NCJ Number
209054
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume: 47 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 63-86
Date Published
January 2005
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the research in regard to private policing in Canada and abroad and offers a critique of how private policing presents problems in the realm of democratic governance.
Abstract
With the proliferation of private policing in Canada over the past few years, important structural changes in the realm of policing and law enforcement have occurred. The infiltration of private policing has implications for the democratic governance of policing and the civil rights of Canadian citizens. This article first reviews major research findings regarding private policing and then presents opportunities for law and policy to address the “governance deficit” that the author argues is a consequence of the proliferation of private policing. Research findings from normative analyses of private policing are presented to provide support for the argument presented by the author. These studies contend that within a liberal democratic society, only the state that is governed by the rule of law and respect for human rights is the acceptable provider of a police force enshrined with the power to protect the public safety. Private police, on the other hand, are not accountable to a democratically-elected governmental authority and are thus not accountable to the public. Next, the author argues that there are no jurisdictional or constitutional barriers preventing the extension of a code of conduct that incorporates human rights and public accountability into the private security sector. Moreover, such an extension of a code of conduct is necessary to maintaining effective democratic governance and accountability in both public and private policing in Canada. Continued research is merited on how the emergent national security and public safety structure will impact democratic governance and accountability. Note, references