Simply The Best

To this end, we have always supported the BSIA Security Officer of the Year Awards ('Cream of the Crop', SMT, June 2002, pp30-33 and June 2003, pp36-39). The Awards – sponsored once again in 2004 by leading insurance broker Camberford Law plc – are designed to recognise proactiveness and efficiency in the field, reliability, degrees of skill and star quality. What's the significance and appropriateness of actions taken by officers? How well have they adjusted to their environment and fitted-in as a team player?

We feel it's hugely important that purchasers of security services understand just how vital an efficient, good quality security officer from the contract sector can be to their operation, which is why we're covering the regional winners of this year's Awards scheme in this comprehensive section.

Service to the Customer
In keeping with tradition, the BSIA Security Officer of the Year Awards competition has been divided into five categories – 'Service to the Customer', the most 'Outstanding Act', the 'Best Newcomer', 'Best Team' and the 'Best Use of Technology'.

The regional winners have since progressed to the final judging round, and the overall national winners will be presented with their prizes at the BSIA's Annual Luncheon, which takes place on Wednesday 7 July at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London's Park Lane.

32-year-old Wilson James officer Joao Paulo Rosa Salas won the London Security Officer of the Year for "numerous" examples of diligence and commitment in his role at the splendid Tate Modern gallery on London's Bankside, where he's been employed since the building opened in May 2000. On one occasion Joao was first on the scene when a member of the public suffered a severe asthma attack followed by seizures. Quick thinking and First Aid training came to the fore, as Joao Paulo treated the woman concerned before seeing her into the waiting ambulance.

The South East Security Officer of the Year in this category is Stuart Mansfield, who's rightly been recognised for the excellent discharge of his duties as a site inspector at the Scottish Courage Berkshire Brewery in Reading. Seconded to the site for the past four years, this 32-year-old Vision Security Group (VSG) officer has instigated a training programme for all officers on site of his own volition, and helped set-up a new access control system. An Amesbury-based officer employed by Reliance Security Services won out in the South Wales and the West Country Security Officer of the Year accolade. Robert Birchley has worked at the Minton Distribution Park for the past two years. "Bob has consistently displayed the qualities needed to be a dedicated security officer. One who carries out his duties cheerfully and effectively," suggested his area manager Tracey Harkins.

60-year-old Birchley has already received a Continuous Improvement Award from Reliance for assuming total responsibility on site when both his own manager and Minton Group regional estates manager Maureen Driver aren't around. Indeed, the client regularly receives praise and positive feedback from tenants in respect of Bob's work, which in turn adds value to the service delivery.

Wendy Lucas, 55, who works for The Watch Security, has won the Midlands Security Officer of the Year title for her diligent efforts as a dedicated security receptionist at Newater House in Birmingham.

"I've never known one person make such a noticeable and immediate improvement to a building as Wendy," stated Chris Walters, associate director of client DTZ Debenham Tie Leung. "She manages to strike the perfect balance between providing friendly and helpful service with a no-nonsense approach to security that makes everyone feel safe."

Officer Mark Woods has worked at Anchor Security Services for only two years, but the company's customer services manager Dave Smith said: "In that short space of time, Mark has shone in everything he's done."

Woods began at client Henkel Consumer Adhesive's Winsford site in Cheshire as an officer tasked with operational duties in the gatehouse. He has since 'reinvented' the site's CCTV system, while also logging vehicle arrival times and invoice notes on computer (which makes it far easier to control vehicle movements on site). Woods is a worthy winner of the North West Security Officer of the Year, in particular when you consider that he has helped Henkels to save around £100,000 by devising new procedures for surplus stock.

55-year-old Trevor Goodfellow, an employee of Group 4 Total Security for the past two decades, has won the North East Security Officer of the Year honours for his time spent as a security supervisor at the Department of Social Security's Long Benton offices in Forest Hall, Newcastle.

