NCJ Number
146736
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: (1993) Pages: 108-122
Date Published
1993
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The study of private security among social scientists has been problematic because it is often conceived on two opposing registers, one characterized by economic calculation and the other by more normative reasoning.
Abstract
The private security sector can be characterized by three propositions. The first is that it is a service sector providing equipment, personnel, and original procedures for protection and risk management in the form of a professional security "chain." The second is that the links of this chain provide a philosophy of action emphasizing risk prevention and protection against damages associated with these risks. Finally, the private security sector is characterized both by a profit orientation and by adherence to the laws of supply and demand. This article provides three examples illustrating the managerial State in the role of third-party arbiter of conflicting interests and goes on to analyze the role of the State in economic competition and the privatization of policing missions or tasks. 1 figure, 6 notes, and 19 references