Time is always limited, that’s one thing we must be prepared for. Planning has to be done within forty-eight hours or even twenty-four. I have no time to lose, from the moment I open my eyes at 4.30 a.m.—no dawdling about in bed—to the hour when I close them (the hour is not always certain).

I function in a very special way. First, my breathing meditation. I keep the body still, without motion, the mind alert and keenly observant. ‘Just as the tortoise shelters its limbs under its shell, so should the meditator guard his five sense organs and overcome the sex impulse with mindfulness.’ So I have been taught in my lessons from the theras. I am always mindful of my breathing. This has served me well in my tasks. I am aware (sati), attentive and observant (anupassana). I breath in and breathe out rhythmically (anapanasati). Without my early morning meditation I am not prepared to face the day. As for those who work for me, I do not ask them questions about their private lives but each one of them has been carefully screened before recruitment. I cannot afford to make any error of judgement in my choice of men. They have to be part of a very elite force. They’re well paid, well fed, clothed in the best of uniforms. Uniforms always instil fear, and respect for authority. A top designer has created them for us and they have passed through the hands of the best cutters and tailors. There’s a very ancient Saville Row master tailor among them. We have both presence and personality. We’re not attired in motley garb. We do not hack and kill. We do not mutilate or merely wound. Our killing is clean. We’re not clumsy. Plenty of target practice. We don’t take pot shots at trees. We have the real, live quarry.

While on the job to be no drinking, no smoking. After everything is over my men can relax, to a certain extent. There must be no excessive indulgence, no talking too much.