North East Security has been named Best Security Company in the North East at the My Local Awards 2026. The award was decided by customer votes, which made it mean a lot to a business that only started in September 2024.
The company provides security services and accredited training. It is young and female-owned, working in an industry where most frontline staff and leaders are men. The team says it was "absolutely gobsmacked and overjoyed" when the result was announced, especially as it was up against security firms with far more years behind them.
How the business started
North East Security was set up by people who cared about teaching and professional development as much as security work. They wanted a company that kept high standards, helped people learn and looked after the people it worked with, not one that just supplied staff in hi-vis.
Getting established took time. Clients choosing a security provider want to know the team will turn up, act professionally and handle whatever happens. A new company has to earn that trust. North East Security chose to grow steadily, concentrating on doing good work, keeping standards high and building relationships with clients and learners rather than expanding quickly.
Why the customer vote matters
Security work depends on trust. Businesses and event organisers are handing over responsibility for their premises, staff and visitors, so when customers vote for a provider, it says something about how that provider has treated them.
Clients have told the company they value the team's reassuring presence and the fact that its staff are approachable and focused on safety. The team believes good security is often the work people don't notice: problems spotted and dealt with early, and people left to enjoy themselves. How staff speak to people and keep calm matters as much as the practical duties.
Working in a male-dominated industry
Building a business in a sector with long-standing expectations about who runs it brings extra challenges. North East Security hasn't tried to copy older firms. It has put its own priorities first: welfare, clear communication, professional development and good relationships with customers.
The team sees those qualities as part of doing security well. Staff may need to handle a difficult situation, reassure members of the public, look after someone vulnerable and keep event organisers informed, all at once. That takes judgement and emotional awareness as well as technical knowledge.
The company hopes its progress encourages others thinking about starting a business in a sector where they are underrepresented.
Security services
North East Security works with events, venues and local businesses across the region. A community gathering might need a friendly, low-key presence, while a large event needs detailed planning and coordination. The company adapts to each job but keeps the same standards throughout, and its focus on qualifications and training feeds directly into how its security staff work.
SIA and first aid training
Training was one of the main reasons the company was founded. It delivers SIA licence training, first aid courses and other industry-recognised qualifications.
Learners arrive with very different backgrounds. Some are new to security, some want to build on what they know and some need a qualification for their job. The company tries to make courses accessible and to build people's confidence as well as their knowledge.
First aid training is especially important to the team. One learner who completed a North East Security first aid course later faced a real emergency and was able to use what they had learned to help save a life. For a business built around teaching, it's the outcome the team is proudest of.
Keep It Shields
One highlight for the company has been its work with Keep It Shields, an independent music event in North Shields that turns a town centre car park into a daytime venue. Internationally respected DJs play alongside local talent.
The event is run by Me Me Me, a record label and party series that champions music makers and DJs, together with Are You Affiliated, the team behind the venue-within-a-venue concept at King Street Social Club. The scene has been covered by The Guardian, The Times and the BBC.
North East Security helped plan and deliver the event's health, safety and operational arrangements. Running a large event in an unusual space involves a lot of preparation, from crowd welfare to communication between organisers and safety teams. The event has now run safely across several years. With independent venues under pressure, the team is glad to support an event that gives local musicians, DJs and businesses a platform.
Community work
The company runs free Emergency First Aid courses for local residents, aimed at people who wouldn't otherwise get the training through work. It also works with Independent Party councillors on community safety and wellbeing projects, and supports local charities, events and independent businesses where it can.
Thanks
The team is grateful to its staff, clients, learners and everyone who has booked, recommended or supported the business. It also thanks Northumbria Police, PubWatch, and the local councils and licensing teams in Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Gateshead, along with the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and Highfield for the standards and guidance they provide.
What's next
North East Security plans to expand its SIA and first aid training so more people in the region can get qualified. It will keep running free Emergency First Aid sessions and working with local organisations and councillors. It also wants to take on more events and businesses across the North East.
The team intends to keep growing steadily. Holding on to the standards, personal service and support for staff and learners that earned this award comes first.
Congratulations to North East Security on being named Security Company of the Year at the My Local Awards 2026.
