Andy Bowers is the winner of The Security Institute’s sixth Wilf Knight Award. It’s presented annually to mark a unique piece of research into a security management-based subject.
Bowers has served for 28 years in Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and is the Assistant Chief Officer – Head of Community Response. He received a glass engraved trophy and £500, on November 27 at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, London. He has responsibility for emergency response by HFRS. This includes the most common areas of firefighting and Road Traffic Collisions as well as specialist teams such as Urban Search and Rescue, Water Rescue, Maritime Response, and Hazardous Materials. He has completed national work for Chief Fire Officers Association on operational assurance before becoming involved with the national Incident Command project. Andy was also one of the founder members of the South East Ways of Working project which then developed into the Collaborative Partnership, and which will become part of the suite of national guidance.
He has a Masters in Business from the University of Portsmouth and is studying for a Masters of Science in Crisis and Disaster Management. Nominated by Dr Sara Thorne his dissertation was titled ‘Improving tactical decision making for crisis and disaster responders’ and his paper focuses on the response and emergency life-saving element of crisis and disaster management. By considering the role of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) and specifically assessing their incident command processes this research will investigate a means of improving command decision making at emergency incidents by first responders. The judging panel felt that the winning paper addressed a critical area of security and risk management.
Wilf Knight’s widow, Patricia Knight and Garry Evanson, CSyP, deputy chairman of The Security Institute presented Bowers with the award. Evanson said: ‘I’d like to offer my congratulations to Andy, who is a very worthy winner. This award is always hotly contested and it is a real achievement to win. I think that there is a lot we can all learn as a result of his work.”
Left to right pictured are Garry Evanson, the deputy chairman of the Security Institute; recipient of the award Andy Bowers, Patricia Knight and the awards evening presenter, the comedian Alistair McGowan. Photo courtesy of the Security Institute.
Richard Diston was runner-up, with his paper “Does the mandatory training for managing work-related violence and the use of force for front line security staff actually protect stakeholders from harm or does it create additional risks?” He was nominated by Danie Adendorff, of Loughborough University.
