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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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Results for security
65 results foundAuthor: Oklahoma. Campus Life and Safety Security Task Force Title: CLASS, Campus Life and Safety and Security Task Force: Final Report Summary: On April 16, 2007, the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., was the scene of a horrifying massacre. A single shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded many more before committing suicide. Cho, a senior student at Virginia Tech, had been diagnosed with and treated for a severe anxiety disorder beginning in middle school and continued receiving therapy and special education support until his junior year of high school. During his college career, Cho had been accused of stalking two female students, was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice and had been asked to seek counseling by at least one professor. Unfortunately, these individual warning signs were not tracked and dealt with in a way that provided Cho with the help he needed and, in turn, possibly prevented the shootings. In addition, concerns were raised about the institution's notification process and response to the shootings. In an effort to evaluate and improve the ability of Oklahoma higher education and career technology center campuses to better handle a situation such as the Virginia Tech incident, Gov. Brad Henry issued Executive Order 2007-17 on April 25 (subsequently amended on April 27) establishing the Campus Life and Safety and Security Task Force, otherwise known as the CLASS Task Force. Henry appointed Dr. Glen D. Johnson, chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, as chair of the task force and Dr. Phil Berkenbile, director of the Department of Career and Technology Education, as vice-chair. Thirteen additional members from Oklahoma higher education, career technology education, public safety and health services were appointed as stated in the order. The Executive Order states that the purpose of the task force is threefold: 1. To review and evaluate campus safety and security plans already in place. 2. To determine what modifications, if any, are necessary to prevent crises and enhance crisis response on campuses. 3. To research methods for recognizing students in need and delivering to them appropriate services, such as counseling, substance abuse treatment and mental health management. The order also enables the task force to make preliminary recommendations to campus personnel of specific measures to better protect campuses and improve emergency response. Discussions revealed five major areas of focus - Laws and Policies, Counseling, Response, Notification and Funding - and subcommittees were formed to explore each area. Each subcommittee conducted specific research and has submitted a report that assesses the current condition of its respective area of concern and makes recommendations for improvement. Those subcommittee reports comprise Section V of this document. As part of the research done by the task force, a two-part self-assessment survey was sent to each campus to gather information about crisis preparedness and availability of counseling services. A summary of the survey findings is included in Section IV of this report. . Details: Oklahoma City, Okalahoma: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, 2008. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 8, 2018 at: https://www.okhighered.org/class/docs/final-report.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: https://www.okhighered.org/class/docs/final-report.pdf Shelf Number: 116656 Keywords: Campus CrimeCampus SecurityColleges and UniversitiesSecurity |
Author: American Association of School Administrators Title: 2008 National School Safety Study Summary: This report provides a survey of security at K-12 schools in the U.S. The study evaluated the following security concerns: access to buildings and grounds; communication and detection systems; emergency procedures; community awareness of school safety policies and procedures; and security funding. Details: Arlington, VA: AASA, 2009. 38p. Source: Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 114756 Keywords: School CrimeSchool SafetySchool Security (U.S.)Security |
Author: Vollaard, Ben Title: Does Regulation of Built-in Security Reduce Crime? Evidence from a Natural Experiment Summary: As of 1999, all new-built homes in the Netherlands have to have burglary-proof windows and doors. This study provides evidence that this large-scale government intervention in the use of self-protective measures lowers crime and improves social welfare. The study found that the regulatory change reduced burglary in new-built homes from 1.1 to 0.8 percent annually, a reduction of 26 percent. The evidence on displacement of burglary to older homes is inconclusive. The findings suggest that burglars avoid old, less-protected homes that are located in the direct vicinity of the new, better-protected homes. The study found no evidence of displacement to other property crimes including theft from cars and bicycle theft. The direct cost of installing burglary proof windows and doors are relatively small. Even though the regulation of built-in security does not target preventative measures at homes that are most at risk, the social benefits of the regulation are likely to exceed the social costs. Details: Tilburg, The Netherlands: Tilburg University, Department of Economics; Parkville, Australia: University of Melbourne, Department of Economics, 2010. 31p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 118412 Keywords: Burglary (Netherlands)Crime PreventionDisplacementSecurity |
Author: Robinson, Neil Title: Security, At What Cost? Quantifying People's Trade-Offs Across Liberty, Privacy and Security Summary: To understand the real privacy, liberty, and security trade-offs individuals are willing to make, and so policy makers can be beter informed about citizen's true preferences in this domain, this study surveyed British citizens on the issues of privacy and security for three activities: applying for a passport, traveling on the national rail network, and attending a major public event such as the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Data from the survey was analysed and individuals were found to be willing to pay for advanced CCTV cameras with facial recognition technology, X-Ray machines and body scanners and various forms of security personnel. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2010. 99p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: International URL: Shelf Number: 118730 Keywords: Crime PreventionNational SecurityPrivacySecurity |
Author: Prenzler, Tim Title: Preventing Burglary in Commercial and Institutional Settings: A Place Management and Partnerships Approach Summary: This report examines how to assess, manage, and respond to burglaries that occur at commercial and industrial sites. It looks at the context in which burglaries occur, and includes a consideration of the burglar's approach. It also examines a range of solutions, which aim to make it more difficult for would be offenders particularly in the workplace, and shows where security managers can have an impact. Details: Alexandria, VA: ASIS Foundation, 2009. 31p. Source: Internet Resource; CRISP Report Year: 2009 Country: International URL: Shelf Number: 118369 Keywords: BurglaryCommercial BurglaryCrime PreventionSecurity |
Author: Lee, Seungmug Title: The Impact of Home Burglar Alarm Systems on Residential Burglaries Summary: This study examined the impact of home burglar alarms on residential burglaries in Newark, New Jersey during 2001 to 2005. Specifically, it examined: 1) the overall relationship between burglar alarms and residential burglaries over these years; 2) the relationships of burglar alarms and residential burglaries to demographic, socio-economic, and housing character indicators; 3) the spatial relationship between burglar alarms and residential burglaries using autocorrelation and clustering methods; and 4) the possible consequences of burglar alarms in terms of displacement of residential burglaries or diffusion of benefits. Details: Newark, NJ: Graduate Program in Criminal Justice, Rutgers, The State ofUniversity, 2008. 339p. Source: Dissertation Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 114904 Keywords: Burglar AlarmsBurglarsCrimeDisplacementPreventionResidential BurglarySecurity |
Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office Title: Homeland Security: Actions Needed to Improve Security Practices at National Icons and Parks Summary: The September 11 terrorist attacks have heightened concerns about the security of the nation's icons and parks, which millions of people visit every year. The National Park Service (Park Service) within the Department of the Interior (Interior) is responsible for securing nearly 400 park units that include icons and other parks. In 2004, GAO identified a set of key protection practices that include: allocating resources using risk management, leveraging technology, information sharing and coordination, performance measurement and testing, and strategic management of human capital. As requested, GAO determined whether the Park Service's security efforts for national icons and parks reflected key practices. To meet this objective, GAO used its key practices as criteria, reviewed five icons and parks to gain firsthand knowledge, analyzed Interior documents, and interviewed Interior officials. The Park Service has implemented a range of security improvements since the September 11 terrorist attacks and has worked to integrate security into its primary mission to preserve national icons and parks for the public's enjoyment. For example, it has established a senior-level security manager position and taken steps to strengthen security at the icons, and is developing a risk management program for small parks. These efforts exhibit some aspects of the key protection practices, but GAO found limitations in each of the areas. The Park Service does not allocate resources using risk management servicewide or cost-effectively leverage technology. While the Park Service, with assistance from Interior, has conducted risk assessments and implemented countermeasures to enhance security at the icons, some critical vulnerabilities remain. Moreover, the Park Service has not advanced this risk management approach for icons to the rest of its national parks. Without a servicewide risk management approach, the Park Service lacks assurance that security efforts are focused where they are needed. Furthermore, while icons and parks may use a variety of security technologies and other countermeasures, they do not have guidance for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of these investments, thus limiting assurances of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, the Park Service faces limitations with sharing and coordinating information internally and lacks a servicewide approach for routine performance measurement and testing. Although the Park Service collaborates with external organizations, it lacks comparable arrangements for internal security communications and, as a result, parks are not equipped to share information with one another on common security problems and solutions. Furthermore, the Park Service has not established security performance measures and lacks an analysis tool that could be used to evaluate program effectiveness and inform an overall risk management strategy. Thus, icons and parks have little information on the status and performance of security that they can use to manage daily activities or that Park Service management can use to manage security throughout the organization. Finally, strategic human capital management is an area of concern because of the Park Service's lack of clearly defined security roles and a security training curriculum. For example, staff that are assigned security duties are generally not required to meet qualifications or undergo specialized training. Absent a security training curriculum, there is less assurance that staff are well-equipped to effectively identify and mitigate risks at national icons and parks. Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2009. 47p. Source: Internet Resource; GAO-09-983 Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 119422 Keywords: Homeland SecurityParksRecreation AreasSecurityTerrorism |
Author: Title: Improving Security Policy in Colombia Summary: Colombia’s new government has to improve security policy to tackle the guerrilla tactics of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) as well as their broadened participation in drug trafficking and newly forged alliances with other illegal armed groups. Details: Brussels; Bogota, Colombia: International Crisis Group, 2010. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Latin America Briefing No. 23: Accessed September 1, 2010 at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/colombia/B23%20Improving%20Security%20Policy%20in%20Colombia.ashx Year: 2010 Country: Colombia URL: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/colombia/B23%20Improving%20Security%20Policy%20in%20Colombia.ashx Shelf Number: 119714 Keywords: Drug TraffickingGangsSecurityViolence |
Author: Wilson, Dean Title: Marginalised Young People, Surveillance and Public Space: A Research Report Summary: This report finds that young people are particularly vulnerable to the abuse of powers in public surveillance practice and to being the target of policing to regulate behaviour in public spaces. The report aims to inform policy debate on the interaction of young people with public space within a broader context, and by providing empirical evidence on the experiences of young people with surveillance and security in public space. Chapter Two sets the research within the context of current research on young people, surveillance and public space. Chapter Three outlines the focus group and survey methodology used in conducting the present research. Chapter Four presents the results of the survey to give a broad demographic sketch of the backgrounds, education and living situations of those who participated. Chapter Five to Chapter Ten present qualitative data drawn from the focus groups. Chapter Five outlines the participants understanding of surveillance. Chapter Six analyses the perceptions evident in discussions of what surveillance cameras in public areas were for and what they actually do. Chapter Seven examines how surveillance was occasionally resisted and how the young people who participated understood notions of privacy and autonomy in public. Chapter Eight discusses some of the anxieties participants expressed regarding who observed security cameras and how images from cameras might be misused. Chapter Nine outlines participants interactions with security guards, including their feelings of being targeted by security guards on the basis of their age and appearance. Chapter Ten recounts concerns young people raised about ‘knife crime’ and their sense that they were unfairly stigmatized as perpetrators of violence. Finally, Chapter Eleven addresses the policy implications of the research and provides some recommendations for policy change in light of the findings of the research. Details: Melbourne: Youth Affairs Council of Victoria and the School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University, 2010. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 14, 2010 at: http://www.apo.org.au/sites/default/files/Marginalised%20Young%20People%2C%20Surveillance%20and%20Public%20Space.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.apo.org.au/sites/default/files/Marginalised%20Young%20People%2C%20Surveillance%20and%20Public%20Space.pdf Shelf Number: 119793 Keywords: Public SpaceSecurityStreet YouthVideo Surveillance |
Author: Weger, Michiel de Title: The Potential of the European Gendarmerie Force Summary: The European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) is a relatively young international organisation. In October 2007 the governments of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands signed a treaty to formally establish it. At present in the EGF the following gendarmerie forces cooperate: the Dutch Koninklijke Marechaussee (KM), the French Gendarmerie Nationale (GN), the Italian Arma dei Carabinieri (AdC), the Portuguese Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), the Spanish Guardia Civil (GC) and the Romanian Jandarmeria Româna (JR). Although they have different names, all have a dual police-military character. The EGF is intended for international policing operations. Its creation has received considerable attention, but no major study seems to have been made thereon. Within the EGF and in the national capitals it is also the case that no long-term vision seems to have been developed. While being relatively insignificant at present, the EGF has the potential to become (far) more important in international security and a valuable asset for a far larger group of states, as will be argued in this paper. The basic question it intends to answer is the following: How can the potential of the EGF be used in the next 10-20 years to best serve the interests of its Member States? To find an answer to this question the EGF and its background will be described in chapter two. In the third chapter it is argued that the EGF could become a success in the kind of operations it is currently aimed at. Chapter four’s focus is on the interests of the present EGF Member States in further developing the organisation – this study analyses the options from the interests of the states involved, which are not necessarily the same as those of the participating gendarmerie forces. In chapter five the potential to expand gendarmerie cooperation in the EGF is described. Chapter six analyses the implications of long-term trends to the the EGF’s potential. This study ends with final conclusions and policy recommendations for the Dutch and other EGF Member States. Details: The Hague: Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, 2009. 92p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2010 at: http://www.clingendael.nl/publications/2009/20090400_cscp_gendarmerie_weger.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Europe URL: http://www.clingendael.nl/publications/2009/20090400_cscp_gendarmerie_weger.pdf Shelf Number: 119895 Keywords: MilitaryPolice AdministrationPolicingSecurity |
Author: Koenders, Sara Title: Between Trust and Fear: Mothers Creating Spaces of Security Amid Violence in Vila Cruzeior, Rio de Janeiro Summary: In interaction between the gang, the police and the residents of Vila Cruzeiro a cycle of violence, fear, and insecurity is produced and maintained. This interaction is based on images the actors hold of one another and that are at the same time the product of this interaction. The police and the gang are creating, acting upon and reinforcing structures of domination, signification, and legitimation which have allowed for the militarization of policing and increasing presence of traffickers enforcing a ‘law of the favela.’ The cycle of violence is so persistent mainly because the police not only fails to guarantee security, but is often directly involved in the perpetuation of crime. At the same time, the ‘war on crime’ is used to legitimize repressive and indiscriminate policing that poses a serious threat to the lives of the residents. This leadsr esidents to rely more and more on the traffickers. Thus, although the relations between gang members and residents are multiple and highly ambiguous, residents tend to be more sympathetic towards the traffickers with whom they live on a day-to-day basis. The traffickers use the negative image of the state to gain support from the residents, while state involvement in criminality sustains the presence of the drug gang. Hence, in interaction between police, gang and residents an environment of violence, fear, and insecurity is created and constantly reproduced. Faced by these challenging and precarious circumstances, women trying to protect and provide for their children create spaces of security. To create these ‘safe’ spaces mothers cultivate, arrange and create social relations with other actors in the community. I claim that in a context of high-risk and violence, social capital plays an important but limited and ambiguous role in this process of coping. Informal and formal social relations carry and produce social capital and are therefore valuable to the creation of spaces of security. From information exchange, reciprocity, norms, rules and trust constituted through these relations a sense of security can be drawn. Strengthening and employing the relations with their children, relatives and a careful choice of friends therefore contributes to the construction of a sense of safety in the face of violence. At the same time people negotiate their relations with social organizations in order to create spaces of security. Education is considered crucial to ensure a better future for children. It keeps them off the street and ideally provides a way out of the context of violence. Churches also take an important place in the coping strategies of mothers; many women see the church as a safe alternative environment in which to raise their children, a place where they learn ‘the good’. Religion can be seen as a gendered form of oppositional culture; one that keeps youngsters out of gang life, or provides a way out of the traffic. The community center is also seen as a secure space to leave their children, and a place where they are offered alternative activities. In addition, it is platform to meet with other women and discuss problems they encounter. Moreover, the members of the neighborhood association are among the few people in the community challenging violence. Details: Utrecht, The Netherlands: Utrecht University, 2008. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 30, 2010 at: http://www.laruta.nu/files/uploads/23/document_document/between%20trust%20and%20fear.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Brazil URL: http://www.laruta.nu/files/uploads/23/document_document/between%20trust%20and%20fear.pdf Shelf Number: 118782 Keywords: Drug TraffickingGang ViolenceGangs (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)SecurityViolent Crime |
