The Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) recognise and reward companies and individuals across the security sector and operate in 8 countries. The OSPAs are designed to be both independent and inclusive, providing an opportunity for outstanding performers, whether buyers or suppliers to be recognised and their success to be celebrated. The criteria for these awards are based on extensive research of key factors that contribute to and characterise outstanding performance (Aspiring to Excellence – Perpetuity Research). The OSPAs have been set up in collaboration with security associations and groups around the world. OSPAs events are currently being hosted in Germany, Norway, Australia, USA, UK, Romania, and Nigeria with new countries in the pipeline.
The finalists for the 2021 UK’s Outstanding Security Performance Awards have been announced. Entrants from across the security sector are celebrating their success in the first phase of the judging process.
Outstanding Contract Security Manager/Director
Ataul Ahmad – CIS Security
Jacki Budworth-Oades – Dardan Security
Nathan Quinn – Mitie
Mark Taylor – Mitie
Allan Burnett QPM – SecuriGroup
Paul Macarthur – SGC Security Services
David Evans – STM Group (UK) Ltd
Terry Ketley – STM Group (UK) Ltd
Eddie O’Neil – Ward Security
Lee Vincent – UniTrust Protection Services (UK) Ltd
Outstanding Security Partnership – sponsored by Cordant Security
CSSC – East Midlands Region
ACT Awareness eLearning – Highfield e-learning in partnership with M&S and NaCTSO
Operation Protect – National Monitoring and the Metropolitan Police Service
Police Scotland, Govanhill Housing Association and SelectaDNA
Royal Stoke University Hospital & Sodexo
SGC Security Services and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Avon & Somerset Police and BikeRegister partnership
Sodexo and Micas Training
The Keyholding Company and Next
TINYg Information Sharing Partnership
The Development of the OSPAs
The Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) recognise and reward companies and individuals across the security sector. The OSPAs are designed to be both independent and inclusive, providing an opportunity for outstanding performers, whether buyers or suppliers to be recognised and their success to be celebrated.
The criteria for these awards are based on extensive research on key factors that contribute to and characterise outstanding performance. This research can be found here: Aspiring to Excellence, a Security Research Initiative report conducted by Perpetuity Research. The OSPAs are being set-up in collaboration with security associations and groups across many countries.
By researching and standardising the award categories and criteria, the OSPAs scheme provides an opportunity for countries to run their own evidence-based OSPAs schemes while maintaining an ability to compete on an international level in the future, ‘World OSPAs’.
The journey of the OSPAs
Martin Gill is the Director of Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International, a professor of Criminology, and a widely published author, having produced 14 books and over 100 articles to his name, including The Handbook of Security’.
In 2014 Perpetuity Research undertook a project to examine the factors which contributed to outstanding performance in the security field (Gill, M. and Randall, A.). Aspiring to Excellence: The Case of Security Suppliers and Corporate Security. A Security Research Initiative Report). The research was conducted because despite there being an abundance of research on business excellence, very little research focuses specifically on the security sector.
One of the conclusions of the research was that a key way of improving security performance is to change perceptions of security at the highest levels within organisations and amongst key stakeholders. So, from this and other findings, the idea for the OSPAs was born.The OSPAs are based on the identified factors which contribute to security excellence and are designed to promote the security field and show the world that security is a fundamental and vitally important factor in business success.
