In the past, when national security didn’t existed in New York or the rest of the United States, the private security sector was responsible for all aspects of crime prevention from investigations and seeking fugitives to protecting the president and serving as night watchmen. The first city police to be established in the country was the NYPD, which resulted in the public sector taking over the above duties. Despite this, the New York private security sector has never become obsolete but has played a constantly changing role that continues to evolve to this day.
Even before the September 11th attacks, the law enforcement acknowledged that police alone were not sufficient to cover all security functions, primarily because they must carry out ever increasing duties while resources stay the same. The police force is now expected to undertake tasks including teaching drug prevention, staffing schools, investigating computer crime, training special response units, and learning to become counter-terrorism specialists. This leaves little time to eliminate crime and ensure the safety of citizens, and personnel are often unable to cope with the influx of calls to their agencies.
While the number of police officers employed by cities has barely risen over the years, the private security sector increased to a labor force of 1.2 million in 2012, over the United States as a whole, and is now responsible for protecting more than 50 percent of the country’s critical infrastructure. Thanks to this growth in private security, the number of criminals in private prisons has risen 47 percent in the last 10 years, a trend that is expected to continue especially in the area of cyber security.
In particular, crime problems in downtown areas in big cities like New York are being handed over to the private sector. By working in cooperation with local police agencies, such as the NYPD, the implementation of private security has shown to have greatly reduced crime.
Citadel: A NY Private Security Agency
Utilizing private security on a larger scale creates a win-win situation for everyone involved. The better resources and funding available to the private sector takes the strain off the police force meaning crime is reduced, the public remain safe and private assets are protected. The best way to ensure a property or business facility is safeguarded is to hire a New York private security service. Whether you need professional or corporate security bodyguards or special event security in NYC, contact us at (212) 209-5570 for assurance that your safety and security will never be compromised.