Helmut Brückmann: "Personal protection has become a fixed size"

When talking about important men operating from "invisibility", the names "Cardinal Richelieu" and "Fouché" immediately come to mind for most people. However, when looking at the German security world, one cannot overlook "Helmut Brückmann". Without being a wizard, I know that many now have big question marks flashing in their minds. But Helmut Brückmann is the man who has been organizing the PERSONENSCHUTZ conference for many years now - to be exact, 24 years. There are few events in Germany that can measure up to this one. But that's not all… For Spartanat, there is a sufficient reason to conduct a brief interview on the sidelines of the 24th PERSONENSCHUTZ conference in Leipzig - HERE's the event report.

SPARTANAT: Mr. Brückmann, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to the readers of SPARTANAT!

Helmut Brückmann: I always have time for someone who is interested in my work.

SPARTANAT: Mr. Brückmann, how does a publisher enter the security industry?

Helmut Brückmann: The question should be reversed: How does a security man enter the publishing industry? I was a police officer for 38 years before I had to quit due to a serious accident. Then I turned my hobby of writing articles into a profession and founded a publishing house.

SPARTANAT: The event has been taking place for 24 years. What has been achieved with it? 

Helmut Brückmann: Through these events, my colleagues and I have tried to provide a platform for colleagues who deal professionally with security issues. Our target group is not the so-called bodyguards, but all those in leadership positions involved in security tasks; therefore, there are regularly also police officers in high positions among the conference participants.

SPARTANAT: How have the dominant threat scenarios changed in these almost quarter of a century?

Helmut Brückmann: With the so-called Red Army Faction (RAF) over 40 years ago, terrorism also came to Germany. The State asserted itself at that time. The convicted perpetrators of the RAF from back then have long been free. However, the threat situation has continued for the population due to Islamist terrorism, throughout Europe. Even if the IS soon no longer has its own territory from which to operate, it will continue its fight against the unbelievers, as the attacks, including those prevented, of the past months show. However, there is a big difference compared to the RAF era: The RAF was aimed at "the ruling", i.e., politicians, entrepreneurs, bankers, while Islamist terrorism targets the unbelievers, i.e., the population in general; just think of terror attacks at Christmas markets.

SPARTANAT: Personal protection is a discreet trade. Will it flourish more in the future? What are your prospects for future challenges?

Helmut Brückmann: Once ridiculed as mere "showing off," personal protection has now become a permanent fixture in our security system. It will likely remain so, as it is currently not foreseeable that the security situation will improve soon.

HELMUT BRÜCKMANN was a Senior Police Chief Commissioner in Hesse when he became unfit for duty at the age of 48 due to a serious traffic accident and had to quit the police service. He published several professional journals for the police and successfully conducted a series of seminars on IT security, clinic security, hotel security, airport security, personal protection. For five years now, he has been publishing under www.Veko-online.de.

HERE's the report from the 24th PERSONENSCHUTZ conference

Author: Ulf Wanderer [www.ulf-wanderer.at] (CEO - PROTECT AND PREVENT) ) [www.protect-and-prevent.at]

Photos: courtesy of Helmut Brückmann/Veko-online