Police and private sector in ‘mixed economy’ drive

BRITAIN’S 43 POLICE FORCES MUST ADOPT A ‘MIXED economy’ approach to maintaining law and order, working together with private security companies to deliver effective policing in what is a fast-changing society. That was the message espoused by senior police officers and private sector executives at the Reliance Security Services-organised conference ‘Policing: The New Agenda’, which was held recently at the London offices of Deutsche Bank.

Denis O’Connor – Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary for Wales and the Midlands – stated that the growing sophistication of policing requirements points towards a ‘mixed economy’ solution. “We need to make the best use of the police, public and private support services, as well as technology, in order to meet the challenges of modern policing,” said O'Connor.

In support of O’Connor, Chris Fox – current president of the Association of Chief Police Officers – told the 100-plus conference delegates that a long term plan is needed to bring effective policing to local neighbourhoods. “This is a cornerstone of Government law and order policy,” suggested Fox, who went on to comment that the complexity of the criminal system (encompassing violent crime, terrorism and drugs, down to the ‘street level’ of stealing and disorderly conduct) means that the role of the private sector and other agencies is vital in allowing the police service to do its job. “It’s about us using what works,” added Fox.

Sergeant Paul Valentine of the Northamptonshire Constabulary emphasised the importance of information and intelligence sharing with CCTV system operators. “Information sharing and Exclusion Notice systems are making CCTV really work,” commented Valentine. He added that there’s no better example of public-private sector working than the Northampton Retail Crime Initiative, wherein Reliance officers operate the town’s surveillance systems.

Included in the new police ‘pluralism’, of course, are Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). There have been mixed reports on the success of PCSOs, and Rick Naylor – president of the Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales – cautions against allowing too much power to be divested from fully-fledged police officers. “We should resist giving PCSOs any more responsibilities,” said Naylor. “That would inevitably take them off the streets and into the police station, which is not what they were brought in to do.”