All your questions about private security

There is no single price: the cost of a security officer is calculated by the hour and depends on their qualification, the hours covered, the duration of the assignment and the number of officers needed. An SSIAP fire safety officer or a close protection officer costs more than a surveillance officer. Night work, Sundays and public holidays attract premiums set by the collective agreement. A post staffed 24/7 requires a rotating team, not a single officer. A one-off assignment also costs more per hour than a recurring contract. Before pricing, we analyse your site to size the security plan precisely, and the quote is free and with no obligation. Be wary of abnormally low rates, which often hide a shortfall. All the factors are detailed in How much does a security officer cost? (in French).

The lead time depends on your requirement: number of officers, qualifications required, hours to be covered and the complexity of the site or event. A simple reinforcement can be set up faster than a security plan that requires a prior audit, detailed instructions or several qualifications, such as SSIAP officers and screening officers. For an event, the earlier you contact us, the more carefully the security plan can be built with you and the organiser, from set-up to breakdown. We do not promise a standard lead time: when we study your request, we tell you what can be deployed and from when. Because our officers are our own employees, we do not depend on any subcontractor to mobilise a team. In an emergency, our on-call service remains available 24/7. To start the assessment, describe your requirement on the quote page.

Ask for the licence number issued to it by the CNAPS, the French private security regulator. Book VI of the French Internal Security Code (code de la sécurité intérieure) requires this licence of every company providing surveillance, guarding or physical protection of individuals, and the number must appear on all its documents, contractual and promotional alike. Check that it matches the company’s registered name and that it covers the activity you are entrusting to it. Then check the officers: each must hold a professional licence issued by the CNAPS, valid for five years. The only exception is officers assigned exclusively to fire safety: their SSIAP qualification falls under the fire regulations for premises open to the public (ERP) and high-rise buildings (IGH), not under the CNAPS. If in doubt, ask the CNAPS directly. Prestige Sécurité is licensed by the CNAPS; its licence number can be provided on request. To find out more, read What is a CNAPS-licensed company? (in French).

Yes. Our head office is in Strasbourg and the Eurométropole remains our core area, from Schiltigheim to Illkirch-Graffenstaden by way of Lingolsheim and Vendenheim. We also cover the main towns of the Bas-Rhin: Haguenau, Sélestat, Saverne, Molsheim, Obernai, Erstein, Bischwiller and Brumath. For large-scale operations and events, our teams are deployed throughout the Grand Est, from Colmar and Mulhouse to Metz, Nancy, Reims and Troyes. A stone’s throw from the Rhine, we also operate on the German side, in Kehl, Offenburg and the Ortenau, for events and cross-border assignments. Wherever the location, the security plan is supervised by our teams and backed by an on-call service available 24/7. To find out whether your town is covered, see our coverage area.

Ask the question in writing before signing, and have the answer written into the contract. Subcontracting is legal in private security, but regulated: the subcontractor must itself be licensed by the CNAPS, its officers must hold the professional licence and its involvement must be accepted by you. Insist on a clause prohibiting any subcontracting without your written consent, and ask for the named list of officers assigned to your site with their licence numbers. If the officers on site are not wearing the provider’s uniform or change without explanation, ask the provider about it. At Prestige Sécurité, the answer is simple: zero subcontracting. The officers deployed on your site are our employees, supervised by our teams, and you have a single accountable point of contact. Find out who we are.

Yes, it is the firm’s speciality. Official partner of SIG Strasbourg, Prestige Sécurité also counts among its references the Racing Club de Strasbourg, the Fédération Française de Football, the Eurockéennes de Belfort and the Stade de la Meinau. We secure sporting fixtures, trade shows and large gatherings, with a security plan sized together with the organiser, from set-up to breakdown. Depending on the event, it combines screening and, in the cases provided for by law, security pat-downs by officers holding the professional licence, a security command post and coordination of the emergency services, crowd flow management and, if the venue requires it, SSIAP fire safety officers. A dedicated supervisor leads the teams throughout the event. For a match, a festival or a trade show, discover our event security service.

