AUCSO, the university security management body, recently held its annual conference, at the University of Roehampton, in west London. During the three-day event the association’s executive committee presented security awards to mark outstanding work in the sector.
Winners were invited to the AUCSO annual conference dinner, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on April 10. Below, a summary of the citations:
Security Officer of the Year – Mark Jacobs, Team Leader at London South Bank University
Mark consistently exceeds the expectations of his peers, manager and client in his role as Team Leader. On several occasions Mark’s initiative and professionalism has prevented many incidents from escalating, including the prevention of a burglary; dealing discreetly with a mentally unstable student whilst protecting the safety of his team and calling police assistance; attending to a serious water leak to prevent a flood; and fighting off three males who assaulted him and his team during a group dispersal. Mark has proved himself to be a very competent and committed team leader who has demonstrated that he is always willing to go the extra mile. More impressive is that Mark is only 26.
Security team of the year – C Crew from the University of Manchester (pictured with award presented by AUCSO chairman Roger Morgan of Sussex, left)
In November 2013, a male with his face covered, was seen on CCTV walking up to a male student and produced what appeared to be a handgun. A violent struggle ensued between the two. Security officers, who were aware that the suspect was armed, attended the incident whilst police were informed. With little regard for their own safety and in the midst of a violent struggle, the security officers detained the suspect until Police arrived. During a search, a handgun fell from the suspect’s trousers and although it was discovered to be a gas powered BB gun, it was undistinguishable from a real firearm. The actions of the security team were truly outstanding and they displayed exceptional bravery in the circumstances. This shows extraordinary service to the university, which is above what would be expected as part of the security officer’s job.
Security Initiative of the Year – Mark Davis, Security Manager for Crime Prevention Reduction and Special Operations, and Robert Payne Senior Security Officer, Special Operations from the University of Nottingham.
Mark and Bob initiated a scheme that has resulted in a substantial reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour on University of Nottingham Campuses. They achieved a reduction in crime by 80 per cent, from 1000 crimes a year a few years ago to around 200; Last year there were over 50 arrests and significant reductions in the offences of burglary, auto crime and theft of pedal cycles. The scheme included the use of ‘capture rooms’ in student residences to reduce burglaries from 130 a year to around 20. The team also organised and delivered Smartwater property marking in halls of residence and provided 1000 LoJack tracker software applications free of charge to students. They have provided evidence to police resulting in numerous convictions from their use of CCTV. Their arrests, some with resistance from offenders, require a highly professional and delicate approach and they regularly work long and irregular hours requiring an unprecedented degree of flexibility.
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