Author: Cox, Marcus Title: Security and Justice: Measuring the Development Returns: A Review of Knowledge Summary: This paper reviews the state of knowledge on the role of security and justice (S&J) in the development process. The purpose is to enable DFID and its partners to gain a better understanding of the returns available from investments in this area, in terms of economic growth, poverty reduction and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As well as presenting the evidence available from the literature, we are asked to assess the state of knowledge, describing the methodological challenges and how they are being addressed, and proposing areas for further research. The literature proves to be full of theoretical disputes and methodological pitfalls. It is clear that there is a strong association between justice and development, in the sense that prosperous countries generally have more complex legal systems and deliver a higher quality of S&J services to citizens. However, association is not causation, and the causal chains are complex and difficult to disentangle. It may be that it is the economy that drives the development of the legal system. Historical studies of East Asian development suggest this is the direction of causation. Some authors have suggested that there is no general rule on causation but rather, as Messick puts it, a series of ― on and off connections -, with the two variables causally interdependent at some stages of the development process and autonomous at others. For the policy maker, the key question is therefore: to what extent and in what circumstances is the justice system an independent variable, offering a promising entry point for development assistance? The paper looks at theories on the links between S&J and development, and the evidence used to test them, across a number of areas. It begins with the two main branches of research in the field: econometric studies on the impact of law and justice on economic performance; and bottom-up analysis (variously called access to justice or legal empowerment) on how insecurity and injustice affect the lives of poor people. It then considers evidence of linkages across four specific areas identified by DFID in the TORs: property and housing; crime and violence; gender discrimination; and governance. Details: London: Agulhas Development Consultants, 2008. 61p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 15, 2010 at: http://www.agulhas.co.uk/cms_files/14/Agulhas_S&J_Development_Returns_Aug_08.pdf Year: 2008 Country: International URL: http://www.agulhas.co.uk/cms_files/14/Agulhas_S&J_Development_Returns_Aug_08.pdf Shelf Number: 120511 Keywords: Crime and Socioeconomic ConditionsEconomics and DevelopmentPovertySecurity |
Author: Rwengabo, Sabastiano Title: Neither Formal nor Marketized: Privatized Security in the Slum Areas of Kampala City, Uganda Summary: The simultaneity of commercialized/marketized; and non-formal, non-market, security arrangements in an urban setting brings new insights to our understanding of privatization of security. Security privatisation is a current global phenomenon with various dimensions and dynamics. There are aspects of privatized security whose understanding is vital for our appreciation of today’s security spectrum. The shift from state-centric security provisioning to the involvement of various non-state actors has changed the security landscape. It has necessitated new foci of analysis that transcend the focus on commercialized security. Beyond ‘the market for force’ and ‘selling security’ (Avant, 2001, 2007), new private security arrangements have emerged. These are not limited to organized private security providers like companies or criminals and rebels (Rwengabo, 2009): they extend to non-organized, non-formal private security mechanisms. So, privatization of security as understood in the literature (Jager & Kummel, 2007; Gounev, 2006; Bourne, 2004; Aketch, 2007; Gumedze, 2008) cascades beyond marketization and formalization, to informalization as well. Studies of privatization of security are yet to address the question of informalization of security. This study attempts to address security informalization to break ground for newer approaches to the understanding of non-formal and non-market security arrangements in our midst. It was carried out in the slum areas of Kampala City, Uganda. There is general lack of policy-specific and scholarly, attention, to Uganda’s urban security spectrum. The need for an in-depth investigation contributing to knowledge and developing new insights on privatized security also abounds. The steady increase in private security actors leaves unanswered, the question of whether states as actors charged with providing security has given way to non-state actors in the management of security, and why this development. The phenomenon calls for deeper analyses extending the understanding of security to unravel non-formal, non-market security mechanisms developed in slum areas, and interrogate the role of the state in supporting and/or frustrating these informal arrangements. Moreover the development of non-formal and non-market private security has implications for governing the security sub-sector. This study sought to examine these security arrangements amongst slum dwellers; how these arrangements impact on security provisioning in urban settings; and thereby draw implications of the increasing private security services provision for the management of urban security. I hypothesize that new private security arrangements have emerged, including non-commercialized, non-formal security mechanisms, and that these arrangements are inevitable at present. Within this milieu explaining the increase in private security actors in Kampala; examining non-formal, non-market private security mechanisms developed in Kampala’s slum areas, and how these impact on urban security provisioning; and understanding the role of the state and the Uganda Police Force (UPF) in the management of urban security alongside these private interventions are herein attempted. Non-formal, non-market security measures are only loosely and informally institutionalized: they are based an individual or small-group basis, with limited, if any, transactions involved. Data were acquired through group discussions and in-depth interviews with deliberately selected private security actors, UPF personnel, security and Local Government personnel; and residents of slum areas; observations of physical security-enhancing structures on the one hand and security-threatening behaviors and structures on the other; and critical review of secondary sources and related literature. This case study is a reflection on Kampala to make tentative conclusions about other cities in the region. Content analysis was used: themes and sub-themes were developed along the study objectives, with subsequent data analysis along the themes/sub-themes. The study discovered that informal and non-market security interventions at the individual and group levels account for a significant constituent of urban safety and security in Kampala. True, both state and commercialized security providers exist. But these do not serve the whole city, and especially the urban poor in slum areas. The private security actions and behaviors of slum dwellers do not fit the category of commercialization. It is concluded that various security mechanisms exist in Kampala’s slum areas, with UPF backing people’s own arrangements. The study recommends that government needs to combat the increasing urban crime to improve on urban security, to support and encourage the ‘security begins with you’ ethos; and address urban infrastructure challenges limiting effective security by police. More studies are needed to bolster our understanding of urban security. Details: Santiago de Chile: The Global Consortium on Security Transformation (GCST), 2011. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: New Voices Series, No. 12: Accessed April 4, 2011 at: http://www.securitytransformation.org/images/publicaciones/201_New_Voices_Series_12_-_Neither_Formal_nor_Marketized.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Uganda URL: http://www.securitytransformation.org/images/publicaciones/201_New_Voices_Series_12_-_Neither_Formal_nor_Marketized.pdf Shelf Number: 121241 Keywords: Neighborhoods and CrimePrivate SecuritySecuritySlumsUrban Areas |
Author: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Title: National Infrastructure Protection Plan: Partnering to Enhance Protection and Resiliency Summary: Protecting and ensuring the resiliency of the critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) of the United States is essential to the Nation’s security, public health and safety, economic vitality, and way of life. Attacks on CIKR could significantly disrupt the functioning of government and business alike and produce cascading effects far beyond the targeted sector and physical location of the incident. Direct terrorist attacks and natural, manmade, or technological hazards could produce catastrophic losses in terms of human casualties, property destruction, and economic effects, as well as profound damage to public morale and confidence. Attacks using components of the Nation’s CIKR as weapons of mass destruction could have even more devastating physical and psychological consequences. The NIPP provides the unifying structure for the integration of existing and future CIKR protection efforts and resiliency strategies into a single national program to achieve this goal. The NIPP framework supports the prioritization of protection and resiliency initiatives and investments across sectors to ensure that government and private sector resources are applied where they offer the most benefit for mitigating risk by lessening vulnerabilities, deterring threats, and minimizing the consequences of terrorist attacks and other manmade and natural disasters. The NIPP risk management framework recognizes and builds on existing public and private sector protective programs and resiliency strategies in order to be cost-effective and to minimize the burden on CIKR owners and operators. Protection includes actions to mitigate the overall risk to CIKR assets, systems, networks, functions, or their inter-connecting links. In the context of the NIPP, this includes actions to deter the threat, mitigate vulnerabilities, or minimize the consequences associated with a terrorist attack or other incident. Protection can include a wide range of activities, such as improving security protocols, hardening facilities, building resiliency and redundancy, incorporating hazard resistance into facility design, initiating active or passive countermeasures, installing security systems, leveraging “self-healing” technologies, promoting workforce surety programs, implementing cybersecurity measures, training and exercises, business continuity planning, and restoration and recovery actions, among various others. Achieving the NIPP goal requires actions to address a series of objectives, which include:• Understanding and sharing information about terrorist threats and other hazards with CIKR partners; • Building partnerships to share information and implement CIKR protection programs; • Implementing a long-term risk management program; and • Maximizing the efficient use of resources for CIKR protection, restoration, and recovery. These objectives require a collaborative partnership among CIKR partners, including: the Federal Government; State, local, tribal, and territorial governments; regional coalitions; the private sector; international entities; and nongovernmental organizations. The NIPP provides the framework that defines a set of flexible processes and mechanisms that these CIKR partners will use to develop and implement the national program to protect CIKR across all sectors over the long term. Details: Washington, DC: Department of Homeland Security, 2009. 188p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 16, 2011 at: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/NIPP_Plan.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/NIPP_Plan.pdf Shelf Number: 119210 Keywords: Risk AssessmentRisk ManagementSecurityTerrorismWeapons of Mass Destruction |
Author: Kole, Olaotse John Title: An Examination of Security Measures for the Protection of Petrol Stations: An Anslysis of Case Studies in Gauteng Summary: Security measures need to be put in place in order to deal with any security weaknesses that might occur or be observed. Care should be taken when addressing any crime or loss problem in any organisation, in this research study more specifically: petrol stations. It is clear that because of their diverse locations petrol stations have different levels of risks, e.g. low, medium and/or high risks. The study explored many issues including, among the others: security measures; petrol stations’ busiest times; vulnerable assets at petrol stations. Details: Pretoria, South Africa: University of South Africa, 2010. 226p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 5, 2011 at: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/3847 Year: 2010 Country: South Africa URL: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/3847 Shelf Number: 121654 Keywords: Crime PreventionCrime Prevention through Environmental DesignFuel TheftGasoline StationsPetrol TheftSecurityTheft (South Africa) |
Author: Manwaring, Max G. Title: A "New" Dynamic in the Western Hemisphere Security Environment: The Mexican Zetas and Other Private Armies Summary: This monograph is intended to help political, military, policy, opinion, and academic leaders think strategically about explanations, consequences, and responses that might apply to the volatile and dangerous new dynamic that has inserted itself into the already crowded Mexican and hemispheric security arena, that is, the privatized Zeta military organization. In Mexico, this new dynamic involves the migration of traditional hard-power national security and sovereignty threats from traditional state and nonstate adversaries to hard and soft power threats from professional private nonstate military organizations. This dynamic also involves a more powerful and ambiguous mix of terrorism, crime, and conventional war tactics, operations, and strategies than experienced in the past. Moreover, this violence and its perpetrators tend to create and consolidate semi-autonomous enclaves (criminal free-states) that develop in to quasi-states—and what the Mexican government calls “Zones of Impunity.” All together, these dynamics not only challenge Mexican security, stability, and sovereignty, but, if left improperly understood and improperly countered, also challenge the security and stability of the United States and Mexico’s other neighbors. Details: Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, 2009. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2011 at: http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubid=940 Year: 2009 Country: Mexico URL: http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubid=940 Shelf Number: 121700 Keywords: CartelsOrganized CrimePrivate Armies (Mexico)PrivatizationSecurityTerrorismViolence |
Author: Sewpersad, Sarika Title: An Investigation of the Bombing of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) with Intent to Steal Cash Contents: Case Study from Gauteng Summary: This research was approached and written from a security risk management position. The main aim was to determine the nature and extent of the theft of cash contents by means of the bombing of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in Gauteng. Security measures that currently exist at ATMs with the specific focus on crimes associated with the bombing of ATMs were examined and evaluated. This was done in order to determine if current security measures at ATMs are sufficient to curb ATM bombings. The research provides an examination of the modus operandi of perpetrators of ATM bombings, inter alia looking at such issues as explosives used, time, location, cash stolen, and the use of weapons. This modus operandi was researched in order to develop an understanding of the perpetrators behaviour and to compile a profile of the perpetrator. The methods used in the perpetration of the crime were also researched, so that recommendations with regard to improving ATM security measures could be made. In addition, due to the specific focus of the problem of ATM bombings in Gauteng, a detailed analysis of the areas’ most affected in Gauteng was made. In South Africa, there is no such crime as ATM bombings per se, and perpetrators of such attacks are often charged with various other crimes, including those under the explosives act. The lack of evidence at the scene of a bombing often leads to cases being filed as undetected. This results in perpetrators still walking the streets waiting for law enforcement personnel to turn their focus to another crime, so that they can once again target ATMs. This research may assist investigators/detectives. For example, if CCTV cameras are installed at all ATMs, it will provide more evidence for them. By comparing and studying footage from different ATMs, the detectives will be able to determine which ATMs were attacked by the same gangs. The first two chapters’ set out the background and motivation for the study as well as the research methodology and the limitations experienced during the research. Chapter one in particular provides details on the need for such a study and outlines the extent of ATM bombings in Gauteng as well as in South Africa. It delineates the major issues associated with the bombing of ATMs. This is inclusive of the impact on society (banks clients) and banking institutions as well as the danger it poses to the general public and public and private law enforcement personnel. Since there is little literature available on the subject of ATM bombings, the third chapter outlines the various bank security threats that banking institutions face. In addition, it looks closely at the numerous other ATM crimes carried out by perpetrators both locally and internationally, suggesting that ATMs be equipped with sufficient security measures to secure ATMs from all sorts of crimes that can be perpetrated against it. Chapter three and four, provide the research findings on the areas in Gauteng most affected, the current state of security measures at ATMs and the modus operandi of the ATM bomber. In the fifth chapter, focus is primarily on the modus operandi of ATM bombing syndicates. It discusses the detailed findings from planning to the execution of an ATM bombing. Finally, chapter six provides a summary of the findings, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made. The following objectives were fulfilled in this study: • Areas, towns/suburbs and type of locations most affected were identified, • Findings in relation to security measures at ATMs were made with regard to lighting, CCTV, ATM alarms, physical barriers, customer awareness and other special devices. It was also established where ATMs were lacking in security measures that specifically address the problem of ATM bombings, • The type of ATMs most affected was established of ATMs. This is inclusive of the impact on society (banks clients) and banking institutions as well as the danger it poses to the general public and public and private law enforcement personnel. Since there is little literature available on the subject of ATM bombings, the third chapter outlines the various bank security threats that banking institutions face. In addition, it looks closely at the numerous other ATM crimes carried out by perpetrators both locally and internationally, suggesting that ATMs be equipped with sufficient security measures to secure ATMs from all sorts of crimes that can be perpetrated against it. Chapter three and four, provide the research findings on the areas in Gauteng most affected, the current state of security measures at ATMs and the modus operandi of the ATM bomber. In the fifth chapter, focus is primarily on the modus operandi of ATM bombing syndicates. It discusses the detailed findings from planning to the execution of an ATM bombing. Finally, chapter six provides a summary of the findings, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made. The following objectives were fulfilled in this study: • Areas, towns/suburbs and type of locations most affected were identified, • Findings in relation to security measures at ATMs were made with regard to lighting, CCTV, ATM alarms, physical barriers, customer awareness and other special devices. It was also established where ATMs were lacking in security measures that specifically address the problem of ATM bombings, • The type of ATMs most affected was established The modus operandi of ATM bombers was established. This also addressed issues regarding the amount and frequency of cash stolen; the use of violence; death and injuries resulting from ATM bombings; banks most affected; weapons used; size of gangs; use and purchasing of commercial explosives; most popular days and times for attacks; the use of expert members and other tools and vehicles used. Moreover, this study provides a framework for banking institutions to understand what is lacking in ATM security measures and the methods used by ATM bombers to successfully gain access to the cash stored at ATMs. In addition, the police, ATM distributors and private security personnel can use the information provided in order to improve methods of investigation as well as protecting themselves against ATM bombers and bombings. The banking industry may also use the recommendations to improve the security at ATMs by restructuring it to their specific needs. This dissertation covers (extensively) the extent of ATM bombings in Gauteng; the current state of security measures at ATMs; the modus operandi of ATM bombing gangs and the use of explosives. Recommendations are made regarding the improvement of ATM security measures in an attempt to curb the problem of ATM bombings in Gauteng. Details: Pretoria, South Africa: University of South Africa, 2010. 155p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed August 16, 2011 at: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/4112/dissertation_sewpersad_s.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2010 Country: South Africa URL: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/4112/dissertation_sewpersad_s.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 122400 Keywords: Automated Teller Machines (ATM's), South AfricaHot SpotsRobberySecurityTheft |