Prestige Sécurité is a Strasbourg private security company, incorporated as an SARL (a French limited liability company) and founded in 2016, with its head office at 2 rue de Gribeauval in Strasbourg. It operates under licence from the CNAPS, the French private security regulator, and offers six services: security officers, manned guarding, event security, retail security, SSIAP fire safety and A3P close protection. It has more than 200 qualified officers, carries out more than 3 700 interventions a year and protects 200 000 m² of sites. It does not subcontract any assignment: the officers deployed are its own employees. As official partner of SIG Strasbourg, it operates in Strasbourg, the Eurométropole, the Bas-Rhin and the Grand Est, with an on-call service available 24/7. Its Banque de France rating is G3. For a first contact, go to the quote request page.

Yes. Prestige Sécurité operates under licence from the Conseil national des activités privées de sécurité (CNAPS), the French private security regulator, a licence that Book VI of the French Internal Security Code (code de la sécurité intérieure) makes mandatory for any company providing surveillance, guarding or physical protection of individuals. Its surveillance, guarding and close protection officers also hold a professional licence issued by the CNAPS after an administrative background check and recognised training, valid for five years. The CNAPS may inspect the company at its head office as well as on the sites where it operates, and penalise any breach. Fire safety is subject to a different framework: the SSIAP 1, 2 and 3 qualifications fall under the fire regulations for premises open to the public (ERP) and high-rise buildings (IGH), not under the CNAPS. The company’s licence number can be provided on request. To find out what the regulator examines, read how a CNAPS inspection works (in French).

No. Prestige Sécurité does not subcontract at all: the officers on your site are its own employees, recruited and supervised by the company. You therefore have a single point of contact, responsible from start to finish, and you know exactly who is protecting your premises, your store or your event. Subcontracting is legal in private security, but it is regulated: the subcontractor must itself be licensed by the CNAPS, its officers must hold the professional licence and its involvement must be accepted by the client. Yet each added intermediary takes the instructions further from the ground and makes oversight harder. If you are comparing several providers, ask the question in writing and have the answer included in the contract. The points to check are detailed in our article on subcontracting in private security (in French).

Prestige Sécurité operates first and foremost in Strasbourg and the Eurométropole, from Schiltigheim to Illkirch-Graffenstaden, from its head office on rue de Gribeauval. It also covers the main towns of the Bas-Rhin, such as Haguenau, Sélestat, Saverne, Molsheim, Obernai and Erstein. For large-scale operations and events, its teams are deployed throughout the Grand Est, notably in Colmar, Mulhouse, Metz, Nancy and Reims. It also operates on the German side, in Kehl, Offenburg and the Ortenau, for events and cross-border assignments. Close protection can accompany a person on their travels, including internationally. Across all these areas, an on-call service available 24/7 ensures continuity of service. The full list of towns is on the coverage area page.

It all starts with a description of your requirement, via the three-step quote form or by email to [email protected]: type of site or event, town, dates, staffing envisaged. We get back to you to clarify what is at stake, then we analyse your site and its risks in order to size the security plan precisely, rather than pricing blind. You then receive a proposal, free and with no obligation, specifying the number and qualifications of the officers, the hours covered and the tasks. Once the proposal is accepted, the assignment instructions are defined with you before deployment. For close protection, no public form is used: contact is made directly with our team and remains confidential.

Yes, our on-call service can be reached 24/7 on 03 88 31 59 50 to assess an urgent requirement: a break-in, a site left vulnerable by damage, the unexpected absence of your own staff, a reported threat. How quickly officers can be in place depends on the location, the time of day, the qualification required and the officers available at that moment. We will tell you frankly on the phone rather than promise a time we could not keep. To save time, have a few details ready: the exact address and access arrangements, the nature of the risk, the expected duration, a contact who can be reached on site and the essential instructions. An assignment started in an emergency is then formalised in writing, with full assignment instructions, and can develop into a long-term security plan if the need is confirmed after a few days.

A post staffed 24/7 always relies on several officers taking turns, never on just one. A week has 168 hours, whereas the statutory working week is 35 hours, and rest periods, holidays and absences also have to be covered. The post you see on the ground is therefore backed by a rotating team, organised through a rota that complies with the collective agreement for the private security sector (convention collective des entreprises de prévention et de sécurité). The exact number depends on the actual hours to be covered, the length of the shifts chosen and any periods of reinforcement. A stable team has another advantage: the same officers know your premises, your instructions and your contacts, which reduces errors at every handover. This is a point to examine in any quote: how many officers will be assigned to your site, and how replacements are organised.

