Citizen's Arrest

This issue comes up without fail during my Security training courses and is, also without fail, misunderstood and potentially hazardous to your health if not your wealth. Allow me to explain.

Unlike the Police and many other Government Agencies, Security Officer's do not have the power to arrest without warrant. That is, they cannot arrest a person without the legal backing of specific legislation in place in your state.

There is of course the well known, thankfully less used, and vastly misunderstood provision that allows one to make a "Citizen's Arrest".

For instance, you, a member of the public arrive home to find a burglar ransacking your home. Now, keeping this arguement strictly legal, you are entitled to hold the offender, using reasonable and necessary force - this point is crucial to your own liberty and will be detailed later, but that force can only be sufficient to overcome the force used against you.

That is to say, you cannot set to and rearrange his physical proportions or appendages unless he is putting up a Mike Tyson style defence himself, and he probably will. You can only use enough force to overcome his level of attack, restrain him and defend yourself. This is where it becomes very tricky in terms of YOUR later legal defence and well being.

You are entitled to defend yourself and your home, your loved ones or friends in this setting, but you had better be VERY confident in your ability to do so. I can provide you with further advice on personal protection if you wish to contact me at my em-mail - dan@drmgroup.com.au or reply to this post.

The Police are under no obligation to take the arrested person from your custody, and if they state they will not be getting involved you had better find yourself a very good Barrister. Note I did not say Solicitor, because you will need a Barrister to represent you in the Supreme Court and this where this type of incident will run it's course. If the Police decline to take the arrest from you, your legal obligations run to feeding and housing the prisoner to the standard expected of your particular state jurisdiction, and to presenting the bugger before the court at the earliest opportunity. You must also prepare your legal prosecution case to the standard of the court involved, no easy matter I can assure you, and if you make a mistake at any step up along this route, expect the arrest to be thrown out of court and the offender to take legal action against you with every compensation driven fibre of his putrid existence. What's more, he will win.

Now, that is the possible result of a Citizen's arrest gone wrong. The example I cited above is one where the Police would have no hesistation in removing the leach from your grasp and introducing him to their local watchouse cells. What I am saying is that if you think you can arrest someone under the misguided belief you can make a Citizen's Arrest, DON'T unless you know it to be a serious offence, you see it being committed or you have no other way to stop the person from hurting your or others or from committing further offences.

My best advice, pitifully Politically correct as it is, (sorry Linz - see http://www.solopassion.com ) and against everything I believe to be right, is to back off and call the Police. Leave him to it, let him know you are there and that the Police are en route and leave him to make his escape. Get a good description and details of any vehicle he may use, and let the Police deal with it. If the offender is stupid enough to remain until the Police arrive, then you can get to know him better by visiting him in Prison.

A Security Officer will learn that he can only detain a person with that person's consent. If he does so without that person's consent he is entering the sphere of illegal detention/deprivation of liberty and this is not viewed with any humour by the Police or the Courts. Mind you the Police have a very humourless hold on existence anyway such is the pressure they work under.

I am not stating here that you cannot make a Citizen's Arrest. I am stating here, that as a member of the public be very careful using this option, and as a Security Guard you need to be even more circumspect. If you find a person illegally on premises at your client's premise after having smashed his way in, sit back, observe and report to your control room and let the Police show you how to arrest someone with the full backing of the law. If the Police cannot attend for whatever reason, ask for their permission to hold onto the offender until they can get there, they will ordinarily sanction this option. As a Security Guard, you will have already informed your Controller of the situation and your Supervisor will be on site rapidly to assist you, along with your other colleagues if they can make it - and I know from experience they will make it.

I tell every Security Course I train - NEVER PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION WHERE YOU ARE OUTNUMBERED. You are not being paid to do the Chuck Norris thing, you are not being paid to end up in wheelchair, or worse. Sit back - observe and report. Simple.

Ultimately, unless you are very sure of your ability to restrain an offender without injury to yourself or your loved one's, you are best to let them go. Sad advice, but that which will ensure you live to fight (?) another day while the criminal lives to rob another.

I have stated in earlier posts that a burglar is nothing less than a murderer or rapist who has not been placed in a position to fight his way out or worse. In my experience this means let him go, give him a wide berth and call the Police. Get out of the house and scream your lungs out for help, this is a much safer option for you. Research the option of personal or property alarm systems that can be activated by remote control.

