More effective policing? Intensify private police partnership!

authors Bert Wijbenga
  Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg
journal Cahiers Politiestudies (ISSN: 1784-5300)
volume Jaargang 2010
issue 16. Policing in Europe
section Artikelen
date of publication July 26, 2010
language English
pagina 323
abstract

The dominant opinion in the Netherlands is that state owned and governed police is the preferred way to police and use force as an important aspect of that. Where private parties partake in the policing capacity, the public police regulates and supervises the private police. From a democratic and human rights standpoint this, so-called vertical is very relevant, but it has overshadowed the horizontal relation between the two. Combined with the necessary vertical role, the public police and the society, can profit considerably from a professional and active horizontal relation between the public police and the private police. This will enhance the public police’s effectiveness in solving crimes and maintaining public order, but will contribute to her efficiency as well. The latter argument is an extraordinary important one, where substantial budget cuts await the police in the Netherlands.