Abstract

Who guards life and property in our societies? And who guards the guardians? To an increasing degree, the answer to these questions is: commercial security actors. In this chapter, we explore more fully these vexing questions, as well as what might be at stake in their answers. In particular, we query the ways in which public–private distinctions are being drawn and unsettled, spheres of authority and governance coincide and clash, and how control and oversight are determined in the practice and governance of contemporary security guarding.