Abstract

”A Business with Fear”? Private Security Companies and their Never-ending Struggle for State Recognition and Public Acceptance in the US and Europe during the 20th Century

A new form of commercial private security services emerged in the US since the mid-19th century, most prominently with the rise of the much-debated Pinkerton National Detective Agency. However, in Europe, this business model was introduced only around the turn of the century. The founders of the so called “Wach- und Schließgesellschaften” in Germany were often inspired by their US-role models. These businessmen discovered and commercialised on a new “security gap”, allegedly opened by a further professionalisation of the state police forces: the guarding of private properties, mostly at night. From their early days on, these new private security companies were closely watched by a lot of different actors: While policemen saw these uniformed guards as potential competitors on the streets, politicians would debate how this is development is “hollowing out” the state`s monopoly on violence. Journalists would see them as an ambivalent consequence of the “modern” fight against big city crime and costumers like shop-owners would evaluate their personal benefits against the costs of subscription. All in all, the private security business in Europe was indeed a “murky” business, even in the eyes or the company owners themselves: One of their main questions was (and still is), how to keep criminal “outsiders” out of this sensitive business field and how to prevent wage dumping or unjust competition. This paper will try to discuss the often ascribed “murkiness” of private security companies in different fields throughout the 20th century. Especially the different ways of the newly founded and small to medium sized companies to deal with their often precarious position on a newly emerging “security market” will be addressed: the push for state regulation, the development of public relations or the formulation of corporate values for the “insiders” are examples of these strategies.