ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview and assessment of recent reforms that have contributed to a pluralisation and fragmentation of policing in England and Wales. It considers the emergence of new forms of visible policing both within and beyond the public police. The chapter also considers some of the trends and developments that have stimulated the current fragmentation and pluralisation of forms of policing that seek to offer reassurance through visible patrols. It explores the complex nature of relations between the “extended police family” and the different modes of governance they suggest. Estimations in Britain suggest that the number of personnel in the private security industry has surpassed the number of public police officers. The Private Security Industry Act 2001 seeks to shift the industry in to the mainstream of UK policing services by encouraging a higher degree of professionalism. The chapter concludes with a consideration of the future shape of reassurance policing.
