Public policing has being on the front line ensuring that the public safety is guaranteed especially in terms of preventive policies and investigative. The private security plays an essential role in maintaining the security for the private property. A comparison of public policing to private security outlines diverse similarities and differences between the two roles. A private company or agency pays for the private security, whereas public policing is paid by government salaries and by taxpayers. Public police officers have the authority to enforce laws, protect, and serve society. On a private security perspective, the officers are paid to protect private property and personnel. This implies that most of the duties that public policing and private security officers perform are similar. In a general point of view, the services performed by both officers are aim at achieving similar goals, to prevent, and deter crimes. Officers for both public policing and private security are classified as leaders due to the kind of services they provide to both public and private sector. Their leadership skills are evident while performing their duties. Public policing and private security officers have a positive impact on the criminal justice system. The impact that both of these companies have on the criminal justice system could be enhanced if both would team up, work together, and look toward the future (Jones, 2008).
The two security sectors differs in several ways depending on the target group and the role it plays in maintain security. Even though both private security and public policing majors on the same type of activity or work, private security is mandate to protect the organizations and personnel. On the other hand, public policing is entitle the authority to enforce the laws and maintain order in society .Private security officers perform duties, whereby they protect, and deter crimes on private property. There are several distinct differences between public policing and private security. Public policing performs the duties of maintaining order, protects and serves the community, controls traffic, prevents crimes, and arrests offenders. Private security officers perform the duties of patrolling business grounds and surrounding areas, such as parking lots, security guards, and transports valuables and at the same time serves as an escort,. Another difference between public policing and private security is that private securities focuses more on the protection of corporate and personnel, while public policing main concern is with public safety and seek to enforce the laws of the criminal justice system. If a private security guard witnesses a crime being committed outside of their grounds or area of protection, they have the choice of being involve in maintain the security. Another difference between public policing and private security is that public policing earns the respect from the community, of which the private security does not earn because they work for a company or an agency and not within the community (Shapland 2011).
Both private security and public policing have several similarities and their duties overlap in several ways. Both of these security sectors are gender sensitive that is they employ both men and women. They both use uniforms to deter crime and show their authority in the community. Both private security and public policing perform duties that uphold the law and keep the community and organizations crime free. Both the private security and public policing share the same leadership skills hence the working terms and condition are the same for instance, they both have a paramilitary ranking system. The ranking system within the public policing begins with officers, detectives, and sergeants. Each of the ranks reports to the highest position within their rank. In the public policing ranks context, the officers report to the highest appointed officer within the government agency. Private security leadership ranks has similar positions as public policing, such as sergeant, corporal, and senior patrol officer. In the private security ranks, the highest rank is the owner of the organization or agency (Jones, 2008).
In the criminal justice system, both public policing and private security plays a fundamental role. Both roles deter crime with their presence since it is within their powers to make an arrest, investigate crimes, and prevent crimes. Public policing and private security help keep members of the community safe from any criminal activity. Another similarity of public policing and private security is that both needs to have some type of training though private security may not need as much training as public policing but both need training to perform their duties effectively. The different roles that public policing and private security play in the criminal justice system are that public policing are bound by enforcing the laws and policies. Private securities focus is to ensure the company and personnel are safe. Most private security is not bound by the same regulations that public police have to follow (Shearing, 2009).
There are three important elements that make up a comprehensive security plan, which are physical, personnel, and information security. The physical aspect of the security plan is building design, fences, locks, lighting, and alarm systems. Another aspect to physical security is security personal. The physical aspect of the security plan may be the major focus on protecting and deterring crime. The personnel aspect of a security plan is protecting people within a agency or organization and this comes from the presence of the security guard. Another aspect of personnel security is identification badges that would allow security officers to check the identity and the security clearance of individuals that come into the company. The information aspect of a comprehensive security plan is where that backgrounds checks are performed. Another aspect of information security would be to shared and dispose important documents properly. One more aspect of information security would be encrypted messages and codes. Encrypted files would provide security, so that no one would be able to access information (Shapland 2011).
Security is the critical subject within country hence making the public policing and private security importance organs for both economical and political stability. This therefore means that a country’s leadership standard is determined by the level of security to the public. Public policing is responsible for well being and smooth coexistence of the public. This simply means that it has set in place a policy that gives the public the right to be safeguard against any internal or external harm. On the other hand, private security operates within a private set up hence most of it undertaking concerns the safety of the particular entity of individual. It policies therefore focuses on the right entitle to the private property. Both the public policing and private security are guided and government by the policy of ensuring the concern parties are at best conditions with the environment. In other terms, they main objective or first priority is ensuring all the lawbreaker faces the law according the kind of crimes they committed. Both roles assist the judiciary by implementing the constitution and facilitating the effectiveness of the formulated criminal laws. They all settle any allege case with those people found to break the laws of the state and private entity in the court law (Shearing, 2009).
In conclusion, public policing and private security of different similarities and differences; however both have common goals in mind and that is to protect and serve. Both of the goals of these agencies intertwine within each other. Both roles play an important task within the criminal justice system. Public policing have to abide by the laws and regulations that affect society which private security do not have to follow. The presence of private security helps provide services to the public police by handling small crimes, such as shoplifting, security issues, business security, and surveillance. This service that private security helps free up public police because in the past police officers had to respond enormous amounts of calls. Private security does not protect society; their main concern is protecting companies and personnel. Public policing and private security need to work together as they head into the future to make the society a safer place. The two roles may differ in one way or another but they all work towards creating a safe and conducive environment for the people hence influencing the kind of economic level and governance that would exist in the state or in the any agency within the private sector.
References
Jones, T., & Newburn, T. (2008). Private security and public policing (3rd ed.). London: Policy Studies Institute ;.
Shapland, J., & Vagg, J. (2011). Policing by the public (2 ed.). London: Routledge.
Shearing, C. D., & Stenning, P. C. (2009). Private Security: Implications For Social Control. Social Problems, 37(1), 493-506.