Author: Title: Keeping Haiti Safe: Police Reform Summary: Haiti’s porous land and sea borders remain susceptible to drug trafficking, smuggling and other illegal activities that weaken the rule of law and deprive the state of vital revenue. Post-quake insecurity underscores continued vulnerability to violent crime and political instability. Overcrowded urban slums, plagued by deep poverty, limited economic opportunities and the weakness of government institutions, particularly the Haitian National Police (HNP), breed armed groups and remain a source of broader instability. If the Martelly administration is to guarantee citizen safety successfully, it must remove tainted officers and expand the HNP’s institutional and operational capacity across the country by completing a reform that incorporates community policing and violence reduction programs. The recent elections were only a first step toward determining the future of the country’s reconstruction and development. The real work now requires the political leadership – executive and legislative alike – to make meaningful efforts to address fundamental needs. Key to this is identification of common ground with the political opposition, grass roots communities and business elites, in order to reinforce a national consensus for transforming Haiti that prioritises jobs-based decentralisation, equal protection under the law and community security. President Michel Martelly declared Haiti open for business in his 14 May inaugural address, but a functioning, professional HNP is a prerequisite to move the country forward. Police reform has made significant strides but is far from complete after nearly five years. HNP deficiencies, along with the desire of Martelly supporters to restore the army and nationalistic opposition to the continued presence of the UN peacekeepers (MINUSTAH), contribute to proposals for creating a second armed force. Serious questions surround that problematic notion. If it is pursued, there must be wide consultation with civil society, including grassroots and community-based organisations, and particularly with victims of the old army’s abuses. But first it is paramount to continue strengthening the HNP, by: •completing recruitment, including of women, training and full deployment; •building police integrity by expediting the vetting process for all active duty officers and staff, including creating an appeals structure, so as to rid the force of those who do not meet standards because of human rights violations or criminal activity and to certify those who do, and by taking immediate action to suspend and if appropriate prosecute officers found to be involved in any serious crimes; •revising the reform plan to focus on clearly defined areas for improving the quality of security the HNP provides and building community confidence, such as the training and strengthening of specialised units, crime investigation, border patrol and community policing, while UN police (UNPOL) more actively mentor those efforts; •adopting an organic law for the state secretariat for public security that clarifies its role and those of the other executive branch bodies with responsibilities for the HNP; and •linking police reform with the reconstruction efforts currently coordinated by the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), by deploying better trained police to the provinces as economic decentralisation proceeds. Details: Brussels: International Crisis Group, 2011. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Latin America/Caribbean Briefing N°26: Accessed September 10, 2011 at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/haiti/B26%20Keeping%20Haiti%20Safe%20-%20Police%20Reform.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Haiti URL: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/haiti/B26%20Keeping%20Haiti%20Safe%20-%20Police%20Reform.pdf Shelf Number: 122681 Keywords: Law EnforcementPolice (Haiti)Police ReformPolicingSecurity |
Author: Interdisciplinary Analysts Title: Armed Violence in the Terai Summary: Since the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement in 2006 Nepal has been in a delicate state of peace. While most international and domestic attention is devoted to the political situation in Kathmandu, one region, the Terai, has experienced a post-war rise in violence and a proliferation of armed groups. Since 2007, the Terai has witnessed bombings, shootings, abductions, extortion, armed crime and domestic violence making it the most insecure region in Nepal. The report seeks to explain these trends and give an impression of the state of security in the Terai during 2010. It finds that while violence continues to take place, several indicators and widespread popular perception suggest that the overall security situation is improving. Based upon the results of a household survey, focus group discussions and interviews conducted in 2010, most people feel that their community is safe, it is safer than the previous year and they are not concerned that someone in their household would become a victim of crime. Research also suggests that neither weapons ownership nor crime rates are as high as popularly perceived and, in fact, are surprisingly low. However, the report also underscores that optimism must be tempered by caution. A lack of accurate and reliable data and monthly fluctuations in the number of violent incidents make it hard to assess whether security is definitively improving. The improvement in perceptions of security is also not uniform – women and those living in the border areas are far more likely to feel unsafe at home or in the community. Most importantly, research found that many of the factors that drive insecurity are also still in place and remain salient. So long as phenomena like the proliferation of armed groups, the politicisation of crime, the criminalisation of politics, socioeconomic exclusion, limited border controls and weak state security provision remain unaddressed, any improvement in security is conditional and prone to reversal. When viewed within the wider context of political uncertainty and events such as the deadline for a new constitution (28 May 2011) and the rehabilitation of former combatants, the ongoing salience of these and other factors helps to explain why this report found that optimism over improved security was accompanied by an unease that the situation may turn for the worse with relative speed. Details: London: Saferworld, 2011. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 10, 2011 at: http://www.saferworld.org.uk/downloads/pubdocs/Armed%20violence%20in%20the%20Terai%20Aug%202011%20reduced.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Nepal URL: http://www.saferworld.org.uk/downloads/pubdocs/Armed%20violence%20in%20the%20Terai%20Aug%202011%20reduced.pdf Shelf Number: 122688 Keywords: Guns and ViolenceSecurityViolence (Nepal)Violent Crime |
Author: Lowry, Samantha S. Title: Using Public Surveillance Systems for Crime Control and Prevention: A Practical Guide for Law Enforcement and Their Municipal Partners Summary: This publication is designed to guide city administrators, law enforcement agencies, and their municipal partners in implementing and employing public surveillance systems in a manner that will have the greatest impact on public safety. It details the various aspects of a system that are integral in yielding a cost-beneficial impact on crime, including budgetary considerations, camera types and locations, how best to monitor cameras, and the role that video footage plays in investigations and prosecutions. It also highlights the most prominent lessons learned in an effort to guide city administrators and jurisdictions that are currently investing in cameras for public safety purposes, as well as to inform those that are contemplating doing so. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2011. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 27, 2011 at: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412402-Using-Public-Surveillance-Systems-for-Crime-Control-and-Prevention-A-Practical-Guide.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412402-Using-Public-Surveillance-Systems-for-Crime-Control-and-Prevention-A-Practical-Guide.pdf Shelf Number: 122911 Keywords: Crime PreventionSecurityVideo Surveillance |
Author: La Vigne, Nancy G. Title: Planning For Change: Security Managers' Perspectives on Preparing for Future Demographic and Crime Trends Summary: Over the past few decades, the security industry has made great advances in constructing industry standards, developing new technologies to address existing concerns, and adapting to new social realities. Despite these developments, few systematic reviews exist that document future demographic and crime trends. Even more scarce are studies that explore how such trends might guide the industry toward measures that anticipate and offset the security threats that they impose, while capitalizing on those trends that might enhance and improve the industry’s efficiency and effectiveness. To address this issue, the ASIS International Foundation contracted the Urban Institute, a non-profit, non-partisan social policy and economic research organization, to conduct a study on how industries can better prepare for emerging security issues based upon these trends. The purpose of this study is to identify how emerging trends might influence the security of various industries and what industries can do, from a planning perspective, by way of preparation and prevention. This is best accomplished by obtaining the perspectives of security experts regarding trends of crime, demography, and technology. Specifically, this research set out to: •Learn how business, demographic, crime, and technology trends vary based on security industry sector (such as insurance, service, transportation, or retail services) and security threat; •Determine what these trends suggest about future security challenges, investments, and resource needs; and •Identify promising strategies and tactics the security industry may adopt or enhance in preparation for anticipated industry developments. By collecting this information, our goal is to produce a publication that is usable to a broad audience of security managers across several industries. While this publication is tailored for security managers, we anticipate that this publication will be useful to a wide array of personnel across all business sectors as well as public sector employees, such as local law enforcement. Guided primarily by the perspective of security experts, this report provides information about security issues and resources necessary to address future demographic and crime trends as well as recommendations of measures for the security industry to adopt in anticipation of these trends. This report is informed primarily by the views of security experts and documents how various industry leaders anticipate how these trends will influence security over the next five to ten years. The report is divided into three sections by key topic areas: demographic challenges, crime trends, and technology. Each section contains an overview of the issue, examples of how that issue will influence security goals by industry, and recommendations to prepare for anticipated challenges created by each trend. The final section addresses issues that surfaced during discussions which are indirectly, yet importantly, related to the ability of security professionals, business executives, and all workers to prepare for a safer environment for employees, clients, and customers. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2008. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 28, 2011 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411758_crime_trends.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411758_crime_trends.pdf Shelf Number: 111764 Keywords: Private SecuritySecurity |
Author: Gilgen, Elisabeth Title: A Legacy of War? Perceptions of Security in Liberia Summary: A Legacy of War? Perceptions of Security in Liberia — explores the general security perceptions and particular safety concerns of Liberians in 2009 and 2010. Its key findings include that respondents rate development concerns higher than safety concerns, with four-fifths of all responses raising concerns about access to clean water, health care, transportation, and education. The survey also found that most respondents believe safety conditions in mid-2010 had improved over the previous year, and around 70 per cent describe their own neighbourhood or community as ‘safe’ or ‘very safe’. Details: Geneva: Liberia Armed Violence Assessment, Small Arms Survey, 2011. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Small Arms Survey Issue Brief No. 1: Accessed November 1, 2011 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/G-Issue-briefs/Liberia-AVA-IB1.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Liberia URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/G-Issue-briefs/Liberia-AVA-IB1.pdf Shelf Number: 123195 Keywords: Crime (Liberia)SecurityViolence |
Author: McLean, Andrew Title: Assessment of Community Security and Transformation Programmes in Jamaica Summary: Crime and violence are major barriers to development in Jamaica. The Government of Jamaica (GoJ), supported by international development partners (IDPs), has initiated a range of programmes to increase the safety and security of local communities. However, little research has previously been done to examine which interventions are most effective. The GoJ commissioned this study to establish which methodologies and approaches are influencing progress towards greater community security and transformation. The GoJ is seeking to determine the capacities required to implement the programmes, the gaps in terms of issues being addressed, and the best institutional arrangements to ensure harmonisation and sustainability. A wide range of GoJ and civil society stakeholders were interviewed as ‘key informants’ at the national and local level. More detailed field research was undertaken into the implementation of the four programmes – CSI, CSJP, ICBSP and PMI – that have had a sustained engagement at the community level. Eleven sample communities were identified and a comprehensive household a survey with a sample size of 3,102 interviews was conducted. Focus groups were also held in each community with community leaders, male youth, programme beneficiaries and either women or children. The report outlines programme objectives, assesses the progress made towards outcomes, highlights any potential gaps in programme design and makes recommendations for their increased effectiveness. The report then assesses the outcomes of programmes on the security of sample communities and reviews the extent to which programmes were anchored in communities. Critical success factors and lessons learnt are then identified. A series of recommendations are then made for the development of a more strategic and harmonised approach to community safety and security. Details: Jamaica: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2009. 105p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2012 at Year: 2009 Country: Jamaica URL: Shelf Number: 123979 Keywords: Public Safety (Jamaica)Security |
Author: Saferworld Title: People's Peacekeeping Perspectives: South Sudan Summary: Challenges of inter-communal violence and militia mobilsation are a recureant problem in South Sudan and are miring the early optimism about the new country's prospects. Escalating problems between Juba and Khartoum have added to a growing sense of uncertainty, and stand to take away crucial revenues from South Sudan at a time when development and security priorities cannot go under-resources. The fact that Jonglei State yet again witnessed hundreds of deaths over the past few months, as well as the abduction of women and children and the theft of thousands of cattle, raises troubling questions for the Government of South Sudan (GoSS); as it does for international actors who have supported and continue to support the prevention of violence in conflict-affected states. And beyond Jonglei, many communities have yet to transition from a state of conflict and continue to suffer insecurity and poverty. Details: London: Saferworld, 2012. 6p. Source: People's Peacemaking Perspectives: Internet Resource: Accessed April 15, 2012 at http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/documents/CR_PeoplesPeacemakingPerspectives_SouthSudan.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Sudan URL: http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/documents/CR_PeoplesPeacemakingPerspectives_SouthSudan.pdf Shelf Number: 124978 Keywords: Armed Conflict (South Sudan)Human RightsMilitias (South Sudan)Security |
Author: Sidibé, Kalilou Title: Security Management in Northern Mali: Criminal Networks and Conflict Resolution Mechanisms Summary: The three principle and intertwining security threats in the North of Mali are trafficking (drugs, arms, cigarettes, cars, etc.), rebellious uprisings and terrorist activity. Any attempts at maintaining law and order are undermined by the fragility of state structures, and the lack of equipment and infrastructure for the armed forces. These threats also weaken the socioeconomic fabric of local communities and Malian national and territorial unity. The Malian government endeavours to address these challenges by adopting and implementing security and anti-terrorism policies, as well as social and economic development programmes. External partners support the Malian government in its efforts through a variety of joint anti-terrorism and development policies aiming to strengthen the state’s operational capacity in the region. Furthermore, local communities work alongside state actors in the development and securitisation of Northern Mali by employing traditional conflict-management mechanisms (intercommunity and interclan solidarity systems). This strategy builds strong links that considerably reduce the risk of open conflict and contributes to the establishment of a multilevel shared governance system. Details: Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies, 2012. 108p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report Vol. 2012, No. 77: Accessed August 16, 2012 at: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/RR77.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Mali URL: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/RR77.pdf Shelf Number: 126041 Keywords: Anti-Terrorism PoliciesConflict-ManagementCriminal NetworksDrug TraffickingSecuritySmuggling |
Author: Coburn, Tom Title: Safety At Any Price: Assessing the Impact of Homeland Security Spending in U.S. Cities Summary: The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the attacks of September 11, 2011 will forever be etched in our collective memory and forever serve as painful reminders that the enemies of freedom are many and our security often comes at a steep price—in dollars, lives and liberty. We no longer can assume our distant shores from foreign lands or having the greatest military force in the history of the world are enough to protect us. We now live with the reality terrorists are within our midst and they may look, sound and act like us, but they hate everything we are and the values we share. The balancing act between liberty and security has been tenuous throughout the history of our nation, founded upon basic freedoms granted by our Creator and protected from government infringement within the Bill of Rights of our Constitution. But a new element has been added to this equation over the past decade that threatens to undermine both our liberty and security—excessive government spending and insurmountable debt. We cannot secure liberty and guarantee security simply by spending more and more money in the name of security. Every dollar misspent in the name of security weakens our already precarious economic condition, indebts us to foreign nations, and shackles the future of our children and grandchildren. Our $16 trillion national debt has become the new red menace not only lurking in our midst, but created and sustained by shortsighted and irresponsible decisions made in Washington. We can only defend our freedoms by ensuring the dollars we spend on security are done so in a fiscally responsible manner, meet real needs, and respect the very rights we are aiming to preserve and protect. This report, Safety at Any Price, exposes misguided and wasteful spending in one of the largest terror-prevention grant programs at the Department of Homeland Security – the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). We cannot assume that because the UASI program has an important mission and a large budget it is accomplishing its goals, however. Significant evidence suggests that the program is struggling to demonstrate how it is making U.S. cities less vulnerable to attack and more prepared if one were to occur—despite receiving $7.1 billion in federal funding since 2003. After ten years, a clear danger for the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant program is that it would be transformed from a risk-based program targeting security gaps into an entitlement program for states and cities. My office has conducted a year-long inquiry into the this grant program found that to wide of latitude is given to states and urban areas to determine the projects they will fund, and program parameters defining what constitute allowable expenses are extremely broad. Congress and DHS failed to establish metrics to measure how funds spent through the UASI program have made us safer or determine the right amount to dedicate to counterterrorism programs to mitigate the threat. While DHS recently established its first National Preparedness Goal, it has yet to develop a robust assessment of the nation’s current preparedness capabilities or defined performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of federal expenditures made to date. If in the days after 9/11 lawmakers were able to cast their gaze forward ten years, I imagine they would be surprised to see how a counter-terrorism initiative aimed at protecting our largest cities has transformed into another parochial grant program. We would have been frustrated to learn that limited federal resources were now subsidizing the purchase of low-priority items like an armored vehicles to protect festivals in rural New Hampshire, procure an underwater robot in Ohio and to pay for first responder attendance at a five-day spa junket that featured a display of tactical prowess in the face of a “zombie apocalypse.” As we mark the tenth anniversary of the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the time has come for Congress to reconsider DHS’s mission and approach to counterterrorism. We must be honest with the American people that we cannot make every community around the country invulnerable to terrorist attacks by writing large checks from Washington, D.C. Not only is this an unrealistic goal, but it also undermines the very purpose of our efforts. By letting every level of government – federal, State and local – do the things each does best, we can secure our cities and our freedoms. Confusing these roles, as we have done with UASI, leads to waste, inefficiency and a false sense of security. We must rededicate ourselves to ensuring that every dollar the federal government spends on terrorism prevention programs is spent wisely, yielding the largest improvement in security and best return on investment for your tax dollars. Facing a $16 trillion national debt, Congress needs to have a conversation about what we can afford to spend on the Department of Homeland Security’s terrorism prevention programs and where to spend it. The American people recognize and understand the limits we face. They understand that we should never sacrifice all of our freedoms in the name of security. We similarly cannot mortgage our children and grandchildren’s future by funding unnecessary and ineffective programs, even including those that have important missions. Details: Washington, DC: Office of U.S. Senator Tom Coburn; Member, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, 2012. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 13, 2012 at http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=b86fdaeb-86ff-4d19-a112-415ec85aa9b6 Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=b86fdaeb-86ff-4d19-a112-415ec85aa9b6 Shelf Number: 127209 Keywords: Costs of Criminal JusticeCounterterrorismCrime PreventionHomeland SecuritySecurity |
