Private Security Industry Research Articles

Size matters: measuring the private security industry in the United Kingdom

The private security industry has become a central feature of the plural policing landscape in the United Kingdom. As such, it has received considerable attention in both academic and policy circles. Yet, perhaps surprisingly, there remain notable question marks over its precise size and shape. With this in mind, the article draws upon data from the Security Industry Authority and the Office of National Statistics Business Register and Employment Survey to measure the sector along three key dimensions: the number of private security officers, the number of companies and turnover. This novel methodological approach reveals a complex and contested picture of what the sector looks like at a fundamental level and, at the same time, allows for a reassessment of commonly deployed indicators such as growth rates and the ratio of private security officers to police officers during key time periods such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

New regulations in the Brazilian private security industry: effects on turnover and human capital outcomes

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effects on firms' outcomes of a new government regulation on the private security industry that aimed to enhance the selection and training processes for armed-private security officers. Design/methodology/approach By using human capital theory and using a data set built from various public sources, this study analyzes the effects of a new regulation implemented in 2013–2014 in Brazil mandating psychological assessments for hiring private security armed officers. Firm-level data and a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) identification strategy are used to investigate the effects on turnover and human capital outcomes. Findings The study identifies substantial changes resulting from the new government regulation in private security firms. While it has led to increased turnover rates, the regulation has also facilitated firms in enhancing the human capital composition of their workforce by enabling the recruitment of more experienced personnel. Research limitations/implications This research informs to current debates on the effects of policy interventions on firm's outcomes by showing how regulations aimed to improve the configuration of human capital can generate win-win situations for both firms and citizens, despite the short-term trade-offs between higher turnover rates and improved human capital outcomes. Practical implications Refining selection and training processes can enhance the workforce in private security firms by replacing less capable professionals with more experienced ones. Insights from this study offer guidance to policymakers and industry practitioners in shaping effective business and public policies. Social implications This study underscores the role of training and psychological assessments in enhancing the composition of human capital in the private security industry. Originality/value By highlighting the role of policy interventions in establishing barriers to unskilled workers engaging in hazardous activities, this study contributes to the burgeoning literature in strategic management on the interaction between policy interventions and firm outcomes.

민간경비업의 활성화 방안에 관한 연구

민간경비업의 활성화 방안에 관한 연구

Human Rights Policies, Guidelines, and Standards in The Private Security Industry: A Scoping Review

The large numbers of private security personnel in the 21st century has increased the risk of human rights violations. This study explores what standards exist in the private security industry to promote and uphold human rights. Using a scoping review methodology, the findings show that broad collaborative voluntary efforts have been undertaken by the private security industry to address human rights issues. Those specific standards used by the industry also create a layered effort at regulation that extends beyond “hard law” government enforcement, and instead rely upon “soft law” approaches to raise awareness, and adherence, to human rights standards.

Analysis of private security companies compliance to the private security industry’s regulatory framework in Gauteng

This article explores some of the shortcomings of the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) in regulating and effecting control over the Private Security Industry (PSI) in South Africa. In South Africa, all Private Security companies must comply with PSIRA by registering as security providers, however this study revealed a non-compliance. This shortcoming is demonstrated by fly-by-night security companies that provide security services at shopping centres and shopping malls particularly in the parking areas who fail to comply with PSIRA in terms of registration. The main aim of this research was to analyse whether the PSCs comply with the regulatory framework as per the Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001 in South Africa in Gauteng Province. A qualitative research design was applied to determine whether PSIRA enforces compliance as per regulatory framework and to establish whether the current private security service providers are registered with PSIRA. The population of the study involved security managers and owners of the private security companies in South Africa. The findings revealed that there is non- compliance to PSIRA by Security providers. It is recommended that the regulator be capacitated with resources to improve its compliance.

China's Effort to Secure Strategic-Economic Project: Utilization of PSC to Secure Belt and Road Initiative

The existence of the Military or Private Security Industry at the moment is very sporadic and massive—with an estimate that it will continue to grow until 2028. China is not an exception, particularly in light of the initiative known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to increase connectivity. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a highly ambitious undertaking, but it is not immune to the numerous issues that have emerged, particularly with regard to security. There have been multiple threats, and even attacks, against BRI projects and workers; as a result, China has had to take steps to resolve the issues. China eventually discovered a low-key means to ‘exist’ after ceasing to utilize its military due to restrictions imposed by the concept of non-interference. This paper is an explanatory research that tries to reveal the phenomenon that occurs by using the existing conceptual framework and operationalization of concepts. The hypothesis then is that the Chinese PSC contributes directly to safeguarding BRI assets and employees, which then gives rise to new findings and trends in the Military or Private Security Industry, namely PSC with Chinese-Characteristics.

