NCJ Number
187194
Date Published
2000
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the relationship between the police and the private police in Germany and the European Union focuses on the role of private security and how the relationship between public and private police will develop in the future.
Abstract
Private security services have a prominent role in Germany. They protect property and possessions and relieve the government by taking over an increasing number of tasks in the public sector and participating in the accomplishment of public duties. Similar developments have occurred in the European Community. However, the privatization of police tasks is no universal remedy for crime. Promoting community policing and individual responsibility and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of policing are more important. Analysis of constitutional law and the European Community law reveals that the government possesses the sovereign power for internal sovereignty, but can transfer the accomplishment of power to third parties such as private providers. The government’s responsibility to guarantee citizen security does not mean that only the government can fulfill this responsibility. The cooperative constitutional government enables public institutions, local governments, social groups, citizens, and private security to guarantee internal security jointly by developing a network that forms a security partnership. However, the law needs to regulate this division of labor and sharing of responsibility between the government and private security services. The law also needs to define the security providers’ scope of action, regulate professional qualifications of private security, guarantee the quality of the services, and establish government supervision. Participation of private security in these efforts is an essential part of these regulations. Footnotes and approximately 250 references