‘Household Security’: Private Policing and Vigilantism in Doncaster

Abstract

The extension of private security patrols into public spaces has increased considerably in recent years and both the government and the police service have indicated a willingness to seek ways to accommodate and regulate private security companies. This article presents the results of a study into the operation of one private security company in a working‐class area in the North of England. It examines some of the difficulties that will be faced by the police, the formal agents of law and order in attempting to regulate private security firms and highlights the motivation of ordinary citizens faced by increasing fear of crime. At the same time it allows us to challenge some earlier assumptions about the nature of vigilantism and suggests a modification of Johnson's 1996 definition.