We recently held our internal awards, The Amulets, to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our team members throughout 2024.
A fabulous event at the Royal College of Physicians included dinner, drinks and recognition of exceptional work in the last year.
This year we had eight winners.
The Outstanding Act: Mohammed Hussain – c2c, Barking Station
Mohammed was recognised for the determination he showed in preventing a passenger taking their life. His instincts and dedication led him to closely watch over a passenger whose demeanour raised his concern. Mohammed’s empathy compelled him to reach out, and his vigilance kept him nearby as the passenger’s actions became more erratic. When the critical moment arrived, and the passenger jumped in front of the oncoming train, Mohammed took immediate action and signalled to the train driver to stop, with the train stopping mere inches from the passenger. Mohammed’s actions from start to finish saved a life. This wasn`t just an isolated act of bravery; Mohammed regularly shows outstanding vigilance, awareness and compassion combined with a dedication to preserving life and hope.
Doing the Right Thing: Zachary Algar-Harrison, Connor Schofield, Matthew Algar & Jake Beckett – Transport for Greater Manchester, Bolton
Earlier this year, a male had been observed via CCTV sitting next to a school child before putting his phone under her skirt and taking a photo. When the male returned a few days later, his suspicious behaviour was noted by the Travel Safe Officers and a targeted operation was set up to intercept the male in question at the earliest opportunity. Jake Beckett headed for the area where the male was last spotted and alerted the Police upon finding him. Following on from his arrest, it was revealed that the man was a registered sex offender and was wanted for other serious offences.
The Heart of Amulet: George Mitchell – Northern Trains, Bradford Interchange
George has been involved with numerous community outreach programmes around rail safety. He was involved in the Samaritans ‘Small Talk Saves lives’ campaign and launch at London Kings Cross Station following George’s fantastic work in talking someone down from an attempted suicide at Bradford Interchange earlier in the year. He was also actively involved in the large-scale delivery of rail safety awareness which took place over a week at Leeds station, involving multiple schools and rail experts and other train operation companies. During his time at Amulet, he has also worked in his own local community and schools to help deliver safety awareness.
Transforming the Industry: Daniel Smith and Danyel Williamson – Northern Trains, Manchester Victoria
Daniel and Danyel worked tirelessly to drive safety and security all around them. They have improved safety at their own station by designing and implementing a new and improved safety and security briefing process and expanded their message across the entire region. Such forward thinking and innovation allows frontline operatives to play an integral part in how we operate and is something that makes the operation special and unique. The quality of the briefing documents they have produced has led to this process being shared with other rail contracts across the country.
Everyday Hero: Eugene Obeng – Northern Trains
Eugene’s ability to engage and understand the full picture behind the incidents at his site makes a huge difference to people’s lives. He excels in his ability to help vulnerable people – it is not uncommon for him to initially begin dealing with an individual who has committed an offence but is then identified as someone who requires further intervention from a safeguarding perspective, be it a missing person or an individual suffering with mental health issues. Without doubt, the Northern Trains network is a safer place with Eugene on the team.
Leadership: Surakha Reid – The Glades Shopping Centre
Surakha’s unwavering professionalism and endless enthusiasm shines through. She has inspired her new team to grow in confidence and, in following such a great example, it has gone from strength to strength. Surakha has received praise from everyone who works closely with her, including this feedback from one customer:
“Her support of everyone in the centre embodies how we work as one team, her resilience and positivity in everything she does is fantastic, and we are very proud she is part of our team.”
Team of the Year: The Amulet Technical Services Team
The Amulet Technical Services Team has overseen a year-on-year revenue growth and won Project of the Year at the Security and Fire Excellence awards in 2023. They have provided leading technical solutions to cover numerous high-profile events and locations including the London Marathon, Park Life, and the Etihad arena. It is a willingness to adapt to any new challenge that sets this team apart. This desire to exceed expectations has not gone unnoticed by the team’s customers.
Led by Intelligence: Northern Trains – The Violence Against Women and Girls Project
In April 2023, officers on the Northern Trains Travel Safe Officer contract began a six month long, first-of-its-kind experiment alongside Cambridge University and the Rail Delivery Group. This experiment was aimed at reducing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) at railway stations. They conducted thousands of patrols across a six-month period, and while the academic paper is still in review, the results being shared indicate a phenomenal 66% reduction in crimes relating to VAWG at these selected locations. Each officer has played an integral part throughout the experiment in which the results will travel far and wide, and hopefully lead to even more large-scale operations of a similar nature.
All eight winners deserve their recognition, as do all the individuals and teams who were shortlisted. As always, The Amulets was a fantastic event that gave us the opportunity to reflect on the contributions that our teams make to their clients and society.
Congratulations to all involved!
