Good little story on the UK private security industry. Also it is good to see Andy Bearpark of BAPSC and Mr. Binns of Aegis get a little attention in the report.
One area that I would like to further clarify though is that British companies are not immune from making mistakes or being involved in ‘gung ho’ operations, as the article below has stated. They typically do a good job, but believe me, back in the early days of Iraq, the British companies did stupid things out on the roads and on the bases as well. None of the companies were immune from making mistakes out there. But what defined the good companies from the bad ones, were those that cared to get it right and learned from those mistakes.
Also, there was no mention of the upcoming International Code of Conduct signing taking place on Nov. 9th in Switzerland? Partners in the UK and the US have been involved in the creation of this code, and this will be a document that will help to further classify ‘industry best practices and standards’ that could be instrumental in weeding out the bad companies, both in the UK and the US. –Matt
Graham Binns says the future is bright for the UK’s private security industry.
The rise of the UK’s private security companies
1 November 2010
By Edwin Lane
Major General Graham Binns is not your typical chief executive.
As a lifelong soldier, he is more used to commanding an armoured division than a company boardroom.
In 2003 he commanded British troops invading southern Iraq, and in 2007 returned as the commander of British forces overseeing the handover of Basra to the Iraqis.
But now, four months into his new job as chief executive of Aegis Defence Services – a British private security company (PSC) – he has left army life behind.
“It’s liberating,” he says, sitting in Aegis’s comfortable headquarters in a plush office building in central London.
“Thirty-five years in government service was a wonderful experience. But in the world of business, ex-military people have got a lot to offer – I certainly hope so anyway.”
For Aegis, netting a leading figure from the Iraq war can only be good for business – particularly when your business is in the often-controversial world of armed private security.
Now one of the UK’s biggest PSCs, Aegis has made millions from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan since it was founded just eight years ago.
Iraq bubble
It is even fair to say that Aegis, like much of the private security industry, owes its very existence to the last Iraq war.
“Certain activities can be done much more cost-effectively by the private sector” said Andy Bearpark of BAPSC
When the occupying forces found themselves trying to reconstruct the country while overwhelmed by Iraqi insurgency and sectarian violence, PSCs saw a lucrative opportunity.
“In Iraq in 2003 and 2004 money was basically free,” explains Andy Bearpark, director-general of the British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC).
“That meant [private security] contracts were being let for ridiculous amounts of money – millions and millions of dollars of contracts being pumped into the industry.
“The industry exploded in terms of the volume of business on the back of Iraq.”
Dozens of firms from the US and the UK stepped in to offer their services, providing governments and reconstruction NGOs with armed security personnel, convoy escorts, logistics support, training for the Iraqi security services, and risk analysis.
Names like Armorgroup and Control Risks, which had been around in the UK since the 80s, saw a chance to expand their businesses.