Briefing from ROAPE Volume 35 Number 118
Dynamics of Private Security in Senegal

The privatisation of security has recently attracted much attention, particularly in light of abuses by private military companies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of this attention sensationalises private security by focusing on private armies unbounded by national boundaries and unencumbered by international law. Recently, however, less dramatic forms of private security such as private guarding, surveillance, alarm systems, and patrolling have become more prevalent worldwide. These more mundane forms of private security are central to the daily operations of many societies.