A Bromley security officer who has 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 Chamber member Ward Security, was one of a number of ‘unsung heroes' who picked up awards for helping make the borough a safer place last 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, pictured far right, receiving his awards from Bromley commander Charles Griggs,  joined Ward Security three years ago with no previous security experience and was delighted to receive his award reflecting the significant contribution he and the Parks Security Services Team has made to reducing crime in Bromley town centre parks.
The Safer Neighbourhoods initiative was 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.
Neal said "In Bromley, particularly in the town centre parks, we work very closely with the local police."
The 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 iwhen criminals tried to make their escape.
All the more amazing, given that Neal had followed the suspects on the basis of a hunch.
He went on: "The outcome was that the criminals were arrested and the teenagers they'd robbed got their possessions back.
"Effectively, I'm meant to act as a visual deterrent, but I can't really stand by and watch crimes being committed.".
Ward Security managing director said: "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.
"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."
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