Security Governance – An Empirical Analysis of the Norwegian Context

Abstract

This article explores the local security governance in the city of Bergen, and it thus highlights what characterizes security governance within a Norwegian context. The burgeoning policing literature suggests that we live in a pluralized and networked society - ideas of cooperation have thus been perceived as important features for the effectiveness in security governance. Cooperative relations between public and private actors are the main focus of this article and such arrangements are empirically explored in the city of Bergen. These relations are explored on the basis of the theoretical framework state anchored pluralism and nodal governance. The key finding is that there seems to be an unfulfilled potential in the security governance in Bergen. The public police have difficulties with cooperating with and exploiting the potential possessed by the private security industry. It is suggested that these difficulties are related to a mentality problem within the police institution, derived from nodal governance, that is, the police are influenced by a punishment mentality and view themselves as the only possible actor which can and should maintain the security.