We are championing security operatives who go above and beyond to protect the public. We want to share these stories with the private security industry and the general public. There are numerous examples in local news but some inspiring stories never get published. So we're sharing them on this page and via social media.
Email and tell us if you have any #SIAHeroes stories. We're especially keen to hear from women in security. Please get permission from anyone featured in your stories before submitting them to us.
Featured News Stories
International Women's Day 2021 Celebrating women working in the industry
Last year we highlighted an act of heroism by Elizabeth George from Streatham who is an SIA licensed door supervisor. Elizabeth works for G4S Events UK and she was working at the NHS Nightingale Hospital London located at the Excel Exhibition Centre. Elizabeth had been working to manage the east entrance and the gates to the site. Her employer got in touch with the SIA to share her story where she saved the life of a suicidal woman on 15 May. The woman would have drowned if it had not been for the actions of Elizabeth. Elizabeth said of the rescue:
“It was part of my everyday job - I did what I needed to do to help to save her life.”The SIA caught up with Elizabeth recently and she is now leading security for the NHS Greenwich Remote Testing Centre. Elizabeth told us that she is team leader of nine security officers who work at south-east London’s Remote Testing Centre.
“It’s been really good. We were appointed to manage the Remote Testing Centre and we were trained by the army.”She said that every day is different. The night before we go out we are advised where we are to be working the following day. “First thing in the morning, I go to the NHS Greenwich and collect 500 testing kits and then we start the day.” Elizabeth says that she loves her job and it’s going really well. “It’s helping people and it's different every day and I enjoy motivating my team. I just enjoy it, it’s great. I’m doing something for everybody keeping them safe.”
Elizabeth says she’s COVID-19 free which is great.
Chris Burr, Managing Director, G4S Events UK, Elizabeth’s manager said: “Our fantastic senior security supervisor, Elizabeth George, joined G4S in 2007 as a security officer and has quickly progressed to her current role of senior supervisor.
"Her infectious smile, positivity, and humour are an asset to our organisation. She brings a wealth of experience and energy to all deployments."G4S is proud to have Elizabeth as part of our team. We believe she should be recognised for her actions across the industry. She is a lifesaver and an everyday #SIAhero.” Elizabeth was profiled in the staff newsletter.
Quick-thinking Belfast man averts blazing truck explosion A brave door supervisor put a fire out in a burning truck on a busy road in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter. He prevented an explosion and saved lives while also averting extensive damage to Ulster University’s Belfast campus.
David Thompson is a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensed door supervisor and CCTV operator.
He is being featured in the SIA’s #SIAHeroes campaign. The campaign highlights the efforts security operatives are making to serve their communities across the UK during the COVID-19 crisis.
He is being featured in the SIA’s #SIAHeroes campaign. The campaign highlights the efforts security operatives are making to serve their communities across the UK during the COVID-19 crisis.
At 9.30 am on Wednesday, 26 August 2020, the CCTV operatives in Ulster University’s control room called David Thompson on the radio (he was on duty on the campus). The control room told David that a seven-ton refrigerated truck was on fire on the street adjacent to the Belfast campus on York Road.
David sent a message on the radio to his colleague, porter Matthew Ward, to pick up two fire extinguishers as he could see flames and black smoke billowing out of the back of the truck’s cabin.
The fire brigade were called but meanwhile David and his colleague, Matthew Ward managed the fire.
The fire brigade were called but meanwhile David and his colleague, Matthew Ward managed the fire.
Putting out the fire was particularly dangerous because the vehicle was sitting in traffic. The fire itself was near the fuel tank, and black smoke was also pouring out of the refrigerated unit at the top of the truck. By this time the driver, who was dazed but otherwise uninjured, had got out of the vehicle. David and Matthew applied the extinguishers to the flames and the smoke, but there was a section that was still smouldering.
When we spoke to David he said:
“I picked up the burning item with my bare hands and threw it on the ground and used the extinguisher to stop the fire. I didn’t give it a thought about the risk that I was taking for my life. I knew if the truck had exploded that it could have killed people and shattered the large number of windows which had recently been installed at Ulster University’s Belfast campus.”The fire brigade arrived after David and Matthew had put the fire out. They moved the truck to allow the traffic to move.
