Vigipirate : safety instructions

Updated on:

Since March 24, VIGIPIRATE plan has placed the whole of France at "risk of attack" level.

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  • The Vigipirate plan is a comprehensive surveillance, prevention and protection system that applies to all sectors of activity in France.
  • It involves all government departments, as well as the general public.
  • The recent attacks (Arras, Paris) are a reminder that national education, higher education and research establishments and structures are prime targets, not least because of their symbolic importance.

The Vigipirate security instructions must be followed on all university campus sites, with reinforced vigilance on buildings open to the general public.

If you witness suspicious behavior :

Remain discreet.

  • Observe and memorize objective elements that could be passed on to the Central Fire Safety Headquarters (PCSI) or to the police or gendarmerie (license plate, vehicle model, precise description of individuals, direction of escape, etc.).
  • For your report to be useful, the objective information you can provide is absolutely essential.
  • Reports must be made immediately to the Fire Safety Headquarters.
  • If there is no response from the PCSI, you must immediately contact the internal security forces on 17, 112 (or 114, the emergency call for the deaf and hard of hearing). 

Events & meetings 

  • All demonstrations outside the buildings are suspended until further notice.
  • All other events are subject to authorization by the security and defense officer (FSD) and approval by the presidency.  

IDs

  • All staff and students must carry their AQUIPASS card and be able to justify their presence on university premises. University departments may ask for the card to be shown at any time, and occasionally at the entrances to sites and buildings during control operations.
  • Please note: the university is equipped with security systems to control and regulate access to its campuses (barriers, badge access control, etc.). All staff and students have access rights on their AQUIPASS card, according to their place of training or work. The card allows on-site access to buildings and outdoor areas with controlled access.

Bags, packages or personal belongings

  • It is strictly forbidden to leave bags, parcels or personal belongings on campus. 
  • Under no circumstances should luggage, bags or personal effects be left unattended.  

Deliveries

  • Unidentified parcels must not be accepted in components and departments (deliveries not expected or for which the recipient is not clearly identified).
  • Any suspicious or abandoned parcel must be reported immediately, as well as any unusual behavior.

Suspicious mail

  • Pay the utmost attention to letters and parcels delivered by courier and coming from an unknown and unverifiable source.
  • Carry out a visual inspection of mail to check for any anomalies.
     

Travel abroad

  • In view of the current situation in the Middle East, and in accordance with the directives issued to Security and Defense Officials by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, travel to this part of the world must be suspended until further notice (level 4: strongly discouraged).
  • All travel to a high-risk area or country (level 3: inadvisable except for imperative reasons / level 4: strongly inadvisable) must be strictly limited. People are therefore urged to postpone their travel plans if they do not have compelling reasons to do so.
  • When a trip is nevertheless envisaged (essential mission that cannot be postponed), it is the responsibility of each agent to check the status of the destination zone on the map of countries/territories, to find out about travel conditions, and to bring the required documents. Agents must register on the Ariane website to receive information from the Ministry. 

Contacts

Visit the dedicated Emergency page for all the contact details & numbers to reach in case of emergency.

Emergency Page

Subscribe to SMS alerts

You'll be alerted quickly in the event of a clear and immediate risk, such as a power cut, a risk of attack, a health alert, a major computer breakdown or other serious situations. 

More information

All the recommendations and good practices as well as the awareness posters can be viewed and downloaded from the website of the  Secretariat-General for French National Defence and Security (SGDSN).

SGDSN website