you need to appear to be heading almost straight ahead to allay their fears and this may
require a lane change in mid roundabout that would not make you popular with other
traffic. Alternatively a 450 degree circumnavigation onto a road to the left of your present
chosen direction can leave them guessing where you went. Again try to look as though
your intention is to continue straight ahead, as any turn left or right can be verified from a
distance.

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Other "normal" junctions are also useful in that with modern traffic conditions it is often
only feasible to allow one vehicle at a time to emerge. You can take advantage of this in
many ways, emerging then slowing the traffic immediately to cause a denser bunch behind
you can move your tail further back. Alternatively if they have y.et to reach the same
junction, take another turn left or right and disappear be fore they do. Do not worry about
parking to see them go past as this leaves you more vulnerable.
Other vehicles are an asset in that they are predictable in their habits and can be relied on
to provide a moving road block where necessary. This means that driving into denser
traffic is more use to you than heading out of town. Do not try any of the heroics shown on
the TV as these are carefully orchestrated and utilise trained stunt-men. Instead you
should concentrate on remaining in a crowd where you have the greatest number of safe
options and the protection of other people if matters should escalate suddenly. It is also
easier to find a police car or station that can provide a method of avoiding danger to
yourself if you fear that a hijack is being planned. Do not be so "macho" as to think that
you can always deal with the situation - you may have no idea what is going to happen to
you or how much risk you are in unless you can control the situation.
Informing the Authorities

If you are conducting perfectly legal employment and have found yourself being
threatened, you are just as entitled to the protection of the authorities as anybody else.
Unfortunately many Pl's do not take this option as they do not wish to draw attention to
themselves. I can understand this, but in general I would advise that at least having this as
an option would be a sensible precaution and in some cases it should be the primary
option under consideration.
If you are involved in a serious commercial investigation involving illegal dealings,

smuggling, embargo busting or whatever, you will be far better off involving the
authorities as soon as you recognise the threat to yourself. Their resources are first-class
and their intelligence is second to none. You must con sider the threat to yourself above
the needs of your client as it his not his neck on the line.
If, while driving, you are subjected to an attack of some form, such as being "nudged" from
behind, drive immediately to the nearest Police Station and do not be afraid to enter the
car park despite any notices to the contrary. It is bound to be under the watch of
surveillance cameras and so your pursuers are un likely to follow you in. It may be an
attempt at mugging rather than anything more serious and you can always give this as a
reason for your actions. Only if the Police require further information should you offer
details of what you are involved in.
Having reported their details and notified your client, you should seriously consider
whether you wish to continue this contract, or even if you need to! Consider your personal
safety before taking the risk of continuing - especially as you are aware of just how
seriously they take your activities. If you are re quested to continue in order to gather

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further proof and to assist the authorities in catching these pursuers then do so with your
eyes open. Be aware that you are unlikely to be covered by insurance , either personally or
for your vehicle, and that you have a risk to yourself that may well extend beyond any
monetary incentive that is being offered.
Chapter 5 Checklist
• To fully be able to counter any surveillance being made on yourself or your client, you
first need to be aware of the possibility and then examine the possible methods and
types of surveillance being used. Awareness is 90% of the game.
• Once you have established the potential threat, do whatever you can to try to avoid
patterns of behaviour or routines that can make the work of the surveillance operatives
easy. In fact do what you can to make it difficult for them to operate without making it
obvious that you are aware of them.
• If the counter-surveillance is against one of your own operations, then you need to
disguise your operation by enacting a well-rehearsed series of movements and actions
to disprove any thought of your personnel being engaged in any surveillance
activities.
• You should take every precaution to ensure that other surveillance operatives cannot
trace you or your vehicle back to your actual place of business or, more importantly, to
your home. Use a separate business for vehicle registration purposes and provide a
complete cover story that will support your activities if checked on in the usual fashion.
• Try to identify your watchers, look for the obvious mistakes of people dressed
incorrectly for their supposed occupation or who do not appear to be comfortable
doing whatever they are trying to appear to be doing.
• Remember that if you have identified a counter surveillance operation, it may be in

your best interests to allow them to remain "undiscovered" while you provide
disinformation for them to report back on.
• If you are asked to counter an existing surveillance operation for a client, remember
that you have the advantage in knowing more about them than they do about you. Use
this to your advantage and keep them under control by leading them on false trails and
steering them away from your clients actual activities. If you inform them that they are
discovered, they will simply return and then they will have the advantage.
• If you discover surveillance being carried out against you and you fear that it is a
potential threat against your or your family notify the authorities at once and allow
them to deal with the problem while you check with your clients to try to find the cause
of their activities.

