How to hire a bodyguard: a step-by-step checklist
A practical, step-by-step guide to hiring a bodyguard or close-protection officer — from assessing your risk to vetting a provider and agreeing the detail.
December 15, 2025
Hiring a bodyguard for the first time can feel opaque. This checklist walks through how to engage close protection properly, so you get genuine security rather than a tall presence that just looks the part.
1. Define the risk and the goal
Start with why. Are you responding to a specific threat, protecting a public appearance, or covering travel to an unfamiliar place? The clearer the objective, the better a provider can scope the detail.
2. Confirm licensing and insurance
In Quebec, private security is regulated by the Bureau de la sécurité privée (BSP). Any legitimate close-protection provider holds a valid BSP licence and full liability insurance. Ask to see both before anything else.
3. Vet the officers, not just the company
Ask about the background of the people who will actually be on your detail — protective or law-enforcement experience, first-aid certification and ongoing training. Discretion and judgement matter as much as physical capability.
4. Agree scope, communication and cost
Confirm hours, number of officers, transport and advance work — and the rate — before the assignment begins. Good providers put this in writing and keep communication clear throughout.
Working with DNA Sécurité
DNA Sécurité makes hiring close protection straightforward: a free confidential assessment, licensed and insured officers, and a detail scoped precisely to your situation anywhere in Quebec.
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