Whanganui's Jeremy Horne of Alarm Watch takes out two national security awards

Alarm Watch wins back to back Security Professional of the Year awards, with Jeremy Horne taking out the 2020 award. Photo / Supplied

A Whanganui security operator has been recognised nationally, taking out two awards at the New Zealand Security Association Annual Awards.

Jeremy Horne, an employee at Alarm Watch for the last 16 years, won the Communication Centre Operator of the Year award as well as the Ian Dick Memorial Award for Security Professional of the Year.

The awards had been scheduled to be held in Christchurch, but instead were livestreamed from Auckland due to Covid-19.

This was the first time Horne had been nominated for any awards, with customers all around New Zealand writing nomination letters for him.

Horne said he was "truly humbled" to receive the awards.

"It blew my socks off. Thanks to the team here at Alarm Watch, it is just as much their award as it is mine."

Until technical manager Graeme McKenzie won the Security Professional of the Year in 2019, Alarm Watch had not won an award for some years. Earlier winners were Ian Ross in 2000 and Wayne Watson in 2002.

Alarm Watch general manager Wade Coneybeer said Horne is the "pinnacle" of customer service.

"Always going over and above for our customers and to receive this sort of acknowledgement from our industry after a decade and a half is so cool," Coneybeer said.