Publication details
Securing semi-public space: preventive measures and access control in Czech shopping centres
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| Citation | |
| Description | This paper analyses the mechanisms of securing the (semi-)public space of Czech shopping centres. Over the last 15 years, the country has seen a boom of large-scale shopping centres and a shift of urban social life from the traditional city centres to suburban malls. These are promoted through the images of a safe, predictable and comfortable “family-friendly space”, defined against the ostensibly dangerous, disorderly and violent city centres. The paper employs a variety of methods, including interviews, covert observation and document analysis to describe the security strategies employed by shopping centre owners and managers. It is argued that the key strategy in this respect is preventive access control, excluding all possible sources of disorder. This includes people who are (visually, by means of CCTV) identified as trespassers and “undesirables” as well as objects and actions which may potentially lead to conflict or a loss of personal control. Therefore, measures of exclusion are extended to domestic animals, pieces of oversized luggage, sports equipment and other potentially uncontrollable elements. The rules of access are vague and targeted at the same time, allowing for a broad interpretation on the one hand and tailored to specific groups (such as the homeless) on the other. The paper goes on to analyse the informal power which is thus given to the security staff who use this power strategically to their own benefit. |
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