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Chapter Six Hijacking &
Personal Safety
"All I did was stop at the red light - the next thing I knew I was
kidnapped mugged, assaulted and left for dead, why wasn't I
expecting it to happen."
Our subject was a major figure in a multinational oil company, he had recently returned
from concluding a deal in central Africa and while there had received several death threats
from extremist groups. He took these very seriously and upon returning, took a course of
training in anti terrorist techniques. A week later he was in traffic in central London,
crawling at less than 5mph, when he noticed a guy on his left was keeping pace with him.
At one point the traffic stopped and so did the guy, then he saw him give a subtle nod of
his head. Looking across the road in the direction the nod was aimed he saw several men
starting to leave a van - suddenly it all clicked and he knew he was in danger. Having
allowed him self an escape route he prepared himself to use it and as soon as the men
approached him he reversed into the one standing behind and then accelerated to the

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opposite side of the road, dragging the men who were attempting to open doors on either
side. They let go and he manoeuvred down the opposing traffic flow, dodging taxis, until
he could make it to a side road and then the nearest police station. Our view is that if he
hadn't, he would be dead.
You can see from this that it is once again our observation and perceptual skills that can
save the day, as long as we do not allow them to fade by worrying about other trivia or
getting distracted by telephone calls. Urban areas are very easy for the would-be hijacker
because they assume that all cars will stop from time to time and that if they are swift,
nobody will even recognise what is occurring.
Away from the urban environment , other techniques are employed to force the vehicle to
stop. These are far less subtle and are used without raising suspicion simply because a
deserted stretch of road is chosen for the purpose. Both areas may require similar
techniques for avoidance and for extricating yourself from a hijack that is taking place.
Typical Hijacking Techniques

Let us begin with an outline of typical scenarios, so that you can learn to recognise the
signs as they appear:-
• You stop on a busy street, due to traffic, men appear either side of your vehicle and
approach simultaneously. One may be carrying a map and appearing to be about to ask
you for directions, or they may well pretend to know each other so that they can gain
proximity before showing their true aim . One may then use a centre-punch to shatter
a side window quickly and then let them both into your car, laughing and pretending
that all is well and so disarming any passers by.
• As you enter your vehicle in a car park, you are pushed from behind across to the
passenger seat while your hijackers climb in alongside and behind you. They then drive
you out of the car park. Alternatively, as you open your central locking and enter the
vehicle, they do the same before you realise that they are there, and so force you to
drive out of the car park.
• You stop at a queue of traffic , suddenly there is a thump as the vehicle behind hits
your car - despite appearing to be driven normally. Nobody takes any notice and as you
get out to survey the damage, the remaining traffic is moving and going around your
vehicles. Nobody notices when you suddenly find yourself in their car and someone
else returns to yours and drives off.
• You innocently stop for petrol, returning to your vehicle and driving out of the
forecourt be fore you realise that in the back of the car is an armed man on the floor -
who suddenly pops up and makes you drive to where his colleagues are waiting.
• While driving down a country lane, you come across an accident scene. There may be
more than one vehicle involved, one may be rolled onto it's side and there could be

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"injured" par ties at the scene who are beckoning for help. This is a difficult one to
ignore as your com passion is so strong. However, as soon as you exit your vehicle you
are suddenly aware that they are uninjured and are brandishing weapons.
These are just some basic examples of actual hijackings from recent years and are by no
means the only methods, but they do show a common theme. That is to find a way of
making the vehicle stop or to take advantage of it already being stopped for whatever
reason. The vulnerability that you should feel in traffic in terms of suffer ing a rear-end
collision or other accident should be multiplied if there is a risk of anybody wishing to
hijack you. It is no "accident " if you are suddenly made to stop against your will in the
most extreme circumstances or at a surprisingly remote location. Often the only salvation
is that the roads are becoming increasingly busy and the opportunities for such isolation
are becoming increasingly rare. This is why so many hijacks are now performed in broad
daylight in a crowded urban street - without witnesses!
Avoiding the Hijack

