Police Fume at Security Firms: Article Review

The current article Police Fume at Security Firms by Gillespie (2003) offers a glimpse of an array of issues that have and continue to influence policing. Notable is the fact that the recent past has experienced the rise in the use of private security guards across various contexts. This has raised an array of questions pertaining the fate of the police. While it is true that the police are tasked with the core role of averting crime, the number of police officers available is not enough to ensure adequate security provision. This has led to the persistent use of private security guards, even in public places. Gillespie (2003) notes that the populations have and continue to experience difficulties accessing services that the police should provide. Therefore, the populations are left with no alternative than to look for other means of finding such services. Private security guards have become a real-time remedy in the provision of police-related services.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The adoption of private security guards as a means to accessing police-related services has raised immense opposition from the unions affiliated to the police. Police unions, as well as individuals opposed to the use of private security guards, argue that the extreme expansion of the intensely unregulated private security industry poses an immense danger to the populations. In retaliation police unions, as well as those opposed to the use of private security guards hypothesize that inadequacies in security service provision by the police is a result of underfunding of the police (Gillespie, 2003). While such notions are true, it is of the essence to realize that despite the efforts made by the private security firms in enhancing security, the budgetary allocations to the police remains the same. In a nutshell, the populations have and continue to embrace security services by private firms, because they are cheap and efficient.

Overall, it is evident that police are opposed to private security guards because they want to maintain the traditional monopoly in the policing sector. Efficiencies in security service provision by private security guards calls for the need to merge them with the police. Evidence from an array of literature points to the fact that success in policing depends on partnership building. Therefore, the police should actively solicit new opportunities for the alliance as a way of enhancing the resolution of problems aligned with crime (Collins et al., 2015). Community policing has often been hypothesized as the colossal means of crime prevention. Alliance between private security and the police offers a viable platform through which community policing can be implemented. The partnership between the police and private security offers other benefits including sharing of information. Private security firms can also provide the personnel needed to leverage the personnel shortages experienced by the police force.

In conclusion, it is evident that private security organizations play a critical role in enhancing public safety. The private security industry has and continues to revolutionize security provision as it continues to source services and products that ensure public safety. Concurrently, the police and private security firms are established with the sole intent of ensuring public safety. As such, private security firms share various goals with the police. Precisely, the police and private security guards perform roles related to averting crime and disorder, ensuring security for property and people, and identification of criminals (Nemeth, 2012). The partnership between these two institutions can be crucial in reducing duplication of efforts and functions. From this analysis, those opposed to private security firms need to reconsider their stance because it is evident that private security guards are an undisputable force in matters regarding public safety.

References

Collins, P., Ricks, T., Van Meter, C. (2015). Principles of Security and Crime Prevention. London: Routledge.

Gillespie, K. (October, 2003). Police Fume at Security Firms. Toronto Star, A1.

Nemeth, C. P. (2012). Private security and the law. Burlington: Elsevier Science.