There are over 400,000 licensed security operatives in the UK, and like David, many continue to work as critical workers and keyworkers, guarding hospitals, sheltered accommodation, supporting social distancing in supermarkets, and other essential operations.
Michelle Russell, the SIA’s Acting Chief Executive, said:
“The #SIAHeroes campaign shines a light on their significant individual contributions and how they are making a difference to the communities that they serve. David is a great example of this as everyday security officers save lives, keep people safe and make personal sacrifices for the good of society: thank you.
As the regulator of the private security industry, our role is to encourage best practice and the #SIAHeroes campaign highlights the trust and dependency that the public do and need to have in security officers."
We are promoting the industry’s dedication and commitment through the #SIAHeroes campaign. It is sharing inspiring stories of security operatives who are keeping the public safe and secure at this critical time.
Security operative saves suicidal man on Great Yarmouth beachA security operative at the former Great Yarmouth Marina Centre saved the life of a suicidal man who stabbed himself in the neck before running into the North Sea.
Christopher Church, 37, of Lowestoft, was patrolling the construction site on the night of 20 September when two passers-by alerted him to a man with a stab wound to his neck. He spotted the man and called out to him as he ran towards the beach. Christopher shone his torch light and saw him running into the sea. Immediately, he went after him.
Christopher is an SIA licensed door supervisor. He is being featured in our #SIAHeroes campaign because of his life-saving actions. The campaign highlights the efforts that security operatives are making to serve their communities across the UK and most recently, during the COVID-19 crisis.
Christopher realised that the man was attempting suicide, and persuaded him to walk out of the sea. He was still holding the blade, but Christopher managed to keep him calm and give him life-saving first aid. At this point a passer-by came over and called the emergency services. Christopher stayed with the man until he was taken to hospital.
When we spoke to Christopher, he said:
“I tried to calm the man down. He was in an agitated state, but I successfully convinced him that I was there to help him. The whole thing was pretty terrifying. As he made his way towards me I could see that there was a lot of blood, which was pouring from his neck wound.The emergency services arrived at about 10.30pm, removed the man’s wet clothes, and wrapped him in a thermal blanket. He was put onto a stretcher and taken to the ambulance while he held Christopher’s hand.
When he came out of the sea I took hold of him, laid him down on the beach, and put direct pressure onto the wound. I held his head and neck with one hand, and applied pressure to the wound with the other. I kept talking to him to keep him conscious.”
Christopher added:
“He kept thanking me and telling me I’d saved his life. The patient is still in hospital and is now in a stable condition. You can't really prepare for these things until they hit you, but I knew what I was doing because of my first aid training.”After the incident Chris went back to work until his shift ended at six the following morning.
Chris is qualified in Emergency First Aid at Work, and is an HM Coastguard on-call volunteer.
Adam Harding, director of the site's security company, Phoenix Events, said:
"I'm so proud of Chris for what he did that night. He'd have been well within his rights just to call the ambulance and wait for them to arrive, but he didn't. He saved a man's life.”There are over 400,000 licensed security operatives in the UK, and like Chris many continue to work as critical workers and keyworkers, guarding hospitals, sheltered accommodation, supporting social distancing in supermarkets, and other essential operations.
Security officer delivers baby on London pavementA London-based security officer stepped in as an emergency midwife to help a young mother who started giving birth on her way to the Royal London Hospital.
On Sunday 13 September Abdul Munim Khan, 29, of Shadwell, was on his way to work in the City of London when he noticed a woman standing on the pavement in distress. Abdul saw that nobody was stopping to help her and went over to check if she was okay.
The woman told Abdul she was giving birth but wasn’t sure she could make it to the hospital in time. He immediately called an ambulance and was told it would take them up to 20 minutes to arrive.
