The second ACS Pacesetters Achievement Awards Luncheon was held in the Castle Suite, Royal Windsor Racecourse on Wednesday, May 20, before a formidable gathering of member companies, end users and, significantly, another impressive group of “Security Officers of Distinction”, writes Lynda Moore of organisers FM Contract Watch, which includes ACS Pacesetters.
We want to pay tribute to our sponsors, without whom this event would not have been possible. In addition to devoting two pages to them in our Commemorative Brochure, we also presented them with a Pacesetters Plaque, inscribed with a personal commendation acknowledging their contribution to the raising of standards within the contract security industry.
A big thank you therefore to Sutton Specialist Risks; The Security Watchdog, Part of Capita Plc; Professional Security Magazine; Cobia UK; Eurotech Monitoring Services and Trust ID. All too often we all fail to give credit to the organisations which make these events possible, so we have always gone out of our way to try to redress this deficiency and hope that our sponsors feel that we have succeeded.
Another important part of the day for us is the contribution which we are able to make to our chosen charity, Hounds for Heroes, and we would therefore like to thank the three organisations, other than ourselves, who gave most generously towards the raffle prizes which raised a total of £1765.00 in aid of the Charity. Another, big thank you therefore to Hindhead Golf Club; Royal Windsor Racing and Events and Ward Security. Finally, in this respect we conclude by thanking both Wilson James and TC Security Services (formerly Equinox Security Management Limited) for their very generous sponsorship of both the pre-lunch drinks and the wine served during the lunch.
Throughout the lunch, the various courses were interspersed with presentations, initially to all The ACS Pacesetter Members in attendance, followed by one to our sponsors, as mentioned earlier, and concluded with a total of 14 awards to security officers, selected by the sponsors and based on nominations from their clients, with an endorsement by their own parent company.
We make no apology for reproducing a list of the winners and the contract companies they represent; for too long the industry has perhaps failed to give recognition, particularly in the smaller companies, to individuals who have either given meritorious service to the industry over a long period or, alternatively, have averted some major crisis on their client’s premises. The individual testimonies, which were read out at the Luncheon, bear witness to the growing number of excellent officers which we now have in the industry. The “Security Officer of Distinction Awards” were presented to the following officers:
Jameel JobeyAxis Security Services Ltd
Ian BunnBroadland Guarding Services Ltd
Mark HoughChurchill Security Ltd
SEGRO TeamCordant Security Ltd
Imran ShehzadGBM Support Services Ltd
Julian Erwee/Sam JonesIncentive Lynx Security
Deepthi DharmapalanInterr Security
Dipak AleShield Security Services Ltd
Steve ThakeTC Security Services
Artur KarbowiakThe Shield Group
Tim O’CallaghanThe Westgrove Group
Mehdi AliTSS Security
Paul WilliamsWard Security Ltd
Frank CullenWilson James Ltd
Finally, we heard again from Allen Parton, founder of Hounds for Heroes, who gave a memorable talk of his life before taking on his first assistance dog, Endal, and how the partnership transformed him and gave him back his independence. It was a moving and, at times, humorous speech.
In conclusion it is worth reminding ourselves about the purpose of the ACS Pacesetters. These are the best companies in the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) as judged by the results of the annual inspection carried out by one of the five UKAS bodies, appointed by the SIA to carry out the task. In other words, as a client, it surely makes sense to use The Pacesetters “Hall of Fame” in drawing up your tender list. Certainly those clients who were at the awards luncheon on Wednesday, May 20 are most unlikely to disagree.
Pictured is Terry O’Neil, joint partner of FM Contract Watch.
