That is: What does it say about the security guarding industry that it is able to attract and employ 5,000, 8,000 or 10,000 illegal immigrants? Does it not suggest that the industry is on a par with the cleaning business in terms of wages and qualifications? Is it really one of the first options for a recently arrived, visa-free migrant prepared to work for low wages?
None of these things may be the case. But the fact is, the acceptance that the industry has standards this low appears to be the majority public opinion of security guarding.
It would be a major irony if, by attempting to rid the industry of ‘cowboys’ and improving its public image, all of the bad old perceptions were simply confirmed in the eyes of the public at large.