Private Security Agencies Research Articles

Rethinking Insecurity and Scoping Security Threat in Nigeria: Looking Ahead

Early in the 2000s, Boko Haram emerged with an Islamisation agenda concentrating mostly on Nigeria the largest African economy. There is empirical evidence suggesting that the government of Nigeria has not successfully warded off this group’s hostility. Yet there are gaps in security threats and extant literature. This study therefore examined the instability and anomic conditions resulting from this insurgency using the document analysis method and the Containment Theory employed as the theoretical framework. The analysis showed that there is no clear reason why the Nigerian military has failed to contain the Boko Haram insurgency given the army’s undoubted gallantry after excelling in several international peacekeeping assignments. It was recommended that public programs for enlightenment through community engagement and transparency would influence positively the government’s efforts to contain these terrorist activities. Given the complex nature of terrorism, there is a need for robust empirical studies that have to be done before any meaningful policy implementation can be considered. This study will amplify the international awareness of violent extremist activities in this most populated African nation. It will significantly provide the Nigerian government, human rights groups, researchers, civil society, policymakers, and public and private security agents with more knowledge to understand these terrorists better. Keywords: Nigeria, Threat, Peace, Security, Boko Haram

To Assess the Efficacy of Current Training Programs in the Private and Public Security Sectors and Their Impact on Partnership in the Provision of Security in Nairobi County, Kenya

Interactions between the public and private security sectors were crucial in maintaining public safety in Nairobi County, Kenya, under the framework of security services. The purpose of this research was to assess how successful previous training programs were in bringing together public and private security agencies to provide better protection for the public. Combining qualitative and quantitative techniques, the research process was all-encompassing. Primary data were acquired through the distribution of questionnaires and interviews, and secondary data were sourced from a variety of other sources. The data collection was centered around Nairobi County because of its ever-changing security scene, which reflects the wide range of activities and difficulties encountered by the two security sectors. In order to evaluate the gathered data, statistical analysis was performed using software like SPSS. An examination of previous training programs and how they impacted the formation of a partnership between public and private security agencies was the primary goal of the study. The research sought to refine training programs to improve collaboration and partnership between the public and commercial security sectors by analyzing previous efforts and their strengths and shortcomings. Policymakers, security agencies, and training institutes can all benefit from this study's results, which should lead to a better coordinated and efficient security strategy in Nairobi County. In addition to achieving the short-term goal of assessing training programs, this study paved the way for longer-term conversations on strengthening security partnerships in Kenya. This study laid the groundwork for future research in this important field and helped improve safety and security measures in Nairobi County by illuminating the connection between good training and collaborative security provision.

Employee Job Satisfaction and its Impact on Performance of Private Security Industry

This study focuses on employee job satisfaction and its impact on performance of private security industries. The study used a descriptive research design and sampled 847 security personnel’s from 35 registered private security agencies in Maharashtra. The study concludes that most of the security personnel’s not satisfied towards their job and facilities they are getting and it creates negative impact on performance of private security industry. Therefore, the study recommends the security agencies should improve performance appraisal system, motivational practices, training programmes, social responsibilities towards security personnel’s etc. There should be a use of modernized technology as per changing needs for betterment of security industries. Researcher attempted to identify the various factors of job satisfaction and its impact on the job performance.

Reflexões a partir das representações masculinas em homens nicaraguenses que trabalham na segurança privada informal na Grande Área Metropolitana da Costa Rica, 2020

This study aims to generate reflections on the "should be" of Nicaraguan immigrants from their masculine representation, the personal and collective consequences that these representations entail. Working conditions are analyzed from the hegemonic role dictated by socialized regulations, as the home provider, as well as the perceptions about their current life and the one they had before migrating. Therefore, an exploratory study was carried out in which interviews were carried out with 50 Nicaraguan immigrants who worked as informal private security agents in the GAM (Greater Metropolitan Area) during the year 2020.

