The Private Policing of Insurance Claims: Power, Profit and Private Justice
British Journal of Criminology
Published online on April 12, 2017
Abstract
<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div>The article examines the ways private policing is organized with regard to profitability. While the literature on private policing has enhanced our understanding of its growth, scope and normative implications, less is known about how ‘hybrid’ policing is conducted to make profit. Informed by 38 qualitative interviews with the seven largest insurance companies in Sweden, the article details how power relations are organized to ensure that the private policing of insurance claims supports and does not pose a threat to profit. Drawing on evidence from the empirical research, a range of issues are discussed, including the relationship between private policing and state power, and the intertwined governance of both claimants and policing actors.</span>