Author: Racovita, Mihaela Title: Risky Business? Crime and Security Perceptions in the Nepali Private Sector Summary: The volatile political situation in Nepal was the largest obstacle to business activities in 2012, according to the majority of businesses surveyed as part of a study by the Small Arms Survey's Nepal Armed Violence Assessment (NAVA) project. Direct losses from crime are relatively small compared to the indirect costs of instability. The findings of a survey of 160 businesses working in Nepal's seven major industrial corridors are presented in a new Issue Brief from the Small Arms Survey and the Nepal Armed Violence Assessment, Risky Business? Crime and Security Perceptions in the Nepali Private Sector. Risky Business explores the security perceptions and experiences of Nepali businesses from 2007 to 2012, and investigates major challenges to doing business, types and frequency of crime, actors and instruments of violence, losses experienced, and steps taken to prevent crime. Since 2007, Nepal's war-damaged economy has shown positive signs of growth and renewed investment. At the same time, the volatile political situation and persistent criminal activities continue to take their toll on the business sector. The Small Arms Survey and the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) undertook the study to generate knowledge about the challenges faced by the business community, and the extent to which crime affects business in the country's key industrial areas. The survey also found that businesses generally have a positive view of formal security measures, and appreciate police efforts to fight crime. Often businesses take additional measures to deter or prevent crime, such as employing security guards. A number of the businesses surveyed expressed an interest in public-private partnerships on security. Details: Geneva, SWIT: Small Arms Survey, 2013. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief No. 3: Accessed March 21, 2014 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/G-Issue-briefs/NAVA-IB3-Risky-Business.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Nepal URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/G-Issue-briefs/NAVA-IB3-Risky-Business.pdf Shelf Number: 104120 Keywords: Crime StatisticsCrimes Against BusinessesSecurity |
Author: Menichelli, Francesca Title: What's Crime Got To Do With It? CCTV, Urban Security and Governing Elites Summary: The implementation of an open-street CCTV system is usually accompanied by bold claims on the increase in efficiency - faster deployments of patrols - and in efficacy - prevention through normalisation - that it will bring about in day-to-day policing. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in two medium-sized Italian cities where such systems have been recently implemented, the research sets out to challenge these assumptions by offering a backstage view of how surveillance is actually carried out on a day-to-day basis. Using the political and legislative changes that have taken place in Italy since the end of the '90s as a backdrop, the work supports the conclusion that, rather than for crime control, for which they were almost never used, cameras end up serving other goals, for the benefit of constituencies other than the residents of the two cities. Thus, CCTV needs to be understood as a device for the circulation of resources - monetary, discursive and normative - between different institutions and levels of government, part of a wider discursive regime that is only incidentally related to how crime actually affects a given city. Details: Milan: Universita degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2012. 268p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 22, 2014 at: http://boa.unimib.it/handle/10281/31295#.U1apr0-PLcs Year: 2012 Country: Italy URL: http://boa.unimib.it/handle/10281/31295#.U1apr0-PLcs Shelf Number: 132130 Keywords: CCTVClosed-Circuit TelevisionSecuritySituational Crime PreventionUrban AreasVideo Surveillance |
Author: Donadio, Marcela Title: Public Security INDEX. Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama Summary: Security is far from a theoretical discussion. It is a vital necessity, a primary feeling that contextualizes our decisions, hopes, challenges, possibilities and difficulties. It is not a question for disputes between political factions, or a favor bestowed by political representatives, it is a policy that the State designs and sustains in order to legitimize its own existence as the guarantor of the social contract that unites citizens below a single political form. Security permits the exercise of the right to live in peace, to create and make use of opportunities to develop one's life and those of loved ones. An environment of insecurity removes that right and interrupts essential development. Various discussions of security and insecurity in a large number of countries in the Latin American region are explained by the weakness of understandings regarding the State and the rights of citizens. The State is the political representation, not the owner of aspirations, feelings, and projects; political representatives do not own the State, but instead occupy it transitionally. The energized debates and responses, and citizen demands (or their negation, as is observed in the common misrepresentations of public opinion as "perceptions that don't consider the facts") display a confused understanding of the role of representation. A change in the way in which representatives see themselves and in how citizens see them or the power that they actually have would bolster the democratic regime. In the formation of a secure living environment, and wherever a State exists, institutions play a key role. It is in them that the State lives, and through them that policies and legal frameworks are developed and laws that affect all of us applied. The strengths and weaknesses of these institutions have a wide-ranging effect on the development of a secure environment. It is this very security environment that occupies the worries and hopes of the inhabitants of a great part of Latin America, especially in the last decade with the rising rates of criminality. It is a central theme on the agenda, related with the alternatives to the construction of democratic regimes and institutions. The Public Security Index directly addresses this institutional problematic and the foundation of State capacities to provide security in the region. It advances from the premise that institutions should be incorporated into security-development analysis. A pending issue was the field of policy formulation, of capacities to manage the security sector, of the indicators of how to construct a State apparatus that, in collaboration with civil society, faces up to security problems. It is a program born from RESDAL's commitment to work towards the construction of democratic institutions, combining the capacities of those that work within the State, with those from academia and civil society, and also from the objective of providing useful tools for discussions, analysis and decision-making. This publication is dedicated to six Central American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Each one has its own particular reality and wealth, and should avoid the temptation to embrace realities that are different, and it is for this motive that each is treated separately. For a better understanding and analysis, the coverage of the cases also presents transversal axis that contribute to the security environment, such as economic resources, the institutional problematic, cross-border people flows, the collaboration of the armed forces with the police, and the role of private security. Details: Buenos Aires, Argentina: RESDAL, 2013. 152p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2014 at: http://www.resdal.org/ing/libro-seg-2013/index-public-security-2013.html Year: 2013 Country: Central America URL: http://www.resdal.org/ing/libro-seg-2013/index-public-security-2013.html Shelf Number: 132322 Keywords: Crime PreventionCrime StatisticsLaw EnforcementPolicingSecurity |
Author: Cohen, Jay Title: Making Public-Private Security Cooperation More Efficient, Effective and Sustainable. Recommendations of the Task Force Summary: A global economy has empowered criminals and terrorists on a global scale. Embedded across far-flung production, trade and investment networks, illicit trafficking in high-tech data and equipment, narcotics, arms and counterfeit goods has laid bare the weaknesses of topdown government controls. The challenges of preventing illicit transshipment and other misappropriations of sensitive technologies have never been more urgent. In this report, Stimson's Partners in Prevention Task Force presents its final recommendations to US government and industry stakeholders for combating these threats through public-private partnerships that more effectively harness the power of decentralized, market-based incentives. Individually actionable but collectively diverse, these seven targeted proposals follow an 18-month Stimson collaboration with hundreds of industry partners spanning high-tech manufacturers and service providers, transport and logistics firms, and insurance providers. With the rise of a global marketplace, finding more innovative ways to leverage the resources, agility and expertise of the private sector is essential - and not just for "security," narrowly understood. It will also go far in shaping the future of US global influence and leadership. The Task Force proposals connect that strategic imperative with pragmatic steps forward. Details: Washington, DC: The Stimson Center, 2014. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 14, 2014 at: http://www.stimson.org/images/uploads/pip_public-private_security_task_force_recs.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.stimson.org/images/uploads/pip_public-private_security_task_force_recs.pdf Shelf Number: 132673 Keywords: Crime PreventionPrivate SecurityPublic-Private PartnershipsSecurityTerrorismTrafficking |
Author: United Nations Development Programme Title: Citizen Security with a Human Face: Evidence and Proposals for Latin America Summary: The HDR "Citizen Security with a Human Face: evidence and proposals for Latin America" reveals a paradox: in the past decade, the region experienced both economic growth and increased crime rates. Despite social improvements, Latin America remains the most unequal and most insecure region in the world. While homicide rates reduced in other regions, they increased in Latin America, which recorded over 100,000 murders per year, totaling more than a million from 2000-2010. While homicide rates stabilized and even declined in some parts of Latin America, it is still high: in 11 of the 18 assessed countries the rate is higher than 10 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, reaching epidemic levels. Moreover, the perception of security has worsened, with robberies hiking threefold in the last 25 years, says the regional HDR. Details: New York: United Nations Development Programme, 2013. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 24, 2014 at: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/citizen_security_with_a_human_face_-executivesummary.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Latin America URL: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/citizen_security_with_a_human_face_-executivesummary.pdf Shelf Number: 133810 Keywords: Homicides (Latin America)MurdersSecurityViolent Crimes |
Author: Zechmeister, Elizabeth J., ed. Title: The Political Culture of Democracy in the Americas, 2014: Democratic Governance across 10 Years of the AmericasBarometer Summary: he 2014 Americas Barometer data and the corresponding regional report mark an important milestone for the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP): we are now able to assess over a decade of values, assessments, and experience as that have been reported to us though first-hand accounts by citizens across the region. The Americas Barometer surveys, spanning from 2004 to 2014, allow us to capture both change and continuity in the region on indicators that are vital to the quality and health of democracy across the Americas. In looking back over the decade, one trend is clear: citizens of the Americas are more concerned today about issues of crime and violence than they were a decade ago. We take this fact as a cornerstone for this report, and devote the first three chapters to an assessment of citizens - experiences with, evaluations of, and reactions to issues of crime and insecurity. We then proceed in the subsequent four chapters to address topics that are considered "core" to the Americas Barometer project: citizens - assessments of the economy and corruption; their interactions with and evaluations of local government; and, their democratic support and attitudes. In each of these cases we identify key trends, developments, and sources of variation on these dimensions and examine links between these core issues of crime and insecurity. Thus, the goal of this report is to provide a comparative perspective - across time, countries, and individuals - on issues that are central to democratic governance in the Americas, with a particular focus on how countries, governments, and citizens are faring in the face of the heightened insecurity that characterizes the region. Details: Washington, DC: United States Agency for International Development, 2014. 325p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 9, 2015 at: http://seguridadcondemocracia.org/administrador_de_carpetas/biblioteca_virtual/pdf/AB2014_Comparative_Report_English_V3_revised_120514_W.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Latin America URL: http://seguridadcondemocracia.org/administrador_de_carpetas/biblioteca_virtual/pdf/AB2014_Comparative_Report_English_V3_revised_120514_W.pdf Shelf Number: 135204 Keywords: Economic Conditions and CrimeFear of CrimePolitical CorruptionPublic OpinionSecurityViolence |
Author: Braehler, Verena Barbara Title: Inequality of Security: Exploring Violent Pluralism and Territory in Six Neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Summary: Security is a universal human right and a highly valued societal good. It is crucial for the preservation of human life and is of inestimable value for our societies. However, in Latin America, the right to security is far from being universally established. The aim of this sequential, exploratory mixed methods study is to explore the logic of security provision in six neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro (Vidigal, Santissimo, Complexo do Alemao, Tabuleiro, Botafogo and Novo Leblon) and assess its implications for citizens' right to security. The findings from the research show that, on a city level, Rio de Janeiro's security network can best be understood as an oligopoly because different security providers (police, municipal guards, military, private security companies, militias and drug trafficking factions) are connected through cooperative, neutral or conflictual relationships and need to consider the actions and reactions of other groups when taking strategic decisions. On a neighbourhood level, the preferred option for security providers are monopolistic-type constellations, characterised by relative peace and stability. However, all actors are willing to engage in violence if the perceived political and/or economic benefits are great enough. The thesis shows that the relative power and influence of the security providers are primarily determined by the way they are perceived by the local communities and by their capacity to use violence effectively. Despite its appearance as chaotic, violence is therefore an instrument which is negotiated and managed quite carefully. The thesis concludes that insecurity and violence in Rio de Janeiro are primarily fuelled by the struggle for territorial control between conflicting security providers within the oligopoly. The oligopolistic constellation of security providers leads to an inequality of security, defined as a condition in which the right to security is not enjoyed by all residents to the same extent. Details: London: University College London, 2014. 292p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 30, 2015 at: http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1457437/1/Verena_Barbara_Braehler_PhD_thesis.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil URL: http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1457437/1/Verena_Barbara_Braehler_PhD_thesis.pdf Shelf Number: 135808 Keywords: GangsNeighborhoods and CrimeOrganized CrimeSecurityUrban AreasViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Eisenhauer, Simone Title: Managing event places and viewer spaces: Security, surveillance and stakeholder interests at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa Summary: This thesis explores the security risk management and commercial organisation of public urban spaces at the 2010 FIFA World Cup (FWC) in South Africa. Extending knowledge of how commercial interests intersect with security risk management of public urban spaces at sport mega-events, this study examines these concepts in a developing world context. Using a neoliberal theoretical lens and drawing on the concepts of Festivalisation and Disneyisation, the research contributes to academic scholarship in the areas of both sport and event management. This is achieved through a critical examination of security and commercialisation strategies in 'public spaces' at a sport mega-event, namely, public viewing areas (PVAs) and commercial restricted zones (CRZs). The research problem was investigated by means of an inductive interpretive qualitative case study approach. The selected event was the 2010 FWC, and within this event an indepth case study of Cape Town was selected for examination. Multiple sources of evidence included government, management, and media documentation. In addition, semi-structured interviews were drawn upon to generate a narrative of the roles and interests of three key stakeholders (the event owner, event sponsor and event host) in the process of strategically managing PVAs and CRZs. The government's policies, decisions, and actions associated with staging of the 2010 FWC reflected new and exemplary forms of neoliberal urban governance in concert with intensified levels of policing and securitisation. The measures taken to combat ambush marketing were of particular note. FIFA's requirements on the host city facilitated decisions about public and private spaces that redefined public policies and rules. Intensification of spatial and social fragmentation and greater exclusion resulted; in other words, the evidence demonstrates the phenomenon of the 'FIFA-isation' of public space. Rhetoric from event owners and city authorities on the benefits of hosting the FWC claimed intended outcomes, which were the exact opposite of what eventuated. Details: Sydney: University of Technology, Sydney: 2013. 364p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 18, 2015 at: https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/research/bitstream/handle/10453/23538/02whole.pdf?sequence=5 Year: 2013 Country: South Africa URL: https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/research/bitstream/handle/10453/23538/02whole.pdf?sequence=5 Shelf Number: 136811 Keywords: Public SafetyPublic SpacesRisk ManagementSecuritySporting EventsWorld Cup |
