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1950s-2000
2000
Group
4 and Falck merged and the business was rebranded Group 4 Falck. Group
4 Falck acquired several security businesses in Europe, among others ADS in Germany, Austrian SOS, SPAC
in Finland, BOS in the Czech Republic, Norwegian Unikey and Banktech in Hungary. In addition, the Group
took over all guard activities from the Danish Palaces and Properties Agency. In
keeping with Securicor’s business goals, several significant acquisitions were completed during the
first years of the 21st century. These included; Canadian cash services operators Loomis and Pinkerton,
manned security companies Gray Security (Africa), ADI (UK & Europe) and Jardine (Asia), and US electronic
offender management company EMS.
1999
Falck
took over Nederlandse Veiligheidsdienst (NVD), the largest security operator in the Netherlands, and
acquired UAB Gelvora, a Lithuanian security operator. Securicor decided
to concentrate on the core security business and consequently sold its 40% stake in Cellnet to British
Telecommunications plc. Securicor's divisional structure was streamlined
into three divisions - Security Services, Distribution and Communications.
1998
Securicor
won a contract to operate a 212-bed juvenile facility in Florida. The company also formed a joint venture
with the German Post Office, Deutsche Post, by selling it 50% of the “Omega” distribution division.
Falck
made a number of strategic acquisitions on the Baltic rim markets: the German security group SIMIS;
Sezam Sp. z o.o. of Poland, and AS ESS, an Estonian security operator with companies in all the Baltic
states. Group 4 started activities in Bangladesh.
1997
Falck acquired two minor security operators in Finland. Securicor
entered the US corrections market through Securicor New Century, based in Virginia.
1996
Group
4 started a joint venture with British Gas to provide meter-reading services to more than 19 million
customers in the United Kingdom and established AccuRead for this purpose. Falck
acquired the security operator Partena Security in Sweden and the safety operator Falken in Norway.
Securicor undertook a reorganisation of its share structure to create
a single plc in place of the existing publicly quoted companies.
1995
Falck's
shares were listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, and Falck acquired Trygghetssentralen in Norway.
Securicor
acquired the UK based guarding company ‘Shorrock Guards’.
1994
Group
4 established operations in the United Arab Emirates and the Ukraine. In addition, all activities in
Spain were sold to Securitas AB in exchange for shares in the Swedish security business.
1993
Falck acquired Danish company ISS' security business (ISS Securitas)
which merged with
Falck Sikring to become Falck Securitas. The acquisition of EWWS Group
gave Group 4 a presence in the Austrian and Canadian markets. Securicor
Custodial Services was awarded the contract to run the London Metropolitan Court Escort and Custody
services for five years - later extended to 10 years. By 1997, the company had opened HM Prison &
YOI Parc in Bridgend, the first Private Finance Initiative (PFI) prison to open in the UK.
1991
Baltica
sold 55% of its shares in Falck, and the consortium of owners was extended to include a number of major
insurance companies. Group 4 took over IMS, the leading security operator
in Belgium and established a presence in Turkey. In addition, Group 4
won the contract to manage the first privatised prison in the United Kingdom, at Wolds in Humberside.
1990
Group
4 established a collaboration with the Hungarian ministry of finance for the delivery of security services
to government offices as well as commercial and industrial organisations. Securicor
established the Custodial Services operation as part of its Security division, in response to a government
decision to contract out selected prisoner services.
1988
The
Falck family sold Falck to Baltica, a Danish insurance company, and Group 4 Falck's current President
and CEO, Lars Nørby Johansen, was appointed Managing Director of Falck.
1989
Group
4 moved into the Indian market as part of an outward-looking strategy.
1981
The
Philip-Sørensen family's activities were split up. Jørgen Philip-Sørensen took responsibility for the
European activities in the Group 4 Group, while his brother, Sven Philip-Sørensen, carried on the Swedish
activities (Securitas AB). The Chairman of Securicor, Peter Smith, was
awarded the OBE for his services to the security industry. During the
1980’s, Securicor joined forces with British Telecommunications plc to form the Cellnet cellular network
and at the same time developed other communications businesses.
1974
The third generation of the Philip-Sørensen family took over the
Group 4 business.
1973
Securicor
sold the non-core Hotel division to Norfolk Capital.
1971
The
strike by postal workers gave a significant boost to Securicor’s delivery business. In
addition, Securicor obtained two listings on the London Stock Exchange - Securicor Group Limited and
Security Services Limited.
1965
Securicor
launched the Data Transit Service, a fleet of vans moving customers’ confidential information such as
payroll and banking details from central computer locations to regional offices. Jørgen
Philip-Sørensen was appointed managing director of the UK-part of the family's businesses, which, in
1968, were organised under the name of Group 4 (Total Security).
1963
Falck
bought the Zonen Redningskorps. The Philip-Sørensen family established
two new companies in the United Kingdom: Store Detectives Ltd. and Securitas Alarms Ltd.
1960
Securicor
became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kensington Palace Hotel. During the
1960s Securicor developed into a nationwide operator in the UK with numerous branches and a radio communications
network. The company also took over the Harmondsworth detention centre near Heathrow Airport and expanded
overseas in Africa, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
1959
Securicor
won the high-profile contract to guard the ‘Ageless Diamond Exhibition’ at Christies.
1951
‘Night
Guards’ was in the public’s mind called ‘Security Corps’, a name considered too military by the Home
Office. Therefore, it was shortened to ‘Securicor’.
1950s-2000
