Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games: A Visual Presentation of Security in the Pre-event Phase.

For the overall success of any mega-event it is important that security measures are embedded through all stages, from the initial planning and design onto the aftermath and legacy. Yet, discussions around the security measures for the Olympics, FIFA World Cup or Commonwealth Games have tended to focus on the periods immediately before, during and after the main event, not many months or years in advance of it. This paper uses photographs and semi-structured interview data with security planners, and secondary focus group data with local residents in order to identify and discuss the events linked securitisation and regeneration of the East End of Glasgow in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Using Images of particular elements of security which were in place long before the arrival of the Games, the interconnected nature of security and urban regeneration in the pre-event phase is identified, where aspects of security in anticipation for the Games and its aftermath, are integrated and normalised into the everyday environment