Author: Marc, Alexandre Title: The Challenge of Stability and Security in West Africa. Summary: This publication seeks to critically examine the challenges of fragility and security in West Africa, along with the factors of resilience. It seeks to investigate key drivers of conflict and violence, and the way in which they impact the countries of the subregion. Along with emerging threats and challenges, these include the challenge of youth inclusion; migration; regional imbalances; extractives; the fragility of political institutions and managing the competition for power; security; and land. The book explores how the subregion, under the auspices of the regional organization ECOWAS has become a pioneer on the continent in terms of addressing regional challenges. This book also seeks to identify key lessons in the dynamics of resilience against political violence and civil war, drawn from countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d'Ivoire that can be useful for countries around the world in the midst of similar situations. Finally, it draws on knowledge and findings from a series background papers written by leading experts, and provides insights from the perspectives of academics and development practitioners. Details: Washington, DC: World Bank; and Agence Francaise de Developpement, 2015. 125p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 24, 2015 at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/22033 Year: 2015 Country: Africa URL: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/22033 Shelf Number: 136869 Keywords: MigrationPolitical ViolenceSecurityViolence |
Author: Copeland, Casie Title: Dancing in the Dark: Divergent approaches to improving security and justice in South Sudan Summary: The civil war that has consumed South Sudan since late 2013 raises uncomfortable questions about how a country that the international community helped to create and to which such substantial resources were dedicated could descend into civil war so quickly and to the surprise of so many. Violence has been a fact of life in South Sudan for decades; the long and dark history of violence and injustice illustrates the deep-rooted nature of these challenges and the hard work that will be necessary to overcome them. Improving the security and justice context is essential to a successful transition to peace and stability in South Sudan and to the realisation of the objectives of South Sudan's struggle for independence. This paper focuses on how, and to what effect, the international community supported security and justice initiatives in South Sudan from the start of the second Sudanese civil war (1983) up to the present. During that war (1983-2005), international support for security and justice largely took the form of community-based programming, primarily due to the absence of functioning government structures. 'People-to-people peacemaking' models that sought to improve security and justice at the local level in South Sudan generated tangible results in some areas, during some periods, but had little impact on the war's overarching structural dynamics. In the years following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), external support shifted towards nascent Southern Sudanese government structures, despite the limited reach of many civilian structures beyond the capital, as the programming context altered with the peace agreement. This type of support only increased after South Sudan's independence in 2011, despite clear signs that the statebuilding project itself was a major driver of conflict. Following the CPA, the international community approached security and justice development with far too much of a national-level, technical focus. It consistently failed to appropriately diagnose the challenges it sought to remedy. While South Sudanese counterparts sometimes had low capacities, many gained politically or financially from insecurity and a weak justice system. Despite these realities, donors generally programmed to the assumption that these challenges were a result of low capacity, leading to a reliance on technocratic solutions for many essentially political problems - with predictably poor outcomes. Seeing capacity as the primary challenge, the international community failed to recognise the South Sudanese leadership's deliberate efforts to govern and set policy, albeit not always in ways the international community liked. Despite clear evidence, emerging over years, that hundreds of millions of dollars of national-level, technocratic programmatic funding was not producing results, donors largely failed to re-assess their framework of support. The international community now has the opportunity to do better, both during the ongoing war and following a peace agreement. The question of how to do better can be broken down into two broad components. The first examines programming options that could mitigate some of the insecurity and injustice associated with the ongoing civil war. The second identifies critical security and justice building blocks that could be put in place now that would support a future peace. The table below summarises three starting points on each issue based on lessons learned from past international support for security and justice development in South Sudan. Details: The Hague: Clingendael (Netherlands Institute of International Relations), 2015. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 25, 2015 at: http://www.clingendael.nl/sites/default/files/CRU_report-Dancing_in_the_Dark-Casie_Copeland-June2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Sudan URL: http://www.clingendael.nl/sites/default/files/CRU_report-Dancing_in_the_Dark-Casie_Copeland-June2015.pdf Shelf Number: 136873 Keywords: SecurityTransitional JusticeViolence |
Author: Jennings, Will Title: Mega-Events and Risk Colonisation: Risk Management and the Olympics Summary: This paper uses the idea of risk colonisation (Rothstein et al. 2006) to analyse how societal and institutional risks simultaneously make mega-events such as the Olympics a problematic site for risk management while contributing to the spread of the logic and formal managerial practice of risk management. It outlines how mega-events are linked to broader societal and institutional hazards and threats but at the same time induce their own unique set of organizational pathologies and biases. In this context, it is argued that the combination of societal and institutional risks create pressure for safety and security which in turn give rise to the growing influence of risk as an object of planning, operations and communication both in organisation of the Games and governance of the Olympic movement. This is consistent with the colonizing influence of risk over time: both in the creation of formal institutions (such as risk management teams and divisions) and the proliferation of the language of 'risk' as an object of regulation and control. Details: London: Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2012. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Discussion Paper No. 71: Accessed October 8, 2015 at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/accounting/CARR/pdf/DPs/Disspaper71.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.lse.ac.uk/accounting/CARR/pdf/DPs/Disspaper71.pdf Shelf Number: 136978 Keywords: Event PlanningOlympicsRisk ManagementSecuritySports |
Author: Baur-Ahrens, Andreas Title: How Smart Is "Smart Security"? Exploring Data Subjectivity and Resistance Summary: 'Smart security' is currently being used as an umbrella term that embraces several initiatives proposed by the aviation industry in order to enhance security procedures at airports. The idea of smarter security opposes the traditional screening framework of passenger security at airports which enacts a one-size-fits-all approach in order to detect dangerous items that might threaten flight safety and security. Recently however, the security industry claims that smart solutions could provide better security, less intrusive screening, and better cost efficiency by employing tailored security procedures based on individual data-driven risk assessment of passengers and corresponding different levels of security screening. As smart security solutions are currently still under development, this report analyses potential human rights problems connected to a broader implementation of smart security routines in a timely fashion. Constituent elements of smart security, such as computer-based sorting of individuals into risk-groups and algorithms preparing or taking decisions on passengers' mobility, can have severe consequences. Critical questions to be asked include: Who is accountable for smart security decisions? Is it possible to appeal against such decisions? How dangerous is the data-driven approach with regard to structural discrimination and equality of all passengers? We review and summarise the state of the art in the field of data-driven risk analysis and analyse eight interviews that we have conducted with representatives of European aviation associations, state authorities and the civil society. Bearing in mind the human rights implications of smart security, the report identifies six central policy gaps, issues recommendations to address them and provides a basis for a much needed public debate on smart security. Details: Tubingen: University of Tubingen, Internationales Zentrum fur Ethik in den Wissenschaften, 2015. 49p Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 2, 2016 at: https://publikationen.uni-tuebingen.de/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10900/66898/How%20Smart%20Is%20Smart%20Security_IZEW_201511.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2015 Country: International URL: https://publikationen.uni-tuebingen.de/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10900/66898/How%20Smart%20Is%20Smart%20Security_IZEW_201511.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 137744 Keywords: Airport SecurityAviation IndustrySecuritySurveillance |
Author: European Commission. Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs Title: Europeans' Attitudes Towards Security Summary: Overall perception of security - Around 90% of people say that their immediate neighbourhood and their city, town or village are safe places to live. - Around 80% say that their own country and the EU are secure places to live. - Respect for fundamental rights and freedoms is thought to have the most positive impact on one's personal sense of security - 42% of respondents say this. Perceived threats and challenges - Terrorism is seen as the EU's most important security challenge, with half of all respondents describing it as important. - However, the level of concern varies considerably from country to country: 62% of people in Malta, but only 22% in Latvia, think terrorism is an important challenge. - Since 2011, the proportion of people identifying terrorism and religious extremism as important challenges has increased substantially. Fewer people now think that economic and financial crises are the most important challenge to security. - 65% of people think that terrorism is a very important internal security challenge for the EU, and 92% think it is important. - Over two-thirds of people think that the threat of terrorism is likely to increase over the next three years, with over half also saying that cybercrime and organised crime will increase. - Over eight out of ten respondents think that extremist ideologies, war and political instability, and poverty and social exclusion, are potential sources of threats to EU security. - Only seven out of ten people see climate change and pollution as a potential source of security threats. Responses to address security challenges - The police and the judicial system are seen as being chiefly responsible for ensuring the security of citizens: around nine out of ten respondents say this. - The police are seen as the organisation with the biggest role in ensuring the security of citizens in all but five Member States, where the judicial system is listed first. - Over half of the respondents think the police are doing enough to fight terrorism and drug trafficking, but less than half say enough is being done to fight other crimes. - A majority of respondents think that citizens' rights and freedoms have been restricted for reasons related to fighting terrorism and crime. - People are generally positive about the impact of new technologies, but a quarter think they will have a negative impact on the security of citizens. Details: Luxembourg: The Commission, 2015. 108p. Source: Internet Resource: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_432_en.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Europe URL: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_432_en.pdf Shelf Number: 137809 Keywords: CybercrimeExtremist GroupsOrganized CrimePolice EffectivenessPublic SafetySecurityTerrorism |
Author: Brenig, Mattheus Title: Putting a Price Tag on Security: Subjective Well-Being and Willingness-to-Pay for Crime Reduction in Europe Summary: Using information on life satisfaction and crime from the European Social Survey, we apply the life satisfaction approach (LSA) to determine the relationship between subjective well-being (SWB), income, victimization experience, fear of crime and various regional crime rates across European regions, while controlling for potentially confounding socio-economic variables. We show that fear of crime, criminal victimization and the average regionally perceived fear of crime significantly reduce life satisfaction across Europe. Building upon these results, we quantify the monetary value of improvements in public safety and its valuation in terms of individual well-being. The loss in satisfaction for victimized individuals corresponds to 21,790L. Increasing an average individual's perception within his neighborhood from unsafe to safe yields a benefit equivalent to 12,700L. Our results regarding crime and SWB in Europe largely resemble previous results for different countries and other criminal contexts, whereby using the LSA as a valuation method for public good provision yields similar results as stated preference methods and considerably higher estimates than revealed preference methods Details: Gottingen, Germany: University of Goettingen (Gottingen), 2016. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Discussion Papers, no. 278: Accessed March 16, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2736933 Year: 2016 Country: Europe URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2736933 Shelf Number: 138253 Keywords: Costs of CrimeCosts of Criminal JusticeCrime PreventionCrime RatesFear of CrimeSecurity |
Author: Gupte, Jaideep Title: Cities, Violence and Order: The Challenges and Complex Taxonomy of Security Provision in Cities of Tomorrow Summary: How will security in cities be understood in the future? For whom will it be provided? What are the ways by which urban security provision will be governed? And, what impact will violence and order in cities have on the processes of state-building in fragile contexts in the future? These questions are uppermost in the minds of policymakers and academics. A growing body of evidence underlines the heterogeneity of security processes and outcomes, both within and between cities. Notwithstanding these recent advances, contemporary paradigms of urban development do not substantively account for the ways in which the social, political, economic and physical aspects of urban form interact and shape the mechanics of security provision in cities. There is a perceptible gap in development policy, compromising the manner in which international donors, multilateral agencies, national and sub-national policymakers respond to urban challenges today. Part of this gap is due to the separation between development theory or urban planning, and issues of fragility due to conflict and violence. These have usually been different epistemic and operational domains, to the detriment of either a comprehensive approach to analysing fragility and violence or effective approaches to security provision. Details: Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies, 2016. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Anticipation, Response and Evaluation Evidence Report No. 175: Accessed June 28, 2016 at: http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/9560/ER175_CitiesViolenceandOrdertheChallengesandComplexTaxonomyofSecurityProvisioninCitiesofTomorrow.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/9560/ER175_CitiesViolenceandOrdertheChallengesandComplexTaxonomyofSecurityProvisioninCitiesofTomorrow.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 139504 Keywords: Conflict Violence SecurityUrban Areas and Crime |
Author: Arsenault, Jean-Francois Title: A Discussion of the Economics of Preclearance with Proposed Measurement Methodologies Summary: This report has three objectives: summarize the international literature on the economic and social impact of preclearance operations; identify additional benefits of preclearance not well covered in the literature; and propose feasible methodologies to quantitatively measure the benefits to Canada of establishing preclearance processes and facilities in different environments. Preclearance benefits have not generally been the subject of much measurement. Based on an analysis and literature review, benefits were classified in five categories: optimizing border resources; improving security; improving the experience of crossing the border for passengers; improving the experience of crossing the border for carriers; and generating 'spin-off' benefits. In general, benefits in the first four categories are additive, while the last category spans a wide range of beneficial impacts of preclearance which generally can only be assessed using input-output or computable general equilibrium models. The report describes each benefit, identifies the main recipient of the benefit, and proposes specific methodologies to measure these benefits. For some benefits, in particular those related to security, the inherent difficulties in measuring the impact of preclearance leads the authors to suggest a qualitative treatment. Some preliminary estimates, based on heavy assumptions, are provided as a first step towards an accurate measurement of benefits. Executive Summary Preclearance refers to a process in which customs, immigration and other border functions of a foreign country (e.g. United States) are undertaken within a host country (e.g. Canada). Such operations can potentially generate significant benefits for governments, users and carriers. Preclearance benefits, however, have not generally been the subject of much measurement. This report has three objectives: summarize the international literature on the economic and social impact of preclearance operations; identify additional benefits of preclearance not well covered in the literature; and propose feasible methodologies to quantitatively measure the benefits to Canada of establishing preclearance processes and facilities in various contexts. Details: Ottawa: Public Safety Canada, 2015. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report:2015-R032: Accessed July 26, 2016 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2015-r032/index-en.aspx Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2015-r032/index-en.aspx Shelf Number: 139860 Keywords: Airport SecurityBorder SecurityHomeland SecuritySecurity |
Author: Saferworld Title: Politics and Policing: Understanding the impact of post-conflict political settlements on security reforms in Kenya Summary: What role do political actors and politics play in shaping development outcomes? The concept of the 'political settlement' is increasingly prominent in peacebuilding discussions. This report focuses on Kenya: an important case study for understanding the of role political dynamics in determining the pace and nature of security sector reform. Kenya's post-election violence in late 2007 and early 2008 - where police were found to have committed human rights abuses - triggered the development of an ambitious blueprint for security reform, including the professionalisation and transformation of the national police service. Kenya's political elite committed to delivering changes in police structure and behaviour through the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008 (NARA), as well as the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Reforms and changes were subsequently detailed in a significant number of new policing laws such as National Police Service Commission Act 2011, National Police Service Act 2011 and Independent Police Oversight Authority 2011. But how did the political elite, national police institutions and pro-reform actors interact to make police reform a reality? And what impact did that process have on security transformation in practice? This report highlights how control over the police service emerged as one of several key battlegrounds on which a power struggle took place within the Kenyan political elite reshaped by NARA. And after 2013, when the Act came to an end, new political coalitions sought to influence reform measures challenging centralised control over senior police appointments and strategy. The September 2013 Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi - and increasing fears around violent extremism - were context for legitimising the reassertion of central control over the police. This report provides a context-specific and policy-relevant application of the 'political settlements' concept in Kenya. Findings have implications for a number of people and institutions engaged in the security sector reform process; suggesting a need for realistic and politically aware programming based on analysis of the policing context and the conditions in which transformation is likely to take place. Details: London: Saferworld, 2016. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 1, 2016 at: http://www.saferworld.org.uk/resources/view-resource/1082-politics-and-policingaunderstanding-the-impact-of-post-conflict-politicalasettlements-on-security-reforms-in-kenya Year: 2016 Country: Kenya URL: http://www.saferworld.org.uk/resources/view-resource/1082-politics-and-policingaunderstanding-the-impact-of-post-conflict-politicalasettlements-on-security-reforms-in-kenya Shelf Number: 139917 Keywords: PeacebuildingPolice ReformPolicingSecurity |
