Professional terminology
Protection work uses different vocabulary depending on the country, the language and the type of client. This page clarifies what each term means and which one applies precisely to the course delivered in Costa Rica in December 2026.
Close Protection is the broad professional category: the set of functions carried out to protect a person's safety during movement and activities.
It is an industry term, not the name of a single qualification. Each country regulates differently who may perform these functions and under which licence or authorisation.
CPO is industry terminology for the professional performing close protection duties. It is widely used in English-speaking markets and international job postings.
CPO describes a professional role, not a specific certification of this edition. The Costa Rica 2026 programme does not issue a certification named CPO.
Executive Protection is market terminology, commonly used when the principal is an executive, a public figure or a corporate profile.
It describes the client and service context rather than a different training syllabus in itself.
PSD, Personal Security Detail, refers to the work of the protection team assigned to a principal, with defined roles, procedures and coordination.
PSD is the exact name of the main course in the Costa Rica 2026 edition: five training days following the initial Carbine Fundamentals block.
The edition combines two consecutive courses, Carbine Fundamentals and Personal Security Detail (PSD), with two certifications issued by European Security Academy.
Close Protection, CPO and Executive Protection appear on this site as industry context, so professionals from different markets can identify the programme. They are not equivalent to each other and do not imply additional certifications.
Attendance does not guarantee certification, and no course certification replaces the professional licence or authorisation required in a given jurisdiction.
