John Akerele Portrait

Dr John Akerele

Senior Lecturer

John.Akerele@port.ac.uk

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime

Summary

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. In his teaching, John adopts an interdisciplinary approach that bridges theoretical concepts and practical applications in risk and security studies. His approach encourages reflection, critical thinking and unlearning, drawing on industry experience to foster a deeper understanding of safety, risk, crises and security management.

Prior to entering academia, John has accumulated extensive professional experience in leadership positions within the security sector, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. John maintains strong links with the security industry through consultancy and professional services. His research focuses on contemporary security phenomena, with particular attention to improving security practices across global, state, and corporate contexts, with an emphasis on strengthening approaches to security and risk management in collaboration with stakeholders and policy makers.

Biography

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 兔子先生. 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 was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the Association of Security Consultants. Furthermore, in 2024, John and his student received the Industrial Security Award, organised by the Korean Association for Industrial Security, for their work in advancing practices within the private security industry.

Research interests

John's research journey began with an interest in improving the aviation security sector in Africa, which later evolved into ameliorating the private security sector in the UK. This interest formed the basis of his doctoral research, which examined the safety and professionalism of door supervision within the night-time economy. His research interests have since expanded to address a broader range of security domains, which include;

  • Safety and Security Management
  • Risk and Crisis Management
  • Security Regulations and Policies 
  • Transportation Security
  • Cybersecurity 
  • Economic Crimes

Doctoral supervision 

John is actively involved in doctoral supervision and welcomes candidates interested in research related to security studies or any of his areas of expertise.

Teaching responsibilities

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.

Supervision:

  • Undergraduate Dissertations
  • Master鈥檚 Dissertations
  • Master's by Research 
  • PhD Theses