Beck and beyond: Selling security in the world risk society

©2010 British International Studies AssociationExpanding on the works of Beck and others on the growing business of risk, this article examines the role of the private security industry in the creation, management and perpetuation of the world risk society. It observes that the replacement of the concept of security with risk over the past decades has permitted private firms to identify a growing range of unknown and unknown-unknown dangers which cannot be eliminated, but require permanent risk management. Using the discourse of risk and its strategies of commercialised, individualised and reactive risk management, the private risk industry thus has contributed to the rise of a world risk society in which the demand for security can never be satisfied and guarantees continuous profits

On Using Gait in Forensic Biometrics

Given the continuing advances in gait biometrics, it appears prudent to investigate the translation of these techniques for forensic use. We address the question as to the confidence that might be given between any two such measurements. We use the locations of ankle, knee and hip to derive a measure of the match between walking subjects in image sequences. The Instantaneous Posture Match algorithm, using Harr templates, kinematics and anthropomorphic knowledge is used to determine their location. This is demonstrated using real CCTV recorded at Gatwick Airport, laboratory images from the multi-view CASIA-B dataset and an example of real scene of crime video. To access the measurement confidence we study the mean intra- and inter-match scores as a function of database size. These measures converge to constant and separate values, indicating that the match measure derived from individual comparisons is considerably smaller than the average match measure from a population

Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry: young black people and the criminal justice system. Second annual report, December 2009

This is the second annual report to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee (the Committee) setting out progress on the range of commitments made in the Government’s response to the report and recommendations of the Committee’s Inquiry on 'Young Black People and the Criminal Justice System (CJS)

Camera Surveillance as a Measure of Counterterrorism?

Camera surveillance has recently gained prominence in policy proposals on combating terrorism. We evaluate this instrument of counterterrorism as resting on the premise of a deterrence effect. Based on comparative arguments and previous evidence on crime, we expect camera surveillance to have a relatively smaller deterrent effect on terrorism than on other forms of crime. In particular, we emphasize opportunities for substitution (i.e., displacement effects), the interaction with media attention aspired to by terrorists, the limits of real-time interventions, the crowding-out of social surveillance, the risk of misguided profiling, and politico-economic concerns regarding the misuse of the technology.Camera surveillance, closed-circuit television (CCTV), public security, deterrence, terrorism

Human Trafficking and Terrorism: Utilizing National Security Resources to Prevent Human Trafficking in the Islamic State

This is a report of a Master’s thesis done in behalf of the local network in Stockholm, under Fortum Distribution AB. The thesis was to conduct a review of a distribution station named Fs Myrängen located in Täby. A model was created for the 11 kV network linked to the secondary side of Fs Myrängen. Based on this model and using symmetrical components, theoretical fault currents (short circuit and ground fault) could be calculated. The results of these fault currents are used to investigate and develop new settings for relay protection and ground equipment in the station. The results of the calculated fault currents were also used to investigate unwanted voltages that occurs for grounded parts due to earth faults. The value of these unwanted voltages was then compared to heavy current regulations developed by the Electrical Safety Authority in Sweden. Another element of the work was to create a rehabilitation plan for the structure on the 11 kV side of Fs Myrängen, the main goal regarding the rehabilitation plan was to investigate the advantages and disadvantages that exist at a possible transition to numerical protection relays. This was done by making a market overview of the different types of numerical protection relays and compare these with the existing analog protective device in Fs Myrängen. The study showed that protective relay settings should be revised according to the recommendations in the report, ground equipment should be replaced with a self-regulating type, transformers should be replaced due to age and capacity limitations. Regarding a switch to numerical protection relays the type REF615 from ABB was recommended, in that case the control board in the station should be replaced to a station computer. Furthermore should current transformers be replaced to recive a desired sensitivity regarding detection of ground faults. The report also showed that Fs Myrängen meets the regulations of unwanted voltages over grounded parts in distribution stations due to earth faults.Detta är en rapport av ett examensarbete utfört i uppdrag av lokalnät Stockholm under Fortum Distribution AB. Examensarbetet gick ut på att göra en översyn av en fördelningsstation vid namn Fs Myrängen som är belägen i Täby. En modell skapades av 11 kV nätet kopplat till Fs Myrängen, utifrån denna modell samt med hjälp av symmetriska komponenter beräknades teoretiska felströmmar både för kortslutning och jordslutning. Resultaten av dessa felströmmar användes för att utreda och ta fram inställningar på reläskydd och nollpunktsutrustning i stationen. Resultaten på framräknade jordfelsströmmar användes även för att utreda vilken spänningssättning som uppstår vid jordfel, i de nätstationer som matas av Fs Myrängen. Spänningssättningen på nätstationerna jämfördes sedan med de starkströmsföreskrifter som är framtagna av elsäkerhetsverket. Ett annat moment i arbetet var att skapa en upprustningsplan för skyddsanordningen på 11 kV sidan i Fs Myrängen, huvudmålet för den biten var att utreda vilka fördelar och nackdelar som finns vid en eventuell övergång till numeriska skydd. Detta gjordes genom att göra en marknadsöversikt över olika typer av numeriska reläskydd, samt jämföra dessa med den befintliga skyddsanordningen i Myrängen som är av analog typ. Studien visade att reläskyddsinställningar bör ses över enligt rekommendationer i rapporten, nollpunktsutrustningen bör bytas ut till självreglerande typ, transformatorerna bör bytas ut p.g.a. ålder och kapacitetsbegränsning. Gällande skyddsanordningen rekommenderas en övergång till numeriska skydd av typen REF615, och i samband med detta byta ut den befintliga kontrolltavlan i stationen till en stationsdator. Vidare bör även strömtransformatorer för jordfelsskydden bytas ut för att uppnå önskad känslighet gällande detektering av jordfel. För spänningssättning av nätstationer vid jordfel, visar resultaten att stationen uppfyller kraven enligt starkströmsföreskrifterna från elsäkerhetsverket

She Matters: 2015 Issues and Actions

She Matters: 2015 Issues and Actions contains recommendations and strategies for all of us as we work to ensure equity, education, safety, security, and opportunity for females across the state. We hope this report serves as a valuable tool for development of initiatives and policies for key stakeholders and decision-makers