The Debate on Private Versus Public Policing

Public policing has been known to have a monopoly on policing until the increased trend of private policing in the United States. Private policing, while emerging as a new industry, is not a new phenomenon and predates the existence of public police as witnessed today (Wilson 1994). Public and private policing have many similarities, as well as differences and the distinction between public and private police are often blurred. Private police look and behave like public police and describing their function often involves a comparison of the activities and responsibilities of the two. Despite the differences, public and private police tend to mirror each other to a certain extent (Nalla & Newman, 1990).

The increase of private policing has been in response to many changes in society such as the increase of "mass private property" (Shearing and Stenning, 1983) in the form of large shopping complexes, cinemas, large retail stores and large compound style housing estates or gated communities. These require constant surveillance for the safety of shoppers and residents. In fact, adequate security has become one of those value-added extras that attract customers and residents. Technological advances, such as high-tech video surveillance cameras, computers, mobile phones, and satellites have increased the need an increase of security personnel for monitoring, investigating and analyzing. Private policing has been described in many different aspects such as, policing activity of crime prevention; detection and apprehension carried out by private organizations or agents for commercial purpose. It is described to include those people who work for a security company or are employed by an individual or firm to carry out security work, crowd control or private investigations. Private policing is provided by a private individual or organization, rather than by a public body or the state like public policing is.