Securing the City through Networks: A Case Study.

For the past twenty years, the mechanisms that ensure the production of security on behalf of communities and corporations have been shown to involve a broad range of actors, that extend far beyond the public police. The growing literature on the pluralization and multilateralization of security, as well as nodal governance, provides a useful theoretical framework to understand the new configuration of public, private and hybrid security actors. One approach that is gaining currency is the notion of networked security, to explain how various actors forge and maintain mutually beneficial partnerships, or exclude competing interests. However, most of the contributions mentioned above rely on scattered factual examples. With a few exceptions, the systematic observation and analysis of the structure and operation of security networks has not yet been undertaken. This paper will address this issue by presenting the results of a research project carried out in a large Canadian city. Using social network analysis tools, we have attempted to identify the various clusters of security that protect citizens, public transport users, students, shoppers, hospitalized patients, corporations, international entities such as consulates, etc We will show how the various spheres of human activity are secured, how they are connected through a complex web of personal and organizational relationships, and the implications of these networks for democratic policing. Through this case study, we hope to better understand the conditions that permit the creation of security in late modern societies, and to provide an ambitious empirical research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]