Paris 2024 Olympics: three months before kick-off, 8,000 agents are missing to complete the security system

A forum was organized this Tuesday, April 23, Porte de la Chapelle, to recruit new security agents. MAXPPP – Bruno Levesque

Many private companies chosen to secure Olympic sites are struggling to recruit their quota of agents. And those who have succeeded will have to compensate for the failures of others. In this context, the call to the army to plug the holes is not excluded.

On the front line during the Olympic Games, private security companies are still in the dark as the event approaches. Some are still looking for agents while those who are better equipped with staff fear having to compensate for the shortages of others.

“For us it's okay, but other companies still have 80 % unfilled job offers . Now is clearly not the time to celebrate", admits Bryan Fillebeen, whose company Gips will partly ensure the security of the Olympic village and the Olympic Stadium. France. While he prides himself on having been able to meet 85% of his needs, estimated at "around 500 people", he recognizes that overall the deficits are still numerous.

Creation of a "task force"

"The Organizing Committee for the 2024 Olympic Games has been talking to us for several months about the creation of a "task force", which would aim to call on the breeding ground of companies to try to fill the gaps of others for example, he said. If I have covered 100%, or even 120% of my needs , I will help with pleasure, assures Mr. Fillebeen. "Normally, we are all competitors, but with the Games, the image issue is global!"

Also read: Paris 2024 Olympic Games: terrorist threat, opening ceremony, protection perimeter… Gérald Darmanin takes stock of security

At Gest’n Sport, with objectives almost achieved, the teams are also anticipating a call for contributions: "I know that we will have to fill in the gaps, we We already had this situation during Euro 2016", explains Audrey Chagnas, recruitment manager. "There is still a lot to do do in the final straight to recruit again", she also qualifies. But time is running out: less than a hundred days before the start of the competition (July 26-August 11), 8,000 security agents are still missing. appeal according to the federation representing the sector, while the needs have been estimated at up to 25,000 to secure the sites or fan zones.

"If this deficit remains the same, we will have a real organizational problem"

If this deficit remained the same in three months, we would have a real organizational problem, Pierre Brajeux, president of the Private Security Federation, told AFP. For several weeks, however, State and Cojo, in conjunction with France Travail, have been casting a wide net: 7,500 agent positions were still on offer at the Games employment forum on Tuesday at ;rsquo;Aréna Porte de la Chapelle.

Antoine Martin, recruiter at ACA, is rather reassured: his needs, estimated at 380 positions between Roland-Garros and Paris La Défense Aréna, are almost filled: "For us, it’s good, but there are still people missing elsewhere, that’s a certainty. Many of the winning companies are a little young or only recruiting for the Games", he explains, assuring that his company "would help" those in difficulty.

Call to retirees and students… insufficient

Reduction and remuneration of training time or appeals to retirees and students were not enough for this sector, particularly ravaged by turnover and Covid, to attract the most large number. "We are missing around 200 people out of the 300 we are looking for", confirms Walid Ait, whose l’ Réactiv Sécurité company will be in charge of the Villepinte site. "We are told to rely on the students. This would be ideal, but we don't see many of them: less than 10% of the people we meet are students", he regrets -il.

A little further on, Nawel Berkani, recruitment manager for the CESG company, which will participate in securing the sites at Concorde or Les Invalides, concedes that it will be & quot;difficult to fill the fifty or so positions still available. Another threat looms: that of the "no-show", the fact that the recruit ultimately does not show up.

The fear of last minute cancellations

"Even when recruiting, we have no assurance that people will come on the big day. Hence the interest in having a certain margin, underlines Antoine Martin. The fears are very real: at the London Olympics in 2012, due to the failure of private security, the army had to intervene at the last moment. But for Pierre Brajeux, "armies are not the miracle solution, they are also in tight flow".

"For companies, this would be a form of failure: the sector will not have made it to the end to meet needs alone", concedes Nawel Berkani.

Also read: Paris 2024 Olympic Games. "Several foreign nations" including Poland will send soldiers to strengthen the security of the games