 
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Private security companies thrive in a dangerous world
Friday, February 25, 2000
In an age in which private security work is plentiful, high-tech and viewed by some as essential for survival, it's no wonder that it has become a growth industry - as are the questions that it raises.
In a recent series titled "Safety at a Price," Post-Gazette National Affairs Writer Jack Kelly outlined how pervasive and lucrative it has become to provide security and protection, in the private sector, to those people who are able to pay for it. Numbers reflect the growth.
Today in this country more than twice as much is spent on private security as on law enforcement; private firms employ three times as many people as do public agencies. In Britain, the number of people employed by security firms rose from 10,000 in 1950 to more than 250,000 today, outnumbering soldiers in the British army. Roughly 40 percent of U.S. airline employees in Europe are security personnel.
The fear of terrorism has created much of the demand - and with the threat of terrorism moving easily across international borders, it's no wonder that ex-military officials and others who are trained in the field find plenty of jobs available.
As more and more private firms operate in the United States, it is perhaps inevitable that restraints are few on those companies that provide all kind of industrial security. So long as they stay within the law in protecting private property and safeguarding the lives of Americans who may work overseas, it's hard to challenge or even control what they do.
On the other end of the spectrum are overseas private security forces that practice a brand of terrorism themselves - mercenaries who hire themselves out to whichever side will pay them the most for performing well on the killing fields. Mercenaries, however, have been around forever. Today, with wars bubbling around the world, their popularity continues unabated.
The latest wrinkle is private military companies working to protect humanitarian workers. Considering the threats posed to them in a violent world, it's little wonder that the idea has gained appeal. Surely the mercenaries are available to do that kind of job - because they seem to be just about everywhere today, in a world in which "private security" covers so much more than it ever did.