This year’s   national winners of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA)'s Annual Security Personnel Awards were named recently at a colourful ceremony attended by many key players in the security industry.

The awards, which celebrate the excellent work and vital contribution that those working in the security industry are making across the country, were presented by Sir Paul Stephenson QPM, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, during the BSIA's annual luncheon, which was sponsored by Securitas Security Services Ltd and was held at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

BSIA Chief Executive, James Kelly, said: "Each of the winners have shown extreme bravery and dedication to their jobs and have often gone beyond the call of duty. Today's presentation has praised the achievements of both individuals and teams who have risked their lives to ensure the safety of their clients and the public. Each and every one of them is a testament to our industry and they should be applauded."

The awards were in the following categories: Best Newcomer, Outstanding Act, Best Use of Technology, Best Team and Service to the Customer.

Best Newcomer

Patrick Gregory

Patrick works as a security officer for ADP Security Systems and was nominated for his achievements while working on contracts at East Hampshire District Council in Petersfield and Gorse Hill, DeVere Venues in Woking. Despite his short time in the industry Patrick has demonstrated the ability to deal with any challenge that is thrown his way. His initiative is particularly impressive, which he demonstrated when he voluntarily re-wrote a 30-page instruction document for officers at East Hampshire District Council as well as the checklist for locking up. This attention to detail has enabled all guards on-site to provide a better quality of service.

Christian Nock

Christian is based at the Telford Shopping Centre where he works for Reliance Security Services Ltd. Following a career in engineering Christian decided to join the security industry where he has become a shining example to his colleagues, demonstrating excellent organisation and leadership skills when new shift patterns and working conditions were implemented at the shopping centre and he encouraged management to work with staff to implement the changes with minimal disruption. Christian is repeatedly recommended for his outstanding performance in both customer service and public order duties.

Munib Zaman

Munib is a security supervisor at BNY Mellon in Manchester and works for VSG. Within a year Munib has risen from a relief security officer all the way up to a permanent security supervisor after management realised his potential. Since his promotion Munib's performance has been truly outstanding. He has introduced new rotations for his team and developed a comprehensive training programme to increase the standards of his team's performance.

Outstanding Act:

Petrit Laurence and Jurgita Cekaviciute

Petrit and Jurgita won this award in recognition of their bravery when trying to save a man's life. The pair work for CIS Security Ltd and are based at Homes for Islington where last year a man who had been a victim of a robbery came to the officers with a stab wound to his arm. The victim's condition was deteriorating quickly but both officers took control of the situation with Petrit carrying out first aid and keeping the man calm and conscious and Jurgita phoning the emergency services and looking after the victim's younger brother who was in a state of shock. Following the incident the ambulance crew praised Petrit and Jurgita for their assistance and said that without them the victim's condition could have been fatal. 

Alison Chester

Alison won an Outstanding Act award after demonstrating star quality in her role as a security officer at the Job Centre Plus in Milton Keynes. While on duty, Alison, who works for Securitas Security Services Ltd, was called to help a young woman who had collapsed on-site and was beginning to have seizures. She dealt with the situation efficiently and when the woman stopped breathing, Alison showed extreme bravery and managed to clear her airways. This was the second time that Alison saved a life and she dealt with the situation in the best way possible.

Paul Taylor

Paul is a security officer based at the B&Q store in North Shields and words for VSG. He won the national award following his courageous behaviour when dealing with a particularly violent shoplifter. On taking the offender to a holding room to wait for the Police to arrive, the man became increasingly violent and began to attack Paul with a screwdriver. Paul remained calm under extreme threats and managed to escape from the room and ensure that the man was unable to exit, thus putting the safety of staff and customers first. The Police praised Paul for the way he handled this situation and believe his actions prevented it from becoming very serious.

Best Use of Technology

Sean Nicol

Sean works as a site supervisor at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) world headquarters in Edinburgh for G4S Secure Solutions (UK). Sean has made a swift transition from security officer to control room operator before working in his present role as supervisor. He was nominated for the award after revamping numerous documents used by the team and implementing the set-up of a structured shared drive for staff to use as a hub for accessing on-site information. Sean's exceptional knowledge of IT has been a valuable asset to the security team and he has been able to develop a best practice ethos, raise awareness and deliver a better standard of service to the customer.

