A Strained Relationship between Police and Private Security

Abstract 

In the dispensation of neo-policing, the co-existence between the public police and private security has been the order of the day to the extent that distinction of how the two operate has been difficult. It is also certainly the fact that police executives have come to appreciate the utility of private security in modern policing in neo-governments. However, in the course of the inevitable coexistence between public police and private security, various obstacles have inherently interfered with the collaborative co-existence between the two. For instance, issues such as subordination between the two sectors and regulation of the two; distinction of responsibilities in addition to the level of professionalism in the two sectors; among others, have been the preliminary obstacles that the coexistence of the two sectors is confronted with. Due to the inevitable coexistence between the two sectors, it is therefore the role of the government of the day to put itself in a position as to audit, regulate and facilitate the rearrangement of policing in a quest to improving the relationship and coexistence between the police and private security. Upon meticulous enumeration, it is apparent that amelioration of the relationship between the two sectors would result to various benefits in terms of security including increased effectiveness, realization of equality of protection and better access to specialized skills and technical resources among others. This is in addition to the fact that there are various obstacles that present risks that may fetter attempts to improve this relationship; including the imbalance in accountability, threats to civil liberties and reputational concerns among others. It is therefore essential that the government confronts the millstones inherent to the attempts to ameliorate the relationship between the two sectors and take relevant steps to achieve the same as the coexistence can no longer be given a cold shoulder. 

Introduction 

The inevitable coexistence between the public police and private security today has registered great improvement with regard to security in various parts of the world today. For instance in Canada the rate of crime has been on the decline (Swol, 1998), despite the emergence of white-collar crimes, fraud and employee theft being on the rise (Swol, 1998). This has been a reflection of what has been the order of the day in other parts of the world, where the stability of private security has registered significant impact in terms of policing. 

At all relevant times in this paper, the public police refers to police officers mandated with preserving peace, combating crime and other offences, discharging warrants, apprehending criminals and completing required training in addition to any other functions (Swol, 1998). On the other hand, private security would refer to security personnel employed by respective clients for protection of person, life, property and any other personal interests that the client may stipulate while defining their duties (Swol, 1998) . 

This paper is premised on the acknowledgement that the existence between the public police and private security is as important as it is inevitable in the society today. The potential utility attributed to the coexistence of the two relates to the promising effectiveness in security and amelioration of the prevailing security situations. This paper therefore, upon initially enumerating the significance of private security alongside police, sheds light on the existing strained relationship between the two sectors. This is through demonstration of the distinctions in terms of regulations, functions, tenure and privileges among others; that distinguish the two, hence establishing the premise to the strenuous coexistence. 

The paper, being alive to the fact that cooperation between the two sectors is of essence, outlines the benefits qualifying the need for a cooperative relationship between the two sectors; before highlighting the obstacles that pose risks to the improvement of the relationship between the two sectors. Finally, upon concluding on the utility of an ameliorated relationship between the two sectors, various recommendations to establishment of the improved relationship and approaches to establish partnerships between the two sectors shall be exploited in giving meaning to the importance of coexistence of the police and private security. The paper finally outlines the most viable recommendations commensurate to the conclusive findings arrived at throughout the paper. The recommendations shall therefore set the practical and procedural aspects regarding the establishment and operation of the partnership between the two sectors. 

The Need to Improve Police and Private Security Relationships 

Upon acknowledging the importance of public police, it is important to appreciate the fact that the private sector, through private security services, has improved security in various states to the extent that the significance of private security cannot be ignored neither can it be wished away. Further, partisanship regarding support of private security may not be important as the impact of private security has demonstrated the apparent fact that private interests may not be absolutely aligned with public interests, in addition to the fact that the police cannot sufficiently respond private interests (Malcolm, 2014) . 

It is therefore important to appreciate the fact that the policing authority can be alienated from the government as policing can as well be authorized by private citizens (Malcolm, 2014) . This is manifest in instances where functions that may conventionally appear to be a preserve of public policing are assigned to private security (Malcolm, 2014). 

Further, the demographic data in relation to policing indicate that since the 1980s, the number of private security guards has exceeded that of law enforcement officers; where the rising trend has been the order of the day up to approximately 1 million private security guards in 2010 estimated to increase to 1.2 million by the year 2020 (Malcolm, 2014). It is therefore apparent that the policing function is no longer the preserve of the public law enforcement officers as the private industry has over the years depicted the capability to discharge the same. 

