As we mark International Security Officers’ Day, let’s pay tribute to the hundreds of thousands of security officers in the UK who every day work tirelessly to keep us safe. The date of the 24 July is a reminder of the work they do to protect people and property, professionally 24 hours a day seven days a week.

There are currently more than 420,000 SIA licensed security operatives in the UK. Each licence holder will have had training and checks to qualify for an SIA licence and play their part in protecting the public.

Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of meeting licence holders working both in public-facing roles and behind the scenes. I spoke to operatives working in the night time economy, at music events, in offices, in historic buildings and in CCTV control rooms to listen to their views about working in the security industry and learning about their experiences.

This year we continue to highlight some of the awe-inspiring stories of commitment, professionalism, courage, dedication and bravery through our #BehindTheBadge campaign. We invite members of the public to join us in thanking, celebrating and saluting our real-life heroes. Let’s pay tribute to them and their skills and qualities that make them heroes in everyday life.

So here’s to the brave ones, the courageous and compassionate ones, the resilient ones; the conflict resolvers and those who diligently and reliably look out for us 24/7 – we thank you for all the invaluable work you do to protect and keep us safe.

We see you. We respect you. We thank you.

Michelle Russell

Chief Executive, Security Industry Authority

Stories Behind The Badge

Jade Dyer
Bill Boateng
Shani Baldwin

Gary Underwood
Equality Diversity and Inclusion Film Project

Jade Dyer – #BraveryBehindTheBadge

Jade saved a man’s life on the night of the Tom Brennan concert. This is her story in her own words.

On the night of the concert I was a supervisor. One of my colleagues working within a support team told me that a young man looked distressed and asked if I could speak to him.

Unfortunately, he was mentally unwell and I think he had taken a drug which had made him very distressed, as he was paranoid and terrified. I went to speak to him to try and reassure him. It was dark in the arena and my colleague Megan McLetchie knew that my instinct had kicked in. In a split second I knew he was going to jump off the balcony so I started to run after him.

He was on level 2 and all of sudden he ran down the stairs and was heading for the balcony to jump from level 2. As he dived over the balcony I managed to grab one of his ankles and he was dangling. My ribs were bruised and my stomach was sore as I was dangling over too. I knew if I’d let go he would have gone over the edge. His fall would probably have been fatal for him and the patrons below.

I held onto him for dear life and then my colleague Megan McLetchie grabbed him by the waist band and together we hauled him back over the balcony and sat him down. This was not easy to do because he was struggling against us. It was actually quite scary and I was talking to him but because of the noise he couldn’t hear me. Together we escorted him to a safe space but there was real fear in his eyes. He was sweating and shaking as we sat him down.

“My ribs were bruised and my stomach was sore as I was dangling over too. I knew if I’d let go he would have gone over the edge. His fall would probably have been fatal for him and the patrons below. ”
Jade Dyer

Quite soon after a police officer and a paramedic helped to restrain the man who was kicking and thrashing his arms and legs. We managed to get him on a stretcher and take him to the ambulance where he was put on a drip to sedate him.

One of my senior supervisors said that I was the right person to deal with the incident as I have extensive experience having worked in the industry for so long.

Jade said: God forbid if I haven’t caught him. I’d do the same thing if it happened again.

We reached out to Jade to learn more.

1. What is your typical day like?

My shift starts with a briefing and as a security supervisor I get assigned my group of staff and then I go out on shift. We work to ensure that people have a great time and are safe at the venue. If there are any issues to deal with I try and resolve it. We search bags, scan tickets, show patrons to their seats and make sure they enjoy the night. I’m there for the patrons of the show. I’m always there – if there are any issues patrons come and see me. I always give my name out. I Always like to help people.

2. What do you enjoy about your job?

The thing I enjoy the most about my job is the feeling of serving and helping the general public, as much as that is a very challenging thing at times. The fact that I can make sure that they enjoy their event and go home safe is great. I love the people I work with particularly the camaraderie between the staff; knowing staff have your back.

3. What is the most challenging thing you have had to do at work?

The most challenging thing I have faced at work is definitely the incident where I had to save a man’s life at the Tom Grennan when he tried to jump off level 2 of the OVO Hydro. At the time my adrenaline was high and I did not really think about it until afterwards. I felt very emotional and taken aback about it but I would do it again in a heartbeat. To overcome the challenge, I used all my experience to deal with situation and tried everything to save the man’s life and help him afterwards.

4. When have you felt most proud about your job?

I have had a lot of proud moments in my job. For example, doing my first supervisor shift or first control room shift but just like above, I would say saving a person’s life tops it all.

5. Tell us one thing you wish the public knew about security operatives?

That we aren’t all that bad. We aren’t all big bouncers. We always want the best outcome for patrons attending an event.

Bill Boateng – #ResponsibilityBehindTheBadge

Bill Baoteng received the ACS Pacesetters Officer of Distinction Award in June 2023

1. What is your typical day like?

My day starts at 7.00 am and I work until 19.00. I work on the Canary Wharf estate in London. I am normally positioned in the shopping mall but I also work in Cabot Square surrounded by many financial institutions and banks.

