Moglichkeiten der Privatisierung von Aufgagenfeldern der Polizei--mit Auswirkungen auf das Sicherheitsgefuhl der Bevolkerung

• NCJ Number: 198228
• Author(s): Joachim Obergfell-Fuchs
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 418 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Bundeskriminalamt
• Corporate Author: Max-Planck-Institute Fur Auslandisches und Internationales Strafrecht
• Sale Source: Bundeskriminalamt
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: German
• Country: Germany (Unified)

Annotation

This book describes a research project conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Criminal Law in Freiburg, Germany, focused on examining the influence of private security services on public perceptions of crime and public assessments of security.

Abstract

Arguing that in Germany, as elsewhere, public security services are becoming more and more important in granting public security, this book describes the large scale random survey conducted in summer of 1997 in the German cities of Freiburg, Frankfurt, Erfurt, and Dresden. Through 1,5000 questionnaires, content analysis of local newspapers, and interviews with police officers, managers of security firms and shopping centers, and representatives of the municipal offices, the author found that prominent criminal problems included drug problems and problems related to unemployment. Survey results indicated that 46.8 percent of German respondents had been victimized during the past year, with Freiburg showing the lowest victimization rates. Addressing fear of crime and individuals’ estimations of the risks of becoming a victim of crime, the survey demonstrates that respondents perceived police officers as rarely seen in Erfurt and private security services as rarely seen in Freiburg. Examining attitudes of respondents towards the police and private security services indicates that while respondents viewed police officers and private security firms as friendly and understanding, most individuals indicated that they would be glad not to see or hear the police at all, maintaining that police officers often did not fulfill their duties of protecting citizens from criminal activity. Many project respondents indicated that the uniforms of the private security guards should be different from police uniforms and that private security services should be used in conjunction with police officers in all areas of crime control. With customers of private security organizations emphasizing economic factors and with German citizens highlighting the need for police preservation of sovereign rights in German cities, the author concludes that there is tremendous skepticism towards the privatization of security by both police officers and the public at large. Furthermore, German citizens and police officers both consider private security forces to be most effectively used as back up to local police departments. References, index