Trevor is described by his contracts manager Kenneth Meehan as an officer who brings initiative and added value to his work at all times. "Trevor has been instrumental in the on-site training of security staff, and has arranged new bomb awareness courses," stated Meehan. That kind of forward thinking is just what the private security industry craves.

Last, but not least, the Scottish Security Officer of the Year regional award goes to 59-year-old Ann Cruickshank. Ann, an employee of Securicor Aviation, wins the award for her unstinting efforts as a senior security supervisor and trainer at Highlands and Islands Airports. She has made an enormous effort to keep all training up-to-date.

Outstanding Act for 2004
A Brixton woman who works as a security and customer care officer at Peckham Job Centre has won the London Security Officer of the Year honours. 35-year-old Maria Ahtuam, an employee of leading contractor Group 4 Total Security, won the award for her courage and calmness in disarming a woman who attacked a member of the Job Centre's staff with an axe.

"After quickly assessing the situation, Maria enlisted the help of another security officer and a member of the public. Together, they managed to grab the woman and prise the axe from her," said Maria's manager Warren Higgs. "Despite the very obvious risks to herself, Maria demonstrated total bravery in what was very obviously a volatile situation."

The South East Security Officer of the Year is Dean Wilson, a 30-year-old employee of Securiplan plc. Dean has been assigned to the Main Square Shopping Centre in Camberley for the past two years, and last October was faced with a situation whereupon a local man had purchased a knife and attempted to take his own life by slashing his throat outside the Centre's Woolworths store.

Dean eventually managed to wrest the knife from the middle-aged man before administering life-saving First Aid. "Dean's actions were outstanding from start to finish," commented Mike Hill, security controller at the Main Square Shopping Centre. "His actions went beyond the call of duty."

The South Wales and the West Country award has been won by 31-year-old Kevin Phelps for not one but two acts of bravery.

Kevin has served as an officer with Reliance Security Services for nearly a year now, and recently moved to the Sovereign Shopping Centre at Weston Super Mare to become part of a ten-man team. An incident occurred last November, when Kevin was on his way to work. He stopped off to fill up at the Tesco garage in Weston and, on arrival, heard an emergency alarm call from female staff based at the garage kiosk. A male with a concealed weapon appeared to be threatening them.

Kevin approached the man, grabbed him and put him in an arm lock. He effectively restrained the man until the police arrived moments later. Commendable indeed.

An Erdington security officer rightly takes the Midlands Security Officer of the Year honours. Collins Nyamupfukudza is seconded to the Lloyds Pharmacy in Slade Road, Erdington, but has been recognised for his brave and public-spirited actions in going to the assistance of a police officer struggling with a suspected burglar who was resisting arrest outside the store.

Such actions help to cement trust between members of the police service and the private security industry, so this Reliance Security Services officer deserves every praise.

30-year-old Securicor Security officer Graham Barton is a key member of the security team at the Work FM site in Morley, Leeds. Earlier this year, he was monitoring the site's CCTV camera images while on night duty and noticed some movement beyond the site's boundaries alongside the main road. The person spotted was struggling to walk.

On investigation, Graham found that the young man had collapsed with an epileptic fit. Having administered First Aid assistance on scene, Graham helped him into Work FM's reception area and cared for the stricken chap before waiting for members of his family to arrive and transport him home. A deserving Yorkshire Security Officer of the Year.

Persistent effort in trying to save the life of a visitor who'd suffered a heart attack at the British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) site in Warrington – where he has worked as an officer for Group 4 Total Security for the past three years – has ensured that Terry Dean wins the North West Security Officer of the Year title.

Paul Hunter – Group 4's service delivery manager for the site – told SMT: "Terry displayed great courage, determination and skill in an extremely stressful situation. The casualty had stopped breathing and had no pulse, but Terry remained calm and administered CPR without rest or complaint."

Livingston security officer Kevin Oldroyd has been honoured in the Outstanding Act category as the Scottish Security Officer of the Year for his quick thinking in preventing a major fire at the Clydesdale Bank Plaza in Edinburgh, where he has worked as an Initial Security officer for nine years. Alerted by the smell of petrol, Kevin located fuel leaking from a tank just outside the generator fuel store, and immediately activated emergency safety controls. His alertness averted what was potentially an extremely dangerous situation.

