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Securitas AG is a
Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...
company providing security services with head office in
Zollikofen Zollikofen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is a suburb of the city of Bern. It is home to the Swiss College of Agriculture (SHL). Geography Zollikofen has an area of . Of th ...
, regional offices in
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
,
Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
,
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
,
Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
,
Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...
,
Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
,
Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...
,
Olten Olten (; High Alemannic: ''Oute'') is a town in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland and capital of the district of the same name. Olten grew into a town during the Middle Ages at the location of a bridge over the Aare. After a period of de ...
, St. Gallen,
Thun Thun () is a List of towns in Switzerland, town and a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the administrative district of Thun (administrative district), Thun in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Bern, Bern in Switzerland. ...
and
Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
as well as 25 other branches all over Switzerland. Securitas AG is part of the Swiss Securitas Group.


Services

*Area patrols *
Bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...
s *Building-site guarding *Event security *Holiday guarding *Individual patrols *Intervention and control center services *Law enforcement *Object and valuables protection *
Prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
er transports *Traffic services


History


From Foundation to World War I

Based on the insolvent company of the same name, Bernese
Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...
and
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
Jakob Spreng founded Securitas AG in 1907. One of the customers was the
Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (, SBB; , CFF; , FFS) is the national railway company of Switzerland. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Bern. It used to be a State-owned enterprise, government institution, but since 1999 it has be ...
with a guarding contract for railway stations in Swiss cities. This was followed by public occasions such as the "Eidgenössisches
Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on thei ...
", a Federal shooting match, in Bern in 1910, where Securitas formed a detachment with the local fire-brigade and police forces. With the Schweizerische Landesausstellung, the Swiss National Exhibition in 1914 in Bern, the company was awarded a contract: 200 guards provide area surveillance and access control. Despite the outbreak of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, with its loss of manpower due to general conscription, Securitas AG was established throughout Switzerland by this time. In the years 1917 and 1919, contracts with the organisers of the Swiss trade fair in Basel and the Comptoir in Lausanne followed. These institutions remain regular customers. On. November 27, 1917, Jakob Spreng died age 54, and his successor Alfred Geiser took over as General Manager. In 1919, the company was tasked with security of Swiss food deliveries to war-damaged eastern states. In 1907, an accident insurance was introduced. From 1918, health insurance as well as widow's and orphan's pension followed. In 1925, a staff pension fund was established, and in 1934 all employees entered the unemployment insurance scheme.


The 1930s

In 1928, Jakob Spreng junior took over from Alfred Geiser as General Manager of Securitas AG. The newly founded
League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
employed Securitas AG as security service in its headquarters, the
Palais des Nations Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace **Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées **Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River in t ...
in
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, where the guards protected delegates, showed visitors around, monitored entrances and inspected journalists.


From World War II to the 1950s

In 1939, guarding contracts followed at the ice hockey world championships in Zürich and Basel as well as the National Exhibition in
Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
. The outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
demanded flexibility: due to the rising counts of break-ins and thefts during the black-out, patrol areas saw a rise in staff and patrol frequencies were heightened. To bypass staff shortages due to general conscription, the guards' wives took over their husbands' nightly rounds. During the so-called "Anbauschlacht" or "cultivation battle" to ensure the nation's food supplies, the company was assigned a plot of land above Cademario in
Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
, where potatoes were cultivated. In 1943, the first collective labour agreement was conceived between the trade-union VHTL and Securitas AG. That same year, an internal compensation fund was established, which paid child benefits until they were established by law. In 1948, the affiliate Securiton AG was founded. During the soccer World Championships in 1954, Securitas was present in large numbers along with military and police forces. Even at the so-called "Miracle of Bern", where Germany became world champion against its adversary
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, Securitas guards were on duty at the press center and other special access points. On November 18, 1958, Jakob Spreng junior died at age 65 and his son Manuel Spreng became General Manager. In 1959, the first actual service car, a Citroen, was purchased. During the 1950s, the nationwide distribution of security systems demanded more and more on-site interventions.


From 1960 to 2000

In 1963, ''Securitas Express AG'' was founded, which specialized in money and valuables transports. In 1964, the National Exhibition EXPO in Lausanne took place, where 300 male and, as a milestone in company history, also female employees provided security services. In the 1960s, Swiss Federal councillor
Moritz Leuenberger Moritz Leuenberger (born 21 September 1946) is a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1995 to 2010. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), he was President of the Swiss Confederation in 20 ...
temporarily worked as a Securitas guard. In addition to a busy
Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...
concert in February 1968, the ''Interessengemeinschaft Telekommunikation und Systeme TUS'' was founded. Based on the telecommunications system ''TUS35'', Securitas established the first control center in Basel in 1969. This control center allowed numerous signals to be received differentiated and to be forwarded to the appropriate stations. At the
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
concert in Bern in 1972, Securitas guards around the stage and at the emergency exits were wearing specially-made T-shirts, because the organisers wished no uniformed guards inside the concert hall. That same year, the business division money and valuables transports were sold to the internationally established MAT Transport AG. Although Securitas still offers escort duties, the company has ceased doing money and valuables transports. For security and efficiency reasons, the management decided to create a private radio network in 1977. Two years later, Securitas owned the largest private radio network in Europe at the time. The 1980s were characterized by official visits like the
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
of Britain or the Pope
John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
. Further, personal and object security specialists became responsible for all security measures concerning the Swiss embassy in the Lebanese capital
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
. In 1989, one of the guard's main tools, the control watch, was replaced by an electronic reading device, which allowed for much easier data analysis. In 1991, the Securitas uniform was refurbished: Along with new colours and cuts for uniform jacket and service pant or service skirt, the
kepi The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword from , itself a re-spelled version of the , a diminutive form of , meaning . In Europe, the kepi is most commonly associated with French ...
was replaced by
beret A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of History of Spain (1808 ...
and
combination cap A peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover, or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. It d ...
. During the 1990s, Securitas AG was certified by quality management norm
ISO 9001 The ISO 9000 family is a set of international standards for quality management systems. It was developed in March 1987 by International Organization for Standardization. The goal of these standards is to help organizations ensure that they meet ...
and introduced an intern diploma in 1993, which acted as a model for the Federal diploma for security specialists. In 1996, Samuel Spreng was appointed as General Manager by the board of directors and took over the operational leadership of the Securitas Group on January 1, 1997. His brother Manuel presided the board of directors until his demise on February 9, 1999.


The 21st century

At the 6th Swiss National Exhibition
Expo.02 Expo.02 was the 6th Swiss national exposition, which was held from 15 May to 20 October 2002. The exposition took place around the lakes of Neuchâtel, Bienne/Biel and Morat/Murten. It was divided into five sites, which were called ''Arteplages' ...
in 2002, Securitas not only took part by means of services, but as an official partner and sponsor. In that year the uniforms as well as the
corporate identity A corporate identity or corporate image is the manner in which a corporation, firm or business enterprise presents itself to the public. The corporate identity is typically visualized by branding and with the use of trademarks, but it can also i ...
of the company were refurbished and modernized. In 2003, according to Swiss public television, Securitas sent an agent to spy on the activist organization ATTAC on behalf of
Nestlé Nestlé S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 20 ...
, one of the largest multinationals in Switzerland. This went on for more than a year. A criminal case was dropped in 2009, but Securitas and Nestlé liable in a civil case in 2013 and ordered both to pay compensation to the activists. In 2007, Securitas AG celebrated its centenary.


See also


References


External links


Securitas AG

Job site of Securitas AG
{{Authority control Security companies of Switzerland Companies based in the canton of Bern