No: they can ask for proof of identity as a condition of entry, but they can neither demand it nor carry out an identity check, which is reserved for authorised bodies such as the police and the gendarmerie. A private security officer has no police powers. On a business site, they apply the access rules you have set: showing a badge, signing the visitors’ register, checking that a visitor is actually expected. If the person refuses, they are not compelled: they are simply refused entry and the officer informs your contact on site. Data collected in a visitors’ register must also comply with the GDPR: collect only what is useful, inform the people concerned and set a retention period. These rules are best written into the assignment instructions, so that every officer, regular or relief, applies them in the same way.

In principle, no: a security officer works inside buildings or within the boundaries of the premises in their charge, as laid down by the French Internal Security Code (code de la sécurité intérieure). Your car park, your yard or your private grounds fall within their remit; the public highway does not. Exceptionally, the prefect may issue an order authorising surveillance on the public highway, including mobile patrols, against theft, damage, break-ins and acts of terrorism targeting the property in the officer’s charge, without going beyond its immediate surroundings. This authorisation is not automatic and must be applied for case by case. In practice, if the officer notices something suspicious in the street, they observe, take notes and alert the police, without exercising any powers there. If your site has sensitive surroundings, we discuss this during the site visit to define clearly what falls to private security and what falls to the authorities.

Yes, provided they hold both qualifications and the two roles are clearly organised. Protection against malicious acts (access, intrusion, theft) requires the professional licence issued by the CNAPS. Fire safety in premises open to the public and high-rise buildings falls under different regulations, which require an up-to-date SSIAP qualification. An SSIAP officer who also carries out security tasks must therefore hold the professional licence, and a security officer cannot staff a regulatory fire safety post without SSIAP. Finally, combining the two must remain compatible with the fire safety obligations specific to your premises, which depend on their type and category. We check this with you before proposing a combined post, and we divide the tasks in the instructions so that fire safety never takes second place.

Manned guarding places a security officer on your site, whereas remote monitoring supervises the site from a distance using equipment (cameras, detectors) connected to a specialist centre. Remote monitoring detects and reports; it cannot deter through a human presence, observe on the spot or receive the emergency services. Manned guarding provides precisely what technology cannot: eyes that understand the situation, immediate verification of an alert, a person who knows the premises and your instructions. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive. On a site already fitted with an alarm or cameras, an officer on site can respond to activations and check on the spot what is happening. The right choice depends on the value of what is stored, the sensitive time slots and the response time you need in the event of an intrusion.

It is often worthwhile, because a site closed for several days or weeks is more exposed: nobody notices a forced door, a leak or a fire starting before it reopens. Extended closures give intruders time and delay the discovery of damage. Suitable manned guarding can take the form of a continuous presence or a presence targeted at the most sensitive periods, with patrols and an occurrence log that keep you informed of the state of the site. Before the closure, we agree with you on the emergency contacts, authorised access and what to do in the event of an unexpected delivery or technical callout. Remember also to reread your insurance contract: some policies set specific conditions for unoccupied premises, and a documented surveillance plan can make discussions with your insurer easier.

They first alert the police and, if the offender is caught in the act, they may apprehend them as any person is entitled to, in order to hand them over without delay to a judicial police officer (officier de police judiciaire). This right, provided for by Article 73 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure (code de procédure pénale), applies to crimes and offences punishable by imprisonment and caught in the act, such as theft or wilful damage. It confers no police powers: no searching, no identity checks, no restraint beyond what is strictly necessary. On a deserted site, often at night, the officer’s safety remains the priority: faced with several individuals or a threat, they take cover, observe, pass on a precise description and guide the police when they arrive. They do not pursue a fleeing suspect off the site. The facts are then recorded in a report, which will be useful if you file a complaint.