I am happy to advise you on personal defence options and alarm systems specialists who will help you with security options, contact me at this website - www.drmgroup.com.au for further information without preference or obligation and free of charge.

Please be careful if you take this route, you can but please be careful. We have allowed ourselves to be outflanked by the leaches of this world to the point you may well find yourself standing in the defendant's box in court whilst the scumbag who burgled your house laughs at you from the gallery.

Think Long and Prosper
Dan

Parla Italiano?

I mentioned earlier this week that I was on a winning streak with regard to meeting and maintaining my New Year's Resolutions right? Well today I ticked off another one...to commence my education in the exciting, challenging and wonderful language of those raving fanatical Ferrari followers known as the Tifosi.

I refer of course to the lyrical language of my genetic - if not geographic - forebears, Italian.

This afternoon I met with my fabulously engaging teacher, Signora Gabriela Corridore who now claims naturalised Australian citizenship with as much passion as she obviously feels for her former homeland.

I am looking forward to learning the language and will keep you posted with regular updates on my progress, I am sure with Signora Corridore's patience and wisdom it will be an excellent journey to be on.

I have been reading and practising for this occasion for weeks and in five minutes my insegnante (teacher) explained more, and with far more clarity than is possible with a typebound education alone. I expect to make mistakes along the way and I fully expect to experience confusion, frustration and bewilderment - all at the same time no doubt, but I am thrilled at the opportunity and the challenge facing me. I would love to hear from any native speakers or students of the language.

So one more resolution underway, I have a few more up my sleeve and if they fire the soul anything like today's Italiano lesson then you had better strap in or get out of my way because there will be no holding me back. I hope you hang in there with me for the ride.

Arriverderci, mio amico

Think Long and Prosper
Biggles

Guaranteed by me...or it's FREE!!!

I want to take this opportunity to give any of you thinking of training for Security, Private Investigation or First Aid nationally recognised Workplace qualifications a New Year DRM GROUP special offer:

"You WILL gain your workplace qualifications with DRM GROUP,or I give you my personal guarantee...IT'S FREE".

I am so convinced of the quality and experience of our training staff and the knowledge they possess for your benefit, and that allows the DRM GROUP to make this 100% Money Back guarantee with unmatched confidence.

We take the hassle and hard work out of the training with experienced 1 on 1 tuition if required, smaller classes allowing for more tutorials and student/tutor interaction and with our guarantee giving you solid backing to get you into an Industry that is not only booming but can offer diversity and action like few others.

Our 100% guarantee safely removes any fear you may have that your money will be lost should you fail. Why, because I guarantee that with the help of our highly skilled trainers you WILL SUCCEED.

The course can be run in our Training room or if you live outside of this region, then it can be individually tailored as a distance based course, just contact us for further details.

You can do so at www.drmgroup.com.au to reap the benefit of this fantastic offer.

Kind Regards
Dan

How are your New Year resolutions holding up?

I have had some pretty solid success holding onto mine, I have worked on each one of them every day and the red wine one excepted, they are all in good health. Don't know what to do about that one, must my Italian genes demanding to be heard.

What's more, I have set more resolutions this year than at any other time in my life, combined, and I have made solid inroads into each and every one of them - except the previously mentioned red wine one :-) - thanks, without exception, to daily visualisation and contemplation of the desired end having been reached. I even found a small greenstone "taonga" or treasure, given to me many years ago. I keep this in my pocket and every time I touch it it reminds me of my goals. I took that little idea from "Beyond the Secret" a documentary that followed on the coat tails of Rhonda Burns earlier inspirational film "The Secret" that took the world by storm, thanks Oprah, thanks Rhonda.

You may well think it silly, I call the little piece of NZ greenstone my Focus stone, and have made the very small effort to have it with me wherever I go now. However, it seems to be working, so, so far so good. It has the mesmerising effect of focusing my thoughts in the direction I am trying to travel and it allows me to work on some positive affirmations while I hold it in my hand, whilst simultaneoulsy shedding the general negativity that has formed so much a part of my previous life.

I care not that you might snigger in my direction if you think affirmations and focus stones, positive thinking and goals are for airheads. Tell me how you intend acheiving your goals and I will support you wholeheartedly, however, tell me you have failed to plan to improve your lot and I will tell you that you have in fact planned to fail. Tell me how you mean to make your life this year better than your last?

Can't say? I wonder why?

