The Stadtwerke München (SWM) and Securitas Deutschland recently signed the new contracts for guarding the Munich underground from 01 January 2024.
The new contracts have a term of 12 years and cover the entire range of services provided by the underground guard. This includes, in particular, regular patrols in stations and trains, partly together with the police, the guarding of parked underground trains as well as plainclothes operations. In addition, the underground guard assists at major events and all kinds of emergencies as well as with passenger concerns.
In the future, the organisation and activities of the underground guard will continue to be strongly based on the previous construct and service. Among others, representatives of the City of Munich and the police headquarters will continue to be involved in the organisation of the underground guard as an advisory board. The new contracts also include comprehensive concepts on the topics of staff recruitment and retention, training and further education as well as operational and operative organisation.
“The services of the underground guard were put out to tender throughout Europe in a competitive process and I am very pleased that in Securitas we continue to have a strong and competent partner for this important service,” says Rainer Cohrs, Head of Group Security at SWM. “It was very important for us to maintain the high quality standard and service orientation of the underground guard in the proven manner and to orient it towards the future.”
“We are proud to continue this important contract and to continue our long-standing partnership with Stadtwerke München in the Munich underground,” says Werner Landstorfer, Area Director at Securitas Deutschland. “The long-standing trust of the contractual partner shows us that we have been able to convince with our service and strengthens us in our commitment to more security in public spaces.”
The year after the Munich Underground Security Company (MUG) was founded in 1988, around 45 employees – at that time still employed by the Münchner Wach- und Schließgesellschaft – began their service on 01 April 1989. In the years that followed, the staff was successively increased and since 1999 Securitas has been a partner of Stadtwerke München within the framework of MUG. At present, 126 employees are working as underground guards, and another 14 are currently undergoing 4.5 months of basic training and will soon be part of the team. Additional new hires are planned for 01.08.2023.
“Through high demands on the selection of personnel, intensive training and further education as well as high-quality equipment, the underground guard has made a decisive contribution to ensuring that passengers feel safe in the Munich underground and that there are noticeably fewer criminal offences compared to other major cities. We want to maintain this high standard and adapt it to current and future challenges. Our passengers and all Munich residents can rely on this,” says Ingo Wortmann, head of the Munich Transport Company (MVG) and managing director of mobility at SWM.
