With these 15 core “best practice” guidelines for government control of the security industry in place, and a strong research-based approach to professional development, governments and security industries alike will best be able to manage the balancing act required by those seeking optimal regulation. An ideal regulatory approach must be able to accommodate not only strict enforcement methods involving inspection, investigation, prosecution, and the imposition of enforceable and deterrent penalties, but also supportive strategies of providing legal support and proactive assistance. To achieve this, regulators need to engage with critics to guard against regulatory failure. Research strategies and the implementation of measurable performance indicators will be crucial to this objective. The modern security industry in many countries is characterized by the evolution of increasingly interventionist forms of government control. However, this trend is by no means uniform in character. This paper provides a response to this continued diversity of practice and a response to the apparent lack of adequate regulation in many jurisdictions. It proposes a set of core principles that arguably should apply in any location were security, especially private security operates. To date, this model has not been articulated in this form and at this level of applied detail. Consideration of its principles should be of particular value to policymakers in government and industry associations. The model is also designed to fill a gap in the academic literature. The model is proposed in prescriptive terms as a robust concept with long-term durability and cross-jurisdictional relevance. References