Notions of power in the plural policing of nightlife

This article explores policing organisations’ notions of power and their perceived ability to ensure public order in nightlife environments, drawing on fieldwork with patrolling police units, private security guards and the voluntary organisation ‘the Night Ravens’ in Oslo, Norway. Although the formal right to use power through force and coercion towards citizens rests with the public police, previous research has demonstrated that uniformed personnel in general could represent or symbolise authority relative to the public. I question how notions of power underpin order maintenance activities conducted by policing agencies whose work is covered by different legal frameworks. The findings show that power in order maintenance work is seen as a relative phenomenon, primarily comprehended as a legal feature that rests with the public police. However, participants in private and voluntary organisations also describe opportunities to enforce order in the nightlife setting. The article discusses the similarities and differences between the three agencies and provides insight into the nexus of power and order in public, private and voluntary policing.