Covid-19 and public service: safety at the heart of our concerns

Following the passage to stage 3 of Coronavirus management and the decision of containment taken by the President of the Republic, Paris La Défense has activated its Business Continuity Plan. In its capacity as a public service establishment, Paris La Défense is therefore pursuing the activities necessary for the proper management of the district, in particular by continuing to ensure security.

Mohammed Boudani

3 questions to Mohammed Boudani, Head of the Paris La Défense security headquarters 

What are the security missions maintained by Paris La Défense?     
PC Sécurité's activity is maintained as part of our essential public service missions. As such, our priorities are the surveillance of tunnels and technical galleries, as well as the management and control of all accesses.   
We also carry out specific rounds of the operating status of lifts and escalators, and video rounds by day and night, including the control of equipment and surveillance of public spaces.   
We also continue to carry out our missions as first responders, i.e., for example, interventions on MVAs (Public Road Accidents), floods, fire outbreaks, etc... 

More concretely, how do you ensure the continuation of its missions in the territory?
In normal times, the Security Headquarters has a staff of 8 people to carry out our various missions. In the context of containment, it has been reduced to 5 people, with an operational room manager who supervises a team of 4 people who carry out dynamic missions and supervise the PC's equipment.   
To limit the risks of virus propagation within the team, we have set up a rotation system enabling us to avoid crossing each other as much as possible.  The reminder of barrier gestures and the provision of masks, gloves, disinfectant wipes and hydro-alcoholic gel reinforce these protective measures, not to mention the intensification of cleaning services in the premises.

What have you noticed in these times of confinement?
It is a unique and exceptional situation to manage the security of the 1st European business district, almost empty of its employees and with its confined inhabitants. We have obviously noticed a drastic reduction in the demands and interventions on the ground, and a significant reduction in noise and pollution in the district, which sometimes gives the impression of being able to take better advantage of it!   
But what is also measurable is the strengthening of the link between the inhabitants of the district and the establishment in general, and in particular with the Security Police Headquarters (requests for information about Covid-19, more particular attention to the homeless...). Even if these solicitations require from our team, and in particular from its supervisor, qualities in terms of stress management necessary to be able to answer to the inhabitants as well as to the different questions asked by the agents.

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