"We are facing a fundamental change to the way in which our industry operates," opined Dickinson. "And when I say 'change' I do mean 'change'. At the April launch of the Security Industry Authority (SIA), change was promised, not just predicted. Some will feel threatened by that change, but if we recognise that laurels are for earning rather than for resting upon, we'll surely embrace change as an opportunity."
Security must now be at the top of the corporate agenda, and allocated the correct funding. The rewards for clients who procure the very best companies at the right price are almost immeasurable. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than by the annual BSIA Security Officer of the Year Awards.
First introduced in 1999, the Awards – sponsored since their inception by insurance brokers Camberford Law plc – strive to promote and acknowledge the professionalism demonstrated by security officers in their everyday duties. Let's not forget that these are the men and women who regularly perform tremendous deeds above and beyond the call of duty. These officers are truly the 'Cream of the Crop'. The guardians of your company's buildings, people and property.
A greater understanding of what they do could go a long way towards end users no longer viewing their security provision as a grudge purchase. It's with this in mind that Security Management Today embarks on its second year of extensive coverage of these tremendously important Awards.
As ever, in 2003 the competition has been divided into five categories – 'Service to the Customer', the most 'Outstanding Act', the 'Best Newcomer', 'Best Team' and the very 'Best Use of Technology'. The regional winners reported here have since progressed to the final judging rounds, and the national winners will be presented with their awards at the BSIA's Annual General Meeting and Luncheon, which takes place on 9 July at the London Hilton Hotel.
Service to the Customer
Wilson James security team leader Mike Bryant has won the London Security Officer of the Year award for his excellent efforts at the Piccadilly hq of GE Capital Europe. During the past two years, 37-year-old Bryant has widened the team's role to assist with a range of in-house services, and has also taken it upon himself to become senior fire warden for the site, as well as initiating security surveys and an internal crime prevention programme.
The South East Security Officer of the Year award goes to Peter Fry, who has been running the security team at Associated British Ports (a Securicor Security contract on which Peter has been assigned since 1991). "Peter's enthusiasm and knowledge of the job are unquestionable. He has a natural talent for finding the right person for a given task," commented Nav Kalley, area manager for the contractor who nominated 56-year-old Fry for the award.
Substantial time and effort devoted to his role at the Portals Paper Mill in Bathford has earned Reliance Security Services supervisor Melvyn Funnel the prestigious title of South Wales and the West Country Security Officer of the Year in the 'Services to the Customer' category.
Melvyn was nominated for the award by Reliance's contracts manager John Nussbaum, who explained to SMT that this officer "has used his own initiative to come up with several new ideas for security at the site, including language cards to aid communication with foreign lorry drivers and producing a comprehensive training programme for his own team." A credit to the profession.
Community safety officers Kalbinder Heer and Darren Taylor have jointly scooped the Midlands Security Officer of the Year prize for their unstinting efforts on the Harvills Hawthorn Estate in the heart of West Bromwich. Anti-social behaviour has included persistently loud music, cars screeching up and down main roads, drug abuse and vandalism, but Group 4 Total Security employees Heer and Taylor have managed to build first class relationships with many of the locals in the face of initial aggression and disrespect. Very impressive.
Sandy Lowden takes this year's Scottish Security Officer of the Year award. Sandy, who lives in Dundee and works for Reliance Security Services, wins the honour for acting on his own initiative to not only improve security but also provide client Norwich Union with additional services at its Scottish regional centre (where Lowden has been assigned since the middle of last year).
Sandy's duties encompass the management of car parking at the building, as well as internal patrols, and his cheerful, friendly and professional approach has been commented on by visitors from right across the country.
30-year-old security officer Simon Scurr has been assigned to the Nestle Rowntree factory in York for the past 18 months, running the training programme for other Vision Security Group (VSG) officers on site, incorporating procedures for security and fire prevention and operating the site's high-tech Control Room. Scurr's efforts have not gone unnoticed by VSG sales director Keith Francis, whose awards nomination was backed up by Nestle's site services manager Peter Usher in helping to secure Simon the Yorkshire Security Officer of the Year award.
