Open AccessLoose Connections: Crime and Policing on the University Campus
Author(s) -
Ian M. Gomme,
Anthony Micucci
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
canadian journal of higher education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2293-6602
pISSN - 0316-1218
DOI - 10.47678/cjhe.v27i1.183295
Subject(s) - crime prevention , community policing , institution , job security , public relations , criminology , crime control , control (management) , political science , sociology , public administration , business , work (physics) , management , criminal justice , law , engineering , economics , mechanical engineering
This paper reviews literature on campus crime and security. It reports the findings of a case study of an in-house security force servicing a large postsecondary institution located in central Canada. Limited data on campus crime in Canada and the U.S. indicate that it is neither as frequent nor as serious as media and other reports suggest. Primary data on the demographic characteristics of security officers combined with information on recruitment, training, mobility, and job content point to the existence of occupational segmentation within this sector. The findings also underscore the prevalence of a professional crime control-oriented form of security provision and are consistent with those of recent Canadian and American studies of campus crime and policing. The need for future research on issues concerning illegality and security on university campuses is highlighted and policy recommendations addressing the transition to a more community-oriented approach are outlined.