Wentworth Lifestyle interviews Liam Morrissey, CEO of MS Risk Limited about personal security  and the difficult and dangerous situations that can arise when things go wrong. 

MS Risk is a British crisis response consultancy serving insurance, corporate, government and private clients worldwide for the last three decades.

Feeling secure  and actually being secure are two entirely different matters. The former relates to an emotional understanding of wellbeing and the latter depends on a logical understanding of risk assessment and taking adequate steps to protect personal security. One can therefore feel secure in certain situations when, in fact, one is exposed to significant danger. Ultimately, it all boils down to experience, expertise and the understanding of differing scenarios. Usually, professional advice and guidance are required to achieve the necessary levels of security.

Home

Private estates such as the Wentworth Estate concentrate a large number of high net-worth individuals into a very desirable area. Burglars are very much aware of this and estate managers try to offset the resultant threat by introducing counter-measures. Number-plate recognition cameras as well as CCTV positioned at major entrances provide a first level of security. This is enhanced by 24/7 security patrols which continually scour the estate and automated road barriers  which control vehicle access.

Ultimately, the responsibility for security of individual properties rests with the owners. This requires them to secure boundaries and ensure that entry gates are operable (on private estates, most properties have these). Fully locking windows and doors, alarm systems, motion-activated external security lights, external and internal CCTV systems and safes are required, and indeed may be specified by insurers.

But burglaries still occur, usually in spates of activity as criminal gangs rotate their focusses of attention from one area to another. Frequently, they park their vehicles near estates and then proceed on foot through adjacent woodland or grassland. They are normally seeking cash, jewellery, watches and handbags – items which can be easily disposed of without attracting attention. They usually ‘case a joint’ to establish whether and when occupiers are away from the property and then gain access by smashing a glass door or window. Once alarms are activated, speed is of the essence since response teams could be on their way. Typically, burglars avoid confrontation with residents or security personnel.

Morrissey advocates a policy of adopting the ‘five Ds’ philosophy to his clients. “If you imagine a continuous corrective feedback loop with five Ds around it, the first D is Deter, the second is Delay, the third is Deny, the fourth is Detect and the fifth is Displace. This philosophy is important for business clients but also works well for the individual. If 10 villains come to your property and five are deterred, only five remain. If two more are delayed only three remain and if a few more are denied then it is a matter of detecting and displacing the remainder. It is risk management at its most basic level and it has to be continuously adapted as threats change.”

Most properties have a safe these days, sometimes more. There might be a small safe in an easy-to-find location in a dressing room with others located elsewhere. Morrissey advises that the small safe should contain £500, some low-value jewellery, an old passport and some irrelevant papers. If burglars enter and demand valuables, they can be taken to the safe and given the combination and hopefully they will disappear. Meantime the other safes contain your real passport and true valuables. Sometimes, hiding things in plain sight is the best policy – having a small safe in the corner of a room with soiled laundry stacked on top. Burglars would normally expect the safe to be located behind a piece of artwork or in an office.

Ultimately, it is a matter of good housekeeping, according to Morrissey.  “Always set the alarm and lock doors and windows. Make sure there are no ladders left in the garden.  If going on holiday, wear a holiday watch; have a security company call to check the house – not just from the roadside but to carry out a walk-around the property and check for signs of forced entry, making sure that all doors remain locked. Some will choose to have a residential security team with a day and night shift – it all depends on budget.”

What about the police? Whilst all burglaries should be reported to the police, it is unrealistic to expect police to attend the scene of the crime in a timely manner, unless people have been assaulted or physically traumatised. Statistically in the UK, less than one per cent of crime is detected, investigated, prosecuted and convicted. Police resources are always stretched and major crime incidents take precedence.

And the insurance companies? It is essential that you are properly insured with a reputable company and that all valuables are declared and valued at current prices. It is a matter of peace of mind so that it the worst happens, they will reimburse you and help you recover  from the nasty experience.

Identity

Identity theft is a more recent but fairly common  phenomenon whereby personal details are obtained of an individual and these are used to fraudulently obtain credit cards and/or lines of credit. Quite often it involves the theft of post so that bank statements, a date of birth, national insurance number, utility bills and so on can be used to make applications for such lines of credit. The fact that many post boxes on the private estate are located at or near property gates needs consideration.