Abdul, who has been a security officer at 52 Lime Street (The Scapel, skyscaper building) for two and a half years, stayed on the phone to the paramedics. They gave him instructions as to how to help the woman safely deliver her baby. Without hesitation, Abdul pulled up his work shirt sleeves and delivered the baby on the pavement with the help of another passer-by.
When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics cut the umbilical cord and took the woman and her baby to hospital. Before they left, both the woman who had given birth and the paramedics thanked Abdul for his heroic and selfless action.
After this Abdul headed to work and arrived on time to do his 12-hour shift. He works for Axis Security Services Limited, an SIA approved contractor.
When we spoke to Abdul he said:
"When I think back on what happened, I can’t believe it. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. She was maybe 10 minutes from the Royal London Hospital - I’m glad I was there to help her.
What was amazing is that when I had finished my shift and was heading home, I saw her just outside the hospital. She called me over and thanked me again – but what was really special is that I was able to meet the baby I had delivered. I also got a short video clip of the mum and her new-born."Ian Todd, our Chief Executive, said:
"It’s important to remember that many in the security industry are working as critical and key workers during this emergency. Abdul’s story is testament to the fact that despite the challenges, many operatives and businesses are going the extra mile to serve their communities."
Denton door supervisor saves friend’s brother in car park stabbingDoor supervisor Connor McMillan saved the life of a man who was stabbed near Crown Point Shopping Car Park in Denton, Greater Manchester.
Connor, 23, from Denton, works for ABM Group Ltd and is also a CCTV specialist. When he was on duty on Tuesday 7 July, he received a radio call from security control telling him that a young man had been stabbed.
Without hesitation, Connor grabbed a first aid kit from the control room and rushed to the scene. The man who had been stabbed was lying on the floor clutching his chest. One of Connor’s colleagues had caught the man who had carried out the stabbing.
Connor starting by checking whether the victim was conscious. He appeared to be in shock from loss of blood. Connor cleaned the wound and began packing it with bandages to stem the flow.
While attending to his wounds, Connor realised that the victim was the brother of a friend. He reassured him while keeping pressure on the wound. Crown Point’s Shopping Centre Manager, Alan Barker, and his colleague, Lisa Craig, ran to the scene to help and called the emergency services. Connor continued to reassure the victim while Lisa covered him to keep him warm. Between them they stabilised his condition, and when the ambulance arrived paramedics took over. They told Connor that if he had not carried out emergency first aid the man may well have died at the scene.
Connor’s life-saving efforts were commended by his employer, ABM Ltd, who gave him their ABM Gold Hero Award. Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, also gave him a Community Award.
When we spoke to him, he said:
“I was mentally and physically numb because I’ve never had to deal with an incident like that before. I put my training to good use, and I kept calm and didn’t think of the consequences. I did my best for the man by packing his wound and keeping him talking, and I kept him alive.”
After the incident, Connor discovered that the man had survived his injuries, but he had suffered a punctured lung and damage to his heart.
The man’s family got in touch later to say thank you. His sister said that he had made a recovery and was convalescing in hospital.
When we asked Connor about the incident, he said:
“Security operatives, as first responders, are taught first aid. It has come in handy a few times. In a situation like this, you just have to do what you can. Your training and instinct take over. I think the role of security operatives is changing - the role we play now is not just providing security. We also offer support, give basic first aid, and help people feel safe.”
Door Supervisor protects customers from a violent attack at a South London bank
A door supervisor has been assaulted while trying to protect customers from a violent attack at a bank in South London.
Mohsin Rahim, from Streatham, is an SIA licensed door supervisor. He was on duty at the Nationwide Building Society in Streatham one afternoon in June, when a man ran past him into the branch.
As he was overseeing social distancing and making sure people queued in separate lines, Mohsin heard shouting and swearing from inside. The man was shouting aggressively “I want my money”.
Mohsin assessed the situation and realised that the man who was demanding money had mental health issues. He swiftly directed customers out of the way, and went to help another security guard who was intervening. The situation escalated, and the man punched Mohsin in the face.
When we asked Mohsin what was going through his mind at the time, he said, “I thought he was going to hit my manager, so I got in between them.”
