Around the world, the nighttime economy is one of the most challenging environments for public safety. Crowded entertainment districts, stretched police resources, and rising expectations for safe, vibrant urban spaces have created a complex operational landscape. A new study published in the Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice offers an important window into how that landscape is actually managed — and the findings underscore the fact that private security plays a critical, often under recognized role in keeping streets safe at night. (Keeping streets safe at night: navigating jurisdictional boundaries between the police and the private security industry, January 2025).
The research, based on focus groups with police officers and private security personnel in a city in Southeast England, examines how responsibilities are shared, where boundaries blur, and how both sectors navigate the practical demands of nighttime safety. What emerges is a picture of two professions working in parallel, frequently intersecting, and increasingly dependent on one another to maintain order in the hours when risks are highest. “Both agencies recognised there needed to be a partnership [and] the police in our study were unanimously positive about joint working,” the research concludes.
Police in our study were unanimously positive about joint working.
A Frontline Presence Where It Matters Most
One of the clearest insights from the study is the extent to which private security guards serve as the primary safety presence in many nighttime settings. Security officers describe responding to disorder, assisting vulnerable individuals, and managing escalating situations long before police resources can be deployed. Police officers, for their part, acknowledge that private security often stabilizes incidents that would otherwise grow into more serious threats.
“Overall, the study showed that private security guards, both male and female, have an important role in keeping streets safe at night, and are often first responders, providing essential cover and back up for formal policing,” according to the study.
It makes sense. Officers are positioned at the doors of venues, in public squares, in transport hubs, and along the routes people use to move through the city at night. They are the ones who see problems forming in real time and intervene early enough to prevent harm. Their presence reduces pressure on police, supports local businesses, and contributes directly to the sense of safety that allows nighttime economies to function.
Shared Challenges, Shared Risks
The study also highlights similar exposure to risks. Participants from both groups describe frequent exposure to violence, verbal abuse, and unpredictable behavior, and speak about the emotional demands of the work, the need for rapid judgment, and the strain of operating in environments where alcohol, crowding, and late-night fatigue amplify tensions.
This alignment of experience is important. It underscores that the two sectors are not operating in separate worlds. They are confronting the same problems, facing the same individuals, and absorbing the same pressures.
Navigating Boundaries in Real Time
A central theme of the research is the complexity of jurisdictional boundaries. Police officers expressed concern about situations in which private security personnel, acting out of necessity, intervene in ways that approach or cross legal thresholds — detaining individuals, collecting evidence, or managing incidents that technically fall under police authority.
The study highlights these concerns but suggests they reflect the practical reality that someone must often act in the moment to prevent harm, and in the absence of immediate police availability, private security fills the gap. This dynamic should not be viewed as a problem to be eliminated, the study says, but it is a reality that needs to be managed. Clearer communication channels, shared training, and structured collaboration can help ensure that both sectors operate within their mandates while still delivering the level of safety the public requires.
A System That Works Better When It Works Together
Perhaps the most important conclusion of the research is that the safety of the nighttime city is a shared responsibility, and that neither police nor private security can manage it alone.
To do it more effectively, the study concludes, cooperation needs to be strengthened. For example, joint training can help build a shared understanding of roles, limits, and expectations. “The value of joint training packages is suggested by this study, as this would enhance not just knowledge but greater mutual understanding.”
Additional solutions include:
• Information sharing mechanisms that allow security officers to alert police quickly and effectively;
• Recognition of private security’s contribution within local safety strategies; and
• Support for guards’ professional development, particularly in de-escalation and vulnerability management.
Importantly, the research says regional examples prove that points of conflict and confusion can be overcome. “There is evidence … that concerted efforts to improve communication lines are effective,” the study concludes.
Recognizing an Essential Public Safety Partner
As cities continue to grow, as nighttime economies expand, and as police resources remain under pressure, the role of private security will only become more important. The question is not whether private security should be part of the public safety ecosystem. It already is. The question is how to support, integrate, and recognize that role in ways that benefit the public and strengthen the overall safety architecture.