Security Matters appointed Official Media Partner for 2022 British Security Awards

The British Security Awards is the BSIA’s flagship event which takes place every year in June and is a rebrand of the Association’s long-running ‘Awards and Annual Luncheon’. It has been running since 1997 and was rebranded to its current iteration in 2018 as part of a gradual repositioning of the BSIA’s brand orchestrated by head of communications Andrew Cooper.

Come 2018, a year after the Association’s 50th Anniversary, it was timely to boost the profile of the awards scheme, given increasing competition from other schemes and a steady decline in entries and attendees.

The awards had originally been set up to celebrate the work of security personnel, which it continues to do, with both its regional and national rounds supported by long-term sponsor Camberford Underwriting.

There was also only a modest acknowledgment of other categories for the wider security business sector. Since 2018, the latter element of the awards has grown from three categories to ten, taking the total of categories the industry can enter to 16. The number of entries has also increased during this time, from 65 entries across nine categories in 2018 to over 200 in 2022.

Celebrating security people

A key element of the British Security Awards is celebrating the people behind the nominations, from the security officers on the front line right through to the technical experts developing innovative security solutions. Such detail is laid out each year in the programme for the event which is present on each table.

For clients, BSIA members and attendees, this is a useful way of finding out in more detail the work that goes on each year in this vital industry.

During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the British Security Awards were forced to either take place online or otherwise be cancelled. After careful consideration, the Association held both years’ awards on the dates they had originally planned, with 2020 taking the risky step of using homemade camera footage which was then edited together with in-house graphics to make it as close to the audio-visual experience as possible.

For 2021, the BSIA used a virtual studio and professionally filmed inserts. A relaxion in lockdown rules made this possible, even if the event itself didn’t take place in the in-person format for which it is known.

2022 marks the fifth running of the British Security Awards in its current iteration in addition to 25 years of celebrating security excellence. It’s going to be an emotional return to the live stage for the first time since 2019 when the British Security Awards Ceremony runs at the London Marriott Hotel on Grosvenor Square on Wednesday 29 June.

Previous winners who were unable to have their awards presented personally from the last two years have been invited to bring their trophies along to have their picture taken with the BSIA’s leadership team. Each of the previous winners in attendance will be personally thanked for their work in keeping people, property and places professionally protected.

Media partnership

Brian Sims Hon FSyI, Editor of Security Matters, is delighted that the magazine has been chosen to serve as Official Media Partner for the 2022 edition of the British Security Awards.

Speaking about this media partnership, Sims stated: “I’ve been privileged and honoured to serve as a Judge for the security personnel-focused element of the British Security Awards since 2000. Each year, it has been tremendous to read the entries that highlight the fantastic work transacted by security personnel right across the UK.”

Sims continued: “Front line security staff play such a vital role in protecting the country and its citizens. The BSIA’s campaigning efforts during COVID to have them recognised as key and critical workers was a fabulous move and one that was rightly recognised by Government.”

In conclusion, Sims noted: “Thank You to Mike Reddington, Simon Banks, Andrew Cooper and all of the team at the BSIA for deciding to partner with Security Matters. It’s a treasured and highly valued working relationship for me and, indeed, has been so for the last 22 years.”

*The BSIA would like to thank all of its sponsors, supporters and members who make the British Security Awards possible. Sponsors of the British Security Awards include Camberford Underwriting, Fenix Monitoring, the OCS Group, Securitas UK, Galliford Try, TEAM Software, SaferCash, Skills for Security, Texecom, IFSEC International and the National Security Inspectorate