Supervisor Allan Smith, who's employed by Securicor Security, is rewarded for his work as a mobile warden assigned to Sunderland City Council's Parks Department. 48-year-old Smith, who hails from the city, has been instrumental in supervising and co-ordinating a warden team at the behest of Securicor's contracts manager Steve Yellowley.
"Allan shows great maturity and confidence even when dealing with extremely volatile situations," said Yellowley, who nominated Smith for the North East Security Officer of the Year.
Rachel Vose, a specialist retail security officer who works for Chubb Security Personnel, ran out as the winner of this year's North West Security Officer of the Year for her tireless efforts at the Sainsbury's superstore in Stockport.
23-year-old Rachel has gone out of her way to help the client's staff, including the investigation of burglar alarms in the early hours of the morning. Her investigations have detected a number of thefts. Apparently, she personally trains all new security officers, and has even written her own training pack which is being adopted for use in other branches.
"Rachel has built a solid working relationship with the local police, and is active in fighting crime," opined Heather Walker, Sainsbury's regional security manager. Music to the ears of Home Secretary David Blunkett in his bid to create an 'extended police family'.
Outstanding Act for 2003
Reliance Security Services officer Shahid Ali wins the South East Security Officer of the Year award for the calmness and professionalism he displayed when dealing with a potentially dangerous emergency at Southgate Town Hall. 50-year-old Shahid had been faced with a man who poured petrol over himself, and then threatened to commit suicide by setting himself on fire.
The alert officer evacuated members of the public from the building, then kept the man talking until the police and fire brigade arrived and were able to contain the situation.
Another Reliance Security Services officer takes the 2003 Northern Ireland Security Officer of the Year award in the 'Outstanding Act' category.
Gerard Burns has worked as a member of the Reliance team at the Odyssey leisure complex in Belfast for the past 12 months. While on duty one night, a serious incident occurred when a gang with baseball bats and hammers attacked the door staff at one of the venues. Gerard went to assist the door supervisors without regard for his own safety.
Although the incident was over in a minute or so, Gerard was badly beaten about the head and required serious medical treatment. If Gerard hadn't assisted, one of the doormen would have died. A true story of heroism.
London Security Officer of the Year is Francois Ceustermans, a 22-year-old officer working for Securiplan. Ceustermans displayed calmness and quick-thinking during an incident last July immediately outside the Woolworths store in Brixton High Street. He protected members of the public from a man who was armed with several carving knives and had stabbed three people in the street in an apparently random attack. Francois brought passers-by into the store and locked the doors until the police arrived on scene.
Clearly a contribution that was some way beyond the normal call of duty.
Securicor Cash Services Cash-in-Transit officer Ian Craven takes the Yorkshire Security Officer of the Year accolades. The 51-year-old officer, who has worked for the company for five years, was recently subjected to a violent and vicious attack by two armed gunmen. He showed tremendous courage, and continued to resist the attack even though he was subjected to several blows to the head.
The Scottish Security Officer of the Year honours are taken by Jason Dryden, a 22-year-old officer on the books of Group 4 Total Security. Jason acted swiftly and with great professionalism when administering First Aid to a seriously injured worker at Inventec Scotland on the Hillingdon Industrial Estate.
"The man was suffering excruciating pain and shock after having been trapped under a forklift truck, but Jason managed to reassure him and keep him awake until the emergency services arrived," said Group 4's service delivery manager Gary MacKay.
One of Barry's finest has won out in the South Wales and the West Country Security Officer of the Year award. David Jordan, a Reliance Security Services officer, won the award for the courage he displayed when intervening in a 'road rage' incident outside the Tesco store in the town. David positioned himself between the two angry men, one of whom was 'armed' with a hammer and a knife. "He controlled a potentially nasty incident with great calmness until the police arrived on scene," stated Reliance's senior account manager Mark Collins.
