Commitments and contingent matters (Details) In Millions	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2011 EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2010 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 EUR (€)
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Operating leases residual value guarantee	$ 35.1
Pretax loss for deconsolidation of Brink's Belgium			11.7
Fair value of investment at the date of deconsolidation			0
Carrying value of the investment and advances to the subsidiary at the date of the deconsolidation			11.7
Lawsuit filing date			December 2010	December 2010
Name of plaintiff			the court-appointed provisional administrators of Brink’s Belgium	the court-appointed provisional administrators of Brink’s Belgium
Name of defendant			a subsidiary of Brink’s	a subsidiary of Brink’s
Amount of claim				20
Maximum loss amount	29	20
Settlement agreement contribution	10	7
Settlement amount	$ 10	€ 7