John Akerele

Dr John Akerele is a Senior Lecturer in Security and Risk Management within the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies, where he teaches a wide range of modules. Prior to his academic career, John had an extensive background in the corporate security sector, where he held leadership roles. He also provided consultancy and training for government agencies across Africa and Europe. In his teaching, John adopts an interdisciplinary approach that bridges theoretical concepts with practical applications. This approach encourages reflection, critical thinking and unlearning, drawing on industry experience to cultivate a deeper understanding of risk, safety and security management. His research interests generally focus on security phenomena and the intricate challenges of managing security issues in a constantly evolving world.

John holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Computing, an MSc (Distinction) degree in Security Management, and a Doctorate degree in Security Risk Management from the University of Portsmouth. His academic career began as a part-time lecturer before transitioning into a full-time role. He currently serves as the Course Leader for the BSc (Hons) Security and Risk Management programme. In recognition of his contributions to academic excellence, John received a certificate of recognition from the Association of Security Consultants. Additionally, John and one of his students won the 2024 Industrial Security Award, organised by the Korean Association for Industrial Security, for their contributions to improving practices in the private security sector.

John's research journey began with an interest in improving aviation security, which later evolved into ameliorating the private security sector in the UK. This evolving interest formed the basis of his doctoral research, which examined the safety and professionalism of door supervision within the night-time economy. John's research interests have expanded to encompass a broad range of topics, which includules:

• Security Management
• Risk Management
• Business Continuity and Crisis Management 
• Security Regulation and Policies 
• Transportation Security and Investigations
• Cybersecurity 
• Global Security
• Economic Crimes

Doctoral supervision 

John is actively involved in doctoral supervision and welcomes candidates interested in pursuing research aligned with these diverse areas.

John teaches across various levels within the university and assesses the following modules:

• Organisation and Security Management
• Business Continuity and Crisis Management.
• Global, State and Corporate Security.
• Risk and Crisis Management 
• Essential Skills for Criminologists.
• Criminal Justice.
• Global Security
• Researching Criminology.