"Softly, Softly", Private Security and the Policing of Corporate Space (From Hard Cop, Soft Cop: Dilemmas and Debates in Contemporary Policing, P 101-113, 2004, Roger Hopkins Burke, ed. -- See NCJ-206005)

• NCJ Number: 206012
• Author(s): Mark Button
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 13 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After defining and illustrating "hard" policing and "soft" policing with reference to the private security industry, this chapter discusses the manifestations of "soft" policing as practiced by the private security industry in Great Britain.

Abstract

"Hard" policing by private security firms is characterized by confrontation, detection, reaction, rigorous enforcement of the law and regulations, political motivation, and a threat to the state. "Soft" policing by private security firms, on the other hand, features consensus, prevention, proactive operations, discretion and the desire to avoid using the criminal justice system, a nonpolitical orientation, and support of the state. "Hard" policing by private security officers has occurred when companies have hired private security firms to inflict violence on striking and protesting workers. On the other hand, the "liberal democratic" perspective views the growth of private security as an inevitable consequence of the inability of the police to satisfy public demands. The private sector has filled this gap in security by generally adopting a "soft" approach to policing. Central to the "soft" approach pursued by the private security sector in recent years has been the desire to engage in partnerships with the police combined with an elevation of the status of private security policing. This has been encouraged by the British Government and an increasing number of voices within the police service. One of the defining characteristics of the commercial security industry is its proactive and preventive role. This is displayed in the focus on situational crime prevention measures combined with risk management strategies that aim to minimize the risk of losses and manage those that do occur. Linked to prevention is the general preference for avoiding the escalation of incidents to become matters for the formal criminal justice system. Private systems of justice are used alongside civil remedies. Fraud investigations, for example, may not result in criminal prosecutions, but rather measures to recover the money lost and termination of the employment of the offender. The "soft" approach is further illustrated by the changing styles of uniform worn by many security officers in recent years. Instead of militaristic styles of dress, security officers may wear blazers, ties, shirts, and "slacks." In the United Kingdom, there has been a reluctance to arm private security officers with any weapon other than nonlethal weapons. Thus, despite concerns over the growing role of private security, there is little evidence in the United Kingdom of a "hard" approach or desire for private security firms to move in that direction. Still, some warn of a "Brave New World" built upon seduction, corporate control systems, and consensually based measures.