Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Feb. 22, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
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			$ 1,431,587,475
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		48,969,350
Trading Symbol	bco