Securing the quay: criminological perspective on the lived experience of port security

Abstract

Sea ports are a key transit point in the supply chain of international trade, which brings them under the domain of international security and regulation. As a consequence of late modernity, ports have become a secured and governed space of hybridity: both public and private actors, both federal and commercial contracts, both independent and vested interest stakeholders, and under the jurisdiction of multiple security-enforcement agencies. However, at the same time, sea ports interface with vast spaces of unregulated waters. From a criminological perspective, port security is an underdeveloped research area. Security, as it moves away from the monopoly of the state, manifests as a networked effort made up of actors and agencies from various sectors. Therefore, it is the aim of this research to gain an understanding of the lived experience of port security through the interpretations of operational and administrative actors in the extensive port security network. The interactions that occur on a daily basis at the port, situated in its local context, are what come to define port security and how it is maintained. Taking into consideration the governance of port security, the post-9/11 security landscape, interagency cooperation efforts, and the occupational culture of port security actors, it is hoped that a more nuanced understanding of the port security network and its compliance to and enforcement of security can be understood.