A Belfast security team leader – 27-year-old Brian Johnston – has been honoured as Northern Ireland Security Officer of the Year. Brian, who heads one of four teams from OCS Security Services responsible for security at the Odyssey entertainment centre in Belfast, wins the award for his courage and speed of thought in helping to save a partygoer from drowning in the nearby Belfast docks. Superb stuff, and well worthy of industry recognition.

The Best Newcomer
Malcolm Campbell, 35, who works as a courier for Securicor Cash Services, wins the London Security Officer of the Year Award for his bravery and alertness during a raid on a bank where he was making a delivery.

"Malcolm took the lead when he realised the bank was being robbed," opined security director Tony Smillie. "He was instrumental in assisting the bank staff to detain the first armed robber, then tackled a second raider and managed to detain him until the police arrived."

Damien Gould – who won promotion after only six weeks in the role of officer at VSG – takes the South East Security Officer of the Year title. 29-year-old Damien is employed at the Amazon.co.uk site, where he's been assigned for the past two years. "We promoted Damien to shift supervisor responsible for two other officers, and six months later made him site supervisor with sole responsibility for the entire 17-man on-site team," said VSG managing director Bill Muskin.

Damien has helped to design security systems and procedures, and played a major part in the fire marshalling programme. Plymouth security officer Jennifer Spink has produced some "outstanding work" as a relief officer covering sites from Street in Somerset through to Helston in Cornwall on behalf of contractor Initial Security. 23-year-old Jennifer has worked at retail, Court services, military and industrial-based sites during a short six months of service in the industry. Truro Crown Court has even made a point of requesting her for any future staffing requirements, helping to make Jennifer the South Wales and the West Country Security Officer of the Year.

Another female officer, this time Lisa Flanaghan of Reliance Security Services, wins the Midlands Security Officer of the Year prize. Lisa stands out for her great efforts at Power Logistics in Sideway, where her "attitude and professionalism" have shone through. After only a year in the industry, she has progressed to training all new security staff at the site. A very worthy regional winner.

Further north, a serving officer at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Leeds has won the regional title of Yorkshire Security Officer of the Year. 27-year-old Asa Brorsson works for Security Security. She is deemed to have made an "outstanding contribution" to the on-site security team despite being completely new to the job. Within four shifts, she had attained the necessary skills to carry out her role effectively and without supervision (a stage that many would not achieve for weeks).

"Mohammed's extremely conscientious and reliable. We have complete confidence in his judgement. He's now tasked with training all new officers at the store." Quite a compliment for 22-year-old Chubb Security Personnel officer Mohammed Aftab, paid by client Sainsbury's duty manager Jane Wood.

Mohammed has worked at the JS store in Manchester's Whitworth Street for only six months, but has become "a valued officer who takes pride in his job and deals calmly and professionally with even the most difficult of situations" (the words of Jude Boardman, Mohammed's area manager). The winner of North West Security Officer of the Year.

For the second year running the Aberdeen branch of Group 4 Total Security nominated a female security officer in the Best Newcomer category. 38-year-old Shirelle Young has only been working for the company these past ten months as a relief officer covering various sites throughout Aberdeen (including key locations for the oil industry), but her efforts have secured the Scottish Security Officer of the Year honours.

Working predominantly on night shift duties, Shirelle has been particularly proficient in the use of desktop PCs for ID/access control card production (notably for client Sub Sea 7).

The Northern Ireland Security Officer of the Year award goes to Martin McGrath, a 50-year-old employee of Securicor Security. Eleven months after joining the industry, Martin has developed an excellent working relationship with his colleagues at the Safeway store in Omagh. Apparently, losses and theft of stock have been dramatically reduced since Martin began his assignment. A superb effort.