Author: Rosemont, Hugo Title: Public-Private Security Cooperation: From Cyber to Financial Crime Summary: Over the past two years, there has been considerable focus in the UK on developing a strategic and tactical partnership between the public and private sectors in order to achieve a step-change in the country's response to financial crime. Speaking at RUSI in June 2014, Theresa May, the then home secretary, emphasised the importance of the partnership between private sector companies and law enforcement to tackling financial crime, preventing money laundering and recovering the proceeds of crime. The result: the formation of the Financial Sector Forum and the creation of the Joint Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce (JMLIT), a public-private partnership dedicated to collaboration in order to enhance the national response to financial crime. While this nascent effort appears to be gaining traction, and the JMLIT is being moved to a permanent footing, it is certainly not the first such initiative to be established. This paper from RUSI's Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies considers lessons that can be learnt from the establishment of previous public-private partnerships, in particular the Cyber-security Information Sharing Partnership (CiSP). The author stresses the importance of establishing measurable objectives that are co-designed and agreed upon from the outset. Too often such partnerships, established in good faith and with undoubted commitment, fade as the initial enthusiasm wanes, staff are reassigned, and those contributing time and resources question the value of their commitment. As the UK's JMLIT emerges from its pilot phase, the longevity of this initiative will be challenged as its initial momentum fades. It is therefore critical that the JMLIT draws on the experience of other, similarly important public-private sector security partnerships in order to anticipate and address the challenges it might face as it matures. Details: London: Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, 2016. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: RUSI Occasional paper: Accessed September 2, 2016 at: https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/op_201608_rosemont_public-private_security_cooperation1.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/op_201608_rosemont_public-private_security_cooperation1.pdf Shelf Number: 140119 Keywords: CybercrimeFinancial CrimeMoney LaunderingPartnershipsPrivate SecuritySecurity |
Author: Korthuis, Aaron Title: The Central America Regional Security Initiative in Honduras Summary: In November 2013, Hondurans headed to the election polls for a second time since the 2009 coup d'etat that destabilized the country and left unchecked a problem that the country has long failed to address: violence and organized crime. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) latest homicide report, Honduras continues to struggle with the highest homicide rate in the world. The seriousness of the security situation has provoked travel warnings from the U.S. Department of State and infamy in the international press tied to the violence experienced in Honduran cities and the abuses perpetuated by state security forces. Over the past decade, drug trafficking through the country has surged, making it the "favoured northbound route for cocaine from South America" for many years. Given the country's historically weak law enforcement institutions, persistent problems with corruption, and poverty, as well as a continued U.S. appetite for cocaine, these problems are hardly a novelty - and present grave problems for the country's leaders. Unsurprisingly then, this problem was consistently featured in the leading presidential candidates' discourse and public debate, and was undoubtedly a major factor in the final outcome. National Party candidate and eventual victor, Juan Orlando Hernandez, called for a heavy-handed approach to security that relied on a newly created military police, while LIBRE candidate Xiomara Castr's voice resounded on public airwaves calling for Honduran soldiers to return to their barracks and their traditional role. These starkly divergent views stem from a Honduran population tired of years of violence, organized criminal activity, declining security, and increasingly accustomed to the military's involvement in traditional policing. Alarmingly, only 27 percent of Hondurans expressed any confidence in the civilian police in August 2013, while 73 percent disagreed with the idea that the military should remain in the barracks (and by extension, presumably refrain from involvement in policing efforts). Efforts to address burgeoning organized crime and violence and instigate reform of Honduras' security and justice institutions have consumed the country over the past few years and feature prominently in President Hernndezs plans. Yet, at best, these efforts have produced mixed results, and at worst have resulted in a depressingly stagnant landscape. The United States, through the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), seeks to strengthen and improve Honduran initiatives through law enforcement cooperation, capacity building, and prevention programs. These programs persist amidst Honduras' difficult political environment and staggering problems, and success remains isolated, although hope remains that reform may finally gain momentum. Details: Washington, DC: Wilson Center, Latin American Program, 2014. 61p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed September 22, 2016 at: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/CARSI%20in%20Honduras.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Honduras URL: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/CARSI%20in%20Honduras.pdf Shelf Number: 144861 Keywords: Drug TraffickingHomicidesOrganized CrimeSecurityViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Ngugi, Rose W. Title: Security Risk and Private Sector Growth in Kenya: A Survey Report Summary: Crime is one of the major factors that define the investment climate or the enabling environment for private businesses to thrive. A favorable investment climate is crucial for private sector growth, as it reduces the cost of doing business. A good investment climate attracts private investment by assuring "business security". Security of both property and individuals influences the investment climate. Crime and insecurity in Nairobi and in Kenya as a whole has been on the increase over the years. Indeed, the recent upsurge in crime has been reported in the Economic Survey 2004. Furthermore, concerns about crime and insecurity have been widely broadcasted in the media and have been a subject for discussion in various fora, including parliament. In the 1990s, Nairobi was rated by the United Nations (UN) as one of the most dangerous capital cities and was downgraded from class B to C in the UN security classification. The perceived insecurity in Kenya has also created a negative image of the country within the international community. The Government of Kenya has recognized the problem of crime and insecurity as a major hindrance to rapid economic recovery; as a result, the need for enhancing law and order was identified as one of the priority areas in the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation. Security risk affects performance of firms through various channels. Firms for example loose sales or face low turnover due to reduced demand/market scope, which is partly attributed to limited hours of doing business. Firms also loose sales due to inability to distribute products. However, a few firms, especially those providing security-related services benefit from a high level of insecurity, especially when the government machinery fails to provide adequate security. The competitiveness of firms is also lost due to either high prices of products in an effort to cover the costs of providing individual security or the disincentive to invest in technology that would see the products attain a competitive quality. Security risk also affects investment decisions. Firms may for example be reluctant to undertake heavy and new investments especially if the investment decision is irreversible. Firms may also opt to postpone making investment decisions due to the feeling of insecurity. Insecurity also increases the cost of capital because it raises the risk-premium tagged on financial capital. New entrants into the market may also be discouraged. Therefore, insecurity slows down business growth and deters employment creation and poverty reduction. The aim of this study is to establish the scope, threats and dynamics of crime and insecurity in Kenya. Specifically, the objectives of the study are to examine issues related to insecurity and crime in Nairobi, including the scope, trends and dynamics of insecurity and crime in Kenya; and to review the implications of crime and insecurity on the business environment especially in terms of private sector business operations and investment. The study was conducted in Nairobi City in Kenya. The study mainly utilized a survey design covering households, businesses, individuals and security workers. Additional information was collected from private security firms, community-based organizations and key informants from the public and private sectors. In selection of study respondents, mapping of Nairobi City was carried out to establish spatial and socio-economic characteristics. The city was stratified into 22 clusters to ensure appropriate representation. Respondents were then selected based on predetermined quotas along the different aspects of the study. Details: Nairobi: Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), 2004. 135p. Source: Internet Resource: Special Report No. 6: Accessed February 15, 2017 at: http://kippra.or.ke/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=219&Itemid= Year: 2004 Country: Kenya URL: http://kippra.or.ke/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=219&Itemid= Shelf Number: 145330 Keywords: CrimeEconomics of CrimePrivate SecuritySecuritySocioeconomic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Price, Megan Title: Hustling for Security: Managing plural security in Nairobi's poor urban settlements Summary: Nairobi's urban settlements offer unique settings in which to examine the interplay between citizens' need for security, the state's inability to fully meet that need, and the opportunities this creates for powerful private actors. In Kenya’s capital, this situation has led to a context of plural security provision, in which an array of actors assert claims on the use of force, operating simultaneously and with varying relationships to the state. Despite the proliferation of active security providers, who range from opportunistic enforcers to tireless local guardians, most people in Nairobi’s poor urban settlements are exposed to daily threats on their person and property. Fieldwork in Mathare, Korogocho and Kangemi provided insights into how settlement residents must rely upon their social networks and personal attributes to ensure access to a combination of protective communities. Unable to call upon the state as the guarantor of public welfare, citizens must ‘hustle for security’, using their wits and their networks to assemble a tenuous patchwork of protection. The research identified not only the risks this creates for individuals and communities, but also how the propensity to resort to individualised security strategies can undermine the notion and the actualisation of 'the public good'. The paper concludes with proposals for addressing the more malign aspects of plural security provision, specifically, the need to curtail the providers' power and to work towards consolidating various providers under uniform rubrics of oversight and performance standards. The paper contributes to a comparative research project on plural security in urban settings that draws upon empirical insights from case studies in Beirut, Nairobi, and Tunis. Details: The Hague: Plural Security Insights Clingendael Conflict Research Unit, 2016. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 3, 2017 at: http://pluralsecurityinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/160707_PSI_Policy-brief_Nairobi.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Kenya URL: http://pluralsecurityinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/160707_PSI_Policy-brief_Nairobi.pdf Shelf Number: 141309 Keywords: Citizen PatrolsCrime PreventionSecurityUrban Areas and CrimeVigilantes |
Author: Price, Megan Title: Setting the Aperture Wider: A Synthesis of Research and Policy Advice on Security Pluralism in Tunis, Nairobi and Beirut Summary: In contexts of security pluralism, an array of actors assert claims on the use of force, operating simultaneously and with varying relationships to the state. In such contexts, security providers may acquire legitimacy by proving more effective and efficient, proximate and relevant to local populations, and are often cheaper than state alternatives. Yet, plural security actors are frequently associated with human rights violations, perverse interface with the state, difficulty in providing security equitably in contexts of diversity, and an almost ineluctable tendency toward net production of insecurity over time. Donors have few policy or practical tools with which to engage meaningfully in contexts of plural security provision. Since directly engaging plural security providers would mean upsetting relationships with state partners, conferring legitimacy on groups with unpalatable goals or tactics, or tacitly endorsing violence as a path to political privilege, donors prefer to focus on official security agencies and state oversight. Plural Security Insights and its partners have developed the research project outlined here to address that dearth of relevant policy and programming advice. Comparative research was conducted in three urban contexts: Beirut, Nairobi, and Tunis. Key findings include: • Where security is highly fragmented, powerful actors are able to organise security arrangements that benefit them, and public oversight is difficult to assert. Security as a ‘public good’ cannot be assumed as an operational starting point. • Security assistance interventions in contexts of security pluralism should promote public oversight, standards of practice and divisions of labour for all providers. Supporting one type of provider inevitably privileges some groups and interests over others. • Intermediate steps between relational and rules-based arrangements for security provision may be preferable to conventional approaches that focus exclusively on building the capacity of state institutions. • Efforts to foster stronger, safer communities should pay equal attention to the social determinants of security that maintain order and foster resilience, by encouraging social cohesion, addressing exclusion and ensuring adequate public service provision. The transition from a relational to a rules-based system will require a new repertoire of security assistance strategies and methods. Actions might include: • Tackle the most pernicious aspects of security pluralism, especially exclusion and the lack of accountability, through means such as increasing civic space and strengthening mechanisms for asserting public oversight of all security providers. • Identify and invest in intermediate steps to move from relational to rules-based security systems, including SSR interventions that address the panorama of security providers, and the development of popular oversight mechanisms and functional divisions of labour amongst security providers. • Address the social determinants of security through efforts to strengthen inclusive notions of the public good, and design policies to expand access to public services that reduce citizens’ reliance on fickle, exploitive or divisive private actors. Details: The Hague: Plural Security Insights, Clingendael Conflict Research Unit, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 3, 2017 at: http://pluralsecurityinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/160707_PSI_Policy-brief_Synthesis-Report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://pluralsecurityinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/160707_PSI_Policy-brief_Synthesis-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 144433 Keywords: Citizen SecurityCommunity SafetyCrime PreventionSecurity |
Author: Mireanu, Manuel Title: Vigilantism and Security: State, violence and politics in Italy and Hungary Summary: This thesis explores the relationship between the state and vigilante groups in two situations from Italy and Hungary. It asks the question of the possibility of successful security articulations that emerge from actors endowed with lower levels of social capital. Vigilantism is one such possible security practice. The practices of the vigilante groups that I look at cannot be fully captured if we focus on either state-centred security, or on socially dispersed security practices. Their practices are performed by agents with lower levels of securitising capital than state elites, but with sufficient legitimacy and capabilities to enact security successfully. These practices are not dispersed through 'society', but they are concentrated in groups and patrols with explicit programs, hierarchies and purposes. I argue that vigilante groups can practice security autonomously from the state - even if they have the state's 'blessing'. I argue that vigilantism is an instance of everyday security. Vigilantism illustrates practices of security with clear goals of providing services to a target audience. Vigilantism fulfils a security demand. Vigilante groups have clearly-defined goals, which are influenced by a guiding ideology. Such programmatic security acts do not sit well with the established literature on everyday security, which diverges from a decisionistic model, and posits the non-intentionality of security practices. I diverge from this position and argue that vigilantism shows how security can be at the same time non-elitist and intentional. This thesis uses participatory methods to achieve as much proximity as possible to the actants of vigilante security practices. Analysing situations enables me to have a better negotiation of the interplay between local and daily routines and practices on the one hand, and global discourses and narratives on the other hand. For these reasons, I use the concept of security-scape, to delineate situations of security in which my analysis moves constantly between the particular and the general. The two security-scapes I focus on in this thesis are the Milan Central train station and the Hungarian village of Gyongyospata. Through these two instances of vigilantism in Europe, I illustrate non-state and intentional acts of security. Both the City Angels and the far-right patrols of Gyongyospata perform acts of security in the absence of state capacities. Both situations illustrate an ambiguous relationship with the state, in the sense that their relative autonomy coincides with a reinforcement of state practices and discourses. And both are situations of programmatic and intentional security, where the decision to act is based on the clear articulated intention to respond to a security demand. Details: Budapest: Central European University, 2014. 268p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 8, 2017 at: http://pds.ceu.edu/sites/pds.ceu.hu/files/attachment/basicpage/478/mireanumanuelir.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Europe URL: http://pds.ceu.edu/sites/pds.ceu.hu/files/attachment/basicpage/478/mireanumanuelir.pdf Shelf Number: 144760 Keywords: Far-right Groups SecurityVigilante GroupsVigitantism |
