The (de-)politicization and framing of private security and its regulation in Belgium, 1980-2020

• In Event: POL Panel 9. Privatisation and pluralisation in policing and its impact on police, partners and the public

Abstract

During the last 40 years, the private security sector in Belgium and its related policies have changed considerably, with the industry becoming an accepted and important partner in domestic security governance. While the political context in which the sector has been developing is an important subject in criminological scholarship, the exact processes of politicization and de-politicization of the phenomenon has attracted much less attention.

This paper examines the different approaches used by political actors to frame private security as part of policy-formulations and efforts to introduce (new) regulation. Empirical data are drawn from parliamentary records between 1980-2020. Focussing on the parliamentary arena allows us to analyse how an issue – i.e. the need for private security regulation – is discussed, perceived and framed by those in power

The findings of this study provide new insights on the forms, degrees and manifestations of (de-)politicization of private security, and its relation to (security) events over time. As such, it provides a deeper understanding of the political field and conditions in which the trajectory of private security has been unfolding in Belgium.

Author

• Pieter Leloup, Ghent University/Free University of Brussels