When I was handed that scrap of paper in Parliament—six lines about a planned attack on an MP—the threat wasn’t just what was written.
One of the biggest dangers I see in my work isn’t the obvious threat — it’s the one that gets dismissed.
There’s a consistent pattern among high-net-worth individuals and public figures: they underestimate threats until it’s too late. Sometimes it’s ego. Sometimes it’s poor advice. Often, it’s a misplaced sense of “it won’t happen to me”. And because they’ve got a visible security team or a few high-profile measures in place, they assume they’re covered.
They’re not. Not even close.
What Most People Miss
Your security team is drowning in noise—angry emails, social media trolls, disgruntled employees making threats. The person who never makes a direct threat but has been quietly researching your routine, children’s school, and home address. They don’t announce themselves. They watch, plan, and wait for you to drop your guard.
I’ve seen successful executives become paranoid and hypervigilant after dismissing early warning signs. Family offices spend hundreds of thousands on reactive security that could have been prevented with an exposure assessment. I’ve investigated cases where “minor” social media harassment escalated to physical threats at children’s schools.
Threats don’t always announce themselves with a break-in or a masked intruder. They rarely do. They start subtly. A comment on social media. An anonymous email. A former employee who can’t let go—that sinking feeling in your stomach when someone in a room is watching too closely.
You might dismiss it. Your team might ignore it. That’s where things start going wrong.
Real Threat Management Means Proactive Thinking
From preventing actual attacks, I’ve learned that threat management is about being smart, not scared. You don’t need a fortress—you need foresight.
When I identified the threat that would have killed Rosie Cooper MP, it wasn’t because of sophisticated technology. It was because someone had trained me to recognise the difference between noise and genuine warning behaviours.
If you’re responsible for the safety of a family, a principal, or yourself, this is the time to start thinking like a strategist. You’re not managing a security detail — you’re managing exposure.
The Questions That Matter
Here’s what you need to ask yourself:
- When did you last check what private information about your family is available on the dark web?
- If someone wanted to harm your reputation tomorrow, what’s the worst thing they could find about you online?
- Does your security team know the difference between a “Howler” making noise and a fixated individual showing pre-attack warning behaviours?
- Has anyone on your team raised concerns recently that have been ignored?
- Have any major life or business changes shifted your risk profile?
- Do you have a trusted professional to escalate concerns to—not just security, but someone who understands behavioural threat assessment?
If you’re unsure about even two of these, you’re operating blind.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
I’ve rarely seen a successful attack that didn’t have warning signs someone chose to ignore. The Kardashian robbery in Paris? She’d been posting photos of her location and jewellery for days. There were always missed indicators that, in hindsight, were blindingly obvious.
Threat management isn’t about living in fear—it’s about taking back control. Most threats can be managed, mitigated, or eliminated entirely if you catch them early enough—but only if you’re looking for the right things.
Let’s Talk — Before the Threat Becomes the Story
Don’t wait for the crisis call at 3 am. Please don’t wait for your child to ask why someone knows where they go to school. Don’t wait for your business rival to weaponize information you didn’t realise was public.
I work with individuals who already look secure but know something’s missing. If that’s you — or your principal — then we need to talk. Quietly, directly, and without fuss.
Remember: the question isn’t whether threats exist—it’s whether you’re equipped to see them coming.
🔒 Everything we discuss is confidential. No drama. Just clarity.
Philip Grindell is CEO of Defuse Global and author of “Personal Threat Management: The Practitioner’s Guide to Keeping Clients Safer.”