From these examples, you can also see that there is some room for avoiding the most
common hijack scenarios, providing the basic rule of maintaining space is adhered to.
This is no more than the spatial awareness that we discussed previously in terms of
reducing accident risks, but exaggerated to allow you to leave the scene if you choose to do
so. Here are some useful methods to employ:
Open Junction
A normal Give Way junction in an urban or rural area which has little or no obstructions
on either side and so affords a good view for emerging vehicles.
• Don't stop is the first solution to the vast majority of incidents. This is quite
achievable in most cases, providing your planning is up to scratch. Consider the way in
which a round about is supposed to be used, to ease and maintain the traffic flow. Each
vehicle is sup posed to approach cautiously and be prepared to give way, but ideally
slide into a planned gap in the traffic. The same applies to "open" junctions where
"Give Way" lines are em ployed - as opposed to "Stop" lines which are quite rare. The
critical factor is the speed at which you approach the hazard - as you are dragged along
by the invisible elastic that joins all urban traffic together. Snap the elastic, think
for yourself and arrive at the queue as it begins to move.
• Think before you start - or stop - about where the risks are in terms of who is
around your vehicle:- Who is lurking between vehicles? Where is the best space to stop
and be seen? How can I attract attention as I stop? Is there anyone in the car,
especially on the floor in the back, before I get in? Many of the static hi-jacks are
successful simply because we do not think of these areas. We are not programmed to
be that suspicious, which is why women (and men) are so vulnerable in car parks and

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dark side streets. Raise attention before you leave or enter your vehicle by
loud noise or use the horn.
• Don't get directly involved - in a situation which appears either unlikely or

unusual. Rather than leaping from your car to help at an accident scene, check the
scene carefully while telephoning the police. Give details of location, vehicles,
registrations if visible and descriptions of the people at the scene. Use of the phone will
often make the hijackers scatter if they fear they have been rumbled. Then from a
cracked window, ask what the injuries are and advise that the police are coming. While
talking, leave the vehicle in gear, handbrake off, and wheels pointing at an escape
route. At the first hint of danger, leave the scene and advise the Police.
• Travel on well used roads - as opposed to country lanes or other "short-cuts".

These are perfect for ambush and can be taken over by the judicious use of diversion
signs and plastic cones without raising any suspicions. The presence of other people
may well just save your life, but you will still have to make them realise what is
happening.
Extreme Solutions
Closed Junction
A Give Way junction in an urban or rural area which has little or no vision for emerging
vehicles. Often it is difficult to avoid becoming involved in the situation which can provide
the opportunity for hijacking to occur. Traffic density can cause problems, as can the
difficulty of emerging from closed junctions or traffic light controlled situations. Here the
same basic rules apply, but need more careful planning to achieve the desired level of
protection:
• Space the final frontier, which it really is in terms of accident prevention and personal
safety in a vehicle. For some unknown reason, we are obsessed with queueing and
occupy ing as little space in traffic as possible. We either all feel guilty at using our
vehicles, or for some reason want to appear to be keeping the queue as short as
humanly possible. This is exactly what a mugger or hijacker wants. If the vehicle ahead
stops, stop further back and leave your wheels pointing away from the queue. A rear-
end shunt may be accidental, or a deliberate act, but either way it is undesirable.
Maintain rearward vision and if the vehicle behind appears to be closing too fast, drive
away!
• Do not relax your guard. Your autopilot is not a trustworthy means of protection
and if you allow yourself to drift away, you will find yourself being taken advantage of
by careless drivers and hijackers alike. Give yourself the opportunity to control the
situation and to avoid any conflict. Always be prepared to leave the scene
before the incident occurs.