Through the occurrence log and reports, which record each patrol, its time and the observations made on the ground. This is proof of the service delivered and your first means of checking. A useful occurrence log is not limited to “nothing to report”: it lists the points checked, the anomalies found (a door found open, lighting out of order, an unusual vehicle) and the action taken. Notable incidents are the subject of a report sent to your contact. During regular reviews with our manager, this information is used to adjust the security plan: moving a patrol, reinforcing a time slot, correcting a physical weakness on the site. You can ask to see these documents at any time. A provider who cannot show you any traceability cannot prove to you either that the surveillance invoiced actually took place.

Yes, because a building site changes every week, holds sought-after equipment and is often wide open. Plant, tools, cables, stored materials: the temptations are many, and temporary fencing does not hold out long against a determined intruder. The sensitive times are well known: nights, weekends, public holidays and periods when work is suspended. Manned guarding must therefore keep pace with the progress of the works: storage areas that move, new access points, deliveries to check, contractors on site to identify. The instructions are updated with the site manager at each change of phase. The officer also watches out for risks specific to building sites, such as a fire starting in waste or children drawn to the site getting in. A regular occurrence log lets you follow the state of the site without having to travel there.

As early as possible: ideally as soon as the date, the venue and the expected attendance are known. This lead time is not only for booking officers. It allows us to visit the venue, size the security plan, draft the instructions and leave you time to complete your own formalities, because depending on the scale of the event a declaration to the town hall or the prefecture may be required, with its own deadlines. Busy periods in the calendar, such as the festive season or weekends with major sporting and cultural events, also take up a great many officers across the region. A late request is not necessarily impossible: call our on-call service and we will tell you honestly what can be put in place in the time available, and what cannot be without compromising the safety of your audience.

They may carry out a visual inspection of bags, which their owner opens themselves, and only search them with the owner’s consent. Both actions are provided for by the French Internal Security Code (code de la sécurité intérieure) for private security officers. A visual inspection means looking at the contents without touching them; a search, which involves handling the items, is never imposed. If a person refuses, the officer cannot compel them, but the organiser may refuse them entry. It is best to announce this condition of entry in advance: signs at the entrances, a note on the ticket or on the event website. A refusal is handled calmly and reported to the person in charge of the entrance. To keep queues moving, we recommend communicating in advance about prohibited items and limiting the size of bags accepted.

Yes, as soon as your audience is mixed: a security pat-down must always be carried out by a person of the same sex as the person being checked. This is a requirement of the French Internal Security Code, as is the person’s express consent. A screening team made up only of men would therefore be unable to pat down female spectators, which would create a gap or expose the organiser to a breach. We make up entrance teams with male and female officers, in a proportion suited to the expected audience and the number of screening lanes. Bear in mind that a pat-down is only possible in the cases provided for by law, in particular at the entrance to sporting, recreational or cultural events with more than 300 spectators, under the supervision of a judicial police officer (officier de police judiciaire). It is never the same as a body search, which private officers are forbidden to carry out.

The organiser remains primarily responsible for the security of their event; the security company is answerable for carrying out the tasks entrusted to it. It is up to the organiser to complete the administrative formalities, comply with the rules applicable to the venue, choose a licensed provider and give it the means to act. The provider, for its part, must supply officers holding the professional licence, in the numbers and with the qualifications set out in the contract, and supervise them. Hence the importance of a precise contract: scope of the tasks, staffing per post and per time slot, access instructions, alert procedures, coordination with first aiders and fire safety officers, reporting arrangements. A vague scope creates areas that nobody covers. We draft these points with you so that everyone knows, before the doors open, who is responsible for what.

Yes: for events, we deploy our teams across the whole of the Grand Est and as far as the German border area. Our core area remains Strasbourg, the Eurométropole and the Bas-Rhin, but for large-scale events our coverage also includes towns such as Colmar, Mulhouse, Metz, Nancy, Reims and Troyes, as well as Kehl and the Ortenau for cross-border assignments. For an event far from our head office, preparation includes the logistics for the teams (travel, start times, accommodation if necessary) and a visit to the venue or, failing that, an in-depth discussion of its plans and constraints. On the German side, the framework governing private security is not the same as in France: the conditions for operating there are therefore examined with you case by case, before any commitment. Tell us the location in your first request so that we can check feasibility.