Amidst the relevance and distinctions between the private security and public police lies the essence of ‘state-ness’, which is the conventional belief by the general public that the state is in a better place to perpetrate certain functions including policing (Malcolm, 2014) . This is attributed to the fact that the state is perceived to broadly reflect societal values and therefore should be entrusted with policing. This establishes the premise regarding the need for the state, through the public police, to improve its relationship with the private sector in the quest to increasing effectiveness and efficacy in terms of discharging policing functions. As the coexistence between the two is paramount and inevitable, it is of essence that the relationship between t he police and private security be ameliorated. 

With these issues being enumerated, it becomes apparent that there are several stress areas between public and private police interactions, resulting in a charged environment for these professionals. Pluralization, where the requirement for a diversity of security officers in both private and public sectors has brought about the need to have specific skill sets within the force to provide adequate security needs. Additionally, attitudes fostered between police in the public and private sectors also brings about conflict, so that public and private police coexist rather than cooperate. This brings about a competitive streak within both forces so that there is a negative view from one side to the other. Additionally, perceived better working conditions in private security seems to aggravate hostilities between the two groups, with some officers leaving the public domain to work with private security in a bid to improve their livelihoods. With straining economic conditions, it is understandable why this would be a better choice. However, this is not met with a warm welcome from their former public stations. 

Overcoming the obstacles: Risks Attributed to Improving the Relationship. 

Efforts towards improving the relationship between the police and private security have been fettered by various risks and millstones. This has been attributed to manifest distinctions that lie between private security and public law enforcement in nature of their operations, qualifications and legal implications that do not extend across the board equally to both of them. 

First, there is a threat as to loss of ‘state-ness’. There are fears that entrusting policing services to the private sector with support of the public law enforcement would erode the ‘state-ness’ of the policing function (Malcolm, 2014) . This is attributed to fears that private security cannot balance the multiple and conflicting rights of people in addition to potentially being in a position to distort the public agenda. This is also premised on the presumption that the state is in a better position to advance the public good and societal values (Malcolm, 2014). Moreover, where a private party is given the mandate to ensure peace and security, there are fears that this duty will be discharged in a manner that is not transparent, accountable or impartial. This is because the private security is not mandated by the people to perform such functions and may be influenced by other external factors, including money. In fact, this is the reason why confidence in this security arm is not all in, as fellow public officers perceive private security to be hired guns. 

Second, improving the relationship between public police and private security is fettered by the legal position that the private security are not held legally accountable as the police are; and therefore it would be illogical to confer to them equal policing functions as the police, for which they would not be equally accountable to. Accountability to the public is one of the foundational principles of public policing. Since the police are tasked with protecting the public, law enforcement agencies are subject to higher authorities, which can evaluate their performance at any time and rule on the legality of their actions in the course of duty. This aspect is clearly missing in the case of private security. There are no legal mechanisms to ensure that the actions of private security are within the bounds of law, leaving them with free operating space in the course of discharging their duties. An unregulated environment is as dangerous as leaving a child to play with a loaded gun – disaster is bound to happen. 

Further, partnership with the private security poses a threat to civil liberties as restriction that apply to the police, for instance regarding extraction of confessions and illegal procurement of evidence through unauthorized searches, do not equally apply to private security (Malcolm, 2014). This puts the citizens’ civil liberties at stake as without such regulations, private security officers are liable to violate them without being held accountable as it would be the case with the police. This again, further explains the awkward position that private security find themselves in when discharging their policing duties. 

In addition, amelioration of the relationship between the two depicts a glaring threat to public safety. First, it is certainly the fact that private security personnel are not constrained to absolute minimum requirements such as professional training before they are entrusted with the policing function. It is therefore imminent that the unprofessionally trained private security may expose ordinary citizens to harm through reckless conduct and uncalled overreaction to particular situations (Malcolm, 2014) . Advancing private security is also fettered by the fear that it would result to limiting the prospects attributed to the careers in public police therefore due to the relaxed constraints attributed to qualifications for private security and the increased availability of the latter (Malcolm, 2014) . 

The Utility of Partnership: Qualifying the Need for Partnership between the Two Sectors 

Besides the obstacles confronting the quest to improving the relationship between public law enforcement and private, it is certainly the fact that the inevitable coexistence between the two demands for a strategic approach aimed at improving the relationship between the two in order to make the two work harmoniously. To that effect, it is important to point out and highlight the gains accredited to improved engagement between the two sectors. 

First, improved relationship between the private security and public police would result to significantly increased effectiveness in security. As it is established that the policing roles played by perpetrators in the two sectors are complimentary in nature, it is inherent that an improved relationship between the two would be of aid in distribution of skills, knowledge and resources between them to the extent both would benefit from each other’s utility pursuant to enhancing policing and advanced security (Malcolm, 2014) . 

