Document and Entity Information (USD $)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Oct. 23, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Registrant Name	BRINKS CO
Entity Central Index Key	0000078890
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float			$ 1,383,834,551
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		47,769,222