Securitas AB is a Swedish group devoted to security services, such as security guarding, mobile patrolling, monitoring, investigation and related consulting services.[2] The group is headquartered in Stockholm and had over 322,000 employees in 44 markets worldwide as of 2025.[3] Securitas AB is listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm in the Large Cap segment.
Securitas AB owns and operates the Swiss security company Protectas AG in Switzerland,[4] where there is a pre-existing, separate security company called Securitas AG, part of the Swiss Securitas Group.
Since 1999, Securitas AB has been the parent company of Pinkerton, a historically significant American detective agency.
History
Securitas AB was founded in 1934 in Helsingborg, Sweden, as AB Hälsingborgs Nattvakt, when Erik Philip-Sörensen bought a small guarding company. In 1935, the name was changed to Förenade Svenska Vakt AB. The company expanded through acquisitions of several small security companies, initially in southern Sweden.[5]
In 1949, AB Securitas Alarm was founded as the company's security technology subsidiary, and during the following decade, the company started expanding internationally.[5]
Securitas made its first technical breakthrough in 1961 with the Securi-Coll automatic access control system. The company then introduced a payment system for petrol stations in Sweden, which was later modified to enable cash withdrawals. On May 7, 1968, Securitas launched the world's first ATM linked to a banking system at Oxie Sparbank in Malmö.[6]
In 1972, the group was rebranded as Securitas, the Roman goddess of security and stability,[7] with a logotype consisting of three red dots and the word "Securitas". The dots are described as representing the group's core values of "Integrity, Vigilance, and Helpfulness."[8][9]
In 1976, Erik Philip-Sörensen sold the Securitas group to his sons Jörgen Philip-Sörensen and Sven Philip-Sörensen,[5] and in 1981, the group was divided between the sons, with the international operations developing into Group 4 and the Swedish operations retaining the Securitas brand.[10]
In 1983, Securitas was sold to the holding company Skrinet, and in 1985, it was acquired by Investment AB Latour, controlled by Gustaf Douglas. Under the new ownership, the group focused on security, and in 1989, an international expansion began with acquisitions in Norway, Denmark, and Portugal and the establishment of Hungary.[10][11]
In 1991, Securitas was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. In 1994, the group distributed ASSA AB (acquired in 1988) to its shareholders. Throughout the 1990s, foreign acquisitions were made in eleven European countries and in the United States.[11]
In February 1999, Securitas acquired Pinkerton[12] and in August 2000, Burns Security[13] and several regional security companies in the United States. These acquisitions made Securitas one of the largest security companies in the world. In 2001, a new organization took effect, with five business areas according to the types of services offered, and Loomis Fargo & Company was acquired.[11][14]
In 2003, the group's security services in the United States were integrated under the Securitas brand, and the group's cash handling services were completely divisionalized, with joint management for United States and European operations.[15]
In 2006, the divisions Securitas Systems (alarm, monitoring, and access control systems) and Securitas Direct (solutions for homes and small businesses) were distributed to the group's shareholders and listed at the Stockholm Stock Exchange. In the same year, the divisions Mobile (small and medium-sized customers) and Alert Services (electronic surveillance of homes and businesses) were created (as of 2007, constituting the business segment Mobile and Monitoring).[14][16][17] Securitas Direct was later renamed to Verisure in all countries except Spain and Portugal.[18]
In November 2007, the United Kingdom cash handling services of the division Loomis were sold to Vaultex Ltd., owned by HSBC and Barclays.[17] Securitas began operating in Peru in November 2007.[19] In 2008, the division Loomis (cash handling) was distributed to the group's shareholders and listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm.[20]
In September 2010, Securitas acquired the security-services operations of Reliance Security Group in the United Kingdom.[21][22] In November 2011, Securitas acquired Chubb Security Personnel in the United Kingdom.[23]
As of 2012, Securitas was present in 53 countries and territories.[24]
In 2013, Securitas acquired Pinkerton Government Services, which provides cleared security services to governmental agencies and programs that require a Department of Defense or Department of Energy security clearance. This government services division of Securitas became known as Securitas Critical Infrastructure Services. This division operates both in the United States and worldwide when cleared services are needed overseas.
In October 2015, Securitas acquired Diebold Incorporated's (NYSE-DBD) Electronic Security business in North America. Diebold's North American Electronic Security business, based in Green, Ohio, United States, is the third largest commercial electronic security provider in North America. Diebold's North American Electronic Security business has approximately 1,100 employees. The operation includes more than 55,000 monitored customer locations and 200,000 sites serviced.[25]
In March 2022, Securitas partnered with Citizen to trial a version of Citizen's on-demand private security service in Chicago.[26]
On July 22, 2022, Securitas purchased Stanley Security Solutions, which included Stanley Healthcare, from the American company Stanley Black & Decker. The brands were renamed Securitas Technology and Securitas Healthcare, respectively. The initial agreement was signed on December 8, 2021[27][28]
Controversies
Murder of Cassie Heppner
In February 2020, American Securitas officer Robert Pavao murdered Timberland employee Cassie Heppner at Timberland's corporate headquarters in Stratham, New Hampshire, where Pavao was contracted to.[29] Pavao was found guilty of second degree homicide and sentenced to 55 years in prison for the crime.[30]
Suspension for Harvard union protest
In January 2022, an American Securitas officer contracted to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Walter J. Terzano, was suspended for protesting during a contentious union contract negotiation between Securitas and the Service Employees International Union. Terzano created protest signs and attempted to get other Securitas officers to protest outside the home of University President Lawrence Bacow. A complaint was made to Securitas by Harvard's director of facilities and maintenance, leading to the suspension.
Operations
Securitas is organized into three business segments: Securitas North America, Securitas Europe, and Securitas Ibero-America. The Group also has operations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, which form the AMEA division.[34]
In general, the group operates under the brand Securitas for all business segments. Specialized services including due diligence, background checks, security assessments, brand protection, intellectual property protection, executive protection, investigations, cyber surveillance, computer forensics, social compliance and IT security are performed worldwide under the brand "Pinkerton."
These operations are reported as part of the North American business segment.[8] There are three operations centers in North America: Toronto, Ontario, Parsippany, New Jersey and Westlake Village, California. The Swiss market is an exception to the name, in that general security services are provided under the brand Protectas.[24]
Gallery
See also
- Loomis for robberies committed against Loomis while it was a division of Securitas
- Securitas depot robbery for the events of 2006 affecting the United Kingdom cash handling operations of the Loomis division of Securitas, at the time operating under the Securitas brand, and in 2007, sold to HSBC and Barclays
- Surfside condominium collapse, a 2021 building collapse for which Securitas paid over $500 million US in a later settlement[43]
External links
References
- SECU B, SECURITAS B, (SE0000163594)^
- Annual Report 2024 Securitas AB^
- Securitas AB Annual Report 2025 Securitas AB, retrieved 2026-04-09^