Physical Security Services market overview in Ukraine

The market for physical security services in Ukraine is actively developing. This is facilitated on the one hand by the unstable situation in the country and the low income level, and on the other hand, a certain economic growth and recovery after the crisis of 2014-2015 indicates an increase in solvency and the desire of the business to protect its interests.

According to various estimates, in Ukraine there are from 5,000 to 7,000 security companies. However, only about 10% of this figure is active. If we analyze these 10%, then a significant share will be made up of organizations protecting only one object, or companies organized for a specific event.

In fact, in Ukraine there are only a dozen large operators with coverage throughout the country, among them the first place is occupied by the state security organization. The rest are local companies operating mainly in large cities. It is logical that most of them serve the market of Kiev and the region – about 70-80 companies.

Due to the increasing number of cases of illegal actions with personal property, as well as an attack on business assets, the security market in Ukraine is experiencing a kind of boom. If in the world this industry grows by an average of 6-8% per year, then in our country this figure reaches 20%. In addition to the above reasons, the market is also driven by the relatively low cost of such services, as well as the lack of trust in law enforcement agencies and the judicial system of Ukraine.

An important industry problem is the lack of qualified personnel. This leads to the fact that security organizations are forced to hire non-professional security guards, which in turn leads to a significant decrease in the quality of services provided in the sector. And only a few companies solve this problem through internal training, attracting professional trainers and regular training.

According to expert forecasts, the market will continue to develop at a fairly rapid pace, as statistics on the growth of crimes in the country continue to be unsatisfactory. Despite the fact that physical security currently prevails in the structure of security services, in the medium term, the industry will begin to shift towards combined means of organizing security, including automation, installation of alarms, access control, etc. Such a symbiosis of physical protection with modern technologies not only creates a more reliable protection of the facility, but also in some cases reduces the cost of services.