Scott Nickels

Scott works as a CCTV operator at Northampton Borough Council for Reliance Security Services Ltd. He won a national award after demonstrating excellence in his role, which has contributed to making the streets of Northampton a safer place to live, work and shop. Scott's exceptional use of CCTV technology has resulted in numerous key arrests for a number of crimes in Northampton including people carrying dangerous weapons, shoplifters and thieves and as a result of his efforts he has received official Police recognition along with a certificate of appreciation. Scott has been praised for his proactive and determined approach as well as his ability to use the technology to read body language and assess people's behaviour in order to try to prevent incidents.

Gunwharf Quays Control Room Team

The security team at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth work for MITIE Security and won a national award for their excellent use of technology. On several occasions the team's use of technology has resulted in them aiding police investigations by providing CCTV footage for serious criminal cases and allegations. The team also played a valid role in catching a customer who had attempted to pay for goods with counterfeit money. The team monitored CCTV, informed retailers, security officers and the Police who managed to catch the offenders. The data collected by the security team then enabled the police to raid the suspects' homes where a major money-laundering operation was uncovered.

Best Team

Aberafan Shopping Centre

The security team at Aberafan Shopping Centre, who work for OCS Group UK, won a national award for their vital role in improving the reputation of the complex and helping it secure its most successful trading period for a number of years. Thanks to the team the centre is now nationally recognised as a centre of excellence for its security measures and procedures. This paid off during the economic downturn when the centre lost two of its large outlets, which were quickly replaced by two high street chain stores due to its excellent reputation. In addition, the team has built a close relationship with the local police and are now very much part of the wider policing family having assisted in over 150 arrests during 2009.

Westfield Derby Shopping Centre

For the second year running the VSG security team at Westfield Derby Shopping Centre has won a national award for the Best Team. The team were nominated following their continuing commitment to safety and security at the centre in dealing with over 1,656 reportable incidents since December 2008. In an effort to make the centre a safer place, the team has established close linked with local authorities such as Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, Armed Response Units and Counter Terrorism Security Advisors. The team put every customer's safety and need first and consistently score 100% in mystery shopper reports.

The Mall Aberdeen

The security team based at The Mall Aberdeen and who work for VSG won a national award for their dedication to improving services in the shopping centre and their involvement with major incidents, which has resulted in no injuries or loss of trading hours. In the five years that the team has been in operation, they have answered over 1,000 calls ranging from minor to major incidents and on each occasion have acted swiftly in liaison with emergency services and mall management. The team strives to provide excellent customer service and each office is trained to duty manager status. They take it upon themselves to organise first community responder's training and have liaised with Aberdeen's Deaf Society to compile a training document in British Sign Language to encourage the hard of hearing to take part in the community.

Service to the Customer

Vicky Tillbrook

Vicky is based at the Argos distribution centre in Wincanton, Corby, where she works as a Profit Protection Co-ordinator for VSG. She won a national award in recognition of her tireless efforts to increase training and development and improve the way her team operates. Vicky made it her problem to identify potential issues, investigate methods for prevention and introduce measure of prevention before they have occurred. She regularly gives up her own time to travel to other sites to assist with training and development. The Argos distribution centre has previously experienced difficulties with theft and intimidation but thanks to Vicky's efforts it has seen losses reduce by over 99%. This result and Vicky's positive attitude has instilled confidence in her team and motivated them to provide their client with a high standard of customer service.

Mark Donald

Mark is a security officer for VSG at Fort Kinnaird Shopping Centre in Edinburgh and won an award for his outstanding dedication in creating a database of shoplifters and criminals. The database consists of a 'hard target' wall display, which enables the security team to keep up-to-date with regular offenders as well as an information wall, which updates all shifts on recent incidents. Mark's database has become an invaluable source of information for police and local authorities who now often use him as their first point of contact when gathering information. The system is also beneficial to retailers and has greatly reduced the levels of known theft. Mark has contributed significantly to the team's reputation for providing exceptional levels of customer service.

John Webb             

John works as a team leader for VSG and is based at the Argos distribution centre in Basildon. In his 12½ years on the site, John has played a valuable role in promoting the Business Watch and Town Link Radio schemes, which has had a significant impact on the identification and reduction of crime across the estate where Argos is located. As a result John has formed a close working relationship with the local police who now see him as an accredited person that they can share intelligence and information with. Not only has he established valuable relationships but John has been instrumental in catching a long-term thief on the site and uncovered a clever method of theft and abuse of authority, which had been ongoing for several years.