PARIS--Aerospace, defense and security giant Thales, reflecting the growing importance of the security sector to its business activities, has launched a new security laboratory here that it says will focus on the development of security solutions targeting citizen protection, critical infrastructure, crisis management and disaster prevention.

The security market is an increasingly important part of Thales' business, according to the company, with revenues from the sector now amounting to EUR 3.4bn annually, or a quarter of the company's total turnover.

The new 600-square-meter interactive security lab, located in the Paris suburb of Velizy le Bois, where Thales employs 2,000 engineers and experts, will focus on several key areas, including large-scale urban security solutions, protection of energy production and transport infrastructure, airport security, secure ID document production and management and cyber security.

"This year in particular, with the French presidency of the European Union and a major domestic security plan due to be announced by the French government, Thales is placing growing emphasis on technological development for mission critical systems and civil security," the company said in a statement.

For more on this story see the January/February issue of Security Systems News Europe.