LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP FROM A SEARCH AND RESCUE SPECIALIST

Peter Faulding has worked on some of the UK’s highest profile criminal cases. He discussed how his experiences have shaped him

“If you smile at someone and call them by their name it is much easier to get their co-operation”

It was during the anti-roads protests of the Nineties that Peter Faulding, CEO of Specialist Group International (SGI), forged his reputation as the go-to person to safely remove environmental protesters from dangerous positions they put themselves in, perched high in trees and entombed into deep man-made tunnels.

The qualities that he showed during these times – calmness, empathy, problem-solving, mental sharpness and unwavering professionalism – have become the cornerstones of his Dorking-based business and offer lessons when it comes to leading in today’s business world.

Peter said: “If you smile at someone and call them by their name it is much easier to get their co-operation.

“Protesters know they are going to be removed and all they want is to be heard and treated with respect and dignity.”

Digging Swampy out of an underground tunnel

Peter successfully dug the infamous Swampy out of an underground network of tunnels at the Honiton bypass protests in 1996, and the two keep in touch to this day.

He said: “I spent nine days underground with Swampy and built a rapport with him by being calm and passing him cups of tea while I worked with my team to remove him and the other protesters.”

When Peter started his rescue company in 1995, the business initially struggled to gain traction.

However, his work at the Newbury bypass in 1996 and then with Swampy and his fellow protesters a year later gave him a direct link to the UK government, and he became a key adviser on how protests should be managed. Today he leads in this specialist field.

Peter now lives on a remote farm in West Sussex with his wife and daughter along with his pet sheep, alpacas, lamas, ducks, chickens, pigs, emus and dogs.

He said: “From the age of five, I grew up exploring the disused mines under Merstham with my dad John. Later on, the fire departments would call on my expertise and local knowledge to assist in the rescue of lost persons in the mines and eventually I was able to turn my childhood pastime into a business.

“I remember going to the bank for a £1,500 overdraft and being told: you are never going to get anywhere doing this sort of business – rescuing people. Within a year, our turnover went up to £1.9 million.”

The business has grown exponentially over the past 27 years. It now has a vast array of equipment, vehicles, boats and even a helicopter.

SGI expands into forensic and specialist underwater search

The base has expanded to six industrial units and employs more than 50 people. SGI long ago expanded beyond protester removal to providing forensic search and specialist underwater search capability, recovering drowning victims and collecting evidence for police forces around the UK.

Peter has become a leading forensic search specialist working on some of Britain’s biggest missing person cases, recovering evidence and human remains from remote locations that have gone undetected for years.

He has been a guest of the US Secret Service and advised the FBI in Qauntico, Virginia, along with other overseas police forces.

He puts remaining calm under pressure and problem-solving as the most important skills to have when working in his line of work.

The keen helicopter pilot said: “My strengths aren’t in writing business plans or reports, but when we are beside a river which might have a car in it with a person inside it, I can quickly form a plan.”

Peter’s professionalism and passion for adventure was instilled in him from an early age from his upbringing and a six-year spell in the Parachute Regiment reserve.

“My dad taught me the value of hard work, perseverance and never giving up. That discipline has followed me in business, and my experience with the Parachute Regiment taught me never to give up whatever is thrown at you.”

Building a tight team in any business environment is tough, however building one which will be put under acute pressure is an even tougher task.

Word of mouth is key to Peter’s recruitment strategy with many staff members recruited from the armed forces, police or fire service.

He said: “We look for people who are team players with a varied skill set, with a sense of calmness, empathy, loyalty, as well as mental and physical fitness to get on with the job and the resilience you need when it gets tough or emotional.”

With a high-functioning team in place and on-call 24/7 to respond to incidents around the country, how is focus and team spirit maintained?

Continuous training and team spirit keeps skills sharp

Peter says that his close-knit team continually trains to keep their skills sharp.

“Anyone who doesn’t genuinely enjoy the work or want to be a part of a close team doesn’t last long. There is a strong culture of positivity and the team all support each other at work and in their personal lives.”

Growing positives from tragedy is how the team deals with traumatic events and he set up the Lucas Dobson Water Safety Campaign, which raises awareness of the dangers of swimming and water and making it easier for children to play safely near or on water.

Peter delivers free life jackets via his own helicopter, at his own expense, to schools – and gives water safety talks.

The project was set up following the death of six-year-old Lucas when he fell into the River Kent while out fishing with his father. He was not wearing a lifejacket and quickly went under the surface.

Peter said: “By providing free life jackets and promoting water safety awareness to school kids, we hope to make a real difference. I am also developing a water safety video aimed at 15-16-year-olds as the average age of drowning is 15 or 16. They are the ones who are most likely to jump in rivers.”