NCJ Number
212312
Journal
Security Journal Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: 2005 Pages: 51-64
Date Published
2005
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined the size, growth, and components of the private security industry in Australia.
Abstract
A number of highly publicized events, including the death of two suspects at the hands of private security officers, have drawn public attention to the size and growth of the private security industry in Australia. The current study was undertaken to examine media claims concerning the dramatic growth in the security industry in Australia. Census data were drawn from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in order to assess changes in the size of private security and police since the mid-1980s; State and territory licensing records were also assessed for the numbers and types of private security licenses held from 1998 through 2003. Results of statistical analyses indicate that the growth of the private security industry has outpaced the growth of the police as well as the Australian population. Over the course of the most recent 5-year period, the Australian population increased by 6 percent and the police population increased by 6.5 percent, while the private security industry increased 31.1 percent. Given the increasing reliance on the private security industry in Australia, as well as its proliferation, there is a pressing need for a sophisticated regulatory framework within the security industry to improve the conduct and quality of service delivered by security personnel. Figures, tables, notes