UK Manned Security Market Report 2021

The UK Manned Security report identifies consumer attitudes towards the manned security services market, the manned guarding services market, tech-based security practices, prison security and the cash-in-transit segment in the UK. This market report covers the market size, market forecast, market segmentation and industry trends for the Manned Security market in the UK. 

Current Market Landscape

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its disruption on businesses, the number of manned guarding and security companies actually increased through 2020 and 2021. The increased demand for manned security came from the establishment of COVID-19 test centres, the logistics sector which contended with a rise in activity due to ecommerce and pandemic-led disruptions, and demand for security to protect unoccupied buildings.

• The number of business outlets increased by 38%, from 8,095 to 11,165 in 2021.
• The value of the manned security market has increased by 11% in 2021, reaching £4.1 billion.
• Between 2021 and 2026, the manned security market’s value is expected to rise by 19%, reaching £4.9 billion.

Accordingly, and in order to deliver services despite the limitations of lockdown and social distancing, remote monitoring rose in prevalence as a strategy to manage the increase in sites and enable the coordination of ‘on-the-ground’ activity more effectively.

Future Market Trends in Manned Security 

While activity has returned to more traditional guarding activities, such as door supervision, the national labour shortage has the potential to impact the delivery of these activities due to recruitment difficulties, as well as eating into low margins that typically characterise them – since wages rise to attract workers within the sector, as well as from businesses outside it.

This puts an impetus on firms to adopt tech-based solutions in order to shift towards a high-quality model that enables them to earn higher margins to maintain profitability in the face of rising costs. This will involve taking advantage of synergies between remote monitoring and other security activities, such as mobile guarding, alarm response, and key holding services, as well as developing expertise in security equipment and systems to enhance the efficiency of these activities.

Read on to discover more details or take a look at all of our UK Industrial market research.

Quickly understand

• The impact of COVID-19 on the manned security market.
• How the pandemic has accelerated the reorientation of the manned guarding segment toward tech-based practices and encouraged the upskilling of workers in the sector.
• Developments in the UK prison system and what it means for custodial services.
• Trends in cash usage and how they will impact the future of the cash-in-transit segment.
• Changes in industry structure and their drivers.

Covered in this report

Services: Manned guarding (with or without dogs, static guarding, mobile guarding), CCTV monitoring, lone worker protection, close protection, uniformed guards, guard patrols, airport guarding, airport baggage security, cargo security, mail screenings, diplomatic security, anti-terrorist security, vehicle escort services, anti-bug sweeping, explosives detection, cash-in-transit (cash transportation, cash processing, cash storage technology, mixed cash solutions, end-to-end cash management), custodial services (full prison management, private prisons, ancillary services, rehabilitation, settlement services, prisoner escorting, court services, curfew enforcement via electronic monitoring)

Brands: G4S Cash Solutions (UK), Loomis UK, Mitie Security, OCS Group UK, Securitas Security Services UK.

Expert analysis from a specialist in the field

This report, written by Francesco Salau, a leading analyst in the B2B Analyst sector, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.

The manned security sector has been broadly insulated from the impact of COVID-19 thanks to a shift in demand, from more traditional activity in retail, leisure and hospitality towards logistics and helping secure COVID-19 test centres and unoccupied properties. This has accelerated the uptake of remote monitoring, in conjunction with other practices such as mobile guarding. Adoption of these tech-enhanced practices will form a key part of the sector’s transformation to providing higher quality services with greater profitability.
Francesco Salau
B2B Analyst