Difference Between Private Security and Enforcement of Public Law

In tabloids as well as various forms of popular media, we often come across the terms ‘private security’ and ‘public law enforcement’. The former applies to those people who are entrusted with the safety of private security and organisations, while the latter refers to the work of the police department under the control of Federal, territory or state government.
Private security, in general, refers to services contracted by organisations, companies and people for protection of property and personnel. It usually includes bodyguards, private investigators, retail detectives and other guard services. All these positions need proper licensing and training, and have limited amount of police powers. However, they normally have less restraints than the public police.
Public police forces usually function under a government entity and have very strict certification, training and requirements. Their work is based on a well-defined paramilitary model and controlled primarily by the politics. Although they are restrained by rules and laws, their main task is to ensure welfare and safety of the people.
Due to having less restrictions imposed upon them, private security officers can often carry out and focus on their duties more efficiently. They may also get paid more for exceptional performance and have a lot of technical equipment available at their disposal. Although there are some firms who do not have properly trained employees, most of the reputed companies dealing with security guard hire in Brisbane provide high-level training to their officers.

 On the other hand, law enforcement forces have the power to arrest a suspect based on suitable evidence, an ability that security guards lack. But the work of police can get hampered by the political and legal restrictions put on them. A cop cannot interrogate anyone without reasonable suspicion. However, private security guards may interact with any people they want to for safety reasons. Besides that, they can operate in the criminal as well as the civil realm. The police can only get involved in matters that are related to felonious acts. They often do not have any responsibility in civil matters.
In Australia, private security agencies generally provide a plethora of services besides security guard hire, such as cash in transit, private investigation, automatic teller machine servicing, retail loss prevention, crowd control, video surveillance, secure transportation, party security and guard patrols. Most of the reputed firms offer their services at cost-effective rates and make sure that the job entrusted to them is carried out properly.