This study of private security actors in humanitarian
operations originated from previous research on the changing
security context for aid operations. The research report,
Providing Aid in Insecure Environments, examined trends in
policy and operations over the last decade, in particular how
awareness of increased risk has affected the development of
security measures. It found that one of the major responses to
deteriorating security has been the practice of ‘remote control’
programming, whereby organisations effectively transfer risk
to local staff and partners. Another type of security adaptation
has taken the form of increasing reliance on protection and
deterrence measures. These responses can entail adopting a
low-profile approach to programming, or else its polar
opposite: using military cover or armed guards and escorts
provided by a range of actors – including commercial
companies. Many in the humanitarian community had begun
to observe, with some alarm, that in some contexts these
private security providers (PSPs) seemed to be taking on
larger roles in and around humanitarian action.
