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Public Policing and Private Security: Insights from the UK

When: —
Venue: Online

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We are pleased to announce the 3rd Seminar Series on Governance, Institutions, and Sustainability jointly hosted by the Centre for Political Economy and Institutional Studies and by the Birkbeck Responsible Business Centre, within the Birkbeck Business School.   

In our rapidly evolving world, the intricate web connecting governance, institutions, and sustainability has become increasingly prominent. We invite scholars, researchers, and practitioners to enhance this very important debate and to join us in exploring the profound intertwining of these critical elements at our upcoming seminar series.

 

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of public policing on investments in private security. It first develops an infinite-horizon theoretical model in which police forces and potential victims jointly determine their optimal levels of security investment. The empirical analysis then examines how various forms of private security employment respond to changes in the number of police officers engaged in visible patrols, drawing on a novel dataset from the United Kingdom. The UK provides an ideal case study due to its large private security sector and a significant reduction in police numbers resulting from budgetary constraints. The findings show that greater public police presence tends to crowd out all types of private security employment. However, the analysis also reveals important heterogeneity: in wealthier and more unequal areas, a positive relationship emerges between public policing and private security investment. Finally, the study finds evidence that both public and private security contribute to crime reduction, although the effect of public policing appears to be stronger.

 

Speaker: 

Matteo Pazzona (University of Brunel, UK)

 

Convener/Organiser: Dr Luca Andriani

Contact name: Luca Andriani

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