Author: CIPC-ICPC

The ICPC attended a conference on cybersecurity

On April 11, we attended a cybersecurity conference in Montreal, organized by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT) in collaboration with our partner Montréal International. Hosted by Guillaume Caron, President and co-founder of VARS – Cybersecurity, a division of RCGT, the event addressed the increased challenges of cybersecurity in a post-COVID digital transformation context, highlighting the importance of compliance with Quebec’s newly introduced Law 25. This law, mandatory for businesses, guarantees the protection, confidentiality, and integrity of data and personal information.   

The presentation focused on the expanding attack surface due to new ways of working remotely, threats such as ransomware attacks and sophisticated phishing, and the impact of cyber-attacks on organizations’ revenue and reputation. Today, almost 30% of Canadian organizations have seen a loss of revenue as a result of a cyber-attack, stressing the urgent need for an adequate response to this phenomenon, according to a study shared by VARS. They also discussed the importance of raising awareness of information security, implementing action plans to protect against cyber-attacks, and examples of solutions that organizations can apply, such as dual authentication, regularly updating systems, etc.   

Our participation in this event reflects our ongoing dedication to stay ahead of the latest developments on cybersecurity.  

Thanks for the invitation! 

The ICPC was at the the 8th edition of the “Security, Democracy & Cities” conference in Belgium

As part of a mission to France and Belgium in March 2024, the ICPC had the pleasure of taking part, from March 20 to 22, in the eighth edition of the “Security, Democracy & Cities” conference organized by our partners, the European Forum for Urban Security and Safe.brussels, which was held in Brussels, Belgium. The event brought together 700 participants from 26 countries, including 135 locals from the Paris-Brussels region, to discuss the major issues of safety in European cities.   

Inaugurated by the Minister-President of Brussels, Rudi Vervoort, the conference addressed critical challenges such as territorial warfare, drugs, and insecurity, exacerbated by misinformation, the far-right, and terrorism, underlining the need for crisis management and inter-regional collaboration. With the participation of regional and Catalan key stakeholders, the conferences focused on drug trafficking, security by design in public spaces, and the essential role of citizen mobilization against drug-related violence. 

The meeting between Ann Champoux, Director General of the ICPC, and international partners such as Dina Husseini, Head of Section in the Division for the Reduction of Inequalities and Inclusive Living Environments at the City of Montreal, and Jumma Assiago, Coordinator of the Safer Cities Programme for UN-Habitat, led to explore future collaboration on the integration of inclusive and community-based strategies in crime prevention in major cities.   

Dina Husseini (City of Montréal), Jumma Assiago (ONU-Habitat) and Ann Champoux (ICPC)

Ms Champoux was also delighted to meet Anna Rau, Executive Director of the German Forum for Urban Safety (DEFUS), who has recently joined the ICPC board. Exchanges between Elizabeth Johnson, Executive Director, and Yves Van De Vloet, Associate Expert, both from EFUS, also provided an opportunity to discuss the various perspectives on the day-to-day challenges of urban safety. 

Anna Rau (DEFUS), Ann Champoux (ICPC), Yves Van De Vloet and Elizabeth Johnson (EFUS)

In addition, the exchanges with important figures such as Jean Spinette, Mayor of the municipality of Saint-Gilles in Belgium, and Sophie Lavaux, Executive Director of Safe.brussels, were particularly enlightening, marking a mutual recognition of the crucial importance of urban safety for democracy and social well-being.  

Jean Spinette (municipality of Saint-Gilles), Sophie Lavaux (Safe Brussels) and Ann Champoux (ICPC)

In conjunction  with the conference, the ICPC held its 26th annual general meeting of members on March 20, both online and in person in Brussels, in which two members were welcomed for a new term on the ICPC board: Anna Rau, Executive Director of the German Forum on Urban Security, and Barbara Holtmann, Director of Fixed Africa. This was an opportunity for our Director General to present some of the highlights of the past year, newly published reports, news from our network, and participation in/organization of international events. 

Also, during this mission, the Director General of the ICPC and two members of the Board of Directors, Frédérique Porterie, President of the Board and Public Prosecutor of Bordeaux, as well as Jean-Luc Besson, Vice-President of the Board and Expert in statistical dissemination and territorial analysis at the Ministry of the Interior, met with Étienne Apaire, Secretary General of the Interministerial Committee for the Prevention of Delinquency and Radicalisation. The meeting was held in Paris, France, to continue discussions on possible opportunities for collaboration with France. 

Ann Champoux (ICPC), Étienne Apaire (SG –CIPDR), Frédérique Porterie and Jean-Luc Besson (ICPC)

The ICPC in the media!

On April 3, 2024, Michelle Côté, scientific advisor and head of the ICPC research team, participated in an interview with journalist Benoit Dutrizac on Qub Radio to discuss about safety in private and public living spaces for girls, women, and elders in Montreal.   

Although a considerable amount of progress in terms of support for women has been made in recent years, one of the issues discussed was the importance of implementing prevention strategies for women and teenage girls in light of the rise in acts of intimidation and violence in various boroughs of the city.   

It is in this context, that in 2023, in response to the various forms of violence affecting girls, women, and the elders in the borough of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension, in Montreal, the ICPC has been mandated to conduct a local safety audit to provide an overview  of the safety situation in the borough as well as to make recommendations as to the initiatives that could be put in place to improve the current situation.  

To listen to the interview (in French) 

Read the report here (synthesized version in French) 

Read the report here (complete version in French) 

The ICPC in the media: A collaborative study reveals safety issues in the borough of Verdun, Montreal

Through a collaborative approach, the ICPC has conducted a study on the feeling of safety in the borough of Verdun, in Montreal, using data from the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) to understand the current situation. This objective analysis, combined with a survey