Navigating the Dynamics of Private Security in Turkey: Reflections from a Field in Flux

Any fieldwork is inherently filled with tension arising from two fundamental yet conflicting obligations: first, the need to treat the field as an already constituted research object, and second, the requirement to continuously reframe, remake, or essentially reconstitute this object during the fieldwork. This double bind places the fieldworker in a blurred position, navigating between the certainty of the former and the uncertainty of the latter. My fieldwork on Istanbul's private security market in Turkey was no exception. While approaching the market as an already constituted research object, I also had to cartographically unfold it as I explored it. My research specifically examined how security, as a peculiar good and service, was translated into a market object in Turkey's private security industry. Despite its relatively recent emergence in 2004, the industry has experienced tremendous growth. By 2019, 1.6 million people had completed private security training, 1.1 million had obtained licenses, and around 320,000 were actively employed in the industry. This translates to nearly 3 in every 100 working-age individuals being trained, almost 2 in 100 licensed, and 1 in 200 working as private security guards.

민간경비 발전을 위한 공동주택 경비원 제도 개선방안

In Korea, the private security industry, along with the police in charge of public security, plays an important part in maintaining social order and preventing crime. The private security industry is also developing along with economic growth, but the reality is that there are insufficient parts in terms of quality. Among the facility guards who perform most of the security work in Korea, the treatment of apartment security guards is still very poor. In 2020, the Apartment Housing Management Act was revised, and management tasks such as cleaning, separation collection, and assistance in management office work were included in the tasks of apartment security guards, and management tasks were legally added in addition to security tasks because they worked in apartment houses even though they were facility security guards.
 In this study, the main problems of apartment security were the scope of work, short-term contracts, and indirect contracts, and the following improvement measures were suggested.
 First, Article 65-2 of the Apartment Housing Management Act, which applies only to apartment security guards, should be deleted, and since apartment security guards are also facility security guards, the Security Business Act should be applied to focus on the maintenance of order, crime prevention, and risk prevention, and management should be performed by management office staff. Second, in order to prevent power abuse caused by indirect employment, the amendment to the Labor Standards Act, which includes “a person who conducts and supervises considerable work content and performance process even if he is not a party to the labor contract, and a person in a position to have substantial, specific control and influence over working conditions,” should be passed and implemented as soon as possible. Third, in order to prevent short-term contracts, local governments should expand and apply subsidies for maintaining the employment of security guards. Fourth, it is necessary to revitalize the Guards Association, an organization representing the interests of guards, to cope with unreasonable treatment of guards.
 In order for Korea's private security to continue to grow, unreasonable treatment of apartment security guards should be improved.

「경비업법」 규정과 경비실무 운영상 쟁점 사안에 관한 대안적 고찰

Although Korea's 「Security Service Act」 has been revised several times since its enactment in 1976, there are parts that do not meet the modern needs of the security industry environment. First of all, the definition of security work is unclear, and the scope of security guards' work is unclear. Confusion has continued. In 2023, the Constitutional Court ruled that some provisions of the Security Service Act prohibiting security guards from performing non-security work were unconstitutional. This measure actually infringes on the importance of security work and adds to confusion. Problems related to the validity period of security guard new training certificates are also appearing in practice. Therefore, in the future, it is important to revise the 「Security Business Act」 into a comprehensive 「Security Industry-Related Act」, clearly distinguish the scope of work of security guards, and provide security guard training. It is proposed that legislation be enacted to prevent recurrence of problems such as the controversy over the validity of certificates of completion through an overall review. These improvement measures will improve the social status of security workers by creating future national added value in the private security industry and securing professionalism in the security industry.

