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 watched the same person arrive, move, and interact, repeating patterns they didn’t realise were visible. It sounds like a movie script. It wasn’t. It was hostile surveillance, and it happens far more often than most people think.

Hostile surveillance isn’t random curiosity. It’s deliberate observation with intent to harm, used to map routines, identify gaps, and test security responses long before an incident occurs. For those responsible for venues, events, campuses, executives, or public spaces, it’s often the earliest, and most humane—point of intervention.

This article breaks down what trained eyes actually notice, how simple frontline engagement can surface risk early, and why catching patterns, not moments, is the foundation of effective prevention.