Second, an improved relationship between the two would spur equality in protection of citizens. This is attributed to the fact that as the high-end citizens would be able to procure private security at their own expense, the other citizens would have increased access to policing services as the efforts of public law enforcement officers would be concentrated on them (Malcolm, 2014) . This would in the long run improve the ratio of police officers per inhabitants as compared to a situation in which a state is devoi d of private security services. 

Third, improved relationship between the two sectors would promote community policing. This is attributed to the fact that collaboration between the police and private security would foster advancement of a security agenda that is community based at the expense of the professional agenda solely emanating from the public police (Malcolm, 2014) . Such community policing would ensure that the individual members of the community are directly involved in establishing crime control agenda as well as implementing the same, as their own initiative through private security in collaboration with the police. 

Finally, an improved relationship between the police and private security would accord the two concurrent access to highly skilled specialists and technical resources respectively (Malcolm, 2014) . This is attributed to the fact that an improved partnership between the two sectors would put the police in a position to make the state’s technical security resources available for use by the private security in addition to the state being open to consultancy from skilled personnel sourced from the private sector. 

Issues for Consideration in the Quest to Fostering an Improved Relationship 

Despite the challenges manifest in the course of improving the relationship between public police and private security, it is established that an improved relationship between the two is paramount for realization of effectiveness in security of a nations. However, while taking steps towards improving the partnership, there are vital issues that are at stake that need to be considered before success is registered with regard to improving the relationship between the two sectors. Further, these issues for consideration include aspects of security that need to be changed before any significant change can be realized in the relationship between the two. 

First, in acknowledging the complimentary roles played by the two sectors and appreciating the fact that that sometime the stakeholders of the private sector are former office holders in law enforcement, it is important to reconsider the position regarding subordination between the two sectors (National Policy Summit, 2004) . As long as private security officers shall be considered inferior to the law enforcement officers, it would be difficult to realize an improved partnership between the two. In this regard, such subordination should only be manifest with due regard to one’s level of professional training regardless of whether they are in the public law enforcement or private security. 

Secondly, it would be important to harmonize the standards required for individuals to perpetrate policing functions whether within the police or private security. In improving the relationship between the two, it would be essential to ensure that the community is protected from unprofessionalism that may be marred with unethical behavior including use of force and abuse of neo-security equipment that they may be entrusted with (Malcolm, 2014) . As a foundation to improving the relationship, both sectors are required to impose similar minimum qualifications for persons contemplating policing. 

Third, regulations in policing should also be equally extended to the police and private security. It is only fair that if the perform complimentary functions, then they should both be subjected to similar regulations in account for their conduct (Malcolm, 2014) . Harmonization of the regulations in terms of application to both the public police and private security may be settled through amendment of legislations imposing those regulations and extending the same to private security. 

Further, despite the complimentary and overlapping roles of the police and private security with regard to functions pertaining to policing, it would be of foundational significance to draw a clear distinction between public policing functions and private policing functions (Malcolm, 2014) . Improving the relationship between the two sectors calls for a thorough and apparent distinction between public and private functions. Such distinction would be essential to realization of an improved relationship as it would prevent usurpation of powers from one sector to another which may result into conflict; in addition to accuracy while apportioning liability for functions and obligations not discharged (Malcolm, 2014) . The prevailing operational disunity between the two sectors at the moment may be attributed to the equivocal distinction between the functions. Further, clear distinction would realize increased effectiveness in security as the role to be played by each sector would be crystal in addition to any permitted overlaps. 

Finally, it would be prudent to eliminate such privileges manifest in the private sector; that pose unfair competition to the public sector hence diminishing career prospects in the public sector. Despite the fact that public law enforcement officers are fairly remunerated well (Swol, 1998) , other privileges manifest in the private sector such as absence of tenure limits and liberty to perpetrate other functions without the scope of policing; diminish career prospects in the public sectors hence the unfair competition from the private sector. One of the foundations that precede improvement of the relationship between public police and private security involves harmonization of such privileges in order to eliminate such unfair competition. 

Summarily, it is settled that indeed there is the emerging need to improve the relationship between the public police and the private security and the two inevitably coexist and perform complimentary functions. In order to realize the utility attributed to improving the partnership between the two, it is important that certain foundational aspects be taken to consideration and revised through legislation or executed as policy preceding commencement of the efforts to ameliorate the relationship between the two sectors. 

Conclusion 

Upon assessment and enumeration of the various steps attributes to transforming the strained relationship between police and private security, the following conclusive findings were arrived at: 

That the coexistence between the police and private security is inherent and inevitable. Since the two perform complementary policing functions, it is mandatory that the two sectors establish a partnership for harmonious realization of objectives pertaining to security for the interest of the general public and private interests of various individuals. 