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• Do not confine your thoughts when planning your escape route or other defensive
options. Pavements, verges, fields, the opposing traffic flow, the central reservation are
all vi able means of escape from either a collision or a hijack situation . In the extreme
cases where trouble is predicted, choose options such as side roads - as long as they go
some where - and only stop in positions where these escape routes can be reached if
required. You may even consider taking both lanes to prevent the hijackers coming
alongside your vehicle.
• Use the vehicle aggressively - is not something most people would naturally do,
but if you have space, and have your wheels turned towards the assailants as they
approach you, as soon as you are convinced of their attentions drive at them to
make them scatter, but try to avoid running them over. Other people will take notice
and they will most likely disappear.
• Have an accident! This may well sound a little extreme, but imagine you have
stopped, your assailant has entered the vehicle and in seconds you are being
threatened and made to drive to wherever he tells you. He hasn't had time to put on a
seat belt, so accelerate into the back of another vehicle and make the situation public in
a dramatic way. Experience shows that in almost every case, the hijacker disappears
very quickly.
• Hijacking and muggings are on the increase - do not ass um e that you are somehow
immune to either. Prepare to defend yourself from one and you are already protecting
yourself against the other. At the same time your awareness is heightened and you will
be able to avoid the irritating problem of urban collisions from careless drivers.
• Space is critical to modern driving and to your personal safety. If you give up the space
around the vehicle, you give up the options to do anything about avoiding trouble. Use
your initiative and try to stop far less than other vehicles, use space more and
constantly think where you would go if things go wrong. If no escape routes exist, make
even more space for your personal use and don't be afraid to use it when necessary.
• Hijackers do not need isolation to be effective, urban hijackings are becoming more
popular. Be more aware of the activities of those around you and in particular those
approaching your vehicle when you are slowing or are forced to stop.
• Be selective about where you stop, where you leave your vehicle and who you inform
as you do so. Making a noise and attracting attention can dissuade a would be
assailant from making his move at that moment and that may be al l that you need to
exit a situation safely.
• Be vigilant about personal security and that of your vehicle. It may seem that your car
is as you left it, but any sign of forced entry could indicate an unwelcome occupant in
the vehicle. If in doubt, alert the authorities and make a fuss.
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• Be prepared to act in order to defend yourself. The shock of the attack can cause people
to freeze, you cannot allow this to happen and you must carry out whatever your plan
of escape was immediately if it is to be of any use to you.
• Involve other people in your problem wherever possible, this can be enough to prevent
the hijack from proceeding.Involve other people in your problem wherever possible,
this can be enough to prevent the hijack from proceeding.
• Use the vehicle as a weapon, if that is the only option - but just in case, use it to
threaten and not to harm or injure unless you feel that the actual threat to yourself
justifies it.
• Prevent easy access to your vehicle by moving the vehicle backwards and forwards
until you can achieve your planned escape route. This also raises others awareness of
your plight.
• Do not panic - it only adds to your existing problems and clouds your
thinking. You have a plan - use it.

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Chapter Seven Ambush &
Vehicle Tampering
"In an argument, the one holding the gun inevitably wins - so why
get into the argument?”
In this final chapter, we need to briefly cover the possibility of finding yourself out of your
depth and face to face with some kind of weapon. In contrast to the hijack ing scenarios
already discussed, we need to consider straightforward aggression that may involve the
use of some kind of weapon.
As a PI, the majority of your work will involve mundane forms of data acquisition, routine
searching for people etc. In addition, there are also occasional jobs that will involve
dealing with the more sinister elements of society. It may well be that these elements will
think nothing of using a weapon to prevent you from enquiring about them or from
approaching them directly. This leaves the Pl in a quandary, to use a weapon himself, or to
avoid this type of work. The sensible among you will choose the latter course, but if you
find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, a little preparation will prevent a lot of
pain and anguish later.

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Anticipating the use of weapons
Realistically, you may not be able to anticipate an ambush that involves the use of guns or
other weapons and as we have already discussed, prevention of any involvement in these
areas is better than any form of reaction. You must, therefore, expect them in any dubious
or unusual situation that you find yourself in.
Taking things to their natural conclusion, however, let us look at the worst situation and
try to provide a pattern of defensive behaviour that w ill serve you well if you are attacked
for real. As we have mentioned, stopping your vehicle is a difficult thing to avoid
completely, especially in urban areas - but in those urban areas, it is more likely that in
daylight a weapon will only be drawn at close quarters and once inside the vehicle.
Preventative steps will therefore be the best policy in these situations - especially as
extreme escape techniques require space.
Away from town, however, a vehicle which overtook you a few moments ago may well be
waiting around the next bend and the occupant may be waiting with weapon drawn to
ambush you. Instant action is required to overcome this and initially the vehicle should be
prepared for the instant departure that you will require. Being aware of this will make you
cautious of any vehicles that pass you and pre pared for the worst case scenario.
Avoiding ambush
The moment you realise that a situation may involve weapons, the sensible option is not to
hang around long enough for the weapon to be used. Assuming that some kind of road-
block or other method is used to make you stop, the natural escape route is the way you
arrived - and this may well be blocked in a few moments by an accomplice who was
following you . Now is the one and only opportunity to act on the situation and leave.
Initially, however, you need to prepare yourself and your vehicle.
Assuming the gun is already raised and pointing your way, begin by stopping, under full
control, but well away from the hijacker. As you stop, discretely slip the car into reverse
gear and raise your hands to the windscreen submissively.
As your assailant begins to move toward you, hit the accelerator hard and after a few
seconds of fierce reversing - turn the vehicle around. For this there are two principal
methods, one very straightforward and one that requires practice.
The Two-Point Turn - is an obvious method of turning the car swiftly around, but
unfortunately is not instinctive as the three point turn is the one favoured by novice
driving instructors.
The "J" Turn is a more violent manoeuvre and should be considered only when the road
is of insufficient width to allow a normal two-point turn to be used. The same preliminary
situation has to be assumed but with a greater degree of urgency as the narrow road can
prevent escape to the rear once blocked.