Alternatively scam artists may approach you to advise of an inheritance from a distant relative or some other unexpected windfall. They will ask for personal details and proof of identity so that they can legitimise the claim and then ask for bank details so that the payment can be made. Once again they will use the information against you to create a false line of credit.

The theft of a mobile phone or laptop also represents a potential data breech since hackers can bypass user names and passwords to gain access to information. Photos of passports and driving licences as well as emails and letters retained on the devices can provide many of the details needed to create a false identity.  

Ultimately, you may be held accountable for the losses incurred by the financial institution and it can be very onerous to prove otherwise. Obviously, such crimes must be reported to the police but equally importantly banks, credit card agencies and any other creditors should be informed immediately so that special precautions can be made to protect your accounts going forwards. Checking with credit rating agencies could also be advisable to see what has happened to your profile.

Cities

Travelling to cities typically takes you out of your normal habitat where a new set of rules applies. Morrissey advises that much depends on your personal profile and that high profile figures in the media and in commerce could be at more risk than others and may need to take enhanced precautions.

A different mindset needs to be adopted even when walking down a city street. Never leave your wallet in your back pocket – always keep your wallet and valuables in your front pockets. If you are wearing a bag, always locate it to your front and never to the side or rear - it is easy for someone to unzip it when it is at the side or  rear, particularly in crowded areas. If someone ‘accidentally’ bumps into you or trips you over, always check your wallet and valuables instinctively afterwards.

Travelling on public transport increases the probability of exposure to crime. On the London underground there are about 300 criminal offences reported daily – pickpocketing, groping and assaults. Morrissey maintains that women are typically far better at noticing threats – their DNA is somehow better wired for self-protection from assault. “And, if your wife says something doesn’t look right or that guy looks weird, believe her, and go into a shop, restaurant or hotel. Also, counter-intelligence training tells me that if you think you are being watched, stop and stare at the individual, even if they are 20 feet away. They will know that they have been ‘clocked’ and probably find someone else to follow.”

If there is a public incident such as a terrorist attack, do not go and rubber-neck it and instead leave the scene as quickly as possible. Equally, if there is a political demonstration and you know about it in advance, do not go to observe it. And, if you inadvertently stumble across a political  demonstration walk away immediately.

Abroad

In the UK and Western Europe there is approximately one murder per hundred thousand people per annum. In the USA the equivalent figure is six per 100,000 per annum. In Latin America, the figure can be anything between 30 and 75, depending upon the country concerned. In Mexico, there are 82,000 kidnappings per annum  which is significantly more than the number confirmed by government sources. Such statistics speak for themselves and suggest caution be taken.

Government advice is always available when travelling abroad and in the UK, the Foreign Office provides this. It is perhaps a wise precaution to cross-check the corresponding advice from other governments. Most individuals do not volunteer to visit war zones, but some business executives have to do so – in banking, oil, gas and mining, and so on. But when they do so they operate within a strict safety system.

Morrissey advocates the adoption of a low-key profile when travelling abroad. If you are an American do not wear cowboy hats or boots. If you are British, do not wear a Union Jack T-shirt. Do not travel in a convoy of identical cars. Select the taxi that you wish to use and do not let taxis select you. When waiting at a taxi rank, it could be that you have been targeted, so allow the person behind you in the queue to take the next taxi, whilst you tie a shoe lace and take the next one.

If you are travelling in remote areas always ensure that someone is made aware of your route and itinerary so that they can raise the alarm if you don’t arrive. This is particularly important if you are travelling in areas where there is no mobile phone coverage. It could be that the environment itself is the threat (a dry, arid region perhaps) or it could come from local inhabitants or wildlife.

When staying in an hotel, it is best to leave your passport in a safe and carry a colour photo-copy of the passport instead. In most countries this will suffice as a proof of identity. When  it is not, make sure that you retain your passport and do not hand it over to someone else unless it is absolutely necessary.

