A Kent security officer who’s helped cut crime rates in the town’s central parks has taken an award in the annual Safer Bromley Awards. Dan Nurse, a dog handler from Rochester-based Ward Security, was one of a number of ‘unsung heroes’ who picked up awards for helping make the borough a safer place this year.
The event was organised by the Safer Bromley Partnership that brings together the police, council and other bodies to work together on safety issues. Dan, who joined Ward in 2009, was delighted to receive his award, which reflected the contribution he and the Parks Security Services Team have made to reducing crime in Bromley town centre’s parks.
There are 22 wards in the London Borough of Bromley – all with dedicated Safer Neighbourhood teams in place. Safer Neighbourhoods is an initiative introduced by the Metropolitan Police in 2004 to tackle the low-level types of crime that have a high impact on local communities. With his dog Baron, Dan has been responsible for helping police. “In Bromley, particularly in the town centre parks, we work very closely with the Bromley Police,” says Dan. “Effectively, I’m meant to act as a visual deterrent but I can’t really stand by and watch crimes being committed,” he says.
Although Dan has now worked for Ward for nearly three years as a dog handler, he puts his ‘success’ down to the company’s training regime. Previously, he was a bricklayer with limited security experience, and had a steep learning curve – although he clearly has an affinity with both dogs and security work. Like all Ward Security dog teams – dog and handler – Dan was chosen for his communications and people skills. All Ward Security’s dogs are ‘homed’ with their handlers on a one dog/one handler basis, which means they work as a unit.
“Our teams are particularly keen to foster a community spirit, so patrolling open spaces and public parks is always handled in a flexible way to ensure the public is protected in a non-aggressive way,” says Ward Security managing director, David Ward.
“As a direct result of this approach, Ward Security dog teams have had great success in reducing anti-social behaviour and vandalism. Dan’s success is evidence of this, and his dedication in patrolling parks and gardens in Bromley made his an obvious choice for a Safer Bromley award.”
