I’m excited to announce that my latest book, Rethinking Security: The Human Side of Risk Management, has now been published by Palgrave Macmillan.
In this work, I explore security through a distinctly human lens, emphasising the critical role psychological, criminological, and sociological factors play in our understanding and practice of risk management. While security is traditionally dominated by technology-focused solutions, my book aims to reveal the deeper human dynamics behind contemporary threats and the strategies we use to manage them.
Editor Series Introduction:
“All good security approaches include a requirement to understand the threat being faced, therefore any book seeking to inform the theory and practice of risk assessments is likely to attract the interest of both security practitioners and academics. The subject of security risk is characterised by being broad; encompassing many dimensions; and is continuously evolving. The need for up-to-date research and new thinking is critical. This book, with its focus on a human-centric approach to security risk management is therefore both timely and important.
This book offers more than just a discussion of a distinct approach to human-centric risk, it also provides a scholarly discussion of the limita-tions of an emphasis on the technical, or at least the need to reconcile this perspective with human factors, as the author, Tymur Suslov notes: “Technical barriers are easily undone if human users circumvent them”. The book assesses perspectives from a variety of different disciplines such as psychology, criminology, sociology, and risk communication. And this is undertaken not just as an academic exercise but with a view to guiding organisations on how to improve not just risk assessments but also training courses and organisational cultures.
Tymur Suslov discusses a wide range of human factors, “such as indi-vidual perceptions, collective behaviours, group identities, and psycho-logical vulnerabilities”, all of which (and more) need to be considered to optimise the effectiveness of security provision. His book looks at how “risk misjudgement” and “criminal opportunism” occur; how humans provide a weak link when misunderstood, one that is essential to under-stand and be countered for security to have a chance of being effective. For Suslov the focus on the human rather than the technical means that the common risk management approach to arrive at a predictable outcome is at variance with the real world.
His discussion of risk perception includes a focus on emotions, past experiences, and cultural influences; while risk communication includes a look at the impact of psychological, social, and cultural factors. There is a big emphasis on psychological theories, including cognitive and social psychology, and a whole chapter is devoted to profiling, described as “complex,” where the merits are balanced by the ethical and privacy concerns. On that point the key characteristics which underpin unethical and illegal behaviour, namely narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavel-lianism are discussed. A particularly interesting chapter, at least for this reader was Suslov’s discussion of how the qualities that underpin effective human interaction, including trust and empathy, are used to manipulate security systems.
Suslov’s discussion of a range of criminological theories and crime prevention frameworks, including Routine Activity Theory and Situa-tional Crime Prevention is undertaken from a human centred approach noting that effective crime prevention is always based “on both human behavioural insights and environmental design.” After all, “security risks are a result of human behaviour, rather than technological constraints,” and given that “human error continues to be the primary factor in the occurrence of security breaches” education and awareness are key components of any informed response.
Once you have digested the excellent introduction to this book you will, I am sure, be lured into the various chapters with enthusiasm. This topic is an important one, and I have no doubt that scholars and practitioners alike will find this book a “must read.”
Martin Gill
April 2025
You can find out more about the book and get your copy here:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-92068-4
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and engaging in meaningful conversations around these important themes.