Mohsin said that he remembered his training and safely restrained the man. As this was happening, the police arrived, arrested the man and escorted him to a waiting police car. The police also confirmed Mohsin’s suspicions that the aggressor had a history of mental health episodes.
The police asked Mohsin whether he would like to press charges. Mohsin said: “As it was Ramadan, I chose to forgive him.” The man was released, after being encouraged by the police to apologise to Mohsin and all of the customers in the Nationwide branch.
Several customers thanked Mohsin for protecting them, and said how sorry they were that he had been assaulted.
Londonderry door supervisors intervene and save a life while preventing a brawl in Portrush
Two door supervisors from Londonderry saved a young man’s life and prevented a mass brawl on Saturday 01 August.
Gary Holmes, who has worked in security for over 10 years, and Marc Kelly, an experienced door supervisor, were working at a bar in Portrush. They were managing the door when they noticed a group of at least fifteen young men chasing another young man.
In a video that went viral on Facebook, the young man tried to run away, but was cornered. Seeing that he was in danger, two people came to his aid, one of whom is a retired police officer and the other a retired prison officer. However, they were hugely outnumbered and the group of young men began threatening them as well.
In the video, this is when Gary and Marc can be seen intervening. As the group of young men started to shout violent threats and start fights, Gary and Marc used their training and experience to de-escalate the situation and break up the fights. They also got the young man and the two people who tried to help him to safety.
When we spoke to Gary, he said:
“I don’t know why they were chasing after this young guy but when I saw what was happening, my instinct just kicked in.Marc also said:
Once we had broken up all the fights we took the young lad and the two people who had tried to help him offsite. The police arrived a little later and thanked us for stepping in because it could have ended quite badly. Looking back on what happened, I don’t know what would have happened to that lad had we not got involved.”
“We were standing at the front door on duty and a pair of bad youths seemed to just kick off. This happened on a main street in Portrush. We stepped in and were outnumbered but managed to get things under control. It was a free for all before we got involved - everyone was going after each other and I have no idea why but I’m just glad everyone was alright. They were shouting abuse at us but we take it with a pinch of salt.”
Quick-thinking security operative saves life in supermarket
A Scottish door supervisor put his first aid training to good use when a supermarket shopper collapsed.
Calum Sinclair, of Elgin, was on duty in a supermarket when he heard a call on the tannoy asking for first aid assistance. Calum, who usually works as a door supervisor, was managing social distancing queues and security.
Calum ran over, as the company he works for, Saltaire Security, provides all their security operatives with first aid training. He was first on the scene and found a man who had collapsed. He was struggling to breathe and turning blue. Calum took charge of the situation, put the man in the recovery position, and then called for an ambulance. He called the man’s family whilst waiting for the paramedics. The patient was taken to hospital immediately.
The man’s family got in touch later to say thank you. His sister said that he had made a recovery and was convalescing in hospital.
When we asked Calum about the incident, he said:
Calum Sinclair, of Elgin, was on duty in a supermarket when he heard a call on the tannoy asking for first aid assistance. Calum, who usually works as a door supervisor, was managing social distancing queues and security.
Calum ran over, as the company he works for, Saltaire Security, provides all their security operatives with first aid training. He was first on the scene and found a man who had collapsed. He was struggling to breathe and turning blue. Calum took charge of the situation, put the man in the recovery position, and then called for an ambulance. He called the man’s family whilst waiting for the paramedics. The patient was taken to hospital immediately.
The man’s family got in touch later to say thank you. His sister said that he had made a recovery and was convalescing in hospital.
When we asked Calum about the incident, he said:
“Security operatives, as first responders, are taught first aid. It has come in handy a few times. In a situation like this, you just have to do what you can. Your training and instinct take over. I think the role of security operatives is changing - the role we play now is not just providing security. We also offer support, give basic first aid, and help people feel safe.”
Security operative prevents fire at distribution centre
The quick thinking of security operative Syed (Sabeel) Hassan stopped a fire from becoming a tragedy.
