The past quarter century has seen a significant growth of interest in ‘plural’ policing. This relates, in part, to the very substantial expansion of private, predominantly commercial, security guards worldwide that has occurred in recent decades. However, the notion of plural policing also includes a range of other policing authorizers and providers, located within public, private or third sectors (or a mix thereof). Much of the writing on the pluralization of policing has focused primarily on trends in North America. There is a tendency to assume that the nature and degree of changes in policing are similar around the globe. However, research suggests that there are very different patterns of change in various parts of the world. It remains the case that little is known about the specific conditions that shape plural policing, and how these differ between national contexts. This paper explores the growth of plural policing within two EU countries – the Netherlands and Britain. It discusses areas of similarity and difference, and speculates about what factors might explain these. It suggests that changes in the policing systems of both countries can be related to a growing ‘formalization’ of social control, and to
the distinctive political cultures and institutions in each country.