How private security works in France, what to check before signing, and how we operate across Île-de-France.
Hiring a security agency in Paris is not the same exercise as in London or New York. Private security in France is a regulated activity: companies are licensed, officers are individually vetted, and pay rates are set by a national collective agreement. This page explains what that means for you as a client.
Since 2011, the sector is supervised by the CNAPS, a public body under the Ministry of the Interior. Two authorisations are required, and they are separate: the company holds an operating licence, and each officer holds an individual professional card issued after a background check.
For a client, this has one practical consequence: you can and should ask for both. A provider unable to produce them is not merely cutting corners — it is operating unlawfully, and you may be held accountable for using it.
These checks take five minutes and remove most of the risk in choosing a provider.
Hourly rates start at around 22 € excluding VAT for a standard security officer. What varies is not the base rate but the surcharges, which are set by the collective agreement for prevention and security companies (IDCC 1351): + 10 % at night, + 10 % on Sundays, + 100 % on worked public holidays.
France has eleven public holidays, several of which fall in May. A quote that ignores them will look cheaper and will be revised upwards later. Ask for them to be shown as separate lines — ours are.
Below roughly 20 € per hour, the collective agreement cannot be honoured. The saving is real, but it is taken from the officer’s pay, and it exposes you if a labour inspection follows.
Our management operates in English, and contracts, quotes and incident reports can be issued in English on request. Officers on site speak French; where an assignment requires English-speaking staff — an international headquarters, a hotel, a trade show — we say so before the assignment rather than after.
We prefer to be plain about this: promising fully bilingual coverage across every shift would be misleading, and you would discover it on the first night.
From about 22 € per hour excluding VAT for a standard officer, and 24 € for a fire safety officer or dog handler. Collective agreement surcharges apply: + 10 % at night and on Sundays, + 100 % on worked public holidays.
Yes — ask for the company’s CNAPS licence number and for confirmation that every assigned officer holds a valid professional card. Also ask for the professional liability insurance certificate.
Our management does. Some officers do, and we can staff assignments accordingly, but we confirm this before the assignment rather than assume it.
All eight départements of Île-de-France, from our office in the 17th arrondissement. Response times are shortest in Paris and the inner suburbs.
Often within 24 to 48 hours, subject to availability. For a single evening or a one-off event, use the quote form and select a one-off requirement.
No. Every officer on your site is our own employee. This is unusual in the French market and it is deliberate.
Tell us about your site and we will send a written quote within 24 working hours.
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