G4S
G4S plc (formerly Group 4 Securicor ) is a British company headquartered in Crawley in the county of West Sussex in England. It is one of the largest security companies in the world.
Indicators
The group G4S employs approximately 625,000 employees in 2012 to over 130 countries. The turnover in 2010 amounted to 7.397 billion pounds sterling. In 1901, the predecessor company of today G4S was founded. On 1 June 2007, the Group 4 Securicor plc renamed in G4S plc.
In Germany, the company has approximately 7,000 employees. The German branch was. Due to the merger with Securicor, the second largest security company in the German market Fields of activity in Germany are especially monetary and value-added services, security services, security systems and bank service.
In Austria, the Secure Solutions AG (formerly of security and surveillance company Wien GmbH ) is the largest subsidiary. It employs about 3,000 people worldwide, including 1,500 in the Vienna headquarters.
Company History
Origins
G4S has its ancient origin, originally was known in a security department in Copenhagen, which was founded in 1901 by Marius Hogrefe as Kjøbenhavn Frederiksberg Nattevagt and was later renamed Falck. 1993 merged the security and surveillance company Wien GmbH, an Austrian company, founded in 1904, with the Group 4, a company founded in the 1960s British security companies. 2000, the Group was merged with 4 Falck Group 4 Falck. 2002 Group 4 Falck bought the US-based Wackenhut. 2004 merged with Group 4 Falck, Securicor, a company founded in London 1935 security companies to G4S.
Recent history of G4S
The German branch of G4S called money and value-added services changed January 5, 2007 the owner, the parent company sold it to the DBI Holding. G4S supported the independence of sold G4S cash and securities services GmbH through the acquisition of certain pre-existing commitments in the amount of approximately EUR 8 million and a vendor loan in the amount of 7.9 million euros. The share transfer took place on 8 January 2007; on the volume of transactions were not disclosed.
G4S announced in early 2008 its withdrawal from the market in France and Germany. The World's Largest Security Securitas AB expressed interest in the acquisition of G4S in these countries. In April 2008, the technology division was sold G4S security systems to the Securitas Securitas Systems GmbH subsidiary, with the approval of the Federal Cartel Office in Germany.
A planned acquisition of the Danish company ISS A / S for 5.2 billion British pounds was canceled in early November 2011, after the shareholders of G4S had refused their consent.
In February 2012 it was announced that from April 2012, G4S will take over a large part of police tasks in Lincoln, the capital of central English county of Lincolnshire. G4S is to build a new police station complete, fully manage and take over all tasks, with the line of the district and the conduct of arrests is still only state police officials reserved. As early as 1992 was opened by G4S first in the English county of Yorkshire Europe private prison.
In July 2012, had G4S, who were charged for 284 million pounds with the protection of the Olympic Summer Games 2012 in London, admit only two weeks ahead of schedule, not being able to fully accomplish the task due to lack of staff and management errors. The British army then turned 3,500 men and the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean ready to take over the tasks partially.
Criticism
The death of maltreated by three employees of G4S Angolan Jimmy Mubenga during his deportation from the United Kingdom with British Airways on the evening of 12 October 2010, the debate about the use of private security companies and the practices of direct force in air deportations revived. Mubenga should have complained after giving passengers flying over breathing problems. The risk of death from suffocation by atembehindernde techniques ( several minutes of violent depression of the upper body by multiple G4S employees) is known from several previous air - deportation cases, and probably could be prevented by the use of suitably qualified safety personnel. The British Home Office announced the meantime the contract with G4S.
Since G4S is involved as the world's largest private security service providers in numerous human rights violations, the company was in 2013 nominated for the negative price Public Eye Award, which is awarded as part of a counter-event to the World Economic Forum.
The international campaign Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions ( BDS) calling for a boycott of G4S, as this operates torture centers in Israel. The South African Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture ( TCSVT on German "Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture" ) announced on November 6, 2013 announced to join the action and terminate the cooperation with the security company. The reason was also indicated that dozens of inmates of the G4S prison were tortured with electric shocks in Mangaung and forced injections. The BBC covered the crime in October 2013, citing a study by the University Wits.
It is specifically a "Stop G4S " activist group in England.