현대 민간경비 산업의 다각화와 발전 전략

This study attempted a comprehensive analysis of the expansion strategy and obstacles of the modern private security industry. The private security industry has grown by overcoming the limitations of public security services and meeting individual and private needs, and to this end, it has been analyzed that it has been expanded through various strategies, including providing customized security services to individual and private areas, utilizing technology-oriented security services, and organically integrating manpower and machines to provide safety and status information.
 However, the modern private security industry is facing a number of obstacles. Examples of these factors were self-accidents and crimes, lack of marketing, problems related to the manpower-oriented industrial structure, and the acidity of non-integrated organizations. These factors were found to undermine the perception and trust of private security services.
 Accordingly, it was suggested that in order to strengthen the private security industry, ethics education, marketing strategies, improvement of manpower education and evaluation, and efforts to strengthen organizational centralization and cooperation should be needed.

Private Security Companies in Ethiopia: An Insight from a Rights Perspective

In Ethiopia, the private security services sector has grown considerably over the previous three decades. Although the sector has a positive role in the protection of persons, property and institutions, there are concerns, inter alia, regarding the violation of rights of employees. This article examines the privatization of security services in Ethiopia from a rights perspective. Specifically, it deals with the extent of privatization and its implication on rights of its employees, the obligation of state and private operators to ensure the rights commonly violated, the drivers for the violations, and the measures that need to be taken to rectify the situation. A combination of doctrinal and non-doctrinal approaches was employed to conduct this study. The study is based on both primary and secondary data through in-depth interviews, focus group discussion, observation, and document reviews. The study indicates that the private security service sector is one of the grey areas of rights abuses including labor exploitation, poor working conditions, and workplace discrimination. These abuses emanate from the practice of employment agencies and the existing regulatory frameworks. I argue that the adoption of a comprehensive private security industry legislation and the establishment of a framework for private security services providers’ regulation and oversight will assist to address the rights violations that have been observed in the sector.

Employee Job Satisfaction and its Impact on Performance of Private Security Industry

This study focuses on employee job satisfaction and its impact on performance of private security industries. The study used a descriptive research design and sampled 847 security personnel’s from 35 registered private security agencies in Maharashtra. The study concludes that most of the security personnel’s not satisfied towards their job and facilities they are getting and it creates negative impact on performance of private security industry. Therefore, the study recommends the security agencies should improve performance appraisal system, motivational practices, training programmes, social responsibilities towards security personnel’s etc. There should be a use of modernized technology as per changing needs for betterment of security industries. Researcher attempted to identify the various factors of job satisfaction and its impact on the job performance.

From Awareness to Action: Proposing Strategies to Enhance Organizational Learning Culture and Alleviate Burnout and Cynicism in Private Security Companies in Beijing, China

This conceptual paper explores strategies to enhance organizational learning culture and alleviate burnout and cynicism in private security companies in Beijing, China. The paper begins by providing an overview of private security companies in Beijing and highlighting the importance of organizational learning culture. It further discusses the prevalence of burnout and cynicism in the private security industry. The problem statement focuses on the lack of organizational learning culture and the impact of burnout and cynicism on private security companies. The research objectives aim to propose strategies for enhancing organizational learning culture and alleviating burnout and cynicism. The study's significance lies in its contribution to the existing literature and its practical implications for private security companies. The paper concludes with an overview of its structure.

경비원 전문성 향상을 위한 자격제도 도입방안

The qualitative growth as well as the quantitative growth of the Korean private security industry is that the private security is in charge of the function of substantially supplementing the police force in protecting the life, body and property of the people. And that's why it's necessary to study. This study, which presented a plan to introduce a qualification system to improve the professionalism of security guards, drew the following conclusions. First, the security work must be clearly classified and the qualification certificates must be subdivided according to the field and scope of the security work. Second, it is necessary to distinguish between qualifications for private security guard examination. Third, in the evaluation method, not only the department test but also the practical test should be conducted in a complex way. Fourth, evaluation should be conducted through the connection between department and practical course. Currently, the security industry is complexly intertwined with various issues such as scope of work, education, management, and supervision, so a complex study is needed rather than a single study. - It is necessary to make a leap and develop into one specialized field through various research and support, such as deriving job-related education and training subjects, roles and changes of management and supervision institutions, and utilization of security-related professionals. In this case, safety problems such as congestion and terrorism due to the participation of citizens and tourists are emerging. The causes of these problems have also changed as society has diversified, and safety measures for large-scale events involving citizens must also change according to the changing social threat factors.

