Brussels, 17/12/2008 (Agence Europe) - The role of private security in Europe is the latest major subject to be brought up just before the end of the French Presidency of the European Union. What is the current role of private security in Europe? But more importantly, how can the private sector evolve in new forms of partnership with police? These are questions raised in the "White Paper" published in Paris on Monday 15 December, at the first European summit on private security, which brought together players from public and private security from the 27 countries of the EU.
Towards an increased role for private security. Opening the conference, the French interior minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, pointed out that the State remained the architect of global security. “But the times when private security was seen as an intrusion into the sovereign field are long gone”, she said. “The days of distrust have gone. Private security must start to take more of a place in the chain of security, of which it is one of the links”, she added. The minister went on to announce that France was to create an economic council on security. Some half dozen people would make up this think tank whose mission will be to make proposals. "We need a more global vision of the economy of security", Ms Alliot-Marie explained. "We also need greater coherence in the face of ever faster developments in crime and the growing demand for security among our fellow citizens", she said.
A much-needed reform. The "White Paper", entitled " Private security and its role in European security ", was published by experts of the Confederation of European Security Services (CoESS) and the Institut national des hautes études de sécurité (National Institute for Higher Security Studies - INHES). The private security sector, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy reiterates in the preface to the document, today represents 1.7 million people in Europe, 50,000 businesses, and a turnover of 15 million euros. The President notes that "the supply and demand for is more urgent and quality-focused than ever due to the gap created by an inevitable reduction in state spending ". However, the reinforcement of the partnership with the private sector can only be done having first "organised this sector". He adds that "the harmonisation of the national legislations and European security legislation is vital", particularly with a view to "co-producing public-private security solutions". The President of the CoESS, Marc Pissens, reaffirmed that those involved in private security were seeking official recognition at European level. "We have no central contact point in Brussels", he lamented. "We would like a directorate or service, a unit, to coordinate a global European policy for our activities", he stressed, pointing out that the attacks of 11 September 2001 in the United States and those committed subsequently on the European continent had brought about a considerable increase in private security needs, for example in areas surrounding airports and public transport.
The fragmented landscape of private security in Europe. The "White Paper" shows that there is a considerable increase in Europe in the number of private security agents, which now stands at 1,360,000, compared to 1,150,000 in 2004. By way of comparison, the public security forces now total 1,900,000 agents, compared to 1,650,000 in 2004. The number of private businesses is growing and now stands at 40,500 in the 27 Member States of the EU. On the 2004 database, the EU of 27 had 237 private agents for every hundred thousand citizens, compared with an average of 360 police officers for every 100,000 citizens. The landscape, however, differs greatly between the States. Hungary, for example, leads the field by far when it comes to the number of private agents, which is three times higher than the European average. It is followed by Poland, Ireland and Luxembourg. France is among the bottom of the table. The United Kingdom has gone furthest in delegating its public service, entrusting the transfer of prisoners, with the exception of terrorists and very dangerous prisoners, the management of a number of detention centres and wagon detention to the private sector, although it is illegal for private security agents to carry weapons, as is also the case in Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands. In France, private security agents may only be armed for the transport of money. In Hungary, the private sector carries out the surveillance of public buildings, ministries and courts. In Italy, urban video surveillance has been handed over to them. In Romania, a protocol has been signed between the police and private service providers, authorising them jointly to intervene in keeping public order. However, the authors of the White Paper note, "these heterogeneous teams do not always produce the anticipated results, as the occupants do not automatically agree on their respective objectives". The structuring of the sector, on the other hand, is not yet complete. The experts have flagged up certain endemic problems in this profession, such as imperfections in controls on businesses which are still not observing legislation, unattractive low salaries, a high "turnover" of staff and the public authorities which too often tend to favour saving money over the quality of the services provided. The "White Paper" is available at the following address: http: //http://www.coess.eu/pdf/CoESS-INHES_White_Paper-Private_Security.pdf (B.C.)