Securitas Community Awards 2012 covered ten categories, and sought to address virtually all aspects of a security officer’s role and recognise the men and women that perform extraordinary tasks on a day-to-day basis.
The award for Outstanding Act went to Andrea Hughes, a Securitas security officer working at Burnside Hostel Fife, for saving the life of a resident when he stopped breathing and was effectively considered to be “dead”. Clint Reid of M & S is pictured presenting Andrea Hughes with her award.
Andrea was on only her second full-time shift on the job when she was alerted to the fact that one of the residents was unconscious. She managed to pull him into the recovery position then pump his chest to get his heart going again. By the time the ambulance arrived Andrea had got the resident breathing again: her actions clearly saved the man’s life.
“When I was confronted by the situation, my training just kicked in. It was the first time I had had to use it for two years but everything just came back,” said Andrea. “I am very proud of what I did that day because that man was someone’s son and I would like to think that someone would do that for one of my sons.”
The Core Values award recognises officers who display the values of the Securitas organisation and who consistently deliver a solid and professional service. Its 2012 award winner David Knight went the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction: on numerous occasions he travelled the length and breadth of the UK to deliver, not just a visual presence, but also excellent quality service.
The awards also recognise those who give their time freely, not for reward but for the satisfaction of helping others. The Community Award recognized the work undertaken by the Security team at Procter and Gamble in the development of an individual within their community.
The Securitas team worked with Midstream, a charity who seek to offer ‘hands on’ work activity and quality assured training, in a caring, supportive environment, for young persons and adults who have special needs. James Stockton joined the Securitas Security team at Procter & Gamble under the supervision of supervisor Richard Hampson and, over a five-week period, James grew in confidence and undertook several security tasks, including the monitoring of CCTV cameras at the main reception areas and the granting of access to and from the site.
Other winners included Usman Janjua of Asda for the Integrity Award; Radoslaw Konczewski of Brown Thomas Car Park for the Vigilance Award; Gareth Gore of Marks and Spencer for the Helpfulness Award; the team at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital for the Team Award; Andrew Hooke of Centrica Leicester Spinneyside for the Innovation Award; and Stephen Douglas of Marks and Spencer for the Leadership award. Aviva was awarded the Good Customer Award.
Geoff Zeidler, managing director of Securitas UK and Ireland said: “The Securitas Community Awards were set up to recognise those employees who have made outstanding contributions within their roles. These include acts of bravery, new ideas that have added value to a customer’s business as well as for vigilance, helpfulness and integrity. Too often these achievements are overlooked. These awards honour those employees and remember the fantastic job that our Securitas teams carry out every day.”
The Securitas Community Awards are sponsored by Securitas customers including BT, Marks & Spencer, Vodafone, Stena Line, PSG Events and Spratt Endicott Solicitors.