U.S. privateering and China in the 21st century: Tied at anchor

Given calls for the United States to launch privateers against China, the article contends that such an effort would be unsuccessful for two reasons. First, the contemporary private military and security industry – the focal point of present calls – is not attuned to privateering. This is because of the following: its defensive posture; quantitative and qualitative issues related to maritime vessels; its non-U.S. ownership; concerns about innocent passage; and the nature of its expertise. Second, the article contends that despite legal uncertainty regarding privateering, the necessary international relationships for privateering to function are not in place.

Intelligence community and private guard companies in Nigeria: The missing national security architecture links

The yawning loop between federal security agencies and the private security industries has an aggravating effects on the nonresponsiveness of the national security architecture, where almost all actors are siloed in a stand-alone-mode. As an interactive national security architecture fusing federal security agencies with private Guard Companies in Intelligence sharing networks, as seen in developed clime could have a catalytic effects on national security architecture. It was against this backdrop that this study leverages on participatory theory (Network Analysis Theory) to investigate the impact of intelligence community and private guard companies on national security architecture in Nigeria. The study deconstruct National Security into, economic security and education security. This study adopts qualitative research design using exploratory research design on publicly available archive documents; study also relies solely on secondary data. The research is conducted by examining literature concerning private security industry, national security architecture, intelligence community and its effects on human security in Nigeria. The literature was obtained through searches in publicly available material. Literature from non-serial publications, official reports, and conferences has been included particularly if they have been cited by other references in term of intelligence sharing and private Guard companies and effects on national security architecture. Results that originate from this study revealed that one of the effects of intelligence sharing between private security industry and government security agencies correlates with economic security in job provisions and upyick startup tech industry. Result also submits that intelligence sharing of players domicile in the security architecture alongside private security industry positively influences public safety which could reinforces the Global safe school projects and slow down the widening illiteracy trajectories. The study recommends that government should establish fusion centres for all actors particularly, private security industry and NSCDC, as it will consolidate nation’s economic security further. Study also recommends that while private security could assist in the Safe school projects, NSCDC should provide the needed horizon security which ensures public safety.

민간경비 중요성에 대한 대학생의 인식 연구

Private security are evaluated to have positive effects not only in private areas such as personal and corporate protection and security, but also in public areas such as the state and local public organizations. The purpose of this study is to analyze the importance of private security perceived by university students and to seek ways to revitalize private security through these results. For the purpose of this study, a survey was conducted on the necessity of private security, the role and function of private security, and the professionalism of private security, targeting 177 college students located in the Seoul metropolitan area and Chungcheong buk Province. Based on the results of this analysis, I would like to make the following policy suggestions on the importance of private security. First, it is necessary to materialize the establishment of a cooperative system with public security (police). In order to establish a practical cooperative system with public security, a more fundamental solution to the problems and limitations of private security must be preceded. Second, it is necessary to prepare a plan to improve the professionalism of private security. In order to improve the professionalism of private security, above all, it is necessary to introduce a private security guard qualification system and establish a national qualification system that can verify the qualifications of private security. The introduction of such a certification system will improve the professionalism of private security, as well as improve the qualifications of private security and, in particular, improve the negative perception of private security from customers, citizens. Third, it is necessary to expand public security services through private security. In order to expand the public security service of private security, it is necessary to transfer a certain part of public security to private security, except for the legal part, and to prevent other crimes. At the same time, it is necessary to enhance the competitiveness of the private security industry by strengthening public relations activities for private security.

