They call it their SAS Service and it has been used – apparently very quietly and covertly – by a number of ‘A’ list and other lesser-ranked celebrities in the USA and Europe, since its inception in 1999. The SAS Service, or to give it its full title, the Stalk-A-Stalker Service, was the brainchild of HM Consultants (HMC), a small UK-based risk management and security organization. The Director of Operations for HMC is the infamous John Miller, the man who masterminded the abduction from Brazil of Ronnie Biggs – a member of the 1970’s UK Great Train Robbery gang – and who is also a former member of the UK Special Forces.

The idea behind this service seems quite simple, if not a little ‘un-PC’. Seemingly, all that celebrities with a perceived stalker problem have to do is contact HM Consultants and the organization will supply someone to assess their alleged stalker situation; and if appropriate, assign one of their operatives to undertake 24-hour surveillance of the stalker.

“It’s amazing,” said Miller, “just how uncomfortable the stalker gets once the tables are turned on them. Firstly, they start to look over their shoulder, as our people don’t exactly hide themselves from view, but this soon turns to paranoia and most of them don’t persist in their stalking for more than a week or so after we commence our activities; especially once they realise that we know exactly what they are up to and where they live. One stalker even had the audacity to threaten to call the police if our man didn’t stop harassing him! But he soon saw reason,” said Miller, “when it was pointed out that all we were doing was exactly what he had been doing to the celebrity for the last few months.”

And it’s not always Hollywood celebrities that HMC get calls from, as Miller explains: “Once it became known in the right circles that this particular service was available, we started getting phone calls from a range of people, mostly through their agents or via word-of-mouth from friends. We have had enquiries from top UK footballers (and some of their wives), company executives, and even a politician who had rekindled a schoolboy relationship through the Friends Reunited website; although no MP’s have yet used the SAS Service,” Miller was quick to point out, “it was just an enquiry. And if it weren’t for the tight confidentiality we have with our clients, I could tell you stories that would make you howl with laughter; and some that would make you cringe,” added Miller. “You just wouldn’t believe what some of these people [stalkers] get up to when they think they aren’t being observed.”

When queried as to the legality of what HMC does in this regard, Miller said: “In the USA, if a state has good anti-stalking laws allied to fair privacy legislation, then it is likely that our services might not be required. However, where there is no adequate law, or there are areas of ambiguity, then that is when we come into our own. Let’s face it, how can someone claim that they are being mistreated or that their rights are being violated by us, if they are doing the exact same thing, or worse, to someone else? And as we film and log everything that both the stalker and HMC carry out from the minute we are retained by the client, it’s hard for the stalker to put up any kind of bona-fide defence should things get out of hand and legal proceedings have to ultimately be invoked. Unfortunately, in the UK and Europe,” continued Miller, “the law currently seems to favour stalkers, so we believe we have virtual carte-blanche; just like they [the stalkers] seem to think they have!”

Nevertheless, regardless of the countless laws surrounding stalking – or lack thereof, depending where in the world you live – the HMC SAS Service is being increasingly seen by many as a low key solution to a mounting problem. “If you are a recognized celebrity,” explains Miller, “it is likely that as soon as you realize you are being stalked and apply to the courts for assistance, your case will be plastered all over the media; something most people would try to avoid. What we offer is a confidential service that will give the client a positive result with the least hassle and publicity, should that be their desire. After all, our success rate to date is 100% with regard to the SAS Service,” said Miller with a wry smile.