The Metropolitan Police ran the first Police and Security (PaS) awards, given at Scotland Yard on Wednesday, May 11, to mark outstanding work by private security and other people in London.
Pictured are Westminster street pastors, who as in other cities and towns around the UK make patrols typically on Friday nights, offering welfare to people on a night out, who may have become confused or in distress. The pastors, from various churches, cover such central London parts as the Strand, Victoria, the West End and Soho, and bridges over the Thames in case of suicide attempts.
Awards for partnership and engagement:
Simon Francis, Dynamo Security Services.
Jim Baldwin (unable to attend the ceremony) and Indi Thind, London borough of Hounslow estate enforcement team.
Andy McDermott, Assist Security, for Friday and Saturday night patrols on busy Clapham High Street, to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, as featured in the January print issue of Professional Security magazine (‘Clapham Uncommon’).
Daniel Baquero and Matthew Pitman, of contract guarding company VSG, given award with Westfield senior security manager Philip Jones, for intelligence work at Westfield Shepherds Bush, the mall in west London.
Darren Carter, of the Edwardian group of hotels, also for his work as vice-chairman of the Institute of Hotel Security Management.
Lewis Gilbert of Andrews International, accepted a team award; that guarding company provides patrollers for the New West End Company, to deal with beggars, rough sleepers and pedicabs in the ORB district (Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street), besides any crime and anti-social behaviour.
Khalid Ibrahim, of VSG, at Stratford shopping centre, for work including providing training for the Met on CCTV.
Gordon Glean of Land Securities; as security manager for Lewisham shopping centre, and for his long-time community work.
Terry Vass, ops manager, Brunel University, at Uxbridge, north-west London.
Lee Hutchings, Jean-Pierre Rossouw, Scott Perace, Andy Issitt and Gavin Judd, of Parkguard Limited, the Community Safety scheme accredited (CSAS) ‘night safe team’ in Islington, whose patrols since November 2014 have responded to medical-safety and security issues in the district’s night-time economy.
Mark and Kane White, of Security Project UK Limited, whose mobile patrols have worked with police in Havering borough on the London Riverside BID (Business Improvement District). Issues there include gatherings of car enthusiasts.
Award for intelligence sharing
Matthew Smith, Cardinal Security.
Lewis Gilbert, Andrews International, again for the uniformed patrollers for the New West End Company in London’s West End; newly accredited by the Met Police under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS).
Neil Harris, of Ladbrokes; Ish Greenidge, of Betfred; Peter Craske, of the trade body the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB); Matt Russell, William Hill; Terry Parker, of Paddy Power; Alan Lyman, of Talarius; and Mike Cary of Gala Coral, for the Bookmakers Intelligence Forum, for sharing of best practice and liaison against robberies against bookies.
Award for innovation
Michael Wright, of Graff Diamonds, founder of Safer Jewellery and Luxury Fashion, an online sharing and circulation of intelligence; and one of the organisers of the three ‘Stop smash and grab’ events for the jewellery and luxury fashion trade in London in 2015.
John Murphy, of Valiant Security (award collected by Gary Eagle), for the setting up of the Alcohol Recovery Centre (ARC) in Kingston town centre for seven nights before Christmas, to look after drunks who if necessary were treated by ambulances, with the aim of lessening the load on police and the NHS.
Charlie Gordon Lennox of the Key Holding Company, nominated by Hannah Wadey of Safer London, as an organiser of the ‘Stop smash and grab’ training events.
Award for volunteering
Westminster Street Pastors (pictured): Geoff Biggs, Nick Cornish, Monty Erskine, Hanna Sintime, Dennis Price, Nike Manuwa, Barry Jones and Hilarie Watchorn.
Chrissie Le Marinel, Metropolitan Police support volunteer, nominated by the Met business crime hub.
Greenwich borough volunteer police cadets.
Award for outstanding act
Philip van der Merwe, VSG, Westfield shopping centre
Jermaine Callender, Next plc, Oxford Street
Yoram Ouanounou, Vigilant Business Protection; head doorman, Croydon.
To contact the Met Police business crime reduction hub, email [email protected]..
