On La Croisette, jewellers organise their own security
Shared alert networks, private agents, cameras: faced with theft, La Croisette's luxury retailers have built a multi-layered protection system, working closely with law enforcement.
Translated from the French original. Lire en français
On boulevard de la Croisette, the windows of the great jewellery houses have become targets for thieves. In response, Cannes jewellers have set up a multi-layered security system, described by Le Figaro on 3 October 2026: shared alert networks between retailers, private security agents, surveillance cameras and reinforcements from plain-clothes municipal police officers.
At the heart of the system are the 'contre-cibleurs': agents trained to spot potential offenders. The protocol is simple: observe, pass information up to the authorities, the anti-crime brigade and the local security group, and carry out an on-site check where needed. A 'prevention and vigilance' mission modelled on the dialogue built with the Comité Vendôme in Paris.
Coordination runs through the Comité Sécurité Prestige, which brings together Cannes luxury professionals. Exchanges with the authorities are daily, and the stated goal is to move beyond commercial competition to build a security continuum serving the street, the businesses on it and the city.
A secure city is a city that talks to itself.
Commissaire Haget, head of the Cannes national police district, quoted by Le Figaro
Christine Welter, president of the Cannes hotel trade association, stresses that professionals are aware they represent a destination of excellence worldwide and feel accountable for it. The municipal police's video-protection cameras add an extra pair of eyes to the system.
At judicial level, the interdepartmental judicial police service has taken the lead of a 'multi-stage rocket' operating at regional, national and international levels. In front of almost every boutique, dark-suited men watch with hands clasped behind their backs: protecting prestige retail has become part of the La Croisette landscape.
The dialogue built with the Comité Sécurité Prestige is modelled on the work done with the Comité Vendôme in Paris: in both cases, commercial competitors are brought together around a shared interest, the security of the avenue. Exchanges with the authorities are daily, and the head of the Cannes national police district welcomes the move beyond commercial competition toward a security continuum.
The luxury boutiques line up facing the seafront, in a landscape that has become emblematic of the city. But this beauty hides daily risks, which retailers and luxury industry professionals strive to meet with 'high-end' security worthy of their goods and their clientele. The measures aim as much at preventing theft as at reassuring customers, in a city where prestige must be flawless.
For a city whose economy rests on welcoming a wealthy international clientele, from the Cannes Film Festival to the Palais's major trade shows, luxury retail security is also a matter of image. Reassuring customers means protecting the destination.
