Major assignment for Securitas Group at the Cycling World Championships
The 2009 Road World Championships in Mendrisio were a huge success for Switzerland in many ways. Fabian Cancelara won the time trials and came 5th in the road race. The venue Mendrisio introduced the whole world to the Ticino region. As a pool sponsor at the event the Securitas Group put in an impressive performance as a specialist in complete security services and high-tech security technology.
Switzerland’s southernmost region has always been extremely popular with cycling fans. The Road World Championships held in Mendrisio from 23 to 27 September 2009 was just one event in a series of major cycling competitions that have been held in the region: the Road World Championships in Lugano in 1953 and 1996 and in Mendrisio in 1971, and the 2003 Mountain Bike World Championships on Monte Tamaro. Indeed, the Ticino has always featured highly in international cycling events.
Valuable support
As a group of companies with deep roots in the Ticino it was a matter of course for the Securitas Group to actively support the major event in financial, technical, organisational and business terms. Securiton AG therefore readily agreed to act as sponsor for the event. In return the company obtained an excellent platform from which to nurture existing customer contacts and establish new contacts. At the competition venue Securiton and Securitas set up a stand to showcase their activities to the public. The group also obtained a separate VIP box from which invited guests could enjoy uninterrupted views of the start and finish areas, putting them right at the heart of the racing action.
A complete spectrum of security services Given the size of the event and the determination to ensure that everything should go without a hitch, the Ticino Canton Police was assigned to co-ordinate the activities between the various security partners. Securitas was entrusted with the surveillance of the entire infrastructure (grandstands, press room, workshops, technical installations) during the setup phase, the racing days and the dismantling phase. Additional tasks on racing days included monitoring the access points to the sponsors’ village, the grandstands and certain sections of the circuit as well as the sale of tickets and the collection of ticket receipts. The Securitas team was co-ordinated by a group leader entrusted exclusively with that task from the start of the setup work to the completion of the dismantling work. The contract involved the deployment of a considerable number of Securitas employees. On the last day of racing around 100 Securitas people ensured that the 120,000 spectators were able to follow all the sporting action without any incidents.
Ingenious security technology
Securiton was not just a sponsor at the event; it also offered valuable support in the area of video surveillance. The security technology provided by Securiton was an opportunity to demonstrate its high level of expertise, especially to the experts on site as part of the security arrangements. Securiton deployed its SecuriWall M3 mobile surveillance system, which earned a great deal of praise from the cantonal law enforcement agency. The system consists of motion sensors, video cameras and an image recorder, which can be used for all kinds of surveillance and protection assignments. The Road World Championships in Mendrisio was the ideal application for the SecuriWall M3: designed for temporary assignments the system is used first and foremost for events where time and human resources are at a premium during setup and commissioning. In Mendrisio, the Securitas staff was able to keep an keen eye on all the premises thanks to SecuriWall M3 at the control centre, with only a minimum of personnel on site. There was plenty of positive feedback from both the organisers in charge and the guests, underlining just how much people appreciated the Securitas Group’s performance. The 2009 Road World Championships in Mendrisio were not just a sporting success; they also provided an excellent opportunity to showcase products and services and demonstrate that the Securitas Group has an extremely versatile, reliable and adaptable offer in the security sector. And the great success of the occasion was also due in no small measure to the staff themselves, who proved once again that they are always up to the task, whatever it may be.