A study of criminological literature, especially from the United States, indicates the growth of private security budgets and personnel. In fact, a redistribution of responsibility has taken place so that private agencies now often bear the chief responsibility for a country' internal security. Although this shift is often oversimplified, it entails considerable consequences for social control. For example, the fastest growing aspect of the private security business is technological equipment, such as fire alarms and burglar alarms. The article argues that, as a result of this convenient technology, crime prevention will be replaced by risk management such as a growing emphasis on fire prevention. It is concluded that the shift toward private security and the growing emphasis on technology lead to a multiplication and fragmentation of social control which needs to be viewed in its full complexity and historical context. 45 references