“We are reasonably optimistic. Things have improved a lot, the wave is here. We are in the right direction, the positive signals are there“, confirms Pierre Brajeux, president of the French Federation of Private Security (FFSP), to France 3 Paris Île-de-France. “We are getting closer to the objective but the battle is not yet won, he nevertheless qualifies. We want to be realistic and constructive. We must not take our foot off the gas before crossing the finish line, the Games have not yet started. Above all, we must not relax our efforts.“
“In April, we sounded the alarm, there was a shortage of 8,000 agents to cover the needs of the Olympics period. Today, we are taking stock of the situation and the challenge is about to be met. It is a collective work, we would like to salute the mobilization of all the actors: private security professionals, training organizations, the State, France Travail… Everyone pushed in the right direction“, assures Pierre Brajeux.
“There are probably still some hard points, such as the opening ceremony and some rather unusual sites. But the figures are very encouraging. A determining element is the CQP PSGE, the Professional Qualification Certificate ‘Participating in private security activities for major events’). A condensed three-week training course, instead of five weeks for a traditional security agent, was created in April 2023.“, recalls the president of the FFSP.
“This training focuses on the fundamentals of techniques related to major events. At the end of March, we had passed the milestone of 2,000 candidates having obtained this certification. Today, we are approaching the milestone of 4,000. The machine is running at full speed. Before the opening ceremony, we should reach or even exceed the milestone of 6,000“, he continues.
Pierre Brajeux also notes a phenomenon of feminization: “Today in the human surveillance sector, we are generally around a rate of 13% women. Among the candidates who obtained the PSGE, there are 34% women trained. This is extremely positive for the profession, it shows an ability to attract more women. The image of the sector is changing.“
Human surveillance, remote surveillance, airport security… The CFDT is calling on employees in the prevention and security sector to strike on Friday, June 28, and also during the Olympic Games, to protest their working conditions. In a press release, the union cites the following dates:Sundays July 21, July 28, August 4, August 11, August 18, August 25, September 1, September 8, September 15 and September 22, 2024“He criticizes employers’ organizations for not having “respected their commitments” regarding the salaries of security guards.
“For airport security, it is quite classic to put pressure on before the summer holidays, with a period of high attendance, reacts Pierre Brajeux. Everyone is free to do what they want. But given the arrival of the Olympics and the domestic political context, I am not sure that it is neither the right time nor the right vector if we are at all responsible. But I think that the impact on the Games will be limited in any case, it concerns agents on fixed-term contracts.“
As the Olympic Games approach, the president of the FFSP nevertheless warns of the risk of “no show“. “In events, these are the people who are supposed to take their job but who don’t show up when the day comes. There will inevitably be some loss online. So the work continues to continue recruiting, we must remain mobilized“, he repeats.
