These prestigious and keenly contested awards recognise excellence within the security guarding sector, at the same time highlighting the always vital and often challenging work performed by security officers.
VSG employees won two Service to the Customer Awards, two Best Team Awards, an Outstanding Act Award, a Best Newcomer Award and a Best Use of Technology Award.
Presentations were made to the winners by John Bates, the BSIA’s chief executive, during a ceremony held on 2 February at VSG’s Northampton headquarters. All of the winners’ submissions will now be put forward for the national awards this coming summer.
“Once again, officers from VSG have demonstrated the exceptional levels of performance, commitment and courage that it takes to win our awards,” explained Bates. “I’m delighted that the BSIA is able to reward their efforts, and to recognise the excellent example they have set. Theirs is the perfect demonstration of the high standards we continually expect from security officers, and from the industry as a whole.”
Gratification from the Association is just
“We too are delighted that our officers have won these awards,” explained Keith Francis, the managing director of VSG, “and that their outstanding work, often well beyond the call of duty, has been acknowledged by the BSIA.”
Francis continued: “A hallmark of our company, and the foundation stone of its success, is that we always strive for excellence. Nevertheless, it’s gratifying when the major industry body confirms that we’re actually achieving what we set out to achieve.”
The Customer Service Awards went to Tommy Crofton in Scotland (for devising new and more secure packaging methods for jewellery at an Argos distribution centre), and to John Robinson in the Midlands after he introduced multilingual sign-in procedures and instigated a very successful crime prevention scheme on the industrial estate in Scunthorpe where he works with client DHL.
The Best Team Award for the North West was won by the VSG Team at The Mall in Blackburn for maximising the potential of a new CCTV installation, and for working with the local police to achieve a significant reduction in crime.
In the Midlands, the VSG Team at the Westfield Derby Shopping Centre received its Best Team Award for showing continuing commitment in dealing with over 1,400 reported incidents since 2007, including five suicide attempts.
Outstanding Act tribute
The Outstanding Act Award for the South West was made to Jacqueline Hutchins for her courageous and efficient evacuation of buildings in Exeter town centre following a nail bomb attack in a restaurant near to where she was working.
The Best Newcomer in the North West was Paul Malcolm, who works for VSG at JLL Grange and Pyramids Shopping Centre. Paul amalgamated the emergency evacuation procedures for two shopping centres to produce one cohesive plan, and instigated extra training for all site security staff.
The efforts of Gary Dowse in implementing the first biometric access control systems to be used in the Argos distribution network were recognised with the Best Use of Technology Award for the South East. The new system has reduced stock losses, not to mention the incidence of goods ‘disappearing’ in transit between areas.
The Sunday Times’ Fast Track 100
Established in 2000, VSG is the fastest-growing independent company in the UK’s security guarding sector (and sits in The Sunday Times’ Fast Track 100 Index), employing 4,200 staff and boasting an annual turnover in excess of GB pound 100 million.
VSG’s customer base extends throughout the UK, its services further supported with local offices in the City of London, Belfast and Dublin.
2008 is proving to be one of the most successful in VSG’s eight-year history, as the company has won eight nationally acclaimed awards across all areas of the business. These include a Merit Award in the Security Officer of the Year category at this year’s prestigious Irish Security Industry Association Awards, four accolades from the BSIA and two from the security industry’s ‘Oscars’ (the Security Excellence Awards), including Security Guarding Company of the Year.
In addition, they were the only company to be honoured by Skills for Security, receiving the Contribution to Skills Development and Training accolade at the November 2008 National Conference.