Securicor stronger despite robberies

PROFITS are on the up at Securicor despite a worrying increase in the number of attacks on its army of cash-handling guards in the UK.

Chief executive Nick Buckles said the security services firm was considering new tactics after suffering increased losses from armed robberies in the first half of the year.

'Most of the cost of the robberies hits our bottom line,' he said. 'We have as many attacks in the UK as the rest of the world put together because our guards are unarmed.'

But Securicor's last results before its merger with Group4Falck showed pre-tax profits rose 10.5% to £39m in the six months to 31 March, on turnover of £298.5m, up 7%.

It benefited from a 25% lift in revenue from repairing and maintaining ATMs and strong growth in its prisoner-tagging business.

The Group4Falck merger should complete in the third quarter.