In addition to the police, various public and private policing actors now perform functions aimed at preventing and combating nuisance and crime. The increased deployment and visibility of private security personnel, community wardens, and stewards in the (semi-)public space has also led to an increase in contact between citizens and such security professionals.

Despite this observation, there is a clear lack of Belgian criminological research on the public's perception of and interactions with these professionals. Therefore, the purpose of this doctoral study is to investigate, through a mixed methods approach (interviews, focus groups, survey), the public perceptions, experiences, and attitudes towards (contact with) these non-police policing agencies.

The results of this study will provide important new insights into the trust and legitimacy of these security professions among the public.