Imperial awarded Secured Environments security accreditation

Commander Harper presenting the Secured Environments certificate to Terry Branch and Nigel Ward of the College's Security team

The College has received the Secured Environments accreditation in recognition of its work in building safe and inclusive campuses for our community.

The award, which distinguishes organisations that demonstrate excellence across six key principles of security, was awarded to the College’s Security team by Commander Helen Harper, Head of Profession, Crime Prevention, Inclusion and Engagement at the Metropolitan Police. The achievement reflects Imperial’s commitment to ensuring the safety of students, staff and visitors across all our campuses.

When you look at how expansive your site is across all the different areas of London, [this accreditation] is incredible Commander Helen Harper Metropolitan Police

In order to be accredited, the Security team demonstrated that they had implemented the six key principles of Secured Environments, which focus on how organisations protect themselves against crime and risk.

At the award ceremony, Commander Harper remarked: “I know how hard it is to get accreditation on this scale for something this specific. You must all be so proud of what you've achieved. When you look at how expansive your site is across all the different areas of London, it's incredible.”

The accreditation follows recent awards for the Security team from the Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO), including Security Manager of the Year and Security Initiative of the Year.

Imperial’s Security presence covers 9 campuses and hospitals that stretch from South Kensington in Central London to Silwood Park in Berkshire. The team provide 24/7 support, including emergency response, first aid, advice on crime prevention, as well as liaising with police and emergency services.

Terry Branch, Head of Security, said: “This award has taken a lot of a hard work from a great number of people. It is demonstration of the dedication the Security team has in placing the safety and security of all staff, students, and visitors as our utmost priority.”

“I’d like to thank those staff that worked tirelessly to achieve this award. Our officers have been instrumental in implementing the principles and demonstrating them day-in-day-out. I’d also like to thank everyone who submitted a response to our survey earlier in the year; the responses were incredibly valuable in understanding our strengths and where we can improve.”

The audit process involved a visit from Secured Environments to all campuses, where the team were assessed on how they have developed and integrated a variety of crime prevention strategies.

Nigel Ward, Deputy Head of Security, said: “From our introduction of SafeZone to the ‘Safe & Secure Roadshows’ we host every year, we’re dedicated to trying new and engaging means to involve our community in staying safe. Like any big city, London presents challenges in relation to crime and safety, but we’re pleased that our campuses and communities are generally exceptionally safe and welcoming spaces.”