Súkromné vojenské a bezpečnostné spoločnosti ako súčasť privatizácie bezpečnosti

Private security entities gradually play an increasingly important role in the field of activities related to ensuring security at the national and international level. Over the past few years, they have become an integral part of the state security systems in many countries. This is also why contracts from private entities in the form of various types of private security agencies currently reach several hundred billion dollars a year. For this reason, with the help of basic scientific research methods, the attention will be paid to the issue of private security agencies. In addition to our own knowledge and findings, we use also relevant theoretical starting points found in the works of renowned foreign and domestic authors dealing with the investigated issue and the information provided in official documents of international organizations.

Challenges Facing the Police and Private Security in the Provision of Security Services in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Over the course of the last 20 years, there has been an increase in the number of private security officers deployed to guard key installations and perform quasi-police functions in Kenya cities, more so in Nairobi. This has raised the curiosity of criminologists and criminal justice experts, who now want to learn more about the ways in which law enforcement and private security agencies work together to reduce crime. This study investigated the challenges that face the police and private security in the provision of security in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study was underpinned in the systems theory and the differential association theory. The study used mixed methods approach in data collection and to this end, both quantitative and qualitative techniques were combined in data collection. The survey collected data from 241 respondents being 117 law enforcement personnel and 124 private security personnel in Nairobi County. The study collected both primary and secondary data and interview schedules and questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents. The city of Nairobi was chosen as the study area because of the substantial distribution of both public and private security service providers there. Quantitative data for the study was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0 for windows. Study findings revealed that the challenges faced by police and private security in the provision of security services in Nairobi County included lack of manpower; a lack of resources; tribalism; lack of centralization of command; and a lack of adequate training with a combined coefficient of determination (R 2 ) of 0.71). findings of this study stretched the fronters of knowledge and significantly contributed to existing body of knowledge on the police-private security partnership in the provision of security services not only in Nairobi County but in Kenya and beyond. Keywords: Challenges, Police, Private Security, Security Provision DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/127-05 Publication date: December 31 st 2022

Russia in the Horn of Africa: Re-engagement in a new strategic environment

ABSTRACT This article discusses the role of Russia in the Horn of Africa in the context of Moscow’s drive to re-engage in the region amid stiff international competition. After providing an account of the geostrategic importance of the Horn, the article discusses a number of areas in which Russia has engaged in cooperation with various regional actors. Those discussed include anti-piracy efforts, military cooperation, trade in arms, cooperation on nuclear energy, and the role played by Russian private security agencies. In addition, analysis notes Russia’s debt relief for African states, failed vaccine diplomacy, assistance for oil exploration, and scholarships and training for African students. Discussion briefly considers the current war in Ukraine and the impact on Russian foreign policy on the Horn. The article concludes that Russia’s foray into Africa is largely to reassert its great power status without considerable costs and risks.

Official authority exceeding by private security agencies employees: foreign experience and prospects for its borrowing

The article considers the grounds for criminal liability for exceeding of official authority by employees of private security agencies in the performance of their duties. Emphasis is placed on the peculiarities of considering the issue of liability for harm to life and health of citizens in the implementation of security activities. It is established that in the criminal legislation of Ukraine there is no separate criminal offense which provides liability of security guards for power’ excess at implementation of professional activity.
 The foreign experience of the countries in the issue of criminal liability for exceeding the powers by employees of private and public security agencies has been resolved, is analyzed there. The criminal legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, Estonia is considered. It is stated that in the criminal legislation of Western Europe and America there are no separate rules on the liability of private security guards or detectives.
 It is concluded that it is necessary to criminalize the excess of power by employees of private and public security agencies in the current Criminal Code of Ukraine with the borrowing of foreign experience. It is hoped that the working group on the development of criminal law, which is working on a draft of a new Criminal Code of Ukraine, taking into account the norms of international law, will determine the importance of criminalizing the power excessing by employees of private and public security agencies.

ПСИХОЛОГІЧНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ РОЗВИТКУ ЕМОЦІЙНО-МОТИВАЦІЙНОГО КОМПОНЕНТА СТРЕСОСТІЙКОСТІ СОЦІАЛЬНИХ ПРАЦІВНИКІВ РІЗНИХ ВІКОВИХ КАТЕГОРІЙ

Соціальна робота є невід’ємною складовою суспільства будь-якої країни, яка спрямована на підтримку тих верств населення, які у певний період часу є нездатними до ефективної самостійної адаптації до умов суспільного життя. Надзвичайно важливим завданням є системна підготовка висококваліфікованих соціальних працівників, які здатні підтримувати та розвивати власну стійкість до стресів, що забезпечує успішність виконання фахівцями соціальної сфери їх професійних обов’язків. Стресостійкість є системною динамічною властивістю, яка визначає здатність людини справлятися із багатьма стресогенними ситуаціями, активно їх змінювати чи пристосовуватись до них без шкоди для свого здоров’я та зберігати ефективність виконуваної діяльності. Отже, вона активізує емоційну, когнітивну та поведінкову сфери особистості, тому доцільним є дослідження не лише загального рівня стійкості до стресу, а й особливостей розвитку її структурних компонентів. Метою статті є емпіричне дослідження психологічних особливостей розвитку емоційно-мотиваційного компонента стресостійкості соціальних працівників різних вікових категорій. Отримані результати проведеного дослідження дали змогу визначити особливості розвитку конструктів емоційно-мотиваційного компонента стресостійкості у соціальних працівників різних вікових груп, а саме рівня тривожності, емоційної врівноваженості та змотивованості до успіху. Було виявлено, що з віком у фахівців соціальної сфери підвищується рівень тривожності й емоційної врівноваженості, й одночасно зменшується кількість досліджуваних з високим рівнем мотивації до успіху і мотивації уникнення невдач. Такі результати пояснюються погіршенням стану здоров’я, зокрема нервової системи, зниженням рівня активності й зменшенням амбіцій, а також розвитком рефлексії свого емоційного стану, набуттям навичок цілеспрямовано на нього впливати, досягненням оптимального рівня мотивації до успіху, що одночасно сприяє ефективному виконанню професійних завдань та економії власних ресурсів.
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Protection of Judicial Facilities in the Republic of Poland: An Outline of the Problem

The aim of the article is to show the way of security agencies operation at the courts in Poland. Firstly, the author indicates the most important regulations regarding the protection of persons and services, as well as the most important rights and obligations of security officers in the general and then discussed principles of organization of protective actions in public buildings. Next, the author points out the rights and obligations of court security officers based on the regulations contained in the network and the scope of the terms of contract for protection services of selected courts in Poland. There are terms of security services in the courts of the Republic of Poland by private companies specializing in this field shortly characterized, as well as the principles of announcing a tender. This leads to the conclusion that private security agencies in Poland are very important for courts functioning, which really take into account the sense of security of all persons staying in the court.

Ethnic Minority Youths’ Encounters With Private Security Guards: Unwelcome in the City Space

An increasing amount of literature is suggesting that ethnic minorities perceive their relations with the police as negative and procedurally unjust. There is, however, a distinctive lack of research on the relations between ethnic minorities and private security agents. This study uses the qualitative interviews of 30 ethnic minority youths living in Finland to explore their interactions with security guards. The findings suggest that perceptions of discrimination, suspicion, being moved on, and exclusion from city space were common. The study advances the theorizations of the changes in policing and procedural justice and incorporates these into the discussions on policing the city space. It argues that net-widening of policing means that city spaces are becoming more unwelcoming for ethnic minority youths in particular, limiting their opportunities to use city spaces.

Proces licenciranja službenika privatnog obezbeđenja u Republici Srbiji

Legal laws which regulate private security sector in the Republic of Serbia have arrived after twenty years of legal vacuum in this area, and they have been the object of expectations of many private security experts and practitioners in Serbia. They regulate the licensing process of private security officers. Aim of this research was to identify key characteristics of the licensing process which implies training course in licensed training centers, exam in front of the commission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and, finally, licensing. The aim was also to identify values points, experiences and opinions of private security officers and candidates in the process of their course, exam and licensing. That was the reason to use the method of a semi-structured interview in our qualitative research. We interviewed eleven respondents - private security officers who are working or have worked for eight different private security agencies in the Republic of Serbia. They all have a license which is regulated with new Private security law. Research helps us to identify key problems in the licensing process. Candidates who are working in some private security agencies are not free from the job days during the course. They work night shifts and then go to the training center or go to work after classes. Also, there is the question of meeting fund of the course hours and whether all candidates go to the course at all. The criteria were lowered at the exam, and there is a problem of funding licensing process. Some of the candidates are paying their course by self, some are financed by the employer. In that case, the employer refunds it in the future or candidate have a contractual obligation to work with that employer in the future. Licensing process has its good sides as well. Candidates gain knowledge in security sciences, law and their rights. They are developing skills of self-defense and overcoming the resistance and developing their physical strength. The development of security culture is encouraged as well as a desire for improvement of security sector officers and candidates.

