Taking Care of Business: Public Police As Commercial Security Vendors

Ayling, J. & Shearing, C. 2008. Taking Care of Business: Public Police as Commercial Security Vendors. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 8(1): 27-50.

Posted: 30 Aug 2019 Last revised: 13 Sep 2019

See all articles by Julie M. Ayling

Julie M. Ayling

RegNet School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University; European University Institute Dept of Law

Clifford Shearing

University of Cape Town; University of Montreal, School of Criminology; University of New South Wales; University of Toronto

Abstract

The article examines practices in 'user-pays' policing. It locates these practices historically as well established, with a lineage that stretches back to the beginnings of the police in Britain and earlier. The article identifies different forms of user-pays policing, the various practices they include and the regulatory issues raised by them. Consideration of the tension between a conception of policing as a public service and charging for police services suggests that user-pays policing can be, and often is, compatible with public interests and the provision of public goods. A case study of events policing within an Australian Police agency explains this further. The article concludes with a consideration of the risks that may be associated with user-pays policing and of possible future directions for police participation in the market-place as security vendors.

Keywords: commercialization, contract policing, events policing, fee-for-service policing, user-pays policing

Suggested Citation

Ayling, Julie M. and Ayling, Julie M. and Shearing, Clifford D, Taking Care of Business: Public Police As Commercial Security Vendors. Ayling, J. & Shearing, C. 2008. Taking Care of Business: Public Police as Commercial Security Vendors. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 8(1): 27-50., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3443263

Julie M. Ayling

RegNet School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200
Australia

European University Institute Dept of Law ( email )

Via Bolognese 156 (Villa Salviati)
I-50139 Firenze
Italy

Clifford D Shearing (Contact Author)

University of Cape Town ( email )

Private Bag X3
Rondebosch, Western Cape 7701
South Africa

HOME PAGE: http://www.publiclaw.uct.ac.za/pbl/staff/cshearing

University of Montreal, School of Criminology ( email )

C.P. 6128 succursale Centre-ville
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7
Canada

University of New South Wales ( email )

Sydney
Australia

University of Toronto ( email )

Robarts Library
130 St. George Street, Room 8001
Toronto, ON M5S 1A5
Canada
416-978-3720 Ext. 234 (Phone)
416-978-4195 (Fax)

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