Biography Juan Cabrera
Born in 1971 in Lanzarote, Spain, I received a bachelor’s degree in 1992 in “Hotel and related tourist activities management” after studying both in Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
In 1995, after working in various hotels, I voluntarily joined the Spanish Marine Infantry where I was selected and trained to become a Close Protection Operator (bodyguard); finishing my training I was assigned to protect a Spanish Navy Admiral whose life had been threatened by the terrorist organization ETA. In 1997 I was awarded with the “White ribbon Navy cross”. (upper picture)
After a very intense period in the Spanish Navy I went back to my civilian life where I held different positions in the tourist industry until I decided to go back to security and became a police officer in 2001.
During my active time at the Arrecife Police Dept., I was part and worked in up to four different sections (Quick reaction unit, Crime prevention unit, Traffic section and Community service unit), which gave me the opportunity to expand my competence and expertise in security matters. I also was a lecturer at the Canarian Police academy in the subject “Immigration and the roll of police in multicultural societies”
In the spring of 2004 I moved with my family to Oslo (Norway) where we now reside. After learning the language and attending “Vekterskolen” I was employed as a security guard in a small company gaining insight to the Norwegian security environment. A few months later I was recruited by the U.S. State Dept. to work as a member of the security team at the American Embassy in Oslo, position that I held for two years and for which I received a meritorious commendation for my performance (lower picture)
I currently combine my work for the Oslo Police District as a custody officer and security advisor in my own company “Need2know”.
In all these years working in or around security, I’ve seen crime in its multiple forms, from terrorism till petty crimes through sexual abuse and blind violence; I’ve dealt with criminals of many sorts, from the psychopath to the ones who didn’t know they were criminals. And last but not least, I’ve worked with the victims of these crimes and criminals witnessing how their lives were affected in one way or another ever after. I firmly believe that prevention is the best way to avoid becoming a victim, but to do so, to be proactive; there are things you need to know.