Syed, who works for approved contractor Amberstone, prevented a serious fire from spreading at Halfords’ logistics and distribution Centre in Washford near Redditch in January. His actions prevented possible mass damage, risk to life and customer disruption.
Syed Hassan was on duty early one Saturday morning. He noticed on the CCTV that there was smoke coming out from under a tented area on the estate. This tented area covered batteries and canisters containing hazardous materials.
Syed said that his instinct kicked in and he ran towards the tented area. As he was the only person there he quickly moved the canisters away from the fire. Simultaneously he called the fire brigade and it took a few minutes for them to arrive on the site.
By the time the fire brigade arrived the tent was alight. Syed said:
Syed, who works for approved contractor Amberstone, prevented a serious fire from spreading at Halfords’ logistics and distribution Centre in Washford near Redditch in January. His actions prevented possible mass damage, risk to life and customer disruption.
Syed Hassan was on duty early one Saturday morning. He noticed on the CCTV that there was smoke coming out from under a tented area on the estate. This tented area covered batteries and canisters containing hazardous materials.
Syed said that his instinct kicked in and he ran towards the tented area. As he was the only person there he quickly moved the canisters away from the fire. Simultaneously he called the fire brigade and it took a few minutes for them to arrive on the site.
By the time the fire brigade arrived the tent was alight. Syed said:
“When there’s a small blaze you only have a few seconds to take action. I was doing my job because that’s what I am meant to do. I knew that if I hadn’t moved the canisters it would have caused a big problem. I’m trained and I put my learning into action.”Syed said that after the incident he returned to his post at the gatehouse and it was almost as if nothing had happened. Halfords awarded Syed with some vouchers to thank him for his efforts. The fire brigade told Syed that if he had not taken the action that he did, the incident would have been considerably worse.
Southend Spring Bank holiday beach security patrol save man’s life
On the last bank holiday Monday (25 May), a security patrol team from Stambridge Security Services saved a dying man from a heart attack on Southend Pleasure Beach.
Licensed operatives Jamie Spiers and Patrick Bourke were on patrol at the Southend-on-Sea pleasure beach when they received a call from a colleague at around 2pm stating that a man was in distress.
It was a busy, hot day, and Jamie and Patrick found the unconscious man lying on the beach fully dressed and breathing erratically. He was having a cardiac arrest. They are both qualified first aid trainers, and immediately called the emergency services who advised that they should start CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
Jamie started chest compressions, while Patrick alerted Stambridge Security Services’ control room to ensure that CCTV was capturing everything. The two door supervisors also took it in turns to give the man rescue breaths.
Jamie said:
Jamie said:
“Thankfully we were in the right place at the right time. We took turns because it was so tiring. It took about 15 minutes for the paramedics to arrive. We were relentless, consistent and we did not stop. When the emergency services arrived they took over and used a defibrillator on the man. The Air Ambulance also came to the scene.”
Once Jamie and Patrick had handed the man over to the emergency services, they cordoned off the busy beach. As it was a bank holiday, the traffic was very heavy so they directed cars away from the scene to enable the emergency services to get their patient to Southend Hospital.
Three days later, a security operative at Southend Hospital called Jamie and put him on the phone to the man who they had saved. He was very thankful.
Jamie said:
"I’ve been a door supervisor for 12 years, and I was born and bred in Southend. Patrick and I have worked together in crowd control, and always focus on making sure we can create a safe environment. I’m just glad we could help. Who would have thought that Patrick and I would save a man’s life.”
There are over 400,000 licensed security operatives in the UK, and like Jamie and Patrick, many continue to work as critical and key workers, guarding hospitals, sheltered accommodation, supporting social distancing in supermarkets, and other essential operations.
Ian Todd, Chief Executive of the Security Industry Authority, said:
Ian Todd, Chief Executive of the Security Industry Authority, said:
"It's important to remember that many in the security industry are working as critical and key workers during this emergency. Jamie and Patrick’s story is testament to the fact that despite the challenges, many operatives and businesses are going the extra mile to serve their communities.”
Read all of our #SIAHeroes stories in our monthly newsletter SIA Update
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