Olympic rings of steel: Constructing security for 2012 and beyond

Academic and political commentators have commonly sought to understand the Olympics as a cultural dynamic, a "spectacle" that motivates certain actors to project their relative interests in localized spaces and as well on a global scale (Hiller 2006; Boyle and Haggerty 2009b ). Mega-events, as this argument goes, are monumental cultural events (Roche 2000) that rely on the audacity of spectacle to dramatize and condition the cultural, political, legal and economic landscape. Extending these insights into surveillance studies, Boyle and Haggerty (2009b: 259-260) position spectacle and the disciplinary mechanisms of anxieties associated with mega-events to explain the risk management practices of security planners. The dynamic social implications of the spectacle condition dramatic regimes of securitization and surveillance such that sovereign power emanates from the production and consumption of spectacle. In similar fashion Vida Bajc (2007: 1648) writes that security meta-rituals "demonstrate[s] that the process of transformation of [the] public space [of mega-events] from one of routine of daily life into a sterile area [that] has a ritual form [that] .... separates insiders from outsiders and brings about a new socio-political reality." Put another way, the "security-meta ritual" legitimates security and surveillance practices by normalizing the social hierarchies it imposes. Bajc focuses on the over-determination of dividing practices in mega-event security, but the signifying practices associated with capital are absent (perhaps due to her empirical focus on presidential addresses). Klauser (2008: 181) links commercialization and mechanisms of surveillance, but only by foregrounding the significance of "neutralized space" created by granting absolute commercial rights to event sponsors. Neoliberalprivatization and its articulation with security and surveillance, however, cannot be reduced to control over sponsorship rights and consumptive practices in particular urban "zones," nor can it be limited by the methodological temporality of the event itself

New labour and new surveillance: Theoretical and political ramifications of CCTV implementation in the UK

This paper examines the implications of New Labour's approaches to crime and disorder on CCTV implementation. It concentrates on the usage of CCTV as one of the government's many initiatives, which are intended to address crime and disorder, including the fear of crime. In particular, the impact of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act (CDA) - the cornerstone of this government's approach to crime reduction - on the generation of such strategies is examined. The paper revisits neo-Marxist and Foucauldian analyses of the so-called surveillance society through an appraisal of the complex relationship between structure and agency in the formulation and implementation of anti-crime and disorder strategies. Drawing on fieldwork data the paper considers the activities of practitioners at a local level by focusing on the influence of central government, local communities and 'common sense' thinking based on certain criminological theories. It is argued that a myriad of micro-level operations, obligations, processes, managerial concerns (particularly conflict resolution and resource issues), structures and agency - as well as the indirect influence of central government - shape CCTV policy. Ultimately, the creation of new local policy contexts under the CDA emphasise the need to consider incremental and malleable processes concerning the formulation of CCTV policy. In turn, this allows a re-examination of theoretical accounts of surveillance, and their attendant assumptions of sovereign or disciplinary power

Resilient planning for sporting mega-events: designing and managing safe and secure urban places for London 2012 and beyond

Since the 1960s both regeneration and security have been prominent themes in Olympic planning. However, this paper argues that the prominence given to post event 'legacies' in London's bid to host the 2012 Summer Games has fomented a merger of these hitherto distinct ambitions oriented around notions of 'resilience'. In addition to identifying this merger, based on analysis of planning for the 2012 Games the paper sets out its component features and considers a range of key implications. These include the accommodation of Olympic security amid shifting national security arrangements and, at a local level, the impact and importance of the 2011 London riots on Olympic safety and security processes. Organised over four areas of discussion - the first three comprising of the coupling of spatial strategies of resilient planning and design with concerns for security; the temporal framework of such approaches; analysis of the altered physical and institutional landscape of London ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games - the paper concludes by identifying and discussing the ways in which urban rejuvenation and securitisation which are increasingly being combined into resilient designs and master plans in the Olympic context and, crucially, standardised, exported and transferred to new urban hosts of similar events

An interrupted transmission? Processes of CCTV implementation and the impact of human agency

