Corporate Security and Private Justice: Danger Signs?

Abstract

This paper explores the role of corporate security in the control of economic crime within private sector companies and public sector organisations in the Netherlands, setting personal interviews with security providers in the context of existing literature. Companies/organisations experiencing internally-generated crime or integrity problems appreciate the private, confidential, controllable nature of corporate security services. In this sense it is clear why such services flourish, however two problems remain. First, little attention seems to have been paid to the question of why the state allows corporate security to function so autonomously. Second, the typical outcome of corporate security investigations into staff misconduct – termination of employment contracts, with agreed employment references – may result in displacement of criminal potential to other organisations.

Keywords: Corporate security, Governance and integrity, Employee crime, Private settlement, Criminal displacement, facilitation