No, not without their consent: the officer may ask to see the contents of a bag, but can never insist on it being opened or search it by force. The French Internal Security Code (code de la sécurité intérieure) allows them to carry out a visual inspection of bags, which their owner opens themselves, and to search them with the owner’s agreement. A body search, on the other hand, is always forbidden. If a customer refuses, the officer does not use force to insist. In the case of a theft they have witnessed in the act, they may apprehend the offender and immediately call the police, who do have the necessary powers. Outside that case, a refusal is handled through dialogue: most situations are resolved calmly when the officer explains the procedure courteously. That is also why we favour officers with a composed manner, who obtain cooperation without raising their voice.

They approach the person courteously and invite them to come back to the till to check, without ever presuming a theft. A gate alarm is not proof: a security tag left on at the till, an item bought in another shop or a personal belonging is enough to set it off. The officer explains the situation quietly, away from others if possible, and offers to check the item concerned. The person remains free to refuse. If they leave without the officer having personally witnessed a theft, the officer cannot detain them: they note the time, the description and the circumstances in the occurrence log. This discreet handling protects your image: an innocent customer stopped in front of the queue does not come back, and may legitimately complain. Repeated alarms are also a useful signal to check the gates’ settings and tag deactivation at the till.

No: displaying or circulating the image of a person presented as a thief exposes the store to legal action, even if the facts appear established. This practice infringes image rights, privacy and the presumption of innocence. It also diverts CCTV footage from its purpose: these recordings may only be viewed by authorised persons and passed only to the competent authorities, in particular as part of a complaint. The only proper response to theft is through the justice system: calling the police when someone is caught in the act, a precise incident report, keeping the footage in accordance with the applicable rules, and the store filing a complaint. Our officers do not photograph people they apprehend and do not circulate any images. If you think you recognise the perpetrator of a theft already reported, pass the information on to the police as part of your complaint, rather than compiling your own lists, which are also strictly regulated.

That depends on your stock loss and your incidents: some shops need a permanent presence, others only at the times and periods when the risk is concentrated. A very busy city-centre store, or one selling high-value goods, often justifies a presence throughout opening hours. Other retail outlets opt for a targeted presence: the end of the day, Saturdays, Sunday openings, late-night shopping. Finally, many retailers temporarily reinforce their security during the sales and the festive season, when footfall in Strasbourg changes in scale. To decide, rely on your stocktake figures, your incident reports and how your teams feel. Your security plan can also evolve: start with a targeted presence, measure, then adjust. Our role is to help you put the human presence where it has the most effect, without paying for unnecessary hours.

Yes, if the post provides for it and if your system complies with the rules governing CCTV. An officer watching the screens spots behaviour they would not see on the shop floor, then directs a colleague or a member of staff to the area concerned. The system must, however, be compliant: cameras filming an area open to the public are subject to prefectoral authorisation, the public must be informed by signage, access to footage is restricted to authorised persons and the retention period is limited. Nor must the cameras be used to keep your employees under constant surveillance at their workstations. Before assigning an officer to the screens, we check with you that the authorisations are in place and review the operating instructions. Work behind the screens does not replace a presence on the shop floor, it complements it: deterrence remains first and foremost human and visible.

No, not for the fire safety role alone: the SSIAP qualification falls under the fire regulations for premises open to the public (ERP) and high-rise buildings (IGH), not under the CNAPS, the French private security regulator. The duties, training and conditions of employment of these officers are set by the order of 2 May 2005 (arrêté du 2 mai 2005). An officer who only handles fire prevention, evacuation and assistance to people must therefore hold an SSIAP qualification at the required level, with up-to-date refresher training, and a valid first aid qualification. The situation changes as soon as they also carry out security tasks, such as access control, intrusion surveillance or theft prevention. These tasks fall under Book VI of the French Internal Security Code (code de la sécurité intérieure): the officer must then hold the professional licence issued by the CNAPS, in addition to their SSIAP qualification. For a combined post, always check both qualifications.