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Do not be fooled by any media impression that this is an easy manoeuvre to achieve. In
fact it is an art which requires practice and should be attempted on a suitable, wide, off-
road site such as a disused run way. After several attempts, however , it should be possible
to carry out the manoeuvre with a reason able degree of competency when called upon to
do so.
There are also other options if you have the opportunity to see the situation earlier or feel
that you are about to be attacked, but have yet to reach the critical point in the road.
Neither of these should be at tempted unless you feel the risk is high enough - and as with
the above, should not be attempted on public roads unless a real situation demands it.
These options are:
The "U-Turn" is easy enough to achieve on a wide enough road and with practice you
can easily evaluate how much- road is required to easily carry out the manoeuvre.

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The "Handbrake Turn" is a more complex matter altogether and while it is the
principal form of entertainment among young car-thieves it is the least controllable and
therefore least precise form of turning the vehicle. If the road is narrow, however, and
danger is imminent, it may be your only chance - so practice is recommended on an off-
road site as with the "J-turn".
For safety reasons - with all of these manoeuvres, you should practice with a
set of well worn tyres that should not be used for road use subsequent to
training being carried out.
Vehicle Tampering
One last point regarding the use of weapons is the one seldom considered by many people
- that is when the car is turned into a weapon and can be made to crash, causing injury or
worse but without the need for using "normal" weapons. To achieve this, a degree of
vehicle tampering is needed, whether to sever a brake-pipe, plant an explosive dev ice or
interfere with the vehicles electronic systems. What ever the method used, care needs to
be taken to check your vehicle before entering it.
If you imagine that as a pilot, you would not trust your aircraft not to have been tampered
with or touched in your absence, the same attitude should be applied to your vehicle.
Whether you have any known potential enemies or not there are some basic precautions
that can be used if you have left the vehicle unattended for any time in a quiet spot and
cannot ensure it's security. These precautions fall into two categories, the simplest of

Page 81
which are the re-active checks that can be applied to any vehicle including hire cars or
borrowed vehicles that you have not had the opportunity to prepare in advance.
There is a simple list of checks that can be carried out to cover the principal points at
which a vehicle can be interfered with:
• Approach the vehicle at an angle, looking beneath it for signs of objects attached, loose
wires hanging and any signs of dripping or pools of brake fluid on the floor.
• Examine inside each wheel-arch and the insides of bumpers in turn. These are easy
places to hide devices, ranging from small bombs to trackers and radio transmitters/
receivers.
• Look around the vehicle for discarded ends of wire insulation, tape or other signs of
equipment used to attach devices to or tamper with the vehicle.
• Look for signs of forced entry to the vehicle and for any smudges or fingerprints on the
car's bodywork.
• Carefully open the bonnet and check fluids and electrics. Look for any out of place
"black boxes" or signs of disturbed surface grime on the engine or sides of the engine
bay.
• Examine the inside of the boot for anything having moved or been wrongly replaced.
• Finally, examine the interior of the car thoroughly to ensure that there are no signs of
recent searching or tampering.
Once you have mastered these points, the routine becomes a simple matter that can be
carried out without too much difficulty. These are the basic points, but as you can see
there are a myriad of places to disguise any tampering or plant any devices, so for your
further protection it is recommended that these additional steps are taken as a pro-active
means of reducing the risks involved.
Pro-Active precautions to protect the security of your vehicle.
• When you leave the vehicle, apply wax or gel to the keyholes which can be easily
checked on your return to assess whether any attempt to unlock the doors has been
made.
• Invisible tape, such as the "magic tape" used for positioning photographs when making
up layouts, can be used to good effect by attaching a small strip across each door seam
or panel opening in the vehicle. Any attempt to open a panel will result in the tape
being disturbed and even if re-applied, it will not stick down in the same manner.
• Steam cleaning the underside, engine bay and wheel-arches of the vehicle regularly
makes it more difficult for anything to be hidden or for any leaking fluids to go
unnoticed.

