ABSTRACT
In recent years there has been a growing realisation that research conducted on the subject of policing has not reflected the wide diversity of bodies engaged in this process (Johnston 2000a; Reiner 2000a). Although there has been but limited interest in private policing, research has consistently shown that the private security sector employs more people than the public police in many countries and undertakes a wide range of functions (Cunningham et al 1990; Jones and Newburn 1998; De Waard 1999). Before the various organisations engaged in private policing are considered, however, it is important to identify what is meant by the term ‘private policing’. To do this we must examine these terms separately so that we can identify some of the different bodies that fall within the ambit of both ‘private’ and ‘policing’. It is important to stress, however, that an analysis of private policing would justify a book in its own right and that this chapter, therefore, aims at providing only an introduction to this debate, not a definitive answer.