I have already mentioned in a former Blog, the fact that I have thrown the nightly TV news out with the dishwater, with such affirming results I have now expanded that self imposed ban on news to include the total crap 10 second soundbite hourly news updates on radio and the daily radio shows I used to listen to where Politicians endlessly spin their party forced diatribe which radioland passes off as information. I have also cut back on certain aspects of newspaper reportage, and you know what? I haven't missed a second of any of it.

On the contrary, I have discovered that my attitude to life in general has improved and I am much happier and less depressed and frustrated at the state of the world. Rather than focusing on the sometimes depressing reality of life, I feel free to concentrate on MY world, MY life and from there I have discovered I can even spare time and effort to gladly help others. Amazing what you can do when you are not stuck to the couch watching the latest unrealistic murder entertainment show offered up by Hollywood.

Why not try it, it's not too late to make a resolution to improve your lot.

These unfettered evenings, and thoughts, have also allowed me focus on the Australia day celebrations due anytime in the next 24 hours. It has allowed me to appreciate the feeling of goodwill the general populace have toward the ideal of their nation, whilst they struggle with their own bag of life beaten issues. I am impressed with the ongoing attempts of Aussie nationhood at trying to maintain an identity amongst this rapidly, technology induced, shrinking planet. Granted we are far from perfect, but your average Joe Public is seemingly always mindful of issues that affect us all. National Day in my (former)New Zealand homeland is one of bitter dispute, anger, assault and taunts, all emanating from those who have fed from the taxpayer trough all of their pitiful lives. And in the attempt to appease them lest they be accused of something unsavoury, Joe Public (NZ) have allowed themselves to be completely trodden underfoot, whilst being fleeced (haha I made a sheep joke...) economically speaking, at the same time.

Now you know why so many of us want to call Australia home.

And so I give thanks to all of you who want to better this fantastic country, those who want to see the diverse and growing ethnic population propser and endeavour to help them do so, those who have arrived here with dreams of a better life and are working valiantly to acheive that goal for themselves and their families. Is the world really so detached that we feel the need to rob and kill our fellows because they happen to have been born in India, or China, or Serbia? We can change that you know.

I see so much more hope in this country, so much more drive and desire to want more than I ever saw in from the little island nation to starboard and I for one want to build on that.

Care to join me?

Happy Australia Day everybody
Biggles

Monday Musings...of missing Muso's

I am listening to a classic old Cat Stevens CD - Catch Bull at Four - a personal favourite I heard as a youngster (well 12 actually) which seems so long ago as to be almost unfathomable.

My favourite track is the opening one, Sitting, closely followed by the next song Boy with a Moon and Star. In fact the entire album is fantastic and just underlines why the music world misses him. Granted he has risen from self imposed exile to a degree, re-recording some old classics in accoustic style only as his Islamic faith apparently prevents him from returning to playing such blasphemous musical instruments as the guitar.

I watched a recent documentary he produced as a kind of prelude to his returning to the world of the living, and in it he detailed how the denial of his musical talent was of his own doing, he had decided to take the fundamentalist route which forbade the making of music. To Islam's credit the Cat was strongly urged by a leading Islamic cleric to continue to perform, a great marketing idea everyone thought, except the man himself. He maintained that view until recent times and it may be that a thaw in relations is on the cards as he now attempts to educate the Western world that Islam is not full of zealots and suicide bombers - there's a good title for an album you Gen Yer's. He's got one hell of a job on his hand's if that is his intention.

I remember listening to the track "O Caritas" from the same album, over and over, furiously writing down the words in order to learn the song. Fascinating how the brain retains words to songs you haven't heard for 30 years isn't it. Anthony Robbins, the motivational speaker states it has to do with the emotion that goes with the thought and I know he is right. After all can you remember what you were worrying about 1 year ago today? I seriously doubt it, but you can recall in vivd detail the words and images to your favourite songs.

And it is not just the act of repitition, there must be a strong emotion attached to the activity, I am convinced of that. Think of where you were when JFK was murdered by the two gunmen on the grassy knoll, woops I mean, Lee Harvey Oswald. I remember I was sitting on the side of my bed tying my shoe laces in preparation to catch the bus to work when I heard the King had died in Memphis, and sat stunned for about 5 minutes - and missed the bus. I can recall with annoying clarity the race and events surrounding the death of my Formula One hero Ayrton Senna on May 1 1994, how I spotted his car leave the track instantaneously before my friends who were visiting to watch the race did, and then felt intense anger as one of them shortly after kidded me(jokingly, I know, but it still cut me at the time) about his apparent death. There is the emotion again making it's mark.