Saving the life of a heart attack victim at Manchester's famed Arndale Centre rightly won Reliance Security Services officer Gary Shuttleworth the title of North West Security Officer of the Year. The victim had no pulse and was clinically dead, but Gary took control of the situation and managed to revive him using the Centre's defibrilator before the paramedics appeared. The man survived...
Local security officer Anthony Tregowyn from Smethwick has scooped the Midlands Security Officer of the Year award in the 'Outstanding Act' category for his courage and quick-thinking in dealing with both a break-in and subsequent fire at the BIP plastics plant in Oldbury, where he had been a member of the security team for six months.
Anthony, an officer at The Watch Security, had been knocked to the ground by intruders during a routine night patrol of the BIP site. He smelt smoke, and immediately took out his own mobile 'phone to relay information to the emergency services before heading back to the gatehouse and sounding the site fire alarm. There were no major losses or damages.
The Best Newcomer
Securicor Security feature heavily in the Best Newcomer category, with four regional winners. One of them is Deborah Caulfield-Burt, a 39-year-old supervisor from Dagenham who has been commended as the London Security Officer of the Year for her work in organising teams of officers based at King's Cross and other mainline railway stations in the Capital – a mere 14 months after starting with the company.
In nominating her for the award, Securicor's contracts manager Paul Truscott told SMT: "The effort Debbie puts into her job is highly commendable. She's also known to carry out duties in her own time."
JJ Henry is the Scottish Security Officer of the Year in this category. The Aberdeen-based Group 4 Total Security officer impressed the judges with her work as a rapid response officer, providing security cover at varying locations around and about the city.
Back across the border, Richard Kimmage – a 39-year-old officer from Northallerton who has worked for Securicor Security during the past year – has been stationed as a retail security officer at Tesco in Thirsk.
Tesco's customer services manager Michael Walker said: "In the short time Richard has worked here, he's had a huge influence on security. He's not only saved around £3,000 worth of stock, but his customer services skills have led to awards that we normally reserve for our own staff." High praise indeed.
Midlands Security Officer of the Year in 2003 is Peter Lee, a local security supervisor with OCS Security Services. Peter works at the Royal & Sun Alliance buildings in Ipswich. In a short space of time, he's created a team that bands together to cover sickness absenteeism, and leads by example by way of regularly working nights and weekends.
42-year-old Graham Malpas of Chubb Security Personnel takes the 'Best Newcomer' award of North West Security Officer of the Year for his work at the Asda store in Ashton-under-Lyme.
Security manager for Asda, Graham Chalmers, supported the nomination by describing an incident when the officer successfully arrested a violent shop thief who'd threatened to stab him with a syringe. "Graham calmed the man down and was never flustered, acting professionally at all times to ensure both his own safety and that of the Asda staff."
South East Security Officer of the Year for 2003 is Paul Patrick, a supervisor with Reliance Security Services. Paul's award has been bestowed for good customer care and not a little initiative shown at the Arlington Business Park in Cowley, where this officer has been assigned for the past six months. Paul now has sole responsibility for the 88-acre business park that employs 3,000 people. He is often to be found on site checking out the Reliance operation on his own time.
Securicor Security aviation security officer Andrew Watson has scooped the North East Security Officer of the Year award for his work as a security agent at Teesside International Airport. He was nominated by the contracts manager at the airport, Fred Ord, who told SMT: "Andrew has excelled in all areas of his work, and is well-liked and respected."
The Best Security Team
Members of the security team at Abbey National's hq in Milton Keynes have won the South East Security Team of the Year award for constantly making recommendations for improvements on site (including drawing up effective plans for fire protection systems and training procedures following structural changes at the building).
The Vision Security Group officers, nominated by the company's sales director Keith Francis, are "a credit to both VSG and Abbey National" said the latter's group security manager, Dave Anscomb.
