Current and former students taking crowd management courses at Buckinghamshire New University were overseeing aspects of security at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Katharina Steinberg, a freelance crowd and event manager studying a Foundation Degree (Arts) Crowd Safety Management at the University in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was General Manager Spectator Safety for the competition, which features 4,500 athletes and is set to attract 100,000 overseas visitors. James Cameron, also studying Foundation Degree (Arts) Crowd Safety Management, was working for G4S managing the Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre and the 12,000-seat SSE Hydro. Fellow Bucks New graduates Mark McQuade and Chris Burr had roles in security at the event.
Jim Fidler, pictured, who studied a Foundation Degree In Crowd and Safety Management at the University, was working as a Spectator Safety Manager at the Games, having worked as a security manager at the London Aquatics Centre at the 2012 Olympics. He founded crowd management company Secure Events and Assets in Sydney, Australia.
He said beforehand: “I am excited to be part of the event and the most important thing is that spectators get in and out of the venues safely with the minimum of fuss and enjoy the experience. I will be assisting the safety officer and venue manager at the Games and will also provide consultancy support. The challenge is in ensuring that the Games goes off without a hitch and I’m confident I will be able to play a part in making that happen.”
Emma Parkinson, the new Senior Lecturer in Crowd Safety Management, said she was ‘absolutely thrilled’ that students from the Department of Security and Resilience at Bucks New University were contributing to the Commonwealth Games. She added: “The Crowd Safety Management qualifications we offer at Bucks New University have a growing reputation and attract a high calibre of people from the industry and this is evidenced in the high-ranking roles many are occupying in Glasgow.
“Our students are represented at many high-level events throughout the world and I am sure that the work they all carry out at the Commonwealth Games will be typical of their service and professionalism.”
