This month marks the fourth anniversary of the Security Excellence Awards. Organised by SMT and Security Installer, the glittering ceremony takes place at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane. We preview the 2002 finalists, and profiles this year's event sponsors.
Now in their fourth year, the Security Excellence Awards have rightly become known as the industry's Oscars.

Once again, this sparkling annual event – held in The Ballroom of Le Meridien Grosvenor House Hotel on London's Park Lane – has attracted the attention of hundreds of security figureheads (be they in-house or contract managers, installers, consultants or members of the leading Trade Associations or inspection bodies). Why? The Excellence Awards are specifically designed to recognise and reward those security teams, companies and individuals who've made 'professionalism' their byword.

As a celebration of the very best that this industry of ours has to offer, it's perhaps fitting that this year's Awards Ceremony (to be held on Tuesday 12 November) will be graced by the best crime-stopper in the business... James Bond. Yes, Sean Connery (aka Hugh Lewis) will be your compere for the evening, which is themed around the world famous Bond genre. Arch rivals Jaws and Odd Job will be there, too, as will the James Bond Dancing Girls.

For the first time, we also have a Charity Casino in operation immediately after the presentations have finished. A seamless link with the famous Bond film 'Casino Royale', don't you think?... Sponsored by Dedicated Micros, all proceeds from what should be a really fun part of the evening will be forwarded to The Prince's Trust – a worthy cause if ever there was one, dedicated as it is to helping young people develop their confidence and skills before they move into the business world.

If all of that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, we've enlisted the services of a live band to play all your favourite rock and pop numbers from the past few decades.

Security Management Today and Security Installer magazines are also delighted to announce that David Dickinson, chief executive of the British Security Industry Association, has agreed to be our guest speaker for the evening. David's Keynote Address will look at the current state-of-play in the private sector, concentrating on regulation and licensing and the move towards an extended police family.

Submissions for the Best Security Manager of the Year had to show examples of the effective management of technology and manpower, as well as evidence of innovation in security tasks undertaken, leadership skills and active participation in the wider secu

The Judging Panel
Judging for this year's event took place on Tuesday 24 September. Each member of the panel is rightly seen as an expert in their particular field. Sitting on the Awards Judging Panel for 2002 were:

  • Richard Flenley (group security manager, Canary Wharf Group plc)
  • Ian Johnson (principal consultant, Ian Johnson Associates)
  • Professor Martin Gill (Perpetuity Research Consultancy International)
  • Stefan Hay (executive director designate, SITO)
  • Nigel Winham (head of security, Bovis Lend Lease)
  • Peter French (managing director, SSR Personnel)
  • Anthony King (director, Kings Security)
  • Inspector Kevin Mann (secretary, ACPO Security Systems Sector)

The Judging Panel was completed by Brian Sims (Editor of Security Management Today) and Alan Hyder (Editor of Security Installer).

Following a day of much deliberation in the Grosvenor House Hotel's Boardroom (not to mention many long hours spent reading and re-reading the plethora of entry forms and supporting documents sent in this year), the Judges eventually came to a decision on whom to shortlist in each category.

Not an easy task. This black tie event – the only awards scheme that recognises every sector of the industry – has attracted an increasing number of entries with each year that it has been run. 2002 has been no exception, with more entries than ever before. Over 20 organisations entered the Best Training Initiative section alone, while the standard in each category was extremely high.

Depending on the category concerned, the Judges were again looking to see concrete evidence that those companies and individuals who had submitted entries for the 2002 Security Excellence Awards had actually met the strict criteria laid down.

Submissions for the Best Guarding Company, for example, were required to show a firm commitment to training, the effective and seamless integration of manpower with technology to provide a truly integrated security service for the client base and examples of success through both current and newly-won contracts.

The Categories and the Shortlisted Finalists for 2002

As ever, the judges were looking for the examples of individuals, teams and companies that could offer tangible evidence of the highest standards of professionalism, consistency of service delivery and responsibility to the client. In many of the categories, entrants had to produce references from customers and end users, along with evidence of leadership in the field and innovation as part of the security service.

  • This year there are 13 categories in all, with Best Security Client, Best Integrated Security Solution and Best Security Promotional Campaign added to our established categories.

    The categories for the 2002 Security Excellence Awards (with their respective finalists listed in alphabetical order) are as follows:

    Best Customer Care Initiative

    • Dedicated Micros
    • Euro Security Systems
    • Kalamazoo Security Products
    • Photo-Scan Systems
    • SRS Door Entry Systems

    Best Guarding Company

    • First Security (Guards)
    • London Keyholding Company
    • Noble Security Services (UK)
    • Securiplan
    • Whitehall Security Services
    • Wilson James

    Best Integrated Security Solution

    • Encrypta Electronics
    • Galago (OCS Security Services)
    • Intruder International
    • Pearl Fire and Security
    • St James Security
    • Wilson James

    Best Security IT Initiative

    • e-CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and e-EMP (Employment Empowerment) – entered by Anchor Security Services
    • CAN Network Access Control and Alarm Monitoring Solutions – entered by Borer Data Systems
    • Infonet – entered by Photo-Scan Systems
    • Operational Management System – entered by Securicor Security
    • CD-based training packages – entered by Video Controls Limited