Who can't recall with horror the event's of 911. Or the loss of Steve Irwin and appallingly only hours later, the legend Peter Brock. A nation grieved that weekend and none alive at the time will forget that, or the disaster of the Victorian fires last year and the growing anger and dismay at the ever increasing, seemingly unstoppable toll. What an amazing tool the human brain is. I often think I would like to return to earth in 500 years time with my current level of recall and knowledge of this era to see what we have done to the place and how we have progressed, but I know it would be a totally unrecognizable planet Earth to the one we are living on now.

I like to think that if we have people of the calibre of Jean Luc Picard of the Star ship Enterprise in charge, the world will be in fine hands. I choose to take the optimistic view of the human race on this count rather than that of the doomsayers, although if some of the music currently being offered up on commercial radio is any indication, the doomsayers predictions have already come to fruition...We will definitely not recognise their muso's as such, I imagine, but will they still be playing the Beatles as we do Mozart and Beethoven? And what of Yousef Islam?.

But then would the Cat Stevens of the 70's have appealed to those of Roman times or the middle ages? Hmmm.....

Think long & Prosper
Biggles

PPP Funding has run it's course...

Just a quick update on the PPP Funding for the Security officer's Cert II course, the current allotment of funded places has now been fully subscribed. This means that until we gain further funding those of you wishing to undertake the pre licensing course will have to wait.

The Private Investigation courses are still funded but you should be aware that there is a fairly hefty post course price required for equipment and the like. Unless you have the equipment when you apply for a job you will not get past the front door.

There is also the little problem, mentioned in in my last blog, about the lack of work at the moment. You are well advised to have a secondary income in place while establishing yourself and your business. I serve Court documents, train Security and First Aid and find that if not for these functions over the past two months, I would be digging ditches or picking up potatoes. Done both, and seriously over both.

Any queries about training send me an e-mail at training@drmgroup.com.au and I will be happy to help you out.

Think Long & Prosper
Dan

The Lull before the Storm?

If you have made a new years resolution to upgrade your career prospects this year and have noticed that there are several Federally funded workplace qualifications on offer - which include Security and Private Investigations, let me provide you with an update on the former and some words of caution on the latter.

The Productivity Placement Programme or PPP scheme is operating in a number of disciplines for those registered with Centrelink and a job service agency such as Mission Australia, Epic Employment or Sarina Russo. I have the qualifications to train people looking to qualify in Security - Certificate II, and Private Investigations, which is a Certificate III level course. I can train several others as well, however, these are the only PPP funded courses I can currently offer. Unfortunately for some, the PPP places have been exhausted - FOR THE MOMENT - here in Maryborough, but there will be more available very shortly, once we impress on the government the popularity of the courses.

I train the Security courses from my office and training room in Maryborough, Qld, and over the past four years I guess I have assisted upwards of 400 people to gain employment in this ever expanding industry. In the main the course attendees have been attentive and worthy of qualification if not full time employment, although there have been many horror stories too. I alluded to a literacy and numeracy dificiency in a lot of the adult students coming to me and I often reflect with concern at how they are slipping through the system in seemingly such large numbers. Perhaps I am only seeing a proportion that think Security does nothing in the way of computer based work, or need's little report writing skill or ancillary communication skills. If that sounds like you, read on.

Increasingly the Security industry is being called on to report incidents that end in Court and the standards there are extremely high. My last security job was a multi function role requiring intra day reporting of people and incidents, interviews, operation of complex CCTV and Alarm systems backed up by a fairly rigourous legislative understanding. Now that's fine for someone like myself who has attended hundreds of court cases - juries and stern faced judges, and worse - smarmy overpriced defenced counsel do not phase me - however, for someone who has only seen them on television it can be a very, very daunting proposition.

There was also the very real demand to communicate at a high level with some very intelligent, and then some not so, emotionally unstable people, some intent on self harming to the point of suicide.

My Security role prior to that was on a large Industrial site and the work proved to be 90% administrative, 10% Security, demanding a skill set that I did not possess. A lot of flying by the seat of my pants, and flying blind, to use a couple of appropriate aviation metaphor's, was required to get through the day. At times I was actually spinning in circles in one spot answering phones, dealing with staff at the office window, conversing with staff on the in house radio channel, checking data on the computer because a contractor had activated a no entry alarm, in the middle of conducting safety inductions while trying to avoid copius numbers of boxes and equipment that I had just received and was required to check at a point in the day when the spinning had stopped. Multi tasking like nothing I had seen before and it was extremely demanding. So please if you think Security is a job where you sit around watching TV, you are in for a rather large shock. That said, Security at the moment is booming and can take you in a diversity of directions that were unheard of even 5 years ago, and not just in the manner I have just described.

