Private security in Spain: firms, licences and alarms
The official figures for private security in Spain: how many companies are registered, for which activities, how many licences are in force, how many alarms are connected to a receiving centre and how many reach the police.
3,751,839alarm monitoring contracts in force at end of 2025
1,524registered security companies
Alarm monitoring contracts in force, year end
All the data
| Alarm monitoring contracts in force | 3,751,839 | +7.1% | 2,547,653 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service contracts notified | 803,575 | +1.9% | 583,356 |
| Licences in force: total | 516,368 | +6.1% | |
| Licences in force: security guards | 311,586 | +4.4% | |
| Real alarms passed to police | 100,252 | +11.4% | 65,291 |
| Licences in force: bodyguards | 66,305 | +9.2% | |
| Police inspections | 32,603 | −3.4% | 19,672 |
| Detainees handed to police | 8,759 | +31.6% | 3,769 |
| Licensed private detectives | 5,962 | +7.3% | 4,391 |
| Registered security companies | 1,524 | −1.2% | 1,586 |
| Authorised activities: installation and maintenance | 1,226 | −1.8% | 1,279 |
| Authorised activities: guarding | 419 | +1.5% | 483 |
| Authorised activities: alarm receiving centres | 122 | −2.4% | 137 |
How to read these figures
- Licences are valid credentials, not people at work: they stay in force even if the holder no longer works in the sector, and one person can hold several.
- Authorised activities are not companies: one company can hold several.
- Alarms passed to police are the genuine ones after verification by the receiving centre (Policía Nacional plus Guardia Civil), not all activations. Licence figures are available from 2023.
Source: Ministerio del Interior, Anuario Estadístico 2025, apartado 3.9 Seguridad privada · Licence: not stated by the source · Data retrieved on