2. What do you enjoy about your job?

The thing I enjoy most about my job is helping customers. My role is inter-twinned with a customer service role and I spend a lot of my time answering questions from the general public and helping with directions.

3. What is the most challenging thing you have had to do at work?

During one of my evening shifts, I stepped in to protect two females who had been assaulted in the retail shopping centre. I saw what was happening from where I was positioned and I quickly stepped in to protect them. The man who had assaulted them ran off and I called a colleague to assist. The police were called and the man was finally arrested.

I went back to the two females to make sure they were OK and then discovered that they worked for the same company as me. This was a nice coincidence!

They put me forward for an ACS Pacesetters officer of distinction award which I won in June 2023.

4. When have you felt most proud about your job?

I was extremely proud of winning the ACS Pacesetters officer of distinction award as I enjoy my job and I’m really proud to serve and protect the public.

5. Tell us one thing you wish the public knew about security operatives?

I think the public underestimate the customer service element of my job and that I have to deal with people on a daily basis who have a variety of issues from challenging social behaviours to mental health issues. I think the public understand that I am there to protect the retail areas from shop lifters etc but do not fully understand that more importantly I am there to protect them from harm as well.

Shani Baldwin – #CompassionBehindTheBadge

1. What is your typical day like?

When I step through the door for my 9am shift I cannot guarantee what day lies ahead. Some days are as simple as helping staff with dementia, patients who are having an aggressive episode or trying to leave the ward, and other days can be packed with attending to fire alarms across the Hospital and detaining Mental Health patients to provide them with the support they need. No two days are the same and you really can’t guarantee what the day is going to be like.

2. What do you enjoy about your job?

There is an endless list of things I enjoy about my job. However, the part I love most is helping people and making a difference. The majority of our incidents are regarding mental health patients who rely on us to keep them safe. Although they may not feel that is our intention in their current frame of mind, we know deep down they understand it is for their own good and therefore by protecting the people and the property it makes every bad day worthwhile.

3. What is the most challenging thing you have had to do at work?

In 2022 we had a paediatric patient attending the ED department regularly suffering with Mental Health issues – I supported the patient throughout her admittance and prevented her from causing harm to herself and others. As she was a paediatric patient you do try to empathise with them a little more than you do with adults as they are still only a child. Due to her mental health issues the patient formed an attachment and obsession with me. As part of my duties, I still had to attend to the incident and care for the patient. Having to deaI with this incident daily caused me a lot of stress. My employer was very supportive and did all they could for me and I took some time out away from work. After 7 days of being off work I was back and ready to do what I do best- and that’s helping people.

4. When have you felt most proud about your job?

Every day I feel proud about my job knowing I make some form of a difference whether it is protecting a patient from self-harm, a staff member from an aggressive patient/visitor or the site from theft and damage. Nearly every day I interact with someone suffering with mental health issues, usually in the A&E department. Some patients have the capacity to know it is in their best interest to seek help and others require us and the healthcare professionals to make those decisions for them. We are trusted to support people suffering with mental health issues at the worst stage in their life and we always succeed in doing so.

5. Tell us one thing you wish the public knew about security operatives?

What you see isn’t always the best part of the story, working in a hospital I often find myself in difficult situations where I have had to restrain a patient/visitor in front of members of the public, on some occasions members of the public have begun filming or shouting abuse thinking I am causing harm to the person when really I am protecting them or someone else within the hospital.

Gary Underwood – #CompassionBehindTheBadge

Gary Underwood has been a security guard at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters for over 20 years.

He was just changing shifts when a fellow colleague raised the alarm after noticing a woman on a mobility scooter was upset and in distress on the pavement outside the main gates to the Fire Service Building.

Gary immediately went out to see how he could help.

“When I got to Carol she was understandably distressed and panicking. She explained that she’d become lost and disorientated after taking a wrong turn.

Both her scooter and mobile phone had subsequently ran out of charge at the same time so she couldn’t call her family for help and was stranded at the side of the road.”

Gary towed Carol and the scooter back to the HQ building where he was able to put the mobility vehicle on charge and offer Carol a hot drink. After finding a charger for her phone Carol then took the opportunity to call her worried family for them to pick her up.

Carol from Town End Farm, Sunderland said – “It was a definite sense of relief when Gary came over to help me as I didn’t know how I was going to get out of the worrying situation.

In this day-and-age it’s lovely to know that people like Gary are still out there who care for others and are willing to go over and above the call of duty.”

Gary concluded: “I was thankful that everything worked out in the end, as Carol is a nice lady who spoke fondly of her children and grandchildren. I was glad to help in any way that I could, and to see that the incident had a happy ending.”

We reached out to Gary to find out more.

Equality Diversity and Inclusion Film Project

We are pleased to support the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) film project led by City Security Council, which is capturing diversity and inclusion across the UK security industry.

It’s inspiring to hear people share their journeys into a career in security and how their individual skillsets have helped them progress.

Watch some of the videos filmed as part of the project below.