민간경비조직의 리더-구성원 교환관계(LMX)와 고객지향성의 관계에서 직무열의의 매개효과

The role of the private security industry as a co-producer of public security is becoming more important than ever due to the government's privatization policy and the implementation of the local self-government system. However, excessive competition, high small size, vertical organizational structure, and emotional labor from the customer service process are acting as factors hindering the security guards' enthusiasm for the job and customer orientation. Therefore, this study aimed to find a way for private security personnel to voluntarily increase customer orientation, based on the results of previous studies, to examine the effect of the leader-member exchange relationship (LMX) of private security organizations on customer orientation as a mediator of job enthusiasm. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the causal relationship focusing on the effect. In this study, private security guards working in private security companies(55 places) located across the country were set as the population, and then a questionnaire survey(2021.6.21.~7.28) for the collected data(762 copies), frequency analysis, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and mediating effect analysis were performed using the statistical program SPSS 22.0. As a result of the study, first, in the relationship between LMX and job enthusiasm, emotional bonding and contribution of LMX had a positive (+) effect on the vitality of job enthusiasm, and LMX's contribution had a positive (+) effect on commitment of job enthusiasm. Second, in the relationship between LMX and customer orientation, LMX's emotional bond and contribution have a positive (+) effect on customer-oriented service satisfaction, and LMX's emotional bond and contribution have a positive (+) effect on customer-oriented satisfaction of customer needs. LMX's emotional bond and contribution have a positive (+) effect on customer-oriented understanding of customer needs. Third, in the relationship between job enthusiasm and customer orientation, the vitality and dedication of job enthusiasm have a positive (+) effect on customer-oriented service satisfaction, and the vitality and dedication of job enthusiasm have a positive (+) effect on customer-oriented customer needs satisfaction, and the vitality and dedication of job enthusiasm have a positive (+) effect on customer-oriented understanding of customer needs. Fourth, in the relationship between LMX and customer orientation, the vitality and dedication of job enthusiasm plays a mediating role in the relationship between service satisfaction, customer needs satisfaction, and understanding customer needs, which constitute customer orientation only in the contribution of LMX. Reflecting these research results, first, private security organizations need to improve their vertical organizational structure. Leaders need to improve the environment so that security guards can voluntarily participate in their duties and do their best for customers by expressing and accepting individual opinions through continuous communication with security guards. Second, it is necessary to rethink the motivation so that the security guards themselves can participate in customer orientation with dedication and vitality to the organization by configuring an autonomous work environment to form a mutual trusting relationship between the leader and members.

Organizational legitimation of body-worn camera use in the Swedish private security industry

PurposeThe authors set out to show how key private security industry actors in Sweden establish body-worn cameras (BWCs) as a tool to protect private security officers from the public the officers police and to improve the work environment of the officers.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with key personnel involved in the implementation of BWCs. The authors' analysis focused on delineating recurrent moral stories and affirmative environments to show how BWC use was made legitimate as a work environment tool.FindingsThe authors show how BWC use by private security officers patrolling public spaces in Sweden is legitimized by four organizational narratives: (1) the vulnerable security officer and the caring employer, (2) defenders of protective regulation, (3) moral selves and morally dubious others and (4) function creep and moral guardians. The authors explain how such organizational narratives are key to establishing and legitimizing the use of BWCs as a tool to improve the work environment of private security guards, and how certain narrative environments promote such organizational narratives in Sweden to improve the work environment of private security guards.Originality/valueThe authors' findings in this article add to a small but growing literature on BWC use in policing outside of the USA and the UK as well as to the hitherto very limited research from the work environment and managerial perspectives. The authors illustrate the importance of organizational narratives and narrative environments for understanding organizational change involving legitimation of new technologies.

Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) in the Modern International Processes

The period of rapid growth and development of the phenomenon, that is presently characterized as private military and security companies (PMSCs), coincided with the two processes of modern history of international relations: the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the U.S. Global War on Terror (GWOT) in Afghanistan. At the same time state attitude towards violence and transformation of warfare has been changing as well. Two diff erent approaches to the history of the private security market’ rise unveil the fact, that, in one way or another, the originators of the private security services were associated with the defense industry and armed forces. Non-state security actors look back on a history, that stretches to the middle and the second half of the 20th century – the period of national liberation movements across the world. Meanwhile, the 90-s of the 20th century marked the fast growth in the number of PMSCs and in the development and enlargement of the private security services’ market. Its growth is ongoing to date with gaining more new states that are interested in utilizing its capacity as an instrument of politics. Against the backdrop of the world political processes the private security market experienced technological growth and enhancement. Together with that, both the normative regulation and the approaches of the international community to the phenomenon of private military and security companies have been evolving and changing. Despite its functionality, fl exibility and technological advantages, the market of private security can challenge human rights as well as bare responsibility for the facts of corruption and improper fulfi llment of contractual obligations. Still the episodes of revealed grieve violations rarely reach courts, with infrequent cases of sentencing the perpetrators to punishment. These and other problems occurring in the private security industry require close attention by the states and international community, which has been making eff orts for elaboration of the applicable normative mechanisms to regulate private military and security activity for more than fi fteen years.