Troublesome trade-offs: balancing urban activities and values when securing a city-centre governmental quarter

Abstract

Background: Homeland security measures increasingly affect urban life and activities. Standoff distance, which prevents unscreened vehicles from approaching within a certain distance of a building, is a widely applied measure when protecting buildings against attacks with vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. This measure both is rather inexpensive and has few negative externalities when implemented in rural areas. Unfortunately, sites with protection needs often are situated in city centres. Methods: We apply the so-called Security Function Framework to illuminate the externalities or the 'troublesome trade-offs' between protecting a high-value site against vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and protecting other urban values.Results: This paper demonstrates that standoff creates challenges for other important values, such as functional office spaces for all employees, deliveries and emergency vehicle access. Simultaneously, standoff creates opportunities for reinforcing social-responsibility requirements, such as accessibility for pedestrians and environmental considerations. Conclusions: Security measures can have both negative and positive externalities and planning might alleviate some of the negative ones.

Crime scripting: A systematic review

“…The script-theoretic approach has a lot to offer to crime analysts. Studies have referred to it as a tool for eliciting the offender’s behaviour and the rationale for their decisions (Beauregard and Martineau, 2015; Beauregard, Proulx, et al, 2007; Brookman et al, 2011; Chiu et al, 2011; Gamman et al, 2012; Hagan and Levi, 2004; Hobbs et al, 2005; Lavorgna, 2015; Lord and Levi 2017; Meijerink, 2013; Meyer, 2013; Meyer et al, 2015; Willison, 2008; Willison and Siponen, 2006; Wortley and Mazerolle, 2013), and others have highlighted its utility in organizing existing knowledge about the requirements of crime commission such as the skills or resources that criminals need to deploy in order to execute a crime (Balemba and Beauregard, 2013; Basamanowicz, 2011; Bichler et al, 2013; Cornish, 1994b; De Vries, 2012, 2013; Gilmour, 2014; Le, 2013; Leontiadis, 2014; Meijerink, 2013).…”

Ontological and epistemological challenges of measuring the effectiveness of urban counterterrorism measures

“…Nevertheless, the Norwegian authorities and other local actors are obliged by the new National Security Law (2018) to perform assessments about the effectiveness of such measures. A few scholars have tried to construct evaluation frameworks for terrorism and radicalization policy and associated countermeasures (Langdalen et al 2018;Lindekilde 2012;Lum and Kennedy 2012;Meyer et al 2015;Noordegraaf et al 2017;Van Dongen 2011). At present, these frameworks are not adapted to be utilized in the context of urban security.…”

“…Gebbeken et al (2012) argue that, since a free democratic society will never accept a surveillance state, passive security measures such as innovative and architecturally attractive buildings and landscape elements are the solution, to avoid fortification of the city. Such measures, however, also require troublesome trade-offs Meyer et al 2015). They affect the physical landscape, including streets, squares, libraries, shopping malls and government buildings, and they entail values' discrepancy regarding aesthetics, legal and ethical issues, environmental considerations, safety, convenience, cost and social inclusion.…”

CCTV Surveillance System, Attacks and Design Goals

“…Sunniva F Meyer et al [33] have explored various trade-offs between standoff and other values, and, when appropriate, proposes possible solutions to such dilemmas. Second, it asks whether employing the SFF in the FGC of Norway will help illuminate these "troublesome trade-offs".…”