    Best Security Consultant

    • Arup Security Consulting
    • Pat Howgill Associates
    • Secured By Design
    • TPS Consult
    • VIDEF Security Management

    Best Security Innovation

    • Destiny CCTV Plus – entered by Baxall
    • CS5000 Audio Verification Unit – entered by CSL Communications
    • 593/593MX control panel – entered by Gardtec
    • Activetrac – entered by Securitrac
    • Columbus Triplex Digital Video Recorder – entered by Vista

    Best Security Installer

    • Galago (OCS Security Services)
    • Intruder International
    • Kings Security
    • Pearl Fire and Security
    • Reliance High-Tech
    • Security Design Associates

    Best Security Manager

    • Geoffrey Northcott (Borders International)
    • George Mensah (Noble Security Services)
    • Jerry Carter (House of Fraser Group)
    • Mark Edis (Capital One)
    • Stephen Daniels (Wembley London Ltd)

    Best Security Manufacturer

    • Ademco Microtech
      Castle Care Tech
    • Panasonic
    • Pelco (UK)
    • Sanyo (UK)

    Best Security Partnership Initiative

    • Baxall and IndigoVision – entered by Baxall
    • The ATM Project – entered by Kings Security
    • The Tag Company and Nedap – entered by The Tag Company
    • Wilson James

    Best Security Promotional Campaign

    • BT RedCare
    • IndigoVision
    • Pyronix
    • The Security Watchdog
    • Vista

    Best Security Training Initiative

    • ADT Fire and Security
    • Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd
    • The Corps
    • Trafford Park Security Initiative and Noble Security Services (Joint Entry)
    • Video Controls Ltd
    • Vision Security Group

    Best Security Client of the Year

    • English Heritage
    • Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
    • HSBC
    • Newport City Council
    • Wilkinsons’ Stores

    • Security Excellence Awards 2002: The Sponsors

    Sponsors of the 2002 Security Excellence Awards are: Southern Monitoring Services, the id technology group, Third Millennium, Dedicated Micros, Intrepid Security Solutions and Prima Corporate Wear. The teams working on Security Management Today and sister Builder Group title Security Installer would like to thank our sponsors for supporting excellence in the industry.

    Southern Monitoring Services
    Established some 18 years ago, Southern Monitoring Services provides independent remote monitoring and call centre services. Having achieved ISO 9002 quality assurance certification over a decade ago, the company continues to push back the boundaries by constantly reviewing how it delivers services to the end user. The supply of RedCare Classic, GSM, ISDN and Serial services has underpinned the company’s growth in recent times, its other security services for end users including DualCom, remote CCTV, global positioning and vehicle tracking systems.

    id technology group
    Electronic detection and surveillance specialist the id technology group – which lists id vision, id eas, eas warehouse and id technical services among its subsidiaries – supplies and installs CCTV systems, EAS systems and source tagging equipment to the commercial sector. The company – in which South African concern Intervid invested a cool £11 million late last summer – boasts an impressive blue chip client base including Dixons, American Express and Orange. Chief executive officer Ray Higgs is a firm believer in the philosophy that “installation is not the end of the job”. As such, id works closely with end users to ensure that their security systems perform as they should.

    Third Millennium
    Third Millennium Systems designs and manufactures a wide range of access control readers and electronic systems for virtually all types of building and physical security applications. The technologies or applications which the company supports include biometrics and access control. “There is now an increasing emphasis on best practice, management and quality of service in the security industry,” said Peter Jones, the company’s managing director. “We are looking to grow our business still further in 2003 and beyond, and sponsoring such an awards evening is part of that growth plan.”

    Dedicated Micros
    Founded in 1982, Dedicated Micros is an international market leader in the field of specialist CCTV control equipment. The company designs and manufactures multiplex hardware for 24-hour site and building surveillance. The company’s products – including the Digital Sprite and BX2 multiplex recorders – are used in security systems spanning a broad range of commercial applications. These include Heathrow Airport, the Oman bank and New York’s 911 building. A dominant core business position coupled with complete video management expertise places Dedicated Micros in an ideal position to exploit the rapidly-developing market for video-over-IP products aimed at the end user.

    Intrepid Security Solutions
    Formed in 1993, Intrepid Security Solutions supplies and maintains integrated loss prevention solutions for the end user. Focusing much of its business on the retail sector, the company offers objective advice on all aspects of Electronic Article Surveillance and CCTV. Specialist product areas include: ink pins and sound safers, EPOS monitoring, asset protection and access control.

    Prima Corporate Wear
    Prima – the leading supplier of corporate clothing to the private security sector – numbers first class guarding contractors Securiplan, Trident Safeguards and Securitas among its prestigious client list. Based in the heart of London’s Docklands, the company has enjoyed organic growth of 25% under the leadership of managing director Nick Atkinson, who last year brokered the £1 million deal to buy-out established security uniform supplier Sharps Freeman. For bigger contracts (ie those private security companies with in excess of 500 officers), Prima is able to offer a total management service – covering uniform design, managed stock support, multi-site issuing and uniform refurbishment.

    Source

    SMT