The most common mistake that people make when going abroad is to assume that the foreign countries share the same cultures, freedoms and rights as the UK. They do not understand the threats and  need to adopt a different mindset. On many occasions, British women have been detained in Muslim countries for exposing too much flesh in public places, whilst couples have been incarcerated for having illicit sex. Apart from the crimes themself, legal procedures and sentencing in such countries are so different that they are beyond comprehension of many Brits. However, ignorance of the codes  of conduct in such countries is no excuse.

In the USA the rules for carrying firearms are totally different to the UK’s. There are approximately 1.5 firearms per capita in the USA and the right to carry one is clearly permitted by the Second Amendment. Coming to terms with people carrying guns requires a change to behavioural conduct. For example, if you have a stupid argument with someone in a bar in the USA where alcohol is involved and tempers are riled, you might be shot. This is highly unlikely to happen in the UK, but to be fair the likelihood of this happening in the USA is low, but it varies from state-to-state. Also, it is recommended that a very much more reverential approach is taken when dealing with law enforcement officers in the USA. If you are stopped by a highway patrol car, for example, always comply with any requests and preferably call the officer ‘Sir’.

In another continent, Morrissey mentions a tragic case of French aid workers based in Niger, West  Africa. The head of security had established procedures which prevented the aid workers from visiting places or going out at night without escorts. One Sunday, an aid worker said that she wanted to see some giraffes and five other workers said they too would like to go. They were warned not to go  but they were insistent on ‘doing some tourism’. They were seized by militants and all were killed. If they had followed the guidelines set down by their employers, they would still be alive.

Extortion

Finally, we come to the really nasty bit – extortion. This is primarily associated with kidnapping, blackmail, cyber extortion, malicious product tamper, hijacking and bombing campaigns. These can happen anywhere and are not simply limited to war zones. Such crimes can be perpetrated by psychopaths, petty criminals, organised gangs, single issues activists, terrorists, militants, rebels, combatant fighters, rival countries at war, hostile states and so on.

This is the world that pre-occupies Morrissey and his company MS Risk Limited. It is a highly specialised business and only 10 response companies in the world are recognised by Lloyd’s of London. Less than 100 people actively work for these companies in crisis response negotiation.

Morrissey explains that his adversaries have ranged from Mexican gangs, Somali pirates, Philippine  insurgents , Nigerian bandits and others. “No two cases are the same, despite the similarity of the disciplines and philosophies we employ to solve them. We share the emotional burden with families and the colleagues of company executives as well as providing specialist guidance to negotiate a safe release. My longest case lasted for 540 days in the jungle, which sounds a long time, but you have to realise that the same gang had held other victims for over a decade. There is always a context in every case.” 

It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss the emotional anguish and physical threat of these situations but Morrissey states “The work is more Columbo than Rambo. Politically driven events are usually more difficult to solve then those driven by criminality, where it is more a matter of agreeing a mutually acceptable value to  resolve an issue. It is worth knowing that 98% of rescues fail while 98% of negotiations succeed,” says Morrissey.

Specialist insurance exists to protect individuals against such risks. It provides pre-incident advice and guidance to reduce the probability of a problem occurring in the first place; specialist advisors (such as MS Risk Limited) to resolve issues  when they occur; and the financial reimbursement of losses incurred. It is a specialised cover that, amongst other things, requires individuals not to reveal its presence, for fear of inviting an attack.

The killing of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare in December 2024 has forced high net-worth tech bosses to  reappraise their security arrangements. Security budgets have typically increased as a result in large corporations, guarding against assassination, kidnapping, home intrusion and stalking. The exact nature of these new security arrangements are unknown but bodyguard protection and bullet-proof vehicles must be part of the new regime. Some corporations have implemented stricter travel policies for senior executives, requiring them to use only corporate private aircraft.

To achieve the required security and response protection in these rather murky waters it is essential that professional advice and protection is sought. Many individuals and organisations pretend or purport to have the required skills and experience, but do not. So select your security specialists carefully or, better still, ask your insurers to recommend them to you. They will calculate the risks that you and your family face and advocate suitable security and insurance coverage.

Morrissey is a Canadian citizen and had a military background prior to becoming a personal security specialist. His official accreditation is: Lt Colonel Liam Morrissey, MBE, CD, Hon DSc, FRGS. He has facilitated the release of over 860 hostages and more than 30 merchant ships.

For more information contact MS Risk