The Corps of Commissionaires is a British

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...

firm that has regional offices around the UK. It is the oldest security company in the world. Currently trading under the name Corps Security, it is a supplier of specialist security and also owns a monitoring facility in the UK, the Corps Monitoring Centre or CMC.

History

The Corps of Commissionaires was founded in 1859 by Captain Sir Edward Walter KCB (1823-1904). Walter was the first to find an effective remedy to provide jobs for ex-servicemen who were willing and able to work after the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

.Corps Security official website - Our Heritage
Retrieved 8 October 2014 Corps of Commissionaires reaches 150 year milestone at ifsecglobal
Retrieved 8 October 2014 It is the oldest security company in the world. Currently trading as 'Corps Security', the head of the company has always been the British monarch. This tradition began with

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

and continues through to the present day with

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. In 2009, the Corps celebrated its 150th

anniversary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints ...

with a reception hosted at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...

by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at which 48 commissionaires formed a guard of honour.

Role

Corps Security specialises in providing corporate security and has over 5,000 licensed security staff working in the UK. These staff are managed from 14 regional offices around the UK. Over 40% of the Corps Security staff have spent some or all of their careers in the military, police or fire services. Corps Security also has regional offices in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. It also retains strong links with its offshoot, The

Canadian Corps of Commissionaires Commissionaires Canada is a Canadian non-profit security firm, originally established to provide employment to ex-servicemen. History Modeled after the British Corps of Commissionaires, the Canadian Corps was formed in 1925 with the opening of offi ...

References

{{reflist

External links

British Pathe video of 1926 Corps of Commissionaires inspection
by

Viscount Allenby Viscount Allenby, of Megiddo and of Felixstowe in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 7 October 1919 for the prominent military commander Field Marshal Sir Edmund Allenby, with remainder ...

Security companies of the United Kingdom Security companies