From Fate to Choice : Private Bobbies, Public Beats

In the 1990s private security patrols in public places were occurring in many areas of the UK and moving closer to that traditional domain of the public police – streets and neighbourhoods.

Such a phenomenon was ripe for sociological enquiry and, accordingly, this book, originally published in 1995, provides a focused interpretation of six key concepts, each central to the equity debate on private policing.

Data from three research sites in the UK are presented throughout the book in the form of case studies.

Equity of justice is crucial and intrinsic to the association policing should have with a democratic, equal and free society.

Private security, however, is not conducive to these requirements for it has an inherently competitive style excluding freedom from those who are non-competitive through either choice of economic disadvantage.

Accordingly, an embarrassing characteristic of private security policing is that it promises too much freedom of choice in a less than equal world.