(Post-)crisis policing and the private security sector in Belgium

After Europe became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, various essential sectors were at risk. Besides worries that vital services like healthcare workers, emergency responders and firefighters would face capacity issues because of suspected infections, similar fears grew towards public law-enforcement officials. Very early in the crisis, the private security actors already emphasized their readiness to support the public police forces and their ability to continue operations. At a European level, for example, the Confederation of European Security Services (CoESS) stressed that private security services were ready for an enhanced public-private partnership. Similarly in Belgium, the Association of Security Services (BVBO) stated towards the government that security firms were prepared to take on a crucial role in the provision of security during the lockdown situation. This paper explores the effects of the crisis on the provision of (private) security, and its potential to change the policy landscape in Belgium. It focusses on the balance of supply and demand in the security sector, the challenges the security industry faced and the opportunities it perceived due to the crisis