Author: Moloeznik, Marcos Pablo Title: Security and Justice in Jalisco: Scenarios and proposals Summary: In the year 2015, the escalade of violence closes with a crisis of (in) security in the state of Jalisco which is unparalleled in its recent history. In that context, the demand for public security and justice has become the main concern and request by the citizenry, in accordance with the results of the most reliable opinion polls, as well as of the more diverse and representative sectors of our entity. In view of the State's failure to fulfill its obligation to guarantee the right to security for everyone who lives in our community, the University of Guadalajara, in compliance of all and every one of its substantial functions (teaching, generating knowledge and establishing links), has been systematically carrying out significant contributions in the areas of security, human rights and the justice for years. The work is a compilation of 25 collaborations, divided in five thematic sections. The great majority of the authors identify with the theories of multidimensional and integral security which claim that the phenomena of violence, crime and delinquency are based on structures of socioeconomic difference, contexts of poverty, marginality and weak social cohesion. This interpretation also leads to maintaining that government institutions suffer from notable insufficiencies, among them the lack of professionalism of government employees, corruption, opacity and lack of transparency, as well as the absence of planning and administration of the public budgets. In the first thematic section block, "Strategic vision and critical issues", the four collaborations that make it up study from the historic factors to the problems of implementing public policies in Jalisco as a whole and, in particular, in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara. The topic of the link between public security and penal justice is approached as two factors that should be integrated accompanying each other. The second section "Violence and high-impact crimes", compiles studies that compare homicides at national and state levels; the manifestation of the different kinds of violence and the study of disappearances, kidnapping and torture. These contributions expose how the official statistics are unequal and omit the description of reality, basically with political purposes, in order not to look like a state that has high crime indicators that could tint the image of local government officials, and inhibit tourism or capital investment. The six chapters making up the section "Human Rights and vulnerable groups" make a realistic analysis of the human rights violations in the state, emphasizing the lack of independence of the State Human Rights Commission. They cover the topics of suicide, juvenile delinquency, gender violence and the difficulties migrants face on their route throughout Jalisco. These analyses reflect the vulnerability besetting a lot of sectors of the population. The fourth section is devoted to the "Institutions and capacities of the state of Jalisco". It consists of five chapters that analyze the Judiciary power and the relation among the implementation of the new penal justice system; police corps, their weaknesses and capacities; the public advocacy and the public security system (or systems), which must be encouraged as a State policy. The panorama that is emerging is worrying: The justice system lacks independence and the police bodies, coordination; which has led to the proposal of a unified command, which in Jalisco has been advertised as one of the steps to follow. The articles strongly stress the weaknesses of these institutional subsystems, and they almost take for granted that they do not have the strength to implement the reforms to penal justice and the coordination of police corporations. Furthermore, if these institutional capacities are too weak to confront common crime, all the more reason to believe that they would be unable to do their job, that they would be overpowered rapidly if the cjng were to grow in influence and managed to consolidate in the state of Jalisco. In addition, in the light of the new adversarial Justice system, the aforementioned section includes recommendations made from good practices documented in the last few years in those federated entities that have already implemented them. The final section "Federacion Jalisco in the frame of national security", contains four chapters that close the book with excellent analyses on CJNG penetration and growth and the presence and role of the Army. It is pointed out that due to both, the existence of a criminal group whose name locates it in the state and to the increased presence of the Army and the Federal Police to face it; Jalisco risks a growth in the presence of organized crime, which will force the participation of the federal forces. In short, this work implicitly presents the possible scenarios for Jalisco: An increase of violence that would require the federal forces to head the effort to curb the enemy or, on the contrary, that the Jalisco leaders face reality, become aware of the magnitude of the phenomenon of (in) security, and implement the necessary reforms. This publication makes concrete recommendations, provides tools, raw materials and information to understand the security crisis that can be brewing. It is up to society and government officials to use it to put together a new security agenda. Details: Guadalajara: Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, 2016. 259p Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 1, 2017 at: http://www.casede.org/BibliotecaCasede/Novedades-PDF/Security_%20justice_Jalisco.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Mexico URL: http://www.casede.org/BibliotecaCasede/Novedades-PDF/Security_%20justice_Jalisco.pdf Shelf Number: 145221 Keywords: Criminal Justice SystemsHomicidesPublic SecuritySecurityViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Perkins, Christina Title: Achieving Growth and Security in the Northern Triangle of Central America Summary: The Northern Triangle of Latin America, consisting of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, has experienced overwhelming challenges to economic growth and development. Gang violence is the root of many of these challenges, and the cost of hiring security forces for individuals and businesses creates a significant tax on the economy of these three countries. Beyond this drain on the region's finances, the Northern Triangle is considered one of the most dangerous places on the planet, excluding active war zones. The interrelated issues of violence, poverty, and slow economic growth have led to high rates of emigration from the region, such as during the summer of 2014 when thousands of unaccompanied minors entered the United States. This study examines these issues and goes on to explore connections to the successes of Plan Colombia. Specifically, it considers the opportunity for a "Plan Colombia for the Northern Triangle" to generate long-term economic growth, personal safety, and political stability and accountability in the region. Details: Washington, DC: Center for Strategic & International Studies; Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield; 2016. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2017 at: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/161201_Perkins_NorthernTriangle_Web.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Central America URL: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/161201_Perkins_NorthernTriangle_Web.pdf Shelf Number: 145259 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesPlan ColombiaSecuritySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: International Crisis Group Title: Double-edged Sword: Vigilantes in African Counter-insurgencies Summary: According to this report, African states confronting insurgent groups face a dilemma when civilians mobilize and take up arms to protect their local communities. Such vigilante forces can provide effective support in enhancing local security, but they also carry inherent risks, including the potential to transform into insurgent forces themselves. So how should African states make use of such vigilante groups? To help answer this question, the text's authors examine four illustrative cases from Sierra Leone, Uganda's Teso region, South Sudan's former Western Equatoria State and Nigeria's north east. Details: Brussels: International Crisis Group, 2017. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Africa Report No. 251: Accessed October 10, 2017 at: https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/251-double-edged-sword.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Africa URL: https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/251-double-edged-sword.pdf Shelf Number: 147638 Keywords: SecurityVigilatism |
Author: Munchow, Sebastian von Title: Aftermath of the Terror Attack on Breitscheid Platz Christmas Market: Germany's Security Architecture and Parliamentary Inquiries Summary: On December 19th 2016, Anis Amri, a Tunisian citizen, hijacked a truck and crashed into a Christmas market at Breitscheid Platz in Berlin. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which resulted in twelve deaths and fifty additional casualties. Amri escaped the crime scene and travelled through Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France to Northern Italy where police officers killed him near Milan three days later. This assault was the first major terrorist event in Germany for decades. Prior to this event, the most recent attacks were the Red Army Faction plots in the 1970s, the Olympics hostage-taking in 1972, and the right-wing motivated attack on Munich's Oktoberfest in 1980. This attack, in which a vehicle rammed into a crowded Christmas market in the center of Berlin, not only sparked a debate about Berlin's migration policy at large, but also focused the conversation on specific questions. How could Amri be seeking asylum in Germany despite his criminal record in Italy? How did he operate inside Germany using fourteen different identities? Did he rely on a network of supporters? How did he manage to travel through half of Europe before his life ended? Some political voices called for security-related reforms aimed at improving video surveillance, data exchange, and deportation processes, while others demanded a thorough parliamentary investigation of the plot. This paper will briefly touch upon those parliamentary attempts on state and federal level to explore the plot. It will then revisit federal inquiries into matters related to the security architecture over the past twenty-seven years as well as the coverage of these inquiries in the media. Finally, this study will conclude with some thoughts about whether a federal parliamentary inquiry should have been used to investigate what happened before, during, and after the attack. Details: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany: George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, 2017. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Occasional Paper Series, No. 28: Accessed October 10, 2017 at: http://www.marshallcenter.org/MCPUBLICWEB/mcdocs/files/College/F_Publications/occPapers/occ-paper_28-en.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Germany URL: http://www.marshallcenter.org/MCPUBLICWEB/mcdocs/files/College/F_Publications/occPapers/occ-paper_28-en.pdf Shelf Number: 147653 Keywords: Homeland SecuritySecurityTerrorism |
Author: Lafleur, Jarret M. Title: The Perfect Heist: Recipes from Around the World Summary: Of the many facets of the criminal world, few have captured society's fascination as has that of high stakes robbery. The combination of meticulousness, cunning, and audacity required to execute a real-life Ocean's Eleven may be uncommon among criminals, but fortunately it is common enough to extract a wealth of lessons for the protection of high-value assets. To assist in informing the analyses and decisions of security professionals, this paper surveys 23 sophisticated and high-value heists that have occurred or been attempted around the world, particularly over the past three decades. The results, compiled in a Heist Methods and Characteristics Database, have been analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, with the goals of both identifying common characteristics and characterizing the range and diversity of criminal methods used. The analysis is focused in seven areas: (1) Defeated Security Measures and Devices, (2) Deception Methods, (3) Timing and Target Selection, (4) Weapons Employed, (5) Resources and Risk Acceptance, (6) Insiders, and (7) Failures and Mistakes. Details: Livermore, CA: Sandia National Laboratories, 2015. 107p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 12, 2017 at: https://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/1367046 Year: 2015 Country: International URL: https://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/1367046 Shelf Number: 147669 Keywords: National SecurityRobberySecurity |
Author: Economist Intelligence Unit Title: Safe Cities Index 2017: Security in a rapidly urbanising world Summary: In many respects it's the very success of cities, in their role as global social and economic hubs, that makes them more vulnerable. As rural residents head for the city in developing countries-which for purposes here we define as non-OECD countries, with the exception of Singapore-and wealthy global capitals draw in international talent, vast demographic shifts are creating cities with previously unimagined population sizes. In 2016, there were 31 megacities-cities with more than 10m inhabitants. This is projected to rise to 41 by 2030. And size matters. While cities generate economic activity, the security challenges they face expand and intensify as their populations rise. These include growing pressure on housing supply (prompting the spread of slums) and services such as healthcare, transport, and water and power infrastructure. Man-made risks are also growing. As tragic recent events in European cities such as London, Paris and Barcelona have demonstrated, high profile, wealthy urban centres are becoming targets for terrorist activities. And as income divides widen, growing inequalities can create tensions that contribute to violent outbursts such as the 2011 London riots. Meanwhile, another major shift has come to the fore: the rapid deployment of digital technologies in pursuit of the so-called "smart city". The technologies no doubt bring benefits. As part of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, sensors collect and wirelessly transmit data from physical objects, delivering new insights into city operations and permitting remote and more efficient management of infrastructure and services. Connecting apartments and office buildings to the electricity grid via smart meters, for example, delivers energy efficiency and cost savings. And with the spread of closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) and webcams around cities, technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analytics can greatly enhance the capabilities of law enforcement agencies to combat urban crime and terrorism. Yet the rush to embrace smart city technologies also creates vulnerabilities if investments in digital technologies are not accompanied by commensurate investments in cyber security. Wealthy cities are making investments, albeit to varying degrees, but security often comes lower on the list of spending priorities for cities with already stretched finances. The consequences of neglecting cyber security could be dire. For example, if hackers were to shut down the power supply, an entire city would be left in chaos. This prospect is something city officials now need to plan against. Cities are also defined by the complex, interlinked nature of their systems and infrastructure. This complexity has a bearing on safety. For example, experts are uncovering links between the quality of housing and the health of citizens. And while terrorist attacks are what make headlines, traffic accidents are a greater day-to-day danger for urban residents. Natural forces are also coming in to play as climate change poses new risks to cities, with extreme weather events becoming an even greater threat, as illustrated by the devastation Hurricane Harvey just delivered to Houston, Texas. The 2017 Safe Cities Index retains the four categories of security from the 2015 version- digital, health, infrastructure and physical. However, we have added six new indicators and expanded the index to cover 60 cities, up from 50 in 2015. Details: London: The Economist, 2017. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 2, 2018 at: https://dkf1ato8y5dsg.cloudfront.net/uploads/5/82/safe-cities-index-eng-web.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://dkf1ato8y5dsg.cloudfront.net/uploads/5/82/safe-cities-index-eng-web.pdf Shelf Number: 148969 Keywords: CitiesCybersecuritySecurityUrban AreasUrban Crime |
Author: Economist Intelligence Unit Title: Safe Cities Index 2015: Assessing urban security in the digital age Summary: Cities are already home to a majority of people on the planet. The current level of urbanisation ranges from 82% of the population in North America to 40% in Africa. But all regions are expected to follow this trend towards greater urbanisation over the next three decades. Lagos, the most populous city Nigeria, is predicted to double in size in the next 15 years. However, cities should not take continued population growth for granted. As the UN's latest World Urbanisation Prospects study points out, some cities have experienced population decline because of, among other things, low fertility rates, economic contraction and natural disasters. The population of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has shrunk by 800,000 since 1990. Likewise, the safety of cities can ebb and flow. New York recorded a record high of 2,245 homicides in 1990, equating to six murders per day. Since then the population has grown by over 1m people, while homicide rates have fallen. The murder rate in 2013 stood at 335, a historic low, moving New York below Chicago-a city with under one-third of New York's population. As some threats recede, others mature. The frequency of terrorism and natural disasters has changed the nature of urban safety: power, communications and transport systems must be robust and able to withstand new external shocks. Meanwhile, new risks emerge. Cyber risk has accompanied the advent of the digital age. Urban safety is therefore a critical issue that is set to become even more important over time. Securing public safety means addressing a wide-and evolving-range of risks. The Safe Cities Index aims to capture this complexity. The Index tracks the relative safety of a city across four categories: digital security, health security, infrastructure safety and personal safety. The Index's key findings include the following. l Tokyo tops the overall ranking. The world's most populous city is also the safest in the Index. The Japanese capital performs most strongly in the digital security category, three points ahead of Singapore in second place. Meanwhile, Jakarta is at the bottom of the list of 50 cities in the Index. The Indonesian capital only rises out of the bottom five places in the health security category (44). l Safety is closely linked to wealth and economic development. Unsurprisingly, a division emerges in the Index between cities in developed markets, which tend to fall into the top half of the overall list, and cities in developing markets, which appear in the bottom half. Significant gaps in safety exist along these lines within regions. Rich Asian cities (Tokyo, Singapore and Osaka) occupy the top three positions in the Index, while poorer neighbours (Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta) fill two of the bottom three positions. l However, wealth and ample resources are no guarantee of urban safety. Four of the five Middle Eastern cities in the Index are considered high-income, but only one makes it into the top half of the Index: at 25 Abu Dhabi is 21 places above Riyadh at number 46. Similar divides between cities of comparable economic status exist elsewhere. Seoul is 23 positions below Tokyo in the overall ranking (and 46 places separate the two on digital security). l US cities perform most strongly in the digital security category, while Europe struggles. New York is the only US city to make it into the top ten of the overall index (at 10). However, it is third for digital security, with three of the four other US cities in the Index (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago) joining it in the top ten. Meanwhile, European cities perform relatively poorly. London, at 16, is the highest-ranking European entry in the digital security index; Rome is the lowest, at 35. l Leaders in digital security must not overlook real-world risks. Los Angeles falls from 6th place in digital security to 23rd for personal safety. San Francisco suffers a similar drop, falling from 8th to 21st. For these cities-both home to high-tech industries-a focus on technology and cyber security does not seem to be matched by success in combating physical crime. Urban safety initiatives need to straddle the digital and physical realms as the divide between them blurs. l Technology is now on the frontline of urban safety, alongside people. Data are being used to tackle crime, monitor infrastructure and limit the spread of disease. As some cities pursue smarter methods of preventing- rather than simply reacting to-these diverse security threats, a lack of data in emerging markets could exacerbate the urban safety divide between rich and poor. Nonetheless, investment in traditional safety methods, such as bolstering police visibility, continues to deliver positive results from Spain to South Africa. l Collaboration on safety is critical in a complex urban environment. Now that a growing number of essential systems are interconnected, city experts stress the need to bring together representatives from government, business and the community before threats to safety and security strike. Some cities have appointed an official to co-ordinate this citywide resilience. With the evolution of online threats transcending geographical boundaries, such co-ordination will increasingly be called for between cities. l Being statistically safe is not the same as feeling safe. Out of the 50 cities, only Zurich and Mexico City get the same rank in the overall index as they do in the indicator that measures the perception of safety among their citizens. Urban citizens in the US, for instance, tend to feel less safe than they should, based on their city's position in the Index. The challenge for city leaders is to translate progress on safety into changing public perceptions. But cities also aspire to be attractive places to live in. So smart solutions, such as intelligent lighting, should be pursued over ubiquitous cameras or gated communities. Details: London: The Economist, 2015. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2018 at: https://dkf1ato8y5dsg.cloudfront.net/uploads/5/82/eiu-safe-cities-index-2015-white-paper-1.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: https://dkf1ato8y5dsg.cloudfront.net/uploads/5/82/eiu-safe-cities-index-2015-white-paper-1.pdf Shelf Number: 148988 Keywords: Cities Cybersecurity SecurityUrban Areas Urban Crime |