This paper examines the processes that bring about the creation of new public-space CCTV schemes. Through an appraisal of the grounded activities of the practitioners who make decisions over CCTV, the role of agency is identified as a particularly strong, yet relatively neglected, influence on its implementation. Moreover, beyond dichotomised notions of central structures and local agency, an understanding is developed of the complex interaction between the individual actors involved in CCTV dissemination and the political context in which they operate. In doing so, public policy is identified as the vehicle through which camera surveillance systems become installed and disseminated throughout public space. Moreover, these various forces of structure and agency become filtered through identifiable networks of policy-makers, comprising 'responsibilised' actors who oversee the deployment of CCTV. This analysis is used to revisit a range of administrative and theoretical understandings of surveillance, including: citations of CCTV as an evaluated response to crime; the attribution of power- and interest-based agendas to its implementation; and accounts which locate CCTV expansion within various evolving societal processes. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork data gathered during doctoral research, the paper considers the activities of practitioners at a local level and identifies crucial contexts, drivers and negotiations on which expanding surveillance is contingent. Ultimately, it is argued that the process of CCTV installation ? from conception to material implementation ? is disrupted and mediated by a range of micro-level operations, obligations, processes, managerial concerns (particularly conflict resolution and resource issues), structures and agency, and the indirect influence of central government. These not only arbitrate over whether the CCTV becomes installed, but also generate a range of additional uses for the cameras, many of which are performed before they are even switched on. This emphasises the need to consider the processes that enable and constrain the actions of those making decisions over CCTV and demonstrates how no single interest becomes solely participant in the deployment of surveillance. Finally, because of the centrality and contingency of both human agency and the structural contexts in which it operates in determining the installation of CCTV, questions arise concerning the importance of integrative sociological theories in understanding the deployment of surveillance

Human Factors in security: User-centred and socio-technical perspectives

Over the last 25 years, security research and knowledge has developed in many ways. There have been increased numbers of taught courses relating to criminology and security, high-impact research being published in dedicated journals and, from that, more guidance and support communicated to corporate and private security practitioners (Fisher and Gill, 2012). Some aspects of security research have been driven by recent trends in radicalisation (for example, al Shabab and Islamic State); high-profile terrorist attacks (such as the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi and Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris); or the need to secure major events (such as the recent Olympics). However, all these developments have seen a growing emphasis on the need to identify indicators of hostile or criminal intent and safeguard public and crowded spaces against potential attacks. In addition, underlying and enduring issues in security have gained prominence, such as the increasing need to consider civil and ethical concerns and responsibilities of those conducting security, along with a clearer understanding of the social and operational contexts and practices of detecting crime

Poster: an in-vehicle software defined network architecture for connected and automated vehicles

Vehicular network architectures are being reviewed and re-designed to meet requirements for increasing data rates and flexibility driven in part by the adoption of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) strategies. A progressive move from traditional bus based networks, such as CAN, to Ethernet-based network architectures is being considered across the automotive industry. In this paper we advocate for an in-vehicle Software-Defined Network architecture and discuss benefits that such a shift in the architectural paradigm will bring by strengthening cyber-security defences and enabling a fail-operational capability through network programmability and provably correct networks

xEV thermal system control

The increasing electrification of vehicle powertrains has resulted in complex thermal systems. The performance of the thermal system has a strong impact on the electric range. This paper will discuss different thermal system concepts and the related control strategies to optimise their performance. The control algorithm complexity has increased with multi-variable systems and temperature limits that result in a challenging control problem. This paper will discuss the use of model predictive control and optimal control approaches to develop the control solution for this problem. These techniques have the additional benefit of reducing calibration effort whilst delivering efficiency gains

Resilient planning for sporting mega-events: designing and managing safe and secure urban places for London 2012 and beyond Planejamento resiliente para megaeventos esportivos: planejando e gerindo lugares seguros para Londres 2012 e além

Since the 1960s both regeneration and security have been prominent themes in Olympic planning. However, this paper argues that the prominence given to post event legacies in Londons bid to host the 2012 Summer Games has fomented a merger of these hitherto distinct ambitions oriented around notions of resilience. In addition to identifying this merger, based on analysis of planning for the 2012 Games the paper sets out its component features and considers a range of key implications. These include the accommodation of Olympic security amid shifting national security arrangements and, at a local level, the impact and importance of the 2011 London riots on Olympic safety and security processes. Organised over four areas of discussion the first three comprising of the coupling of spatial strategies of resilient planning and design with concerns for security; the temporal framework of such approaches; analysis of the altered physical and institutional landscape of London ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games the paper concludes by identifying and discussing the ways in which urban rejuvenation and securitisation which are increasingly being combined into resilient designs and master plans in the Olympic context and, crucially, standardised, exported and transferred to new urban hosts of similar events

Diesel engine optimisation, with emissions constraints, on a prescribed driving route

A method for evaluating driving technique and engine operation, with emissions constraints, on a real driving route, is presented. A single degree of freedom vehicle model with simple resistive forces is driven along the pre-planned route. Instead of the velocity trajectory being determined a priori, the optimisation can choose the optimal speed along the route as well as the engine operating point. When constraints on the total emissions are imposed, the engine no longer operates on the minimum fuel locus; the power delivery changes as the emissions constraints are tightened. The driving technique changes from a series of bang-bang switches, into a smoother application of the engine power. The route is driven in the absence of stops and traffic restrictions