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• If you are able to, prepare the floor surrounding the vehicle with a fine layer of sand or
other material that will record footprints and other activity. Whatever you use, make
sure it blends with the surface that you are parked on and is not easily seen in the
available light.
• If your vehicle is fitted with hubcaps, either secure these at several points with cable-
ties that you can identify as your own and use a discrete mark to show their alignment
with the wheels themselves. Any attempt to move or remove the hubcap to secure a
weapon or tracking device can easily be spotted and the device found.
• Keep the vehicle polished to show any fingerprints easily, or apply a thin coat of a
suitable fine powder at the critical points to show any sign of disturbance.
• If you can afford to have one fitted , use a remote control to be able to unlock and start
the vehicle remotely from a safe distance as a final precaution against any ignition
triggered de vices that may have been fitted.
If these points seem extreme, then you are probably working at a level that will only
require the use of such measures in extreme circumstances. Those of you that are already
thinking about instigating such extreme precautions are already concerned about your
safety or the potential risks that your work in volv.es. IU s for you that this guide has been
taken to such extremes. With luck, you will never need to use these techniques, but will
benefit from the discipline used in learning and practising them. If you do have to use
such methods, then it is hoped that you are able to prevent any harm from befalling you. It
is better to have the knowledge and never use it than to not have the knowledge and to
wish you had it.
Chapter 7 Checklist
• Always consider the possibility of weapons being used to threaten, dissuade or harm
you if you are dealing with criminal elements or people in positions of power with
much to lose from your investigations.
• Be vigilant in looking for potential sites where you can be ambushed and hijacked.
Minimise the possibility of either from occurring rather than hoping to be able to
defend yourself.
• If you are able to see a situation developing, try to avoid it as much as possible by
changing your route, taking an unexpected turn or simply leaving the scene as quickly
as possible.
• Use escape routes where possible and try to draw attention to your situation to
dissuade your assailants from pursuing or taking further risks to ambush you.
• If you are cornered, think positively of escape and use whatever technique offers the
lowest risk and greatest control to effect an escape.

