private security force
1
3.9
- noun
:
fuerza de seguridad privada
- Street crime in the area has been sharply reduced, according to the police, in part because of the district's 42-member private security force, which is on patrol from 8 A.M. to 11 P.M. every day.
Examples
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The university also employs an unarmed private security force of roughly 1,000 people to monitor its campuses.
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Friction may surface between private security forces and government army or police personnel.
Academic text (2001) -
Runs the biggest private security force in America.
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Our private security forces were useless.
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Today, there are more private security forces in Panama City than there are police forces.
Academic text (1993) -
Pigspotter helped the women get in contact with local private security forces.
Blog text (17) -
How does the widespread use of private security forces by a national government affect its legitimacy?
Academic text (2001) -
Idaho has a statute authorizing private security forces to secure the capitol building and the state supreme court.
Academic text (2017) -
Although crime has decreased, the private security forces do not all have proper training (and have been accused of irregular behavior), and private protection is not affordable to many of those who most need it.
Academic text (2001) -
After retiring from the Army Special Forces, he worked with a private security force in Iraq.
Synonyms
67
3.3
A group of people hired by a company to protect its buildings and goods
5
2.8
A group of employees who protect people, property and information from theft and damage
How Private
210
1.3
1
3.9
- Specialized
26
5.1
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'private' (not public), 'security' (protection), and 'force' (a trained group) combine to describe a privately employed group that provides protection. This noun‑phrase follows regular English compounding patterns and has clear cross‑linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Private security force is like a company's own team of guards standing at the gate. They are a private force hired to give security and to 'protect' people, buildings, or goods, so the phrase means a non-police group whose job is to guard a place.