The dedicated Whitehall Security Services officers who serve City law firm Ashurst Morris Crisp have taken the London Security Team of the Year title for consistently high service levels since taking on the guarding contract back in 1999. In nominating the 22-strong team for the award, Whitehall's md John Legge praised their effectiveness both in protecting the law firm's assets and creating a safe working environment for clients and staff alike.
The prestigious title of South Wales and the West Country Security Team of the Year goes to the Reliance Security Services officers based at the BAE Royal Ordnance Factory at Puriton. The team of 12 officers has continuously improved security at the site. "They have proved themselves not only in their day-to-day activities but also by their professional approach to a variety of incidents and circumstances" were the words of client Phil Northey, facilities manager for BAE.
Another Reliance Security Services team – this time covering the BAE Systems Royal Ordnance Defence operation in Bishopton – has scooped the Scottish Security Team of the Year award for suggesting and implementing no less than 80 new ideas aimed at improving site security.
Speaking about the team, Reliance's contracts manager Patricia McKenna said: "Within six months of taking over security duties the team had redesigned the gatehouse and access control systems, established a new incident Control Centre and created a mapping system for the 12-mile perimeter fence."
Meantime, the OCS Security Services officers at the Bridges Shopping Centre take the accolade of North East Security Team of the Year for "consistently excellent service to the management, retailers and customers". Crime in the Centre has been drastically reduced thanks to their efficient approach to the job.
The security team at Kingsgate Shopping Centre in Huddersfield has won the Yorkshire Security Team of the Year award. Led by supervisor Alison Darby, the team from Initial Security are said to "work closely and efficiently" (according to Kingsgate Centre operations manager Andrew Wood). Their wide-ranging duties include the testing of fire protection equipment, operating the CCTV systems and carrying out safety checks.
Located at Grange Park near Junction 15 of the M1, the New Wave Logistics hq is guarded by a 40-strong team of officers from the Vision Security Group. During the past 12 months, they have successfully dealt with over 450 incidents – including fires, car theft, providing First Aid and escorting high value loads around the site.
More than 20 offenders have been arrested for thefts and other offences, prompting VSG's success in being crowned Midlands Security Team of the Year.
Well known to Security Management Today readers following our extensive feature ('Partners on patrol', SMT, August 2002, pp20-23), the Legion Security officers that make up the West Lancashire District Neighbourhood Wardens Scheme in Ormskirk have deservedly won the North West Security Team of the Year award for the exceptional quality of their work during the first 18 months of the initiative. Well done to the Legion officers. A well-deserved accolade.
Best Use of Technology
55-year-old Aberdeen man Alan Gill of OCS Security Services has won the Scottish Security Officer of the Year award in this category for helping to develop new identification systems at Shell Exploration and Production, where he has been assigned for the past six years. Alan's IT skills have achieved significant results in enhancing security systems throughout the blue chip organisation.
The Manchester Business Park Team from Reliance Security Services won the North West Security Officer of the Year award for managing a new remote surveillance system at the Arlington site, while another Reliance team, Slough Estates Camera Control, has won the South East Security Officer of the Year award for their "exceptional commitment" to decreasing crime on the Slough Trading Estate.
"The team has been directly involved in passing on local intelligence to Slough Police," said Reliance Patrol Net manager Richard Nash, "which has resulted in numerous arrests."
Last – but by no means least – the Nestlé team based at the Fawdon plant has won the title of North East Security Officer of the Year in the 'Best Use of Technology' category. The team – from Group 4 Total Security – has won the award for managing a 14-week programme aimed at enhancing fire precautions on site.
"Using a combination of legwork and computer technology, the team produced a complete database of the site's 340 fire extinguishers and 100 fire doors, incorporating full details of their servicing dates and requirements," commented Group 4's operational support manager Trish Kent.
Source
SMT
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