Month: March 2024

The ICPC welcomes a new international member

The ICPC is proud to announce a new collaboration with Blas Pascal University (UBP) located in Córdoba, Argentina. This new member of our network marks a significant step forward in the strengthening of our international relations, aimed at facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise in crime prevention and community safety.  

Founded in 1990, UBP stands out for its multi-sectoral approach and its commitment to innovation and internationalization, values that resonate deeply with the ICPC’s missions. These, being closely linked to issues of community safety, citizen security, crime and violence prevention, and due some of UBP’s training programmes, aim to develop a joint platform to strengthen knowledge transfer. We are confident that the UBP will bring to the ICPC network academic and cultural resources from this Latin American country.  

Towards a future collaboration, between the ICPC and the UBP therefore aims to facilitate an enriching exchange of information and experience, enabling us to broaden our understanding and working methods in the field of urban safety. Finally, it underlines our shared commitment to strengthening community safety and quality of life in the Latin American region, through education, research and international collaboration. Indeed, a meeting with the university’s academic executive board wa held on April 17,  2024, attended by Teresa Beatriz Olivia, the university’s Rector, Pamela del Valle Caceres, Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr Jorge Luis Jofre, Director of the Diploma in Public Safety and the Diploma in Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation, and Jorge Alberto Castillo, from the career management team in these departments.  

The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on joint projects, focusing on issues relating to urban safety and crime observatories, aiming to  benefit both academia and professional practice in these key sectors.  

Two exclusive RÉSAL trainings, coordinated by the ICPC

As part the capacity-building activities of the Montreal Network Réseau d’échange et de soutien aux actions locales (RÉSAL), of which the ICPC is a member and coordinator, two series of thematic training sessions were held online in winter 2024. One session focused on trauma-sensitive approaches for young people, on 23 February, and the other on cybersexuality and cyber-violence, on 28 February.   

Close to thirty people participated in the two activities, including front-line workers, social development officers, and representatives of community organizations, and institutions working with young people in the Greater Montreal area. The aim of the activities, which focused on violence committed and suffered by young people aged 12 to 25, was to equip participants to deal with the various problems encountered in their day-to-day work.    

Trauma-sensitive approaches for young people, led by Annie Grenier, criminologist and programme planning and research officer at CISSS Montérégie-Est, and Christiane Girard, specialist in clinical activities with young offenders at CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.

This first training session addressed the distinction between simple and complex trauma, highlighting the variety of traumatic events and their impact on different spheres of life, such as attachment, cognition, and emotion regulation. The training emphasized the importance of attentive listening and reception, rather than investigation, when working with young victims of trauma. 

Through specialized resources and the practical example of the film ReMoved, participants were encouraged to adopt a multidisciplinary and adaptive approach. Initiatives such as the LOTUS programme and the adoption of this approach in schools and at the Institut national de psychiatrie légale Philippe-Pinel illustrated its concrete application, aimed at improving support and reducing the risk of recidivism among young people faced with trauma. 

Protagonist of your pleasure: cybersexuality and cyber-violence, led by Estelle Cazelais, sexologist, and director of education at Les 3 sex*

This second training session explored the complexity of sexuality in the digital age, focusing on awareness, information, and education around these issues and highlighting their importance in young people’s sexuality.   

Participants were led to adopt feminist intervention approaches that are intersectional, non-judgemental as well as intercultural, to better understand and support young people as they explore sexuality on the internet and social media. Examples of good practices, such as the use of platforms like Twitch to reach teenagers or the development of specific projects on sexting, illustrated how professionals can intervene effectively. 

The training shed light on the challenges raised by cybersexuality, such as sextortion and early exposure to pornography, while emphasizing the need for comprehensive sex education that prepares young people to navigate a complex digital environment. By addressing the legislative aspects and social impacts of cybersexuality, the training also aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools to support young people in building healthy and respectful relationships in the digital age. 

Thank you very much to our guest expertss and all those who participated for the success of this fifth cycle of training activities, which we had the pleasure of coordinating.   

The ICPC published a report on current youth recruitment strategies by criminal gangs

Today, despite the massive use of social networks, which can lead young girls and boys to gravitate more and more towards delinquency networks, we also know that poor acquaintances, the need for recognition, poverty and the lack of opportunities for young people to engage in legitimate activities are determining factors in the enrolment of young people in criminal activities.    

This growing scourge has led the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime to conduct an in-depth study with the purpose of fully understanding the phenomenon, the issues involved in recruiting young people, and the stakeholders directly or indirectly involved. The Quebec Ministry of Public Security has therefore mandated the ICPC, through its Montreal Urban Safety Lab in 2022, to collect data aimed at updating our knowledge of the realities on the ground in order to better prevent the recruitment of young people by criminal gangs.  

The final objective of this report is to provide crucial information for a better understanding of this phenomenon and to formulate recommendations for improving the safety of living environments in the area most affected, sucha as the city of Laval, a Quebec city located on the outskirts of Montreal. According to the Laval police’s 2021 activity report, the number of crime-related increased by 14% between 2020 and 2021, including a significant number of firearms-related incidents (42) in 2021.    

 

 

The report is presented in 3 sections:   

1. A framework for analyzing the phenomenon and the specific characteristics of criminal gangs, as well as the risk and protective factors associated with their entry.  

2. The socio-spatial context of the study, highlighting the specific sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and sociocontextual characteristics of the territory concerned, i.e. the Chomedey district of Laval.  

3. A third section divided into five sub-sections:  

  • A few definitions to define the subject of the study;  
  • Risk factors associated with gang affiliation;  
  • The role and recruitment of women and girls in these networks;  
  • The growing importance of social networks in the process of joining criminal gangs;  
  • An assessment of the current intervention system to identify possible solutions put forward by stakeholders to prevent or reduce the risk of young people joining criminal gangs.  

Read the report here (available in French only) 

Read the press release (available in French only)