Turkey has roughly 217,000 private security guards who are employed in public offices and private companies, a figure that outnumbers the soldiers in the armies of six countries in Europe — Austria, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway and the Czech Republic…Currently there are 1,430 security firms in Turkey, and 737 training centers for private security officers, according to the Security Headquarters’ Private Security Department’s figures.
Candidates receive non-armed certifications after 90 hours of training, but an armed certification requires a further 30 hours…
Every now and then I will come across statistics from other countries about their PMSC industry. These two stories below go into the statistics of Turkey’s market and I thought it would be cool to archive them here.
One statement below brought up an interesting point about loans. Getting a loan in some countries is not as difficult as it is in others, and it looks like Turkey has an industry that is yearning for more capital to expand and grow. From building training facilities to buying all the equipment and weapons necessary to maintain a growing security business, they need it.
“We want the government to support our sector. In a country that is capable of providing loans to the IMF, we want to be able to receive long-term low-interest loans from state banks, as well as support from the Social Security Institution and the Finance Ministry. With this support, our sector will be able to develop even more,” he said.
The other point to bring up is that 9/11 has had a world wide impact on this sector, and not just in the west. Security services are in high demand all over because of the threat of terrorism or crime, and this industry is in high demand in countries where police forces have been cut. In countries where austerity measures have reduced the number of police, you will see this market of force expand and private security is filling that vacuum.
Of course the final big picture comment is summed up in this statement.
Perut also added that the private security services sector is valued at up to $6 billion for the entire world.
I guess Perut did not have access to the Small Arms Survey done last year that actually put the value of this market much higher. Although he could be referring to just one aspect of PMSC’s, so who knows where he got it from. Here is the quote:
The private security sector has been booming since the mid-1980s and continues to grow steadily (van Dijk, 2008,
p. 217). Recent estimates show that the security market is worth about USD 100–165 billion per year, and that it has
been growing at an annual rate of 7–8 per cent. –2011 Small Arms Survey, Ch. 4
Interesting stuff and if you guys have anything add to this data, let me know. This post will also be filed under Turkey in the categories below if you need it. –Matt
Private security officers in Turkey now their own ‘army’
08/28/2012
The 217,000 private security guards in Turkey outnumber armies of many many nations, according to Bülent Perut, chairman of a sector organization. Rapid urbanization is increasing the number, he says.
The number of Turkish private security officers has reached 217,000, greater than the combined military forces of Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Holland, Norway and the Czech Republic, according to data from a sector organization.
“Even though there aren’t specific figures as to the size of the sector’s economy, we believe that in general it ranges between $3-6 billion,” Private Security Associations Federation President Bülent Perut told Anatolia news agency in an interview published Aug. 28.
In Turkey, 886,000 people hold private security certificates, confirming that one has received appropriate education and training in the field. Some 604,000 of these people also hold a security ID, the state authorization to work as a guard.
Perut told Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview yesterday that many security guards preferred other jobs when they are available, because of the low wages and
poor level of social rights in the security sector.