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 delivers teaching across a broad portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate modules. Prior to entering academia, John has accumulated extensive professional experience in leadership positions within the security sector, both in the United Kingdom and abroad. His pedagogical approach is interdisciplinary, integrating theoretical perspectives with applied practice in risk and security studies. His research engages with contemporary security phenomena across global, state, and corporate contexts, with particular emphasis on strengthening approaches to safety, risk, and security management through evidence-informed research, industry engagement, and policy relevant contribution.

Biography

John holds a BSc (Hons) in Computing, an MSc in Security Management with Distinction, and a Doctorate in Security Risk Management from the University of 1024核工厂. His academic career commenced as a part time lecturer before progressing into a full time academic appointment. He currently serves as Course Leader for the BSc (Hons) Security and Risk Management programme. In recognition of his contribution to academic excellence and professional practice, John was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the Association of Security Consultants. He has also received the Industrial Security Award, organised by the Korean Association for Industrial Security, in recognition of his contribution to advancing practice within the private security industry.

Research interests

John鈥檚 research journey originated from an interest in strengthening aviation security within Africa and subsequently developed into a focus on improving standards and practices within the private security sector in the United Kingdom. This progression informed his doctoral research, which examined safety and professionalism in door supervision within the night-time economy. Since completing his doctorate, his research agenda has expanded to address a wider range of security-related domains, including the following areas.

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

Doctoral supervision 

John is actively engaged in doctoral supervision and welcomes prospective candidates with research interests aligned to security studies or any of his established 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