Ward Security dog handler scoops top safety award
A Bromley security officer who’s halved crime rates in the town’s central parks has scooped a prestigious award in the annual Safer Bromley Awards.
Neal Beck, a dog handler from Rochester-based Ward Security, was one of a number of ‘unsung heroes’ who picked up awards for helping make the borough a safer place this year.
The event was organised by the Safer Bromley Partnership that brings together the police, council and other bodies to work together on safety issues.
Neal, who joined Ward Security three years ago with no previous security experience, was delighted to receive his award, which reflected the significant contribution he and the Parks Security Services Team have made to reducing crime in Bromley town centre’s parks.
There are 22 wards in the London Borough of Bromley - all with dedicated Safer Neighbourhood teams in place. Safer Neighbourhoods is an initiative introduced by the Metropolitan Police in 2004 to tackle the low-level types of crime that have a high impact on local communities.
Together with his dog Zeus, Neal has been responsible for helping police apprehend a number of criminals –as well as liaising with local residents and stakeholders in his role on the Bromley Safer Neighbourhood Team panel.
The purpose of the panel is to meet regularly with the team sergeant and to agree upon a priority list of local community safety concerns and issues that the team should target. The panel is also involved in deciding what type of action should be taken and has an input to the problem-solving approach.
“In Bromley, particularly in the town centre parks, we work very closely with the Bromley Police,” says Neal, whose award recognised that he’d gone above and beyond the call of duty in his role to help apprehend several criminals.
Most recently, he helped police catch three knifepoint robbers –by helping police stop a bus in which the criminals tried to make their escape.
“The outcome was that the criminals were arrested –and the teenagers they’d robbed got their possessions back,” says Neal. It was all the more amazing, given that Neal had followed the suspects on the basis of a hunch!
“Effectively, I’m meant to act as a visual deterrent but I can’t really stand by and watch crimes being committed,” he says.
Although Neal has now worked for Ward Security for three years as a dog handler, he puts his ‘success’ down to the company’s strict training regime. Previously, he was a production manager, and, with no prior security experience, had a steep learning curve –although he clearly has an affinity with both dogs and security work.
Like all Ward Security dog teams - dog and handler –Neal was chosen for his communications and people skills. All Ward Security’s dogs are 'homed' with their handlers on a one dog/one handler basis, which means they work as a highly effective single unit.
“Our teams are particularly keen to foster a community spirit, so patrolling open spaces and public parks is always handled in a flexible way to ensure the public is protected in a non-aggressive way,” says Ward Security managing director, David Ward.
“As a direct result of this approach, Ward Security dog teams have had great success in reducing anti-social behaviour and vandalism. Neal’s success is evidence of this, and his dedication in patrolling parks and gardens in Bromley made his an obvious choice for a Safer Bromley award.”
Looking to the future, Neal says he will continue to be vigilant –and go the extra mile in making sure that he keeps Bromley town centre parks as safe as possible.
“The police patrol with me at least once a day, every day,” he says. “I’ve always had a really good relationship with them: if I have a problem, I know I can rely on their help. But they know that, if I do call, then it’s something serious.”
Neal was nominated for his Safer Bromley award by Sergeant Amanda Weston from Bromley Town Centre Police.
PIC CAP: Neal Beck (right) receives his award from Bromley Borough Commander Charles Griggs
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