Lecture delivered @ the Laurea University on “RANGER project – Enhancing border security and crime prevention capabilities at the Mediterranean Sea

15 February 2018

Criminologist and project manager of the RANGER-project, Mr. Tuomas Tammilehto, lectured on enhancing security and crime prevention capabilities on the Mediterranean Sea at the Leppävaara Campus of Laurea University of Applied Sciences on Thursday, 15th of February 2018.

The two and half hour lecture touch first a bit of European funded projects in general. Then, Tammilehto presented the RANGER project briefly, before moving into the problems of smuggling drugs and the desperate situation of immigrants in the mists of the current migration crisis. Whilst, Tammilehto presented drugs and trafficking, and immigration more generally, the core of the lecture focused on irregular immigration and drug trafficking trends and patterns, and on how novel technology can have an impact on the above mentioned phenomena. A special emphasis was put on the decision making logics of both irregular immigrants and drug traffickers, and how this process is affected by new technology.

At the same time as presenting the findings, i.e. explaining the situation at the Mediterranean Sea, Tammilehto also covered the essentials of the methodology used when carrying this type of research. For example, critical evaluation of data, challenges of access to the data, different bias affecting the outcomes were all essential material of the lecture. Above was done so that the audience, the majority was students of security, safety and risk management, would have a clear view on both how and why research was done, and especially how it contributes to the RANGER project and larger to European security.

The lecture was well accepted, and Tammilehto was asked to hold another one later this spring.