The Politics of Private Security

Over the past fifty years the private security industry has been on a remarkable trajectory. Not long ago, private security companies were confined to the periphery of most domestic security sectors, where they were generally disdained by the police, mocked by the media and dismissed by everyday cit [...]
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Over the past fifty years the private security industry has been on a remarkable trajectory. Not long ago, private security companies were confined to the periphery of most domestic security sectors, where they were generally disdained by the police, mocked by the media and dismissed by everyday citizens. Today, however, private security officers outnumber police officers in most industrial countries and undertake a range of frontline law and order functions such as protecting critical infrastructure, policing mega-events and conducting anti-terrorist surveillance activities. The Politics of Private Security is the first in-depth analysis of the political issues and processes arising from this important transformation in domestic security provision. Drawing upon a wealth of historical and contemporary data, as well as the latest theoretical innovations in this research area, it advances original answers to the following key questions. How have private security companies become so prominent? What motivates them? What is their relationship with the state? How can they be controlled?And what does their increasingly ubiquitous presence in the 21st century society tell us about the future of security provision.