The Federal Association of the Security Industry has presented its Employee Award for the ninth time. With this award, the association recognises employees in the security industry who, through their exceptional actions, have demonstrated a special sense of responsibility, professionalism and moral courage. BDSW Vice-President Nora Rauch and Vice-Presidents Rasmus-Finn Wackerhagen and Cornelius Toussaint made it clear during the award ceremony that the jury had once again been impressed by the stories of the nominated security staff members this year. These stories exemplified just how varied the challenges facing security personnel are and how superbly the staff are able to overcome them. This naturally applies not only to colleagues who, like the award winners, achieve particularly remarkable feats, but also to those who carry out their duties day in, day out, whether on site or on patrol, at events or in public order management.

The winners of the 2025 Employee Award are:

1st place: Sofiya Kolesova, SECURITAS Sicherheitsdienste GmbH & Co. KG, Erfurt site

First prize went to trainee Sofiya Kolesova. Whilst on duty at a Zalando logistics site on 14 October 2025, a female employee attacked a colleague with a computer monitor. Ms Kolesova recognised the danger immediately, stepped in front of the victim to protect him and stopped the attack before anyone was seriously injured.

After the attacker tested positive for drugs and the situation threatened to escalate again, Ms Kolesova managed to stabilise the situation calmly and respectfully until the police and ambulance service arrived. As the attacker spoke Ukrainian, Ms Kolesova also assisted the emergency services by providing Ukrainian-German translation and accompanied them to the hospital.

The jury particularly commended the trainee’s professional and level-headed response, given her young age and her position within the company.

2nd place: Matthias Köhling, Pond Security Service GmbH, Erlensee

Second place went to Matthias Köhling from Pond Security Service GmbH. On 6 June 2025, a medical emergency was reported during a shift change at a site managed by Pond in the Miesau area. A person was found in a vehicle in a critical condition and showed no signs of life.

Mr Köhling took charge of coordinating the helpers and organised the necessary measures. Together with a colleague, he performed resuscitation measures, including chest compressions and artificial respiration, until professional first aiders arrived.

Thanks to his swift, considered and coordinated actions, the person concerned was successfully resuscitated.

3rd place: Abdirahman Mohamud, All Service Sicherheitsdienste GmbH, Frankfurt am Main

Third prize went to Abdirahman Mohamud of All Service Sicherheitsdienste GmbH. Mr Mohamud was on duty at the reception centre for asylum seekers in Kusel on the evening of 20 September 2025 when a serious knife attack took place there.

Two residents were seriously injured in the attack, one of them critically in the neck. Mr Mohamud was among the first responders on the scene and immediately initiated life-saving measures. As no bandages were initially available, he applied pressure to the carotid artery of the seriously injured victim with his bare hands to prevent him from bleeding to death. At the same time, he attended to the second injured person. According to the police and the ambulance service, his immediate intervention was crucial to the survival of both victims.

BDSW Vice-President Nora Rauch explained during the award ceremony that the honoured employees were representative of the capabilities of the entire security industry. She noted that the day-to-day work of the sector was often unspectacular, but made an important contribution to security in Germany. This year’s award winners had impressively demonstrated, in extraordinary situations, the professionalism and sense of responsibility with which security staff operate.