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• Your vehicle may well become a weapon itself and be used to scatter your assailants -
al though you should not attempt this if there are weapons raised in your direction.
• Think of your vehicle as a potential weapon if used against you and do whatever you
can to protect it from tampering and from having devices attached that can be
operated remotely and discretely.
• Consider any possible tampering as being serious - do not attempt to remove, examine
or otherwise touch any device that is discovered on your vehicle.
• Notify the authorities of any signs of devices attached to your vehicle - they are much
better equipped to handle such devices and can defuse or explode them safely.
• Never take your personal security lightly, never disregard any threat made against you,
your operatives or your family. Notify the authorities of any such threat and allow
them to investigate fully. You can still carry out basic precautionary measure yourself
but in the knowledge that you are being protected by trained officers who can defuse
the situation before weapons are used against you.
Conclusion
"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... ... unless you fail to
make the turn.”
Exercises
Physical Exercises
A series of useful exercises that will make the stress of living in the car more acceptable.
• "Bum Squeeze" Aptly named for what is often the first part of the body to go numb
on a stake-out. Simply contract the muscles around your bottom - causing you to rise
from your seat - hold for a few seconds and then release. This restores circulation to
the legs.
• "Quasimodo" A useful routine for reducing muscle tension, simply raise your
shoulders as high as you can, then let them drop. One at a time or together, whatever is
more comfortable for you.
• "Tilt" As it's name suggests, simply tilt your head over to the shoulder in order to
stretch the opposing neck muscles. Repeat on the other side. This one is useful when
the first pain of tiredness sets in or if you have slept at an awkward angle.
Page 84
• "Red Light Relief' Not as dodgy as it sounds, simply try to get into the habit of
pushing back against your head restraint as hard as you can - holding for ten seconds -
then releasing. This will ease ten sion in the neck and shoulders and works well if you
try it every time you stop at a red light.
• "Slow Blow" Driving makes you lazy, your heart rate reduces your breathing
becomes shallow and worst of all you starve yourself of oxygen. This accounts for the
accidents where the driver "fell asleep" while on the outside lane of the motorway. As
you will be in the car for long periods, consider deliberate deep breaths on.a regular
basis - preferably four or five followed by one very deep one with a slow exhale to
keep you alert and refreshed.
• "Short Pants" Another method of restoring oxygen levels is to take a deep breath
and then contract your stomach muscles. Holding this position, then take panting
breaths for 10-15 seconds. This is a good occasional exercise but should not be
repeated more than once an hour for safety reasons. Useful for delaying the onset of
tiredness.
• "Gut Buster" As sitting in vehicles is generally quite bad for you, try to establish a
routine for maintaining muscle tone. Firstly try to tip your pelvis and curl it towards
your navel. Keep your stomach tucked in and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat as often as
you can, but not until you exhaust yourself!
• "Ankle Twists" Are a good next step as simply pointing your toes downwards and
rotating your ankles in circles - both directions - send blood up to your legs, which
improves circulation generally. This is especially good for combating varicose veins in
women and is highly recommended when stuck in the car for long periods.
• "Thigh Time" Finally one of the most neglected muscles when driving is the thigh.
While stuck in the drivers seat, the thigh has little to do and so will suffer as a
consequence. It is also hard to exercise it sufficiently, but what you can try is
contracting each thigh in turn until you feel it "twitch". By repeating it five times on
each leg you are at least maintaining activity in the thigh area. After this you need to
move to the inner thigh.
• "The Big Squeeze" But as this is a very difficult area to work on correctly the only
easy option is to sit with your legs slightly apart and squeeze your thighs together and
then release. Repeating these approximately 25 times is a useful toner but not a
substitute for other forms of exercise.
Personally, after spending time in the vehicle I prefer to use a bike at home for routine
journeys. This not only exercises me to compensate for the worst aspects of driving, but
also keeps me in touch with reality - something that can easily be lost when stuck on
surveillance day after day.

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He kept some of the most famous, high

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

About The Protector

Millions of citizens slept soundly because The Protector didn’t!

He managed surveillance and counter surveillance in Northern Ireland in the early

Enjoy! The Protector

Chapter One :: Choosing a Vehicle 10

Chapter Two :: Basic Driving Skills 22

Chapter Three :: Advanced Driving Techniques 30

Chapter Four :: Surveillance Driving 53

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Chapter Six :: Hijacking & Personal Safety 72

Chapter Seven :: Ambush & Vehicle Tampering 78

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Copyright and Disclaimers

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Why "Stealth Driving"

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Driving in a covert fashion to either maintain security or to remain undetected.

"Stealth Driving" is set to become an important extension to traditional driving skills as

What this manual sets out to achieve is three things.

Firstly - an understanding of the professionals approach to the areas of surveillance and

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

A recently invented term for an age-old

This situation would be bad enough for

• The need to drive safely and not cause an accident.

• The need to avoid being involved in other people's accidents.

• The need to be visible to the majority of road users.

• The need to be invisible to specific road users.

• The need to anticipate the actions of other road users.

• The need to anticipate the decisions made by your target.

Remember, a successful operation is one without unexpected results.

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Working alone or as a team ?

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Choosing a "Grey" vehicle

Stealth: a definition secrecy, furtiveness, covert,

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Drivers Field of Vision

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

• Trolley Jack and professional wheel-brace (for faster wheel changes)

• Spare bulbs, fuses, and traditional breakdown equipment

• Fire extinguishers specifically for electrical fires

• Snow shovel - useful for mud and other uses

• Basic tools plus a decent hammer (for instant panel re-shaping)

• Torches and other emergency lighting

Sensible additional precautions would also include:

• Bonnet locks to prevent tampering.

• Consider the fitment of "bullet-proof' glass to prevent unauthorised entry to the

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Purpose Built Surveillance Vehicles

Another option is to begin

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Strict adherence to the higher maintenance required by vans should be meticulously

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Remembering the basics of Driving

The World’s Biggest vehicle Search Engine

Safe Driving Culture

How Attitude can alter your Driving

Enjoy! The Protector 