Amulet security officer Mohammed Ramzan has been named as a regional award winner by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) in its Outstanding Act category.
The BSIA awards the Outstanding Act to individuals who respond to situations that “test security personnel to the full in terms of their skills, initiative and ability to act appropriately to a dangerous situation”. Examples include dealing with a violent individual, performing lifesaving first aid, fighting fire, and preventing distressed individuals from causing harm to themselves and others.
On the morning of 19 September 2018, Mohammed, who works at a railway station, noticed a young male passenger standing very close to the edge of the platform during a routine patrol. After carefully approaching and establishing dialogue, Mohammed discovered that the individual was extremely distressed and intending to commit suicide.
Having to act quickly and with extreme caution, Mohammed immediately put interpersonal skills acquired from his suicide awareness training into practice. During this time, Mohammed was also able to alert colleagues and emergency services to the situation, while continuing to listen empathetically. Once safe, Mohammed then took the passenger to a nearby coffee shop to continue the conversation until paramedics arrived.
Darren Read, Managing Director of Amulet, commented: “Mohammed’s quick thinking prevented a young man from taking his life and demonstrated profound empathy in a moment of great despair. His ability to think clearly under pressure, remain calm and follow his training demonstrated exceptional professionalism in an extremely challenging situation. We are all incredibly proud of him.”
As a regional winner, Mohammed will now be put forward to the national judging panel. National award winners will be crowned at the British Security Awards ceremony, due to take place at the Marriott Hotel in London, July 10th.