David Beckham hires an armed guard while on holiday

Football star David Beckham and his family have reportedly hired an armed guard while they holiday in Malibu.

The 36-year-old player, who has kids Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight, Cruz, six, and one-and-a-half month Harper Seven with wife Victoria, was protected by a minder who was wearing an openly holstered pistol.



"I can't comment on any individual case, but the practice of celebrities hiring off-duty officers for private security purposes is common practice here," said a spokesperson from the Los Angeles Police Department.

A freelance photographer saw the bodyguard and explained the gun was clearly visible on the outside of his clothes.
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"I didn't notice him at first. He kept in the background very discreetly. But I noticed him when David walked over and handed him a plastic toy that the youngsters had been playing with," he said.