Abstract
Private security is a major industry in Australia and security services affect almost all aspects of people’s lives. There are twice as many private security operatives in Australia as there are police. Following substantial growth in the last few decades the industry has entered a period of relative stability and has, in a sense, “come of age”, with considerable attention now being given to issues of consumer protection, professionalisation and government regulation. This Trends and Issues paper addresses questions about the scope of security work, and current problems and issues; and recommends a model of enhanced cooperative regulation of the industry to benefit both the consumers of security and quality security providers.