Blood Money (25 page)
Vary your position behind a suspect. If, for instance, you begin by following along from the opposite side of the street, try crossing over at some point so that you are on the same side – a target will be less likely to notice you if you are not always in the same position. If they stop sometimes, overtake and then pause to look in a shop window before continuing behind once they have passed you again.
7. Act naturally
Use the local surroundings to act as natural as possible. If you’re in a shopping area, look in the windows. Buy a newspaper outside a station. Do all the ordinary things that others are doing, and this will also help to vary your pace and make you less noticeable.
You might find it helpful to have a prop or two. A female team-member might carry a handbag (a make-up mirror is excellent for seeing behind you, too) or you could have a sports bag to rummage in. Do make sure that anything you are carrying is inconspicuous and won’t make you stand out. Tip: carry an
empty
sports bag to rummage in and dump it during the operation. It is amazing how many people would notice you as ‘person with bag’ and then see someone totally different if suddenly you are without the bag.
empty
sports bag to rummage in and dump it during the operation. It is amazing how many people would notice you as ‘person with bag’ and then see someone totally different if suddenly you are without the bag.
If you act naturally it’s surprising what you can get away with. Again, on the mission in Scotland, the target had meetings in a café every morning. The café was always full. I walked in, bought a coffee and looked for somewhere to sit. There were two extra chairs at the table where the target was sitting, so I walked up and asked, ‘Mind if I sit here?’ I was told, ‘Go ahead.’ So I sat down, got out my magazine and pretended to read. Actually I was listening to everything that was said – what the target was up to and where he was going. This meant we didn’t even have to follow the target for the rest of the day! I had to be careful only to show my left side, though – in my right ear I had an earpiece I was using to communicate with the others and if the target had seen that the whole mission might have been blown. You have to be constantly aware of who’s around you and what they can see.
8. Be very careful how you start
You’re most likely to be rumbled when you’re starting a surveillance operation. If you sit outside the target’s house waiting for them to come out, a neighbour might spot you and call the police before you’ve gone anywhere. If you wait at their usual bus stop, but never get on a bus, it also looks suspicious. It might be better to start covertly – hide in a bush outside the target’s house and radio to your mates when they come out.
9. When it goes wrong
. . .
. . .
If you think the target has spotted you, act as naturally as possible and do everything possible to make them doubt their suspicion.
Walk past, catch a bus without looking back – anything to make them feel they were wrong to feel they were being followed.
Tell the others in your team so that someone else can take over. If you are working alone, accept that you have lost the target and be prepared to try again another day.
Always pull off if you’re not sure – otherwise you might ruin the whole mission.
Be very aware of what
you
would do if you spotted someone following you. Would you test them by doubling back on yourself? Cross the road, and then cross back again? If your target begins doing any of these things, they may simply be being careful – but it is far more likely they have spotted you. Try to hand over to a team member in a non-suspicious manner and then abandon the pursuit yourself.
you
would do if you spotted someone following you. Would you test them by doubling back on yourself? Cross the road, and then cross back again? If your target begins doing any of these things, they may simply be being careful – but it is far more likely they have spotted you. Try to hand over to a team member in a non-suspicious manner and then abandon the pursuit yourself.
Your target might even try actively to lose you. The classic way of doing this is to go into a department store – they can lose you in the crowds and there are often too many exits for you to cover.
10. Avoid danger
Most important of all, under no circumstances do anything that could put you in danger of any kind. If the target seems to be leading you into shadowy areas or dead-ends, don’t take the bait. Better to withdraw and wait for support from team members than to take any kind of risk. This is vital. Most surveillance operations involve following someone with a regular routine so there will always be another day.
BE SAFE!
Random House Children’s Books and Chris Ryan would like to make it clear that this advice is given for use in a serious situation only, where your life could be at risk. We cannot accept any liability for inappropriate usage in normal conditions.
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