The current crop of trainee's - whom I lauded in my previous blog, all seem interested in the Crowd Control aspect of Security work, I can't fault them for that but I do warn that after weeks of physically restraining and dealing with drunk and drug affected patrons, they will not sound quite so enthusiastic. Certainly, my days of dealing with trouble makers who have had too much to drink are over and I now prefer to advise others on what to expect and how to deal with it in a manner that will ensure they retain their dignity, their job and their health.

The PI Industry is another of the PPP funded schemes that I train from my DRM GROUP training facility. However, at the moment the industry is experiencing it's quietest entry to a new year I can recall. Many of the other PI's I am in touch with are concerned at the low level of work on offer at the moment, some have left for other more lucrative work and others - nearly all - are having to consider returning to paid employment of the traditional kind, that is the sort we all became self employed PI's to get away from. So if you are considering entering this industry I urge you to call me on (07) 41230795 or copy this link and make contact through my website at http//www.drmgroup.com.au.

Although fascinating and challenging, there is also a very real rquirement to purchase a range of equipment you probably had no idea would be needed to gain work. I am also afraid that having the ability to work out the formulaic thinking of television's crime show writer's fall's someway short of the real ability to spot an inconsistency or potential loophole in the story of an Insurance claimant for instance. Mind you the surveillance side of the business is a completely different one to the interview of claimants and provides a completely different, yet equally difficult challenge. I'm not sure anyone actually masters surveillance, but you certainly learn fast and it is endlessly exciting...outside of the hours of sitting in cars waiting for something to happen that is. But then that is a huge challenge in itself and is not something everyone can do.

I hope the current lull in PI work recedes as quickly as it hit us, but for the moment consider your move carefully. If you are thinking of entering either industry feel free to give me a call or use the link to my website listed above and send me an e-mail. I offer free, no obligation advice, without preference for suppliers of any related services.

I am passionate about improving the image, profile and standards of my industry and therefore if I can help you to become a better Officer or Investigator that's a win win, right? Right!

Think Long and Prosper
Dan

Opportunity Knocks

I have spent the first days of 2010 focusing on building my DRM GROUP business, watching a couple of very funny movies and training a new batch of aspiring Security Officers.

The current crop have really surpised me with the initiative they have shown in making the effort to read the material and answer the questions unaided. Ordinarily, I have to push the students to give me the most basic of answers to what is really, a very basic theoretical proposition. But this group have fired on all 8 cylinders from the flagfall and this gives me hope.

I have noticed, sadly, an embarrassingly low level of literacy and numeracy amongst far too many students attending my courses. I wonder how it is they manage to slip through to adulthood with such low levels of competence, but nontheless I admire the determination of each and everyone of them as they struggle to improve their lot.

As many of you know, I have a background that includes Policing and Correctional Services as a Prison Guard. I witnessed with dismay, the victim mentality of the incarcerated - mostly without substance. Qld has a state of the art, modern prison system and do make a valiant attempt to deal with their growing prison population, but the ideals of the politicians are in this case let down by the low quality and work ethic of the majority of their paid employees.

Plus we endure the problem of having been too cowardly for our own good to stand up and be counted on the important issues.

You know, the defining blow for me leaving my homeland of New Zealand had it Genesis in David Lange's Prime Ministerial era. At the time, a British soapie known to all as Coronation Street was running twice weekly on enzed's main TV channel and it ran about 6 months behind the UK where it is produced. Such is the devotion and love of the series (now it must be well in to it's 50's) that TVNZ decided to increase coverage to 5 nights per week in order to bring us into a very current time line with England. The plan was to stop at about two weeks behind to allow for various transportaion issues and the like.

Well once TVNZ caught up with their British counterparts, they announced to the flatlining populace that coverage of the whinging pommie soap was to revert to three nights per week.

Adolf Hitler's re-incarnation and stated desire to declare NZ a neo Jewish nation and burn it to the ground would have gone unnoticed in the storm of protest that followed. David Lange spotted this mile wide ignorance of the populace and made his move.

