Description
The NGO practice of outsourcing to Private Security Providers (PSPs) is often framed in an exceptional circumstances narrative, which conceals the many everyday interactions and relations between these two actors. This paper aims to unpack this narrative through an analysis of the different ways in which NGO security practitioners talk about the engagements with PSPs that their organisations encounter in their daily practice. It draws attention to the knowledge that exists in the background and is often not recognised as a formalised practice. Nevertheless, this background knowledge informs the practice and enacts a particular framing of security upon the NGO. I present two arguments. Firstly, there is more than meets the eye; NGOs do indeed use different kinds of PSPs more often than the discourse gives away. Secondly, there is a hierarchy in access to knowledge, both within the organisation as well as within the wider NGO security management community.
The first argument unfolds into two parts: The practice remains concealed in the background through a narrative of exceptionalism. This is rooted in the stigmatization of the use PSPs. And, there is a tendency to downplay, deny or misrecognize the relationship with the PSP. Despite the absence of a sector wide accepted standard, there are routinised practices identifiable across different organisations with a multitude of PSPs. Secondly, knowledge is fragmented across the organisation; knowledge is not accessible to all. Instead, there is a hierarchy in ‘who knows’. The function of this tacit knowledge is that it excludes people from ‘knowing’. And therefore, remains within the sphere of those who ‘do’ the practice and hold the relationship. Even within groups of security practitioners, there are different levels of access to the knowledge of practice. Raising the obvious question of accountability, but also draws attention to the influence of the private sector.