Author: Finlay, Brian D. Title: Public Threats, Private Solutions: Meeting Nonproliferation Challenges with the Force of the Market Summary: The rapid pace and geographic breadth of technology innovation; the rapidity and volume of international trade; globalized business practices from outsourcing to offshoring and supply-chaining; the atomization of government interests and bureaucratic organization; and the inherent inability of governments to act at the speed of 21st-century commerce: these are but a few factors negatively influencing our ability to manage the lengthening global proliferation supply chain. The net result has been the global diffusion of the "means of production" of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) at the very moment that the traditional instruments of control are being challenged by downward budgetary pressures in government, complex cost-benefit calculations by political leaders, and a rapid evolution of the nature and modalities of the proliferation threat. These realities necessitate the advent of new approaches that better match and ultimately defeat emerging avenues for proliferation threats. Governments can no longer be solitary nonproliferation activists. The end of the last millennium brought with it a host of challenges that transcend national borders and institutional and conceptual boundaries: 9/11 and the rise of non-state actors, global disease pandemics, economic crises, and climate change. Globalization has clearly yielded a more uncertain and potentially dangerous world. A rapid increase in the movement of goods and people around the world has fueled a concomitant rise in illicit trade and a surge in profits to global gray and black markets. In 2012 the United Nations (UN) Secretary General's report noted that while over 500 million maritime containers move around the world every year, accounting for 90 percent of international trade, only 2 percent of these containers are physically inspected for contraband on an annual basis. In 2009, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that transnational organized crime generates $870 billion a year, an amount equal to 1.5 percent of the global gross domestic product and six times the amount of official development assistance. More recent estimates put this number even higher, at closer to $3 trillion annually. Cybercrime, for which private industry bears most of the cost, is also surging. Cyber activities have increased by 26 percent since 2012, and reportedly now cost victims $11.56 million per year. And successive reports by the UN Sanctions Committees on North Korea and Iran demonstrate the widespread exploitation of private industry as both a witting and unwitting facilitator of proliferation. For security analysts, the conclusion is clear: globalization has made the world a far less safe and predicable place. Yet these grand challenges resulting from globalization have also yielded heretofore unimagined technological, economic, and development opportunities in virtually every corner of the globe. For instance, thanks in large measure to globalization, extreme poverty has declined significantly over the last two decades. In 1990, nearly half of the population in the developing world lived on less than $1.25 a day. Today, that proportion has dropped to just 14 percent - the largest mass migration from poverty in human history. For most of the planet's population, globalization and technology diffusion are rightly celebrated as truly life-changing - and in many cases life-saving - phenomena. Details: Washington, DC: Stimson Center, 2016. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2018 at: https://www.stimson.org/sites/default/files/file-attachments/public-threats-private-solutions.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: https://www.stimson.org/sites/default/files/file-attachments/public-threats-private-solutions.pdf Shelf Number: 150134 Keywords: Black MarketsCybercrimeCybersecurityIllicit TradeOrganized CrimeSecuritySupply Chains |
Author: Rekawek, Kacper Title: From Criminals to Terrorists and Back? Kick-Off Report Summary: The most well-known ISIS terrorist atrocities in Europe, including the 2015 Paris and 2016 Brussels attacks, saw individuals who in the past had been involved in organized crime and illegal trade graduate into the ranks of the world's most successful terrorist organisation. It is now widely assumed that Europe's terrorists are no longer radicals first and foremost but criminals who turned to political violence at some stage throughout their ordinary crime careers. Thus a threat emanating from the "crime-terror nexus" hangs over Europe. GLOBSEC, an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organisation which aims to shape the global debate on foreign and security policy, responded to this threat by developing a research and advocacy project aimed at addressing the "crime-terror nexus" in Europe. Our project titled From Criminals to Terrorists and Back? will: collect, collate and analyse data on terrorism convicts from 11 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK) with the highest number of arrests for terrorism offences. We will investigate whether these individuals had prior criminal connections, and if so, whether a specific connection to illegal trade is a precursor to terrorism, and to what extent this trade funds terrorism. In short, we will check whether crime-terror nexus exists and how strong it truly is. disseminate project findings at high profile GLOBSEC Strategic Forums (GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum, TATRA Summit, Chateau Bela conferences) and other internationally acclaimed gatherings which attract decision makers, experts, private sector and law enforcement representatives, while also incorporating their expert level feedback into our work. help shape and strengthen the European counter-terrorism efforts by providing tailor made solutions on combating crime-terror nexus and terrorist financing via education and awareness, and advocacy efforts involving decision makers and security stakeholders in the 11 targeted countries. This line of activity directly links the project to the widely acclaimed work of the GLOBSEC Intelligence Reform Initiative (GIRI), led by Sec. Michael Chertoff, which is involved in developing and promoting more effective transatlantic counter-terrorism solutions. Details: Bratislava, Slovak Republic: GLOBSEC Policy Institute, 2018. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 12, 2018 at: https://www.globsec.org/projects/criminals-terrorists-back/ Year: 2018 Country: Europe URL: https://www.globsec.org/projects/criminals-terrorists-back/ Shelf Number: 152909 Keywords: Counter-TerrorismCrime-Terror NexusIllegal TradeSecurity TerrorismTerrorist FinancingTerrorists |
Author: Transparency International Title: European Getaway: Inside the Murky World of Golden Visas Summary: Burgundy passports are turning gold, as EU governments sell residency and citizenship to the ultra-rich. By their nature, these schemes pose inherent risks for corruption, as people who steal money from their home countries need other jurisdictions to escape to when the going gets tough. Golden visa schemes offer fast-track citizenship and/or residency to foreign nationals in exchange for lots of cash. European golden visas are particularly appealing, as they give their owners free reign to move throughout the EU, unconstrained by interference or checks. There are numerous examples of high-risk business people and oligarchs enjoying all the benefits that golden visas have to offer. Finding safe haven through these schemes is simpler than you might think if you have a lot of money to spare. Despite the risks posed by golden visa schemes, several of the governments selling residency and citizenship do not seem to question where applicants' money comes from. This perhaps contributes to the EU: Welcoming over 6,000 new citizens and close to 100,000 new residents through golden visas schemes in the last decade. Attracting around 25 billion in foreign direct investment through golden visas over the last ten years. While some nations are profiting from the sales of golden visas, all EU citizens take the sizeable hit due to the ethical implications and risks embedded in the current practice. Nonetheless, secrecy continues to obscure even basic information about these schemes and EU citizens do not have the information necessary to decide whether selling residency or citizenship is a risk worth taking. We have worked with Transparency International to change this, investigating publicly available sources and reaching out to national governments for additional information. In our latest report, we are able to shine some light on the shady situation, revealing a telling though still incomplete picture of the golden visa scheme. RECOMMENDATIONS: With Transparency International, we call upon EU institutions to: Set EU-wide standards for golden visa schemes, including enhanced due diligence and transparency; Identify and regularly assess the risks posed by schemes for the EU as a whole and mitigate accordingly; Seek to broaden anti-money laundering rules so they apply to all players in the golden visa industry; Establish mechanisms for collecting and coordinating information on applications, investment and rejections; Start legal proceedings against member states whose schemes could undermine the collective security of EU nations. Details: Berlin: Transparency International and Global Witness, 2018. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 12, 2018 at: https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/corruption-and-money-laundering/european-getaway/ Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/corruption-and-money-laundering/european-getaway/ Shelf Number: 152914 Keywords: Financial CrimesIllegal TradeMoney LaunderingPassportsSecurity |
Author: Gichanga, Margaret W. Title: Armoured Security: Regulating High Value Goods in Transit Summary: The South African Assets-In-Transit (AIT) industry has grown significantly, reflecting global patterns. This growth has occurred parallel to the country's burgeoning economy and high crime rates. The industry's evolution indicates that risks associated with the flow of valuable assets and their transportation necessitated adjustments. Corporations and various business entities make use of AIT security providers for the transportation of precious stones and metals, cash, electronic goods etc. AIT security providers are contracted directly and there is no interface with the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the transportation of high value goods and the consequent high level of security required to move them. The AIT as a sector has evolved and integrates the highest quality operational standards for the handful of private security companies (PSCs) that can afford the costs associated with the provision of this service. Conversely, there do exist PSCs that do not adhere to this high quality, high cost environment, rather they operate within this high risk sector using an inordinate level of discretion in their operations. Ideally, the assets being moved determine the levels of anticipated risk, which are segmented and linked to the levels of security employed. This stance has been articulated by members of the industry who have developed their own standards to meet challenges experienced in service provision. The concerns of the AIT industry are too wide in scope to be effectively addressed under the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) sphere of influence, the point of reference in relation to how assets-in-transit are regulated. This report identifies that the industry needs implementable changes that are supported by multi-sector commitment and robust engagement. Details: Pretoria, South Africa: Private Security Industry Development Authority, 2018. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 17, 2019 at: https://www.psira.co.za/psira/dmdocuments/research/Amoured_security_web.pdf Year: 2018 Country: South Africa URL: https://www.psira.co.za/psira/dmdocuments/research/Amoured_security_web.pdf Shelf Number: 154994 Keywords: Armored Security Assets-in-Transit Private Security Companies Security |
Author: McAfee Title: Blockchain Threat Report. Blockchain, a Revolutionary Basis for Decentralized Online Transactions, Carries Security Risks Summary: In late 2017 the cryptocurrency Bitcoin hit the headlines in a big way. Its value skyrocketed to almost US$20,000 per coin, waking up major news organizations and catching the eyes of would-be investors. Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency, is based on blockchain, a revolutionary new technology. Blockchain, which records transactions in a decentralized way, has begun to change the way we look at money and offers a path to solve old business problems in new ways. However, with new technologies come new security concerns. Bad actors have already targeted many blockchain implementations using social engineering, malware, and exploits. As additional groups begin using blockchain and building tools around it, they must understand the security risks. In this report we will look at current security problems and specific incidents within blockchain implementations. We will cover bad actors' techniques, targets, and malware used for attacks. In 2009, the first implementation of a blockchain, Bitcoin, raised excitement among technologists and researchers. It appeared to be a feasible solution to an age-old problem: how to ensure agreement among peers. Blockchain accomplished this by means of rigorous research resulting in a decentralized payment system in which peers could agree and trust a ledger, which represents the current state of the network. This agreement enabled previously untrustable decentralized payment systems and promises much more. Details: McAfee, 2018. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2019 at: https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/assets/reports/rp-blockchain-security-risks.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/assets/reports/rp-blockchain-security-risks.pdf Shelf Number: 155038 Keywords: Bitcoin Blockchain Cryptocurrency Financial Crimes Malware Phishing Security |
Author: Douglas, Karen Title: Why Do People Adopt Conspiracy Theories, How Are They Communicated, And What Are Their Risks? Summary: This report provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary review of the existing conspiracy theory research. It examines these questions using perspectives from psychology, information engineering, political science, and sociology. Conspiracy theories are more than just conversations in the local pub about who might have killed Princess Diana, or whether 9/11 was an inside job. In recent years, conspiracy theories have been tied to extremism, radical politics, and terrorism. Conspiracy theories have also driven people to eschew mainstream science and medicine, putting both the environment and society's health at risk by not vaccinating children against measles. Conspiracy theories have also been closely linked to prejudice and racial violence. Historically and across the globe, conspiracy theories have played prominent roles in witch-hunts, revolutions, and genocide. The report, focuses on three specific areas: First, it explores the extant literature that addresses beliefs in conspiracy theories, focusing on the psychological, political and social factors that correlate with heightened belief. That is, what factors predict conspiracy belief? Second, it examines the ways in which conspiracy theories travel across interpersonal relations, through traditional and new media, and on social media. That is, when are conspiracy theories communicated, through what means and in what forms, and what are the motives for these communications? Third, it considers the risks and rewards associated with conspiracy theories. In other words, what is the relationship between conspiracy theories and prejudice, the rejection of science and medicine, and radicalisation and extremism? How do conspiracy theories contribute to these and other social ills? To buttress this discussion, the report also assesses the opposite side of the ledger and denote the benefits gained from conspiracy theories and for the people who believe them. Details: Lancaster, UK: CREST: Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats, Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, 2019. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2019 at: https://crestresearch.ac.uk/news/how-are-conspiracy-theories-adopted-and-what-are-their-risks/ Year: 2019 Country: International URL: https://crestresearch.ac.uk/news/how-are-conspiracy-theories-adopted-and-what-are-their-risks/ Shelf Number: 155596 Keywords: Conspiracy Theories Extremism Radicalization SecurityTerrorism |
Author: Colomina, Pierre Title: From Criminals to Terrorists and Back? Quarterly Report: France Summary: The worse ISIS terrorist atrocities in Europe, including the 2015 Paris and 2016 Brussels attacks, were undertaken by individuals who had been involved in criminality and illegal trade before they joined the ranks of the world's most dangerous terrorist organisation. It is no longer widely assumed that Europe's terrorists are radicals first and foremost: the bulk of them are criminals who turned to political violence along the way. The threat of a "crime-terror nexus" therefore hangs over Europe. In view of this, GLOBSEC - an independent, non-partisan, nongovernmental organisation aiming to shape the global debate on foreign and security policy - has developed a research and advocacy project aimed at addressing the "crime-terror nexus" in Europe. Titled From Criminals to Terrorists and Back?, the remit of the project is to: 1. collect, collate and analyse data on terrorism convicts from 11 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK) with the highest number of arrests for terrorism offences. We will investigate whether these individuals had prior criminal connections, and if so, whether a specific connection to illegal trade is a precursor to terrorism, and to what extent this trade funds terrorism. In short, we will check whether crime-terror nexus exists and how strong it truly is. 2. disseminate project findings at high profile GLOBSEC Strategic Forums (GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum, TATRA Summit, Chateau Bela conferences) and other internationally acclaimed gatherings which attract decision makers, experts, private sector and law enforcement representatives, while also incorporating their expert level feedback into our work. 3. help shape and strengthen the European counter-terrorism efforts by providing tailor made solutions on combating crime-terror nexus and terrorist financing via education and awareness, and advocacy efforts involving decision makers and security stakeholders in the 11 targeted countries. This line of activity directly links the project to the widely acclaimed work of the GLOBSEC Intelligence Reform Initiative (GIRI), led by Sec. Michael Chertoff, which is involved in developing and promoting more effective transatlantic counter-terrorism solutions. Details: Bratislava, Slovak Republic: GLOBSEC Policy Institute, 2019. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2019 at: https://www.globsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/From-Criminals-To-Terrorists-And-Back-Quarterly-Report-France-Vol-2.pdf Year: 2019 Country: France URL: https://www.globsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/From-Criminals-To-Terrorists-And-Back-Quarterly-Report-France-Vol-2.pdf Shelf Number: 155599 Keywords: Counter-TerrorismCrime-Terror NexusIllegal TradeSecurity TerrorismTerrorist FinancingTerrorists |
Author: Kaplan, Jacob Title: The Effect of Card Reader Locks on Theft on a University Campus Summary: Door locks are an ubiquitous form of security to control access to a building with the goal of reducing crime there. However, research on door locks is often limited by methodological issues and primarily focuses on residential or commercial locations. This paper assesses the impact of card reader door locks on school buildings on an urban university campus. Using a difference-in-differences approach, this paper estimates the effect of card reader locks on crime in buildings. The results indicate that the locks do not significantly affect crime within the buildings. Avenues for future research, including suggestions of specific universities at which to conduct further studies, are discussed. Details: Unpublished paper, 2019. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 12, 2019 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3369234 Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3369234 Shelf Number: 156393 Keywords: Campus Crime Colleges and Universities Crime Prevention Property Crime SecuritySituational Crime Prevention Stealing Theft |
Author: Scottish Government Title: Scotland's Place in Europe: Security, Judicial Co-Operation and Law Enforcement Summary: This paper is one of a series of policy papers flowing from the Scottish Government's Scotland's Place in Europe publications, which set out the implications of a hard Brexit for Scotland and constructive alternatives. The Scottish Government believes that Scotland's future is best served by continued European Union (EU) Membership, in line with the wishes of the Scottish people as expressed in the referendum in 2016. However, if Brexit proves inevitable our interests, as defined by the First Minister in her Institute for Public Policy Research speech in 2016, are best protected by the United Kingdom (UK) remaining inside the EU Single Market and Customs Union. In the area of Justice, the Scottish Government is continuing to engage with key justice and legal bodies in Scotland to assess and plan for the full potential impact of Brexit. The Scottish Government's overarching aims are to ensure that the specific implications of Brexit for Scotland's independent justice system are taken into account in the negotiation process and that the benefits which Scotland derives from effective cross-border co-operation within the EU on justice and security matters are maintained. The aim of this paper is to help people's understanding of how, in the case of security and criminal justice interests, continued participation in the EU Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) criminal cross border justice and security measures benefits Scotland. The paper offers a "sectoral" insight into how a range of JHA measures currently work, why it matters so much and what is likely to be different after the UK leaves the EU. This paper will help inform the evidential basis for the Scottish Government's engagement with both the UK Government and the EU as negotiations continue. Details: Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Government, 2018. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 25, 2019 at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-place-europe-security-judicial-co-operation-law-enforcement/ Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-place-europe-security-judicial-co-operation-law-enforcement/ Shelf Number: 157052 Keywords: Judicial Cooperation Judiciary Law Enforcement Security |