The Best Security Team
The overall Best Team award will be hotly contested this month, with no less than eight teams afforded regional winner status in 2004. The London Security Team of the Year prize belongs to Chubb Security Personnel who – led by supervisor Carol Wheeler – have helped to transform the area around Piccadilly Circus into a friendly and welcoming destination.

The six-strong team of street wardens operates as part of the Piccadilly Circus Partnership, helping to deter crime, prevent littering and clamp down on illegal traders. Figures suggest that street crime has fallen by 80% since the Partnership began.

Meantime, the security team at the Whiteley Village Outlet Shopping Centre in Portsmouth has been bestowed with the South East Security Team of the Year award. The seven-strong team from Reliance Security Services, overseen by supervisor Steve Compton, has enjoyed huge successes in making the site a safer and far more secure environment.

"This team is the most effective in the history of Whiteley Village, helping to reduce shop theft incidents by 95%," said Whiteley's facilities team leader Chris Running.

The South Wales and the West Country winners in 2004 are the Cardiff Crown Court team. This Initial Security team has provided consistently good service over the past three years, and been heavily involved with LINK-based project work.

The security team at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital helps to provide a safe and secure environment 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. The Chubb Security Personnel 'squad' is 21-strong and built around four teams of five staff (including four team leaders and one contract manager). This past year alone the team has dealt with no less than 1,397 security issues.

A worthy winner, then, of the Midlands Security Team of the Year award.

Chubb Security Personnel's team at the ConocoPhilips Humber refinery is responsible for the contractor's third regional award in this category, this time for the Yorkshire Security Team of the Year. The team has to provide a 24-hour response service to medical emergencies, as well as monitor key elements of site safety.

The security team at the English, Welsh and Scottish (EWS) railway terminal in Trafford Park, Manchester has been honoured in the Best Team category, winning the North West Security Team of the Year for displaying a 'customer first' approach in what can be both demanding and trying circumstances.

An "inspirational" team takes the North East Security Team of the Year regional award for 2004. Securicor Security's officers at Teesside Magistrates' Court have been operational there for three years now. Some of those who attend Court having been charged with criminal offences can become abusive, foul mouthed and (on occasion) violent. It's a good thing Securicor's team members are always 100% professional in handling such problems.

North of the border, OCS Security Services' team at the Bon Accord Shopping Centre in Aberdeen picks up the Scottish Security Team of the Year honours for "consistently high performance during the past 18 months", including the implementation of a zero tolerance policy towards retail thieves.

Best Use of Technology
An Old Kent Road resident employed as a security officer at the City offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers has won the London Security Officer of the Year title for his work on the building's identity and access control systems.

Stephen Omoseibi, an officer at Securicor Security, has helped the on-site team to achieve its Service Level Agreement for the creation and distribution of new and replacement photo IDs and access control tags.

Salisbury's team of crime-busting CCTV operators has been honoured with the South Wales and the West Country regional award in this category. The Reliance Security Services officers win the award for a consistently high level of vigilance over the past seven years, during which time they've worked closely with the police, retailers and car park operators to monitor security issues in the town centre.

36-year-old officer Scott Raap, an employee of The Watch Security, takes the Midlands Security Officer of the Year award for his diligence at the HFC Bank Control Room in Birmingham. A one-time US marine, Scott leads a team of six officers using state-of-the-art security technology to protect people and property across the bank's branch network.

Two Sheffield security officers – this time employed at a city centre bank – have been named Yorkshire Security Officers of the Year for 2004. Alan Moorhouse (59) and his colleague, 50-year-old Steve Hughes, are employed by Chubb Security Personnel. They deservedly won their award for using security technology effectively in ensuring the arrest and conviction of three burglars who broke into a particular bank in the city centre last May.

Finally, the security team at Prudential's Craigforth site has won the Scottish Security Officers of the Year award. The team from Group 4 Total Security has, among other things, introduced a digital CCTV system and set up the necessary legal controls over documentation and organising training.

Team leader Patrick Donlevy has also played a major part in the implementation of a site-wide access control system.