Private police

Invasion of privacy or crime-fighting boost: Should the public police have greater access to security systems operated by private police?

December 13, 2016

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Police forces and a complex CCTV network work in conjunction to keep people and property safe.

However, what happens when a CCTV system functions inside a privately-owned building that is leased by a business?

Security personnel who man the building have to communicate with the police to catch intruders. However, police don’t have access to these privately owned networks, which is where the confusion begins.

What if there were a change in legislation that permitted police and other law enforcement agencies to access cameras from a central control point?

If the police do not have access to these private buildings and systems, how are they to know what happens behind these closed doors? What if security personnel break laws by removing intruders by force?

Surely the intruders are breaking the law in the first place and need to be reprimanded, with or without police consent, seeing as security guards are being paid to guard grounds?

There is a lot of back and forth here with what’s right and wrong and what’s legal and illegal. This is where having one voice could solve all arguments, but as long as there is private CCTV I don’t think one voice can solve it all.

Lack arrest powers

Private police are employed by non-government operations and can be security guards, patrol persons, detectives, ex-police, and sometimes off-duty police officers. Private police focus more on preventive methods and deterring crime rather than catching and punishing criminals. This is because they lack arrest powers, although they have the right to make a citizen’s arrest.

In the US there is even evidence that suggests private police can provide security services more cost effectively than the public police force

Private policing around the world is growing because the crime threat evolves over time with technology and some people like to have personal say and control other their own establishments, with a 24/7 operation to give them assurance that may otherwise not be possible.

In the US there is even evidence that suggests private police can provide security services more cost effectively than the public police force. Tight budgets within public policing mean the public police may take longer to access the newest security technologies.

Public police agencies are sometimes bound by laws that don’t apply to private police. This has its pros and cons. Although private police may be able to, for instance, carry a gun, the public police, though hindered by additional constraints, are given a very clear idea of the boundaries of what they are permitted and not permitted to do.

Some people, on the other hand, see private policing as a wealthy person’s protection and feel there is one rule for the rich and one rule for the poor. But even if this is true, if you choose to spend your money on these services then who should tell you it’s wrong?

Used in the legal or correct manner then all should be well. Having said that, if you are spending your own money on these services, surely you would want grey areas resolved in legal documents because you never know what could really happen. If acts of crime take place you need to have it dealt with in the right way.

Grey area

If private police their boundaries then there is a chance that no one will ever know as, after all, the public police don’t have access to private systems. This can cause yet greater problems within the grey area.

If public police see private police blatantly acting above their power, even though they are manning private property, they obviously cannot permit laws to be broken. I assume that this only makes matters more confusing and builds up hostility between public and private police forces.

If legislation ever changes to grant public police forces access to private police force work, there will always be a need for flexibility

Clear guidelines on the scope and boundaries of the role of private police need to be set out and followed to create a productive partnership and prevent hostility. For this to happen there needs to be a singular, unbiased voice of reason that takes into accounts all possibilities and all sides of the story/law.

Certain requirements must be met for someone to be employed as a private police member. If there is to be some degree of overlap and collaboration between the two spheres then it’s only right that both sides should be qualified and professional.

If legislation ever changes to grant public police forces access to private police force work, there will always be a need for flexibility. This is because someone who employs a private police force won’t want the public force to have access. However, most of the general public would probably think that the public force has the right to access private force work.

If legislation changes, is this an invasion of privacy or a major boost to the fight against crime? Employers of private police team will naturally see it as an invasion of privacy.

This is not to say that private teams are routinely covering up criminal activity or that they are overstepping their legal boundaries. But such measures could be seen as a boost to tackling crime because public police have more powers of arrest, so can do more with the information they access.

Heads of public police forces would need to come together to pitch in their own thoughts and opinions. On top of this, contact would need to be made with private police teams to reach a compromise that all parties are happy with that would see a trial run in which public police could access private systems. If everyone was happy with the outcome, the arrangement could become more permanent.

The author, Simon Parker, is a director of Minerva. Founded in 2005, Minerva is an integrated fire & security service provider with a clear vision to create smarter working environments and help our clients reduce their fire & security operating costs, throughout London and the southeast.

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