Now more than ever, Celebrities are hiring at-home-bodyguards and personal protection amid a massive crime rise in places like Los Angeles due to laws that security experts say have “emboldened the criminals.”
Citywide robberies with firearms in L.A. are up 57 percent in 2022 from 2020, per the Los Angeles Police Department. Homicides are up 29 percent over the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2020, ABC7 News reported.
New York City and L.A based Global Threat Solutions CEO Kenneth D. Bombace talked to The Daily Wire about the rise in crime and said it has definitely effected their business.
“Yes, we have seen a significant increase in Close Protection services for celebrities, business executives and people of high net worth,” Bombace shared.
He said the reason for this is, “largely a result of the increase in violent crimes in Los Angeles, specifically crimes that target” people with wealth.
President and CEO of the L.A. based World Protection Group Kent Moyer told The Daily Wire, it’s not just a bump in business, but an “explosion” as more celebrities seek protection amid skyrocketing crime rates.
“It’s an explosion of business,” Moyer told The DW, noting things like “home invasion robberies” being up and said “people are afraid.”
Moyer said CA laws such as “Prop. 47 and no cash bail” have “emboldened the criminals.” The CEO also explained that things like “Defund the Police” have forced members of law enforcement into early retirement.
“The other thing you are seeing is private security officers are being attacked,” Moyer shared. “They [criminals] are emboldened to attack police or security. They just feel there’s no consequences.”
“Residential estate security has been on an uptick because everybody wants their own private security now so they can sleep well at night,” Anton Kalaydjian, CEO and founder of Guardians Professional Security, based out of South Florida with an office in L.A. previously told The Hollywood Reporter. “Instead of being reactive, they’re becoming more proactive.”
Bombace explained that celebrities and people with wealth are taking steps to protect themselves.
“Celebrities have asked for a broad spectrum of security services including residential security, Close Protection services (Bodyguards), Armed Security Drivers and travel security details,” the head of GTS told The DW. “Close protection while in public for events, shopping and dining are most commonly requested.”
Moyer said “one person can’t protect one celebrity” in the current conditions because “the risk is too high.”
He told The DW about how they “just turned down a job the other day” because the potential client said he only needed one security person while out wearing a lot of jewelry. He also explained that personal security has changed in order to deal with the rise in crime.
“The clients are now going to two agents minimum … what was once a graveyard shift, now we are 24 hours,” Moyer said.
The head of WPG told The DW how his company is the “only ones using drones,” a move he made in the last few years because they “wanted to have the ability to use technology that was never available before.”
“So we use drones to protect an estate,” Moyer shared, as he explained a giant place like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s can be patrolled with the help of a drone that’s able to cover the property and get to the to other side of it to ward off an intruder much faster than a security guy.
“We can communicate with the bad guy and tell him to leave and the police are coming,” Moyer previously shared, noting how the devices are equipped with a speaker.
But the costs for all this protection comes with a hefty price tag.
“The annual cost of security services depends on many things,” Bombace said. “Are the services armed or unarmed, do they have 24 hour services or just during their work day and how many Agents are protecting them. Annual costs can range from a few hundred thousand dollars to over $10 million depending on services.”
Moyer said that a celebrity or high-end client can expect to pay an average of “$1,200-$1,500 a day” and could spend up to “$2 million a year for protection,” depending on the services.
“It’s a very costly affair,” British bodyguard Simon Newton shared previously with the outlet. Newton also said the trend of having at-home guards has gone up in the United Kingdom as well.
“Some of the houses we’ve got now, they probably wouldn’t have had it five years ago,” Newton shared. “People are finding the money to justify paying for it now because it’s just peace of mind.”
Business manager John McIlwee previously told the outlet that he’s seen that “clients have doubled or even tripled spending on in-home security systems — cameras, locks, the works” due to the increase in crime in L.A.
“People are choosing to get the highest-quality, best version of a security system,” McIlwee said.
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