If only Biggles, Algy and Bertie had been around to spot it we would have witnessed the birth of another classic adventure!!!

Meanwhile, as the braindead Press and TV coverage of the time focused on the protest and outrage of Coronation Street being taken from the flatliner's TV channel's, portly Dave slipped in a 2.5% increase in the GST, under cover of darkness and contrary to the Labour party's absolute -read my lips "We will not increase the GST" - policy, and what do you think happened, dear reader?

No, the flatliner's did not change tack and howl in protest at the GST increase, they sat back or rather bent over, and let Davey boy give it to them. Did the Coro St protest lose impetus? Absolutely not, in fact a nationwide petition was organised, stars of the show were flown out to NZ to assist with the protest, and we railed against the horror of losing an hour of rubbish on tv per week.

Davo's GST increase got through unnoticed and unchallenged, and without a whimper from the maojority. No that last one is not a misprint.

So I decided to look for a brighter more stimulating environment, and Australia shouted out " Where the bloody hell are ya Biggles, get over here mate!". I've made huge stride's in leaving my dislike and utter contempt of Politicians behind, and I have watched in detached fascination at the antic's of the Australian "Servants of the People" although I still love to give them a size 9 now and then.

I have happily found much more to interest and embrace about this totally fascinating nation. Australia has presented me with seemingly endless opportunities that NZ never could and for that I am extremely grateful. But don't waste your time trying to turn me against the All Blacks...won't happen, no way, no how...read my lips!

Think Long and Prosper
Biggles

New Year, New Inspirations...

Have you made your new years resolutions/s yet? Are they in tatter's already?

This year I resolve to keep breathing so I can enjoy the odd (and not so odd) Red wine, follow my favourite football team - Chelsea FC - playing on the world's greatest stage of the beautiful game, and building my business to the best of my abilities.

Now the red wine one is easy to follow so that's a win, Chelsea are leading the Premier league and may well have their best season in their 100+ year history - of which I have been privileged to follow about 39, so although they continue to frustrate, I claim that as a win as well, and of the third I am focused and determined to beat anything Murphy cares to throw my way. So I consider I've already won that fight before we even enter the ring. Better than that I am convinced my success will be built on back of your success for I see your success in the training I provide as a win as well.

So 4 nil to me then.

As I have mentioned in earlier post's I thoroughly enjoy training people to be the best Security officer's and Private Investigators they can be. That is a win when I help a more challenged student to succesfully pass the course/s and inspires me to keep my own learning going. At the moment I am working on a Business Management qualification in order to train that discipline as well.

I have learnt so much about business in setting up the DRM GROUP but the main thing that kept me going was the focus and desire to want to do it. Working for yourself is a minefield of never ending learning and challenges but it sure as hell beats working for some unknown face in Corporate seclusion earning mega millions off of my efforts. Sure, at the moment I can't quantify in terms of dollars the value of that feeling of independance, but I am sure I will figure that out when I am sitting on the balcony overlooking the Grand Prix track at Monaco or admiring the history and beauty of Venice from my Gondola - all paid for by my efforts, not some criminally inflated Lehman Brothers/Bear Sterns/AIG style bogus Bonus package that we then have to bail out with a political STIMULUS programme..

So if you are thinking of going solo in the business world, get on the net and search out some of the excellent sites available, like the morning coffee I must have my daily fix of
www.flyingsolo.com.au and www.smartcompany.com.au. They inspire and inform and if you log on for their daily e-mail's than you receive ongoing inspiration even when you are bogged down with other matters.

I am learning something everyday in business and take each step with some degree of trepidation, but then I did that working for some sour faced foreman or supervisor anyway so even that's a win.

My goals are acheivable and there for the taking. Are yours?

Do you know what, something just occurred to me, I have not been able to watch the television for the past month and I have therefore not seen the TV news or, in fact, have rarely heard the radio 5 second sound bite version of the same murder/mayhem/people killed in three car pile up trash. Further, the time not spent in front of the tv has instead been spent with my nose in a book of something I consider far more inspirational. And the effects of dropping that negative obituary driven war mongering political double speak that passes for national news has been a positive revelation.

Try it, you will not regret the change. Grab the remote and hit that big red off switch!!

