NCJ Number
95971
Journal
Criminologie Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: (1984) Pages: 59-89
Date Published
1984
Length
31 pages
Annotation
A review of the history of private policing in Canada concludes that the recent proliferation of private police services warrants a reexamination of ideas on law and order, social control, and crime prevention.
Abstract
Spurred by the professionalization of police services and consequent increases in costs, the private police industry started in the United States and Canada and now has been introduced to Western Europe. This trend questions the principle of a monopoly on public power by royalty and states in their struggle against feudal lords. The police function now is decentralized and fragmented, with guarding, property surveillance, traffic control, and parking control being entrusted to private policing services. Such organizations usually are modeled on the first private agencies, such as Pinkerton's. Tables and over 20 references are provided.