Among those celebrated at the ASC Pacesetters Security Officers of Distinction Awards 2024 was Kingdom Security officer Gaynor Iveson, pictured. As the citation read at the event at Windsor heard and as featured in the July edition of Professional Security Magazine, she was deployed as a security officer at campus accommodation, and was a comforting presence for a university student.
Gaynor started in the security industry three years ago. Working for Kingdom Security, the guarding part of Kingdom Services Group, Gaynor works on the campus and her main day-to-day involvement includes managing fire alarms; and students who find themselves locked out of their flats. Like other security officers she has to be prepared for most things.
She was alerted to a student in distress at the accommodation and when she visited them, offered a comforting presence without which the student may not have confided in her that she had been sexually assaulted. Gaynor arranged for emergency accommodation and supported the student through the process of reporting the incident.
Gaynor attributes her working in security to her background in customer service; and her experiences as a mother. She says: “I initially thought that security officers needed to be exceptionally tough, but I’ve found that the university/student role needs a personable approach. I’m four feet 11, so I’m not particularly intimidating! But people do open up to me, which means, at times, I can help them.” Gaynor says that she has been pleasantly surprised by how her compassionate nature has been an asset in her duties.
She’s working with a team of 25 to 30 security officers on campus, which includes five other women including her sister. “My sister saw how happy I was and my positive experiences and enthusiasm in the role and wanted to join and work at the university with me!”
Gaynor’s move from customer service to security proves that a background in the military or other uniformed services is not necessary for private security, Kingdom points out. She says: “There are so many women who have valuable experience in customer service who don’t consider security as a career path, as it’s still such a male-dominated industry. But they likely have all the skills you need to do the job – compassion, resilience, efficiency, empathy and friendliness!”
For the winners in full visit https://www.acspacesetters.co.uk/security-officers-of-distinction/.
About ASC Pacesetters
ASC Pacesetters is a group of highest-scoring security guarding contractors approved under the UK regulator the Security Industry Authority’s scheme, the ACS. While the SIA isn’t to do with ASC Pacesetters, SIA people were among attenders at the Pacesetters awards lunch in May.
