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Partnerships between the police and the private sector will be essential if the UK is going to tackle the scale and complexity of modern crimes such as theft and fraud, according to a new report examining the evolution of public and private policing in the UK.
The paper, by the Police Foundation, traces the relationship between public policing and private crime control back to the 19th century, concluding that while the public police remain the “trusted anchor” of policing by consent, they can no longer meet all demands alone. Digital transformation, changing crime patterns and long-standing resource constraints mean private initiatives now play a necessary supporting role.
The authors of ‘Policing in Partnership’ argue that the core responsibilities of policing should remain firmly with the public police, including criminal investigation, neighbourhood policing and emergency response, delivered by an accountable and impartial service. However, they say this does not rule out a significant role for private police, particularly in tackling lower-priority property-related crimes and offences that play out largely in private or digital spaces.
Drawing on a series of case studies, including the National Construction and Agricultural Theft Team (NCATT, a dedicated police unit that is almost entirely privately funded by big insurers in the agricultural and construction sectors to focus on plant and agricultural equipment theft), the report finds that private crime control initiatives can and do act in the public interest.
It challenges the idea that private sector involvement is driven solely by profit, highlighting examples of companies and organisations motivated by a desire to support policing and reduce harm. At the same time, it stresses the importance of effective regulation to ensure all parts of the policing system operate in the public interest.
One key insight is that, in certain areas, only one private policing initiative handling a particular type of crime may actually benefit policing outcomes. Lost and stolen property registers, for example, are most effective when they hold as much data as possible, something that would be undermined by multiple competing platforms. In these cases, the report suggests police forces should be comfortable entering into partnerships where there is a clear public benefit.
“It is clear that if we are to tackle crimes like theft and fraud in a context marked by resource constraint and digital transformation, the public police need to work in partnership with private and other actors to do so. Tackling these crime types requires a collaborative effort from all the parts of the plural policing landscape. Only by working together can we tackle these crimes and the criminals who commit them.”
The paper also underlines that the operational independence of the police must be preserved, regardless of funding arrangements. While private funders may influence strategic priorities, operational decisions should remain firmly in police hands, free from political or commercial interference.
Data sharing emerges as a central theme throughout the report. The authors describe information as the “currency” of policing, noting that successful public-private partnerships rely on timely and effective sharing of intelligence between forces, companies and other organisations. Cultural barriers and uncertainty around data protection are identified as ongoing obstacles that need to be addressed.
Rather than offering a long list of proposals, the report makes a single, overarching recommendation, that the government should actively encourage police-private sector partnerships to tackle crimes such as theft and fraud and establish a clear national policy framework to support them. The report warns that many existing partnerships are made in the moment, in response to demand and are dependent on personal relationships, making forces uncertain whether they have the backing they need to get involved.
Without clearer direction from the Home Office, the report concludes, opportunities to reduce crime and harm across the policing landscape risk being missed at a time when collaboration has never been more necessary.
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