Governing-through-Harm and Public Goods Policing

Among scholars of law and crime and practitioners of public safety, there is a pervasive view that only the public police can or should protect the public interest. Further, the prevailing perception is that the public police predominantly governs through crime—that is, acts on harms as detrimental to the public good. We argue that governing harm through crime is not always the most effective way of producing public safety and security and that the production of public safety is not limited to public police forces. An approach of governing-through-harm that uses a variety of noncrime strategies and private security agents as participants in public safety is often more effective—and more legitimate—than the predominant governing-through-crime approach. We reflect on case studies of noncrime intervention strategies from the Global South to bolster the case for decoupling the link between the public police and public goods. A new theoretical framing needs to be pursued.

Governing-Through-Harm and Public Goods Policing

Among scholars of law and crime and practitioners of public safety, there is a pervasive view that only the public police can or should protect the public interest. Further, the prevailing perception is that the public police predominantly governs through crime — that is, acts on harms as detrimental to the public good. We argue that governing harm through crime is not always the most effective way of producing public safety and security and that the production of public safety is not limited to public police forces. An approach of governing-through-harm that uses a variety of non-crime strategies and private security agents as participants in public safety is often more effective — and more legitimate — than the predominant governing-through-crime approach. We reflect on case studies of non-crime intervention strategies from the Global South to bolster the case for decoupling the link between the public police and public goods. A new theoretical framing needs to be pursued.

'Lowering the threshold of effective deterrence'-Testing the effect of private security agents in public spaces on crime: A randomized controlled trial in a mass transit system.

Supplementing local police forces is a burgeoning multibillion-dollar private security industry. Millions of formal surveillance agents in public settings are tasked to act as preventative guardians, as their high visibility presence is hypothesized to create a deterrent threat to potential offenders. Yet, rigorous evidence is lacking. We randomly assigned all train stations in the South West of England that experienced crime into treatment and controls conditions over a six-month period. Treatment consisted of directed patrol by uniformed, unarmed security agents. Hand-held trackers on every agent yielded precise measurements of all patrol time in the stations. Count-based regression models, estimated marginal means and odds-ratios are used to assess the effect of these patrols on crimes reported to the police by victims, as well as new crimes detected by police officers. Outcomes are measured at both specified target locations to which security guards were instructed to attend, as well as at the entire station complexes. Analyses show that 41% more patrol visits and 29% more minutes spent by security agents at treatment compared to control stations led to a significant 16% reduction in victim-generated crimes at the entirety of the stations’ complexes, with a 49% increase in police-generated detections at the target locations. The findings illustrate the efficacy of private policing for crime prevention theory.

Demand for Law and the Security of Property Rights: The Case of Post-Soviet Russia

Studies of property rights overwhelmingly focus on whether states expropriate or protect property, overlooking the crucial issue of whether private sector actors willusestate institutions. By contrast, I argue that the “supply” of formal legal institutions often fails to ensure firms will rely on the state for property rights protection. Instead, firms frequently avoid formal legal institutions and turn to illegal strategies based on violence or corruption. Whether firms adopt legal strategies depends on: (1) firm-level practices and beliefs that impede the use of law, (2) the effectiveness of illegal strategies, and (3) coordination problems resulting from firms’ expectations about each other’s strategies. Drawing on interviews with firms, lawyers, and private security agencies, as well as an original survey of Russian enterprises, I illustrate how “demand-side” factors led to a surprising increase in Russian firms’ reliance on formal legal institutions over the past two decades. The findings suggest that comprehensive understanding of property rights and the rule of law requires not only attention to state institutions’ effectiveness, but also to private actors’ strategies.