That the relationship between the police and private security has been attenuated over and long time and therefore requires reconsideration and improvement in order to harmoniously accord security to the public. 

That the attenuated relationship between the police and private security is attributed to factors such as subordination between the two sectors, unequal application of regulations, imbalanced privileges accorded to the perpetrators of policing functions in the two sectors, distinct qualifications for execution of similar policing functions and the lack of clear distinction between public and private responsibilities attributed to policing functions. 

That the risks attributed to improving the partnership between the two sectors involves a resultant lack of accountability especially from the private sector, the partnership may come as a threat to civil liberties, the policing function may lose its state-ness, the improved partnership poses a threat to safety of the public with regard to sophisticated equipment vis-à-vis unprofessional security officers and the risk of diminished prospects in the public sector due to inequality of protection. 

That the impending benefits attributed to amelioration of the relationship between the police and the private security include increases effectiveness and efficacy of security, alignment of the partnership with the ideals of community policing, grant of access to specialized skills and technical resources in addition to the efficiencies that come with contracting out policing functions. 

Recommendations 

Based on the enumerations made above regarding improvement of the relationship between the police and private security, the following solutions would suffice as viable, sufficient and expedient recommendations to the prevailing issue: 

That the respective leaders of the established public law enforcement and the major private security organizations should arrive at a legally binding commitment for cooperation as the first step to indicating good will and the intention to foster good relations between them (National Policy Summit, 2004) . The endorsement of this commitment should be accompanied objective participation in the established partnerships, examination of the effectiveness of the partnership in addition to rewarding the recognition and appreciation of personnel duly discharging the partnership work. This would mark a significant endorsement to a stable and sustainable partnership between the two sectors. 

That a relevant legislation should be enacted with effect to funding a research and a training program on private security and law enforcement (National Policy Summit, 2004) . In this regard, it would be prudent first to conduct a foundational research regarding the best practices regarding most suitable options in partnership formation and maintenance in response to terrorism and crime. Further, the contemplated training should be encouraged across all police and private security practitioners on roles and responsibilities attributed to public and private policy. 

That an advisory council should be established in order to supervise the implementation of police-private security partnerships. In this regard, the advisory council should be entrusted with overseeing implementation of the partnerships on a day to day perspective in order to encourage consistent practice and realize desirable outcome (National Policy Summit, 2004) . Further, the advisory council would in the long-term facilitate establishment of more partnerships between the police and the private sector in addition to increasing the lifespan of the partnerships through institutionalization of the same. 

That the respective stakeholders initiate institutionalization of partnerships. This being the most important and relevant resolution in this paper, is would be advisable that the respective stakeholders take steps towards institutionalization of partnerships (National Policy Summit, 2004) . This would be possible through encouraging the Department of Homeland and Security to disburse funds to public-private partnerships, accreditation of partnerships established pursuant to the police-private security engagements in order to establish the foundational legitimacy of those bodies, encouraging agencies from both sectors to share personnel directories in addition to encouraging organization of workshops for influence of cultures and perceptions attributed to the law enforcement of private security practices. 

That the stakeholders exhaust marketing strategies to publish the concept of police-private security partnership on media platforms. This can be achieved through publishing articles in publications enumerating the merits of partnerships and the methods through which those partnerships may be created. Such marketing may also be through encouragement of government organizations to promote arrangements between the police and the private security organizations to the general public. 

That there be established a national police-private security information center as an advancement of the advisory council suggested above (National Policy Summit, 2004) . The information center would be useful in terms of helping in distribution of information relating to police-private partnerships after analysis and filtering of such information. 

References 

Malcolm, S. P. (2014). Managing the Boundary Between Public and Private Policing. New Perspecives in Policing . 

National Policy Summit. (2004). Policy paper: Private Security/Public Policing Partnerships. Ohlhausen Research Inc. 

Swol, K. (1998). Private Security and Public Policing in Canada. Juristat , 1-9. Retrieved from Private Security and Public Policing in Canada. 

Puck, L. (2017). Uneasy Partners against Crime: The Ambivalent Relationship between the Police and the Private Security Industry in Mexico.  Latin American Politics and Society ,  59 (1), 74-95. 

Zimmerman, P. R. (2014). The deterrence of crime through private security efforts: theory and evidence.  International Review of Law and Economics ,  37 , 66-75. 

Nalla, M. K., Maxwell, S. R., & Mamayek, C. M. (2017). Legitimacy of Private Police in Developed, Emerging, and Transitional Economies.  European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice ,  25 (1), 76-100.