Think long and prosper
Biggles

Training Courses for January 2010

If you are considering expanding your vocational skills DRM GROUP is now back in full swing after the Christmas and New Year Break and has set the following course dates for January:

Security : Certificate II in Security Operations (PPP Funded)
Jan 11/12 & 18/19 - only positions for fee paying student left
Jan 25/26 & Feb 1/2 - contact us for further PPP information

First Aid : Jan 19
Jan 29
Feb 2
Feb 5
Feb 12
Feb 19

All First Aid courses are for Apply First Aid (formerly Snr First Aid and CPR. AED training available on request. CPR renewals available on request.

Please visit the DRM GROUP website under the Training page and check the Course fee information indicated on the Pymt page.

I look forward to helping your New Years resolution or workplace requirement become a reality.

Regards
Dan

Great Minds, Inspirational Thinking...

This is a quotation attributed to Michelangelo and bears some thought...


"The greater danger for most us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it,
but that it is too low and we reach it".


Think long & prosper
Biggles

Are You still on holiday?

I have been back flying a desk since Monday but I know a lot of you have another week or more left before you return to the daily routine we all love so much.

I wonder how many of you arrived home from you trips away to find your house had been burgled, vandalised or property had been stolen from the yard. I would wager a fair few of you.

Did you take any precautions in alerting your neighbour to your intended plans? Did you leave them an iteinerary to ease locating you in an emergency? Did you give nayone your alarm codes to attend to emergencies at your business or house?

These little things tend to get overlooked amongst the clutter of the holiday planning and packing.

If you know you are going away then draw up a plan well in advance and include everything you can think of, no matter how insignificant it might seem, you can always disregard it.

Give your alarm codes and travel details only to your most trusted friends or family members and be prepared to change alarm codes on your return home.

Do you know what your Insurance covers in the event of Burglary, arson or the like. Are you aware of what they refuse to cover and why, and their reasons they can decline your claim? As a PI I know that the Insurance pays strict attention to detail as it relates to your obligations and requirements. Close enough is not good enough in this industry I am afraid.

That said, less than 20% of claims are rejected for any reason, that means the Insurance companies in fact pay out over 80% of the time, contrary to the common misconception - widely held in my experience.

As I sit here at my desk the rain is thundering down outside, a welcome sound and feature of this time of year although for those of you unfortunate enough to have chosen a camping holiday it makes life a little less enjoyable. I noticed the grass is intensely green at the moment which is a sight I always enjoy however.

Take care if you have to drive home through any of the rain, enjoy the rest of your holiday or the slow entry to the work year and expect nothing but the best for the year ahead, I know I am and I look forward to the challenges and the triumphs to come.

Stay Safe
Biggles.

AVATAR - WOW!!! Down time entertainment.

I spent the Christmas New Year Break down in Yamba, NSW with my mother before travelling north to visit with my sister and her husband. During the course of the latter stay I went to see the new James Cameron movie AVATAR and what an inspired choice that was.

If you are considering going to see it, consider no further, GO. Make sure you see the 3D version, it is stunning.

The movie draws many parallel's from mother Earth, you only need to picture our relentless decimation of the Amazon jungle to catch my drift. And that of James Cameron as well I imagine.

I found the quality of the movie totally inspiring, from the story to the vision Cameron had in filming this in 3D, surely set to be the standard for big budget movies from this point on. Although the story is somewhat formulaic it is nevertheless a work of art and deserves to be viewed by anyone remotely interested in movies, and I don't just mean Sci Fi aficionado's.

I will no doubt see this again in 3D (something I have never done before), I also can see the new TV screens developing to allow for 3D transmission in the future as well.

I also had the chance to watch Star Trek (the latest version) on Blu Ray TV/DVD and was mightily impressed with that as well. I never really took to the original James T. Kirk and co but this movie is much better than that corny old show. It sets up the early story of Kirk and his crew very nicely. The clarity of the picture was beyond my expectations and now I want one.

Another gem I have finally managed to sit down and watch is the 2003/4 TV series "Deadwood". I don't recall having seen it on the small screen back then and with the never ending expletives and violence it is no wonder, but a brilliant piece of writing, directing, acting and set design combine to make it a must view - if you have a broad mind. It is based in part on the real town of Deadwood in the gold rush days of 1876. It inspired me to google a little of the history of the town and it proved an interesting exercise. I even intend to travel there when I next I am in the US.

I have been interested to compare the developments we have made since that era, some obvious such as sanitation, roads and communications, some less succesful such as the way we view women and those of other races or ethnicities.

Though provoking stuff all round really and a nice break before getting back into the business of training and Investigations.

Stay Safe
Biggles