NCJ Number
209055
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume: 47 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 175-190
Date Published
January 2005
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study relied on official data to estimate a profile of the private security and investigation services industry in Canada.
Abstract
While anecdotal evidence indicates that the private policing industry in Canada has grown in recent years, it is not known exactly how large this industry actually is. The current study drew on a number of data sources from Statistics Canada to develop an analysis of the size and nature of the private policing industry from 1991 to 2001; it is hoped that such information will help inform policy decisions related to private security and investigations. Data included the Survey of Employment, Payrolls, and Hours (SEPH), the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the 1997 Survey of Investigation and Security Services, and estimates derived by the Industrial Organization and Finance Division (IOFD). The data indicate that more men than women are employed by the private security and investigation industry; only 20 percent of security employees were female during the period 1991 through 2000. Both part-time and full-time security and investigation employees worked an average of 30 hours per week and earned an average of $11.08 hourly in 2001, as opposed to the average rate of $16.79 for the economy as a whole. During 2000, revenues for the security and investigations industry were estimated at approximately $2.7 billion. The 1997 survey of the private security industry identified approximately 2,756 private policing services in Canada and estimates indicate these agencies will only continue to grow as private policing in Canada continues to take on a more public role. Future research should focus on examining private policing personnel as little data are available on this group. Figure, tables, notes, references