Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the impacts of private policing within an urban area

ABSTRACT

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) provide essential jobs, goods and services contributing to social and economic stability within their neighbourhoods. Crime threatens the stability of SMEs and is one of the leading reasons these businesses fail. Using semi-structured interviews with 38 businesses located in five different neighbourhoods throughout Detroit, this study explores SMEs perspectives on the impact of private policing. Findings from the data highlight three important themes: First, the ways in which SMEs use private policing services varies according to their location within the city and their proximity to larger corporations; Second, there are certain services that are used by SMEs irrespective of their location within the city, and the rationale for how these services are used is the same across businesses; Third, public-private law enforcement partnerships can greatly benefit SMEs, but such partnerships are most effective when they include the private police forces of larger corporations.

KEYWORDS:

• Private police
• SMEs
• law enforcement
• public-private partnerships

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jay P. Kennedy

Dr Jay P. Kennedy is an assistant professor jointlu appointed to the School of Criminal Justice and the Center fr Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection. Dr. Kennedy is actively involved in research, education, and outreach efforts that focus on external partners including corporations, industry associations, and law enforcement agencies. His current research explores managerial and organizational responses to employee theft within small and medium enterprises, the incarceration and post-incarceration experiences of white-collar offenders, the sale of counterfeit goods on the internt, and the structure of occupational pharmaceutical counterfeiting schemes. Dr. Kennedy's work has been published in a number of outlets, including American Behavioral Scientist, Criminal Justice Review, Journal of Crime and justice, Journal of Financial Crime, Security Journal, and Victims and Offenders.