In honour of Excellence

Now entering their seventh year, the Security Excellence Awards – organised by Security Management Today (SMT) and fellow CMP Information titles Security Installer and CCTV Today – are rightly recognised as the Oscars of the security world.

This year, we’ve opted for a Rio Carnival theme. On the Black Tie Awards night (Tuesday 4 October) there’ll be exotic Brazilian dancing girls to entertain the guests, pulsating salsa music and our usual Charity Casino.

An Entry Form for this year’s Awards was distributed with the May edition of SMT. For those of you still thinking of submitting an entry (the closing date is Friday 10 June!), and who still need an official Entry Form, copies can be downloaded from our web site (at www.smtdirect.co.uk) You can also request forms from our Awards administrator Katie Chinnock (telephone 020 7560 4272).

Once again, we have assembled a Judging Panel that reads like a Who’s Who? of the industry. Tom Mullarkey (chief executive of the NSI), Stefan Hay (SITO’s managing director), Professor Martin Gill (PRCI), Alex Carmichael (technical director at the BSIA) and the SSAIB’s chief executive Geoff Tate remain from 2004. New Judges in 2005 include Tony Marsh (head of security at the Post Office Ltd), Abbey security manager Dave Anscomb, independent consultant Patrick Dealtry and Bill McGlennon (head of group security at BNFL). Quite a cast!

One of our confirmed guest speakers is John Saunders, chief executive of the Security Industry Authority, who will talk frankly to our 800 guests about the future for private sector security provision in the UK. No doubt John will also offer some well-informed comment on the progress of the Approved Contractor Scheme.

Sponsors in 2005

The steady growth of the Security Excellence Awards since their inception in 1999 is due, in no small measure, to the participation of our sponsors. Those organisations who have already signed-up for 2005 are as follows:

Group 4 Securicor (UK Security)

The largest security company in the UK, Group 4 Securicor undertakes over 32 million hours of guarding for clients each year. The company currently employs over 15,000 members of staff who work with a wide range of end users in both the public and private sectors.

ACPO CPI

ACPO CPI was originally developed to manage the Secured By Design project. It now also presides over the Secured Car Parks initiative.

Security Industry Authority

The Security Industry Authority is tasked with managing the licensing and regulation process laid down in the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The organisation is also aiming to raise skills levels and professionalism in the sector.

Panasonic (UK)

Prime supplier of a single-source contact for CCTV, Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) and source tagging systems. The company’s Premier Installers for End Users programme has been hugely successful of late.

Southern Monitoring Services

The company was established in 1983, and is now a market leader in the provision of remote monitoring and associated services. Its sister company Northern Monitoring Services was launched last year, offering real-time support as well as a platform for sales in the north.

Prima Corporate Wear

Prima is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of corporate clothing to the security industry. The company can offer its substantial client base an in-house design and manufacturing service.

Intrepid Security Solutions

Leading provider of integrated loss prevention solutions for both retail and non-retail end user applications. Formed in 1993, Intrepid has become a specialist in both CCTV and EAS.

Nedap

Nedap is a specialist in the areas of access control and biometric identification systems. Its AEOS security management line is one of the most comprehensive available today.