Guides & advice

Private security guides: what you need to know before you hire guards.

How many guards, at what price, under what obligations, and what a guard is actually allowed to do. Practical, sourced answers, written by people who work the posts themselves.

12 guides 7 categories Last updated on 6 September 2026

Wedding reception under festoon lights in the courtyard of a wine estate, a guard in a dark suit seen from behind near the gate

Featured · Private receptions Security guard for a wedding: do you need one, how many, and at what price? Nothing requires a security guard for a wedding, unless the venue or your insurer demands one. In practice, for 80 to 250 guests at a country venue, two guards in plain clothes are almost always enough: one on the door during arri… 6 September 20267 min read Read the guide

Private receptions Security guard for a wedding: do you need one, how many, and at what price? Nothing requires a security guard for a wedding, unless the venue or your insurer demands one. In practice, for 80 to 250 guests at a country venue, t… 06/09/20267 min

The profession Security guard, vigile, SSIAP, dog handler, team leader: what are the differences? “Vigile” isn’t a job title: it’s the everyday French word for the agent de prévention et de sécurité — the licensed security guard, also called APS or… 06/09/20265 min

Events How many security guards for an event? The method for working it out No regulation imposes a ratio along the lines of “one guard per 100 people”. The right headcount is calculated from peak attendance (not total capacit… 06/09/20267 min

Events Declaring an event to the town hall or prefecture: thresholds, deadlines, safety file Three regimes apply. (1) Sporting, recreational or cultural events run for profit with more than 1,500 people must be declared to the mayor — to the P… 06/09/20265 min

Retail Shrinkage: what a security guard really changes in a shop Shrinkage — the gap between theoretical stock and actual stock — commonly runs at 1 to 2% of turnover, a large share of which comes from shoplifting a… 06/09/20264 min

Businesses & sites Manned guarding or remote monitoring: how to protect a site, and at what cost Remote monitoring detects at a distance and at low cost, but does nothing on site: it tells you a contact has opened, not whether it is an intruder, a… 06/09/20265 min

Events Village fête, dance, fireworks: the organiser's security obligations For a village fête or dance, the organiser must obtain the mayor's authorisation (use of public land, plus an order setting the hours and requirements… 06/09/20265 min

Regulations Pat-down, search, visual inspection: what a security guard is allowed to do A private security guard can visually inspect a bag — you open it, they look without touching — and, with your agreement, search it. A security pat-do… 06/09/20265 min

Businesses & sites Construction site theft: how to protect machinery, copper cable and fuel Theft on construction sites mostly happens between Friday evening and Monday morning, over long weekends and the August shutdown. The targets: fuel fr… 06/09/20265 min

Regulations Subcontracting security: the client's joint and several liability When you buy a security service worth €5,000 excl. VAT or more, the French Labour Code (Code du travail) requires you to check, at signature and then … 06/09/20265 min

Public buildings & local authorities ERP: when is an SSIAP officer mandatory? The requirement depends on the type of your public-access building (L for performance and meeting halls, M for shops, X for covered sports facilities,… 06/09/20265 min

Regulations How to check that a private security company is properly licensed: CNAPS, URSSAF, insurance Five checks are enough: (1) the company holds an operating authorisation issued by CNAPS, whose number appears on its quotes and invoices; (2) each gu… 06/09/20265 min

01 · Why these guides

A well-informed client gets a better security deployment.

Many disputes in private security start with a misunderstanding — over how many guards are actually needed, what a guard is allowed to do, or what an hour of service really costs. These guides lay the groundwork, so the quote that follows is that much fairer.

Sourced

Every regulatory statement links back to its source: the French Internal Security Code (Code de la sécurité intérieure), the Labour Code, the industry's collective agreement, official websites. The links are at the bottom of every guide.

Written by practitioners

Written by the LG Sécurité team under the responsibility of Richard Le Goff, president. These are the questions our clients ask us, and the answers we give them.

Kept up to date

Regulation keeps moving — the minimum shift length, collectively agreed pay rises, reporting thresholds. The update date appears at the top of every guide.

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