They can tackle a fire that is just breaking out with first-response equipment, extinguishers or fire hose reels, but only if they can do so without putting themselves in danger. Early intervention is one of their regulatory duties: a fire dealt with in the first few seconds often remains an incident without consequences. Even so, an SSIAP officer is not a firefighter. As soon as a fire is confirmed, their priority is to alert the public emergency services, evacuate people, check that the building has been made safe and prepare for the arrival of the fire service. When the firefighters arrive, the officer receives them, guides them and passes on the useful information: location of the fire, any people missing, particular hazards, location of the shut-off controls. Fighting a developed fire is exclusively the job of the fire service. An officer who exposed themselves beyond this framework would endanger their own life and the evacuation.

That depends on the venue and the nature of the event: there is no single answer. If your event takes place in premises open to the public that already have a fire safety service, that service continues to operate, but the number of people admitted or the planned layout may call for reinforcements. If the event is held in a venue used in an unusual way, under a marquee, in a temporary structure or in the open air with temporary installations, the applicable rules and any requirements set by the safety commission (commission de sécurité) or the town hall determine the resources expected. The safest approach is to raise the question early, when completing your administrative formalities, and then build the security plan accordingly. We then integrate the SSIAP officers into the same plan as the security officers, under shared supervision, so that access control, crowd flow management and any evacuation remain coordinated.

Every three years: the order of 2 May 2005 requires three-yearly refresher training to maintain the SSIAP 1, 2 or 3 qualification. An officer who misses this deadline can no longer validly work and must take a requalification course before returning to a post, as must an officer who cannot show at least 1 607 hours of activity in the role during the last 36 months. The qualification alone is therefore not enough: what counts is its validity on the date of the assignment. The officer must also keep their first aid qualification up to date, since assisting people is part of the job. For an operator, this point is easy to overlook and weighs heavily in the event of an inspection or a fire. Ask your provider to confirm, for each officer assigned to your premises, the SSIAP level held and the date of their last refresher training. For our part, we track our officers’ refresher deadlines.

The operator of the premises remains responsible for compliance with the safety regulations; the provider is answerable for the proper performance of the tasks entrusted to its officers. It is the operator who organises fire safety, has the technical inspections carried out by the competent bodies and technicians, keeps the safety register and receives the safety commission. The provider, for its part, supplies qualified officers in sufficient numbers, supervises them and ensures that the tasks set out in the order of 2 May 2005 are actually carried out: patrols, operating the security command post, alarm verification, evacuation, receiving the emergency services. The contract must specify this division, along with the premises’ specific instructions and the reporting arrangements. A clear division avoids blind spots, for example in following up anomalies found during patrols or equipment taken out of service during works.

No, not by default: in France, a private close protection officer works unarmed in the course of an ordinary assignment. Carrying a weapon in private security remains an exception, subject to specific conditions, training and authorisations, which concern only situations of particular risk. This often comes as a surprise, so widespread is the image of the armed bodyguard. Yet it reflects the logic of the profession: an A3P officer’s effectiveness rests on anticipation, observation and the ability to move the protected person away from a deteriorating situation, not on confrontation. Nor do they have any police powers: they do not check identities, do not search and act under ordinary law, self-defence included. If you feel your situation warrants more, let us discuss it directly: the threat assessment will show what is proportionate and legally possible.

None in the substance of the job, but only the A3P qualification is regulated and verifiable. “Bodyguard” is the everyday term; A3P, for agent de protection physique des personnes (officer for the physical protection of individuals), refers to the activity that the French Internal Security Code (code de la sécurité intérieure) regulates under that name. A professional operating within the rules must have completed specific close protection training, hold a professional licence issued by the CNAPS, the French private security regulator, for this activity and work within a licensed company. A surveillance officer, however experienced, cannot carry out a close protection assignment without this qualification. Someone who presents themselves as a bodyguard without these guarantees is operating outside the legal framework, and exposes both the protected person and whoever engages them. Before entrusting your safety to anyone, ask for the company’s licence number and confirmation that each officer holds the licence covering the physical protection of individuals.

