Senior police officers' perspectives on private security: sceptics, pragmatists and embracers

The police have traditionally been sceptical about working with some groups, and the private security sector is foremost amongst them. Arguments that there are too many negatives associated with a service that is accountable to only those who can pay can be balanced by its potential to offer more cost-effective ways of policing, not least in an austere economic climate. This article reports on interviews with police leaders about attitudes towards working with, and outsourcing functions to the private security sector. Amongst police leaders, both supportive and cautious attitudes were identified and three ‘ideal types’ of views emerged: sceptics, pragmatists and embracers.