Five individuals and teams have been presented with British Security Industry Association chairman’s awards to mark their contributions to the UK’s private security industry.
Personally selected by the BSIA’s chairman, Pauline Norstrom, pictured right, Chief Operating Officer at Dedicated Micros and AD Group, the awards cover significant or lifelong contributions in five categories: Contribution to Standards, Contribution to the Community, Contribution to the Industry, Contribution to Training and Contribution to Exporting. This year’s awards were presented during the BSIA’s Annual Luncheon at the London Hilton on Park Lane on Wednesday, July 15.
The award for Contribution to Standards was presented to Kevin Harris of Thorn Security, part of the Tyco Group. Despite operating from his home and company base in Canada, Kevin has been an active member of the BSIA Security Equipment Manufacturers Section’s TC1 committee for several years, contributing to most of the association’s guidance and standards comment reviews, as well as participating on various ad-hoc groups dealing with standards-related matters. Kevin supports the BSIA and BSI as the UK representative on CENELEC WG2 for intruder alarm component standards, and also the convenor of CENELEC’s WG13 for integrated security systems standards and WG9 for environmental compliance standards. As part of this duty, Kevin travels across Europe to the working group meetings.
The award for Contribution to the Community was presented to the Tour of Securitas Team of Securitas Security Services (UK) Ltd. As part of this charitable initiative, over 800 security officers and support staff cycled 2,677 miles to raise awareness of safety in the workplace. The team raised more than £3,000 for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), an award-winning charity dedicated to the prevention of accidents on the road or in the workplace. Sponsored by Marks & Spencer, the scheme also received the backing of Team GB cyclist Shane Sutton.
The award for Contribution to the Industry was awarded to David Ottewill, pictured left, Managing Director of Camberford Law PLC, specialist insurance brokers to the security industry. Since taking over Camberford Law in 2007, David has sponsored the Security Personnel Awards every year, making it possible for the industry to recognise and reward the achievements of the many security officers who help to keep the UK’s infrastructure, businesses and members of the public safe and secure each and every day.
The award for Contribution to Training was presented to security guarding company, VSG, for its Zero Assaults Project. The project, which is aimed at protecting members of the public and minimising criminal or reputational damage, has been delivered to 240 managers and directors since its launch last May. All in all, the success of the project is apparent, with the number of reportable conflict incidents across VSG having fallen by 23 per cent and the number of lost time injuries decreasing by 42pc. Such has been the project’s popularity that it has been rolled out across major contracts in London, while it now forms part of the mandatory VSG induction process.
The award for Contribution to Exporting was presented to Ron Archibald, Head of Trade Challenge Partners at UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). A career civil servant, Ron joined the Department of Trade and Industry in 1979 and has since worked around the world securing EU free trade agreements with South Africa, Mexico and Chile, among others. For the last decade, Ron has headed the Tradeshow Access Programme, a major UKTI initiative providing support to UK businesses participating in around 400 overseas trade fairs each year. With the evolution to a new accreditation system for partner organisations, Ron, who had been closely involved in the accreditation process, has now taken on responsibility for the new Trade Challenge partner programme and is working with newly-accredited Partners to develop their partnerships with UKTI. As Deputy Director of UKTI’s Global Events and Missions change programme, Ron aims to transform the customer experience of UKTI-supported events by introducing a single events programme from spring 2016.
Pauline Norstrom said: “I am delighted to be able to recognise the significant contributions made by these five outstanding individuals and organisations, whose commitment and dedication have made a lasting impression on the UK’s private security industry. Whether organising charitable events or raising standards in the field of training, the actions of these winners have all served to promote our industry in a positive light, and I am pleased to be able to commend the impact they have made.”
