NCJ Number
99918
Journal
Canadian Police College Journal Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (1985) Pages: 127-153
Date Published
1985
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Police perceptions of private security training, objectives, activities, and authority were examined through informal discussions, indepth interviews, and questionnaire responses from 184 Canadian police officers.
Abstract
In general, police did not have very high opinions of the quality of private security personnel and their training, or their power and authority. Police perceived private security objectives as protecting lives and property, crime detection and prevention, and maintaining order. In contrast, security personnel viewed their major objectives as protecting property and preventing loss. Although police had frequent contact with private security personnel and informal information sharing did occur, such cooperation was rarely the result of departmental policies or procedures. Improved communication and better training for private security personnel were most frequently cited as measures that might improve working relationships between private security and the police. Overall, police had a negative view of private security and trivialized its significance, largely because they evaluated it by police standards for crime detection, investigation, and prosecution rather than in terms of preventing loss (the objective of private security). Finally, although police had little knowledge of private security regulation and licensing schemes, their generally poor assessment of private security led them to conclude that such schemes are inadequate and that more regulation is needed. Included are 17 references.