Securing Places: Security Risks, Techniques and Technologies

Abstract

This chapter traces the key jurisdictional and technological attributes involved in constructing security for the Brisbane 2014 Group of Twenty (G20), with a particular focus on emerging dynamics when translating policy from theory to practice. First, we discuss the security overlay as a planning process that sought to allocate jurisdictions and define associated roles and responsibilities among the various security actors. We unpack this ‘three-tier’ structure and reflect on its similarities and differences with recent previous mega-events such as the Toronto 2010 G20. Second, we look at the technologies used to ‘secure’ spaces, noting how the management of technology is leveraged as a way to potentially mediate tensions and conflict. The chapter concludes by reflecting on the overall tensions between ‘event’ and ‘security’, particularly in relation to ideas around ‘look and feel’.