Physical Security Seminar Series
Two seminars have been held thus far in 2009:
Public Violence: Challenges Confronting the Police? was held at the Centre of Criminology on Thursday, July 30, 2009. The speakers were Professor Simon Bekker, Stellenbosch and Director Jeftha, SAPS Cluster Commander, Kuils River area. Director Peter Jacobs of SAPS also joined the panel in discussing recent Xenophobic violent events in South Africa. Access the seminar report here >>>>.
Securing 2010 and Transport: Policing and the Bus Rapid Transport system. Seminar held at the Centre of Criminology, UCT, on 15 April 2009 Participants: included Director Peter Jacobs (SAPS), Councillor Anthea Thompson Mayco member for Transport in the City of Cape Town and Mr Bongani Kupe (transport consultant). Access the seminar report here>>>>.
In 2008, the following seminars took place: Seminars. Access the seminar report here>>>>.
Seminar 1: Whose side are we on? Antony Altbeker and 'A Country at War with Itself: South Africa's Crisis of Crime'
Last year, Antony Altbeker published a book arguing that was ' a country at war with itself'. Bill Dixon, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Keele University led the discussion on the topic. Eric Pelser, the Director of the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention and Antony Altbeker, an independent researcher and author of The Dirty Work of Democracy and A Country at War with itself, responded.
Seminar 2: Multi-Choice Policing in Africa
Multi-Choice Policing in Africa featured a discussion by Bruce Baker, the author of the book, and Tom Bennett of the Law Faculty at the University of Cape Town. Africanus Sesay a Masters Student contributed information about policing in and Irwin Kinnes, a PhD candidate researching the policing of gangs, facilitated the discussion. Bruce Baker is Professor of African Security at Coventry University whose current research focus is informal and formal policing in post-conflict African states. Tom Bennett is Professor in the Public Law Department at the Universityof Cape Town. His principal area of interest is the relationship between the State and unofficial legal orders.
Seminar 3: Imprisoning Communities
Todd Clear, Distinguished Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York discussed his new book Imprisoning Communities How Mass Incarceration Makes Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Worse. Lukas Muntingh of the Civil Society Prison Reform Initiative at the Community Law Centre, and Gideon Morris, Director of the Judicial Inspectorate of Prisons also shared their views on imprisonment in.
Seminar 4: Gangs, Politics and Dignity in Cape Town.
Steffen Jensen, a senior researcher with the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims in Copenhagen and associated to Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research in Johannesburg discussed the book with two respondents, Elaine Salo of the African Gender Institute and Irvin Kinnes, a doctoral candidate at the Centre of Criminology.
During 2007, the following seminars took place:
Collaborative workshop
The Centre of Criminology organised a workshop with a focus on developing collaborations with a view to establishing an African-centred (but globally engaged) programmes. Those who attended the workshop included representatives from the following universities: University of Jos, Nigeria; University of Mbarara, Uganda; University of Cape Town; University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; University of Bergen, Norway; University of Leipzig, Germany and the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
Physical Security workshops
Policing in the City of Cape Town: trends and challenges for oversight was held in May 2007. Participants included private security firms, metro police, South African Police Service, members from the Department of Community Safety, Members of Community Safety Forums, and researchers from UNISA, University of Cape Town and the University of Leipzig.
Presentation to Portfolio Committee. To assist in developing sustainable policy Julie Berg presented her research findings on policing accountability in the context of plural policing and the findings of this workshop to the Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security. The briefing was held at Parliament, Cape Town on Wednesday 20th May, 2007.
"Innovations in Urban Security Governance" was held at the Vineyard Hotel, Claremont on the 18th September 2007. A variety of speakers were selected to shed light on the challenges (both national and regional); the innovations; and the myriad ways of engaging with security arrangements in view of discussing possibilities for future security needs and collaborations. The workshop drew on the research findings, experience and expertise of role-players from all sectors with a view to identifying key issues for the future of security governance in South Africa. The workshop consisted of presentations by a cross section of African and International researchers as well as a member of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security and members of the South African Police Service.