Hostile Surveillance: The Threat You Only Notice When It’s Too Late
I’m sitting with a takeaway coffee. I could stand up and leave at any time. For three weeks, I’ve watched the same person – when they arrive, who they talk to, how they move, the patterns they don’t realise they’re repeating. It sounds like a movie script. It wasn’t. It was part of a prior role, and it happens more often than most people think.
Surveillance vs. Hostile Surveillance
Most observation is mundane: a real-estate drive-by before a viewing, a site walk-through before a job interview. Hostile surveillance is different. It’s observation with intent to harm – kidnapping, robbery, targeted violence, bomb placement, or a planned active-offender event. Adversaries rarely “just turn up.” They pre-look at venues, map cameras and patrols, test ingress/egress, and time routines to find gaps.
Why this matters to you
If you’re responsible for a venue, event, transport hub, campus, executive team, NGO field staff, or public spaces, hostile surveillance is often the earliest observable phase of an attack cycle. Catching it early is your most humane, lowest-cost intervention point.
What trained eyes notice:
Patterns, not moments: Individuals reappearing across days at similar times with no clear purpose.
Attention vs. avoidance: Over-fixation on security assets or conspicuous efforts to avoid them.
Behaviour under light pressure: Minor engagement (a greeting from staff, a simple “Can I help you?”) prompts disproportionate anxiety or a rapid exit.
Incongruent mapping: Lingering at choke points, exits, or service corridors while pretending to be “on the phone.”
A simple front-line action loop (90 seconds):
See → Greet → Note → Escalate
See: Train staff to notice patterns over days, not just “odd” in the moment.
Greet: Low-key engagement (“Hey, welcome back, are you looking for X?”) surfaces legitimate reasons fast.
Note: Record time, location, behaviour, and any vehicle details in a shared log.
Escalate: If patterns persist, alert your security/operations lead for coordinated checks and camera review.
Where DeMN fits
DeMN Consulting delivers Hostile Surveillance Awareness and Surveillance Detection training that’s pragmatic, legally aligned, and scenario-rich. We tailor programs for venues, events, transport, NGOs, corporates, and executive protection teams. Our approach blends neuroscience-backed decision-making under pressure with lived operational experience; so your people notice earlier, act sooner, and escalate smarter.
If you own risk for a site or team and want to pressure-test your current posture, I’ll show you what “good” looks like in 3 hours - and what “excellent” looks like across a full program.
Ready to harden your early-warning layer?
Message me here on LinkedIn or email info@demn.com.au to shape a course for your environment.