There is no standard number: staffing follows from the threat assessment, the person’s schedule and the places they go. An assignment may be carried out by a single officer for low-exposure travel, or require a team when the level of risk, the duration or the complexity of the schedule demands it. More officers does not automatically mean more security. Oversized protection draws attention to the protected person, signals that they have something to fear and weighs on their personal and professional life. Conversely, protection that is too light in the face of a real threat leaves gaps. The right level is the one that responds to the identified risk, proportionately and discreetly. That is why we never price close protection without a prior conversation: staffing is decided once the situation is understood, and it can change if the context changes.

By handling every request through direct contact, without a public form, and by limiting information to what is strictly necessary from the very first conversation. A request for protection already contains sensitive data: the person’s identity, the nature of the threat, an upcoming trip. We therefore prefer a conversation by phone or in a meeting with an identified contact. From then on, only the people who need to know a piece of information for their assignment have access to it. Our officers are bound by the private security code of ethics, incorporated into the French Internal Security Code, and the contract may include an explicit confidentiality clause, including after the assignment ends. We do not name the people we protect, publish no images and never use an assignment as a sales argument. Personal data is limited to what the assignment requires.

Yes: close protection can cover a day of meetings, a trip, an evening or a specific event, just as well as a longer period. A short assignment still requires preparation. Even for a few hours, we need to understand the context, know the schedule, the places, the times and the people to be informed, and make sure the protection remains discreet. That is why the earlier the better: as soon as the date and the schedule are known, contact us so that preparation can be done properly. For an unforeseen need, call our on-call service directly, available 24/7: we will tell you frankly what can be organised in the time available. A one-off assignment can also serve as a first contact, before more regular protection if your situation warrants it.

To work as a security officer, in Strasbourg as everywhere in France, you need a professional licence issued by the CNAPS, the French private security regulator. The route is set out in Book VI of the French Internal Security Code (code de la sécurité intérieure). First, you apply to the CNAPS for prior authorisation to begin training, after a check of your good character. You then complete a certified training course, most often the TFP APS (titre à finalité professionnelle d’agent de prévention et de sécurité, the vocational qualification for prevention and security officers). With this certification, you apply for your professional licence: the CNAPS carries out an administrative background check covering, in particular, your criminal record. The licence is valid for five years and is renewed after refresher training to maintain and update skills. It is this licence, still valid, that we ask of every candidate for a surveillance post. The full route is described in our article on security officer training (in French).

No, not for a fire safety assignment alone. The SSIAP 1, 2 and 3 qualifications fall under the fire regulations for premises open to the public (ERP) and high-rise buildings (IGH), laid down by the order of 2 May 2005 (arrêté du 2 mai 2005), not under the CNAPS. SSIAP 1 corresponds to the officer on the ground, SSIAP 2 to the team leader and SSIAP 3 to the head of service. Each level requires refresher training every three years in order to keep working. However, if your post combines fire safety with surveillance against malicious acts, the CNAPS professional licence is also required. Holding both qualifications therefore broadens the range of assignments you can be given. Our article SSIAP 1, 2, 3: what are the differences? (in French) details the role at each level.

Send your application by email to [email protected], with the subject line “Application – security officer” followed by the position you are applying for. Attach your CV, the number and expiry date of your professional licence, and copies of the qualifications relevant to the position: SSIAP, A3P, SST. Also state the areas where you can work and your availability, particularly at night, at weekends or for events. A complete application is simpler and quicker to review. Do not use the quote form on the website: it is reserved for businesses and organisers looking for a security service, and is not the place for your application. You may also send a speculative application for any of the profiles we recruit: security officer, event security officer, SSIAP officer or close protection officer.

Our officers work first and foremost in Strasbourg and the Eurométropole, where our head office is located, as well as in the main towns of the Bas-Rhin, such as Haguenau, Sélestat, Saverne and Molsheim. For large-scale operations and events, the teams are deployed throughout the Grand Est and as far as Kehl and Offenburg, on the German side. Assignments cover our six services: surveillance and access control on business sites, manned guarding and patrols, retail security, fire safety in ERP and IGH premises, close protection and events. As official partner of SIG Strasbourg, we secure sporting fixtures, trade shows and large gatherings. Our on-call service operates 24/7: depending on the post, working hours may therefore include nights, weekends and public holidays. Each service is presented on the our services page.