Drug policing assemblages: Repressive drug policies and the zonal banning of drug users in Denmark’s club land

BackgroundZonal banning of disorderly and intoxicated young people has moved to centre stage in debates about nightlife governance. Whereas existing research has primarily focused on the use of zonal banning orders to address problems of alcohol-related harm and disorder, this article highlights how zonal banning is also used to target drug-using clubbers in Denmark. MethodsBased on ethnographic observations and interviews with nightlife control agents in two Danish cities, the article aims to provide new insights into how the enforcement of national drug policies on drug-using clubbers, is shaped by plural nightlife policing complexes. ResultsThe paper demonstrates how the policing of drug-using clubbers is a growing priority for both police and private security agents. The article also demonstrates how the enforcement of zonal bans on drug-using clubbers involves complex collaborative relations between police, venue owners and private security agents. ConclusionThe paper argues that a third-party policing perspective combined with assemblage theory is useful for highlighting how the enforcement of national drug policies and nightlife banning systems is shaped by their embeddedness in local ‘drug policing assemblages’ characterized by inter-agency relation-building, the creative combination of public and private (legal) resources and internal power struggles. It also provides evidence of how drug policing assemblages give rise to many different, and often surprising, forms of jurisdiction involving divergent performances of spaces-, objects- and authorities of governance.

Global Civil Society: Challenges of Security and Policing

ABSTRACTGlobalization broadly refers to the expansion of global linkages, the organization of social life, global consciousness; and an expectation of global societal norms and behaviors underpinned by just laws. The democratization of established and emerging nation states identified challenges of security for its citizens. Emerging nation states require a stable government supported by a comprehensive security apparatus that supports its citizenry. That support is provided by a policing paradigm that embraces the state and private security agencies. The authors discuss the challenges facing the security industry and a law enforcement community policing paradigm that is inclusive, transparent, and accountable.

Outputs of EU 7th Framework Programme Research on Security at Major Events Focused on Private Security Services

Purpose - The study aims to look at the best practices and research outputs of private security services in the field of protection of persons and property at major events. This study presents some outputs of research projects EU SEC II - VÝSK. 173, GODIAC - VÝSK. 171 and THE HOUSE - VÝSK. 172. Design/Methods/Approach – To gain the outputs of the three conducted projects, the actual police and security reality was tested while applying practice-oriented research methods, such as planning, modelling and its testing on practical events, direct and indirect observation, explorative methods, in particular a questionnaire and recording techniques, and their evaluation with the use of statistical methods to determine the homogeneity and reliability of the results of qualitative investigation. Findings - The research projects carried out in terms of FP7 present the results which in this direction bring many consequences for cooperation between states, municipal and private security services and its tasks. Research limitations/Implications (if applicable) – The existing legislation in countries of Europe offers several alternative solutions to the issues by using the private security service. Each of the solutions has its limitation arising mainly from the local legislation and national organisation of security services. Practical implications (if applicable) - The study has outcomes and implications for police practice and management in securing major events. Visible applications and consequences have been identified for security planning and controlling, published especially in parts 4 and 5 of this study. Originality/Value - This study is an original debut and the first presentation of the conducted 7th FP research in the section on private security. The study is intended for theoreticians in police sciences, as well as security and police practitioners, in particular police management, security measures planners and management of private security agencies.

“It’s for their own good”: Techniques of neutralization and security guard violence against psychiatric patients

Based on eight in-depth interviews conducted with security guards who work in the psychiatric units of two hospitals located in Ottawa, Canada, this research found that private security agents unknowingly draw on Sykes and Matza’s five techniques of neutralization to justify their use of violence and coercive force against patients and to overcome their feelings of guilt for participating in the administration of brutal intervention practices, including physical and chemical restraints. Guards claimed that these practices benefit the patients more than it hurts them and in cases where they believed the interventions to be unwarranted, guards either accepted the medical staff’s judgment to make decisions about when coercive force should be used or condemned the authority the nursing staff has in determining how to manage patients. They also drew on militant codes of security conduct to justify their tough demeanours and resilient attitudes towards medicalized violence. Implications for forensic practice include considerations of the effects of the (gendered) power relations that structure closed institutional settings and can harm already vulnerable patients, as well as the negative consequences of using security to enforce arbitrary institutional rules.