(Cover) - EN Showbiz - David Beckham employs armed guards to protect his family, it has been revealed.

The famous athlete has four children with wife fashionista Victoria Beckham. David took his three sons, Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight, and Cruz, six to the shores of Malibu, California for some family surfing this weekend.

While he and his sons enjoyed the waves and David partook in some photography, an armed guard was overlooking their safety nearby. The guard was so discreet witnesses were largely unconscious of his presence.

"I didn't notice [the guard] 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," freelance photographer who was shooting photos of the Beckhams that day Mike Kamara disclosed to British newspaper The Daily Star.

The guard was carrying a visible gun. When Mike was approached by the guard the weapon in the holster was conspicuous.

"I saw immediately that he was openly wearing a holstered pistol on his right hip. You couldn't fail to see it against his blue cargo pants and white shirt," Mike described.

It is illegal in the state of California for anyone who is not a police officer to openly display guns. In Hollywood it is quite commonplace for celebrities to hire off-duty police officers for protection.

"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," a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department noted.

Victoria and David welcomed their newest child, Harper Seven Beckham July 10 of this year. The family of six are currently renting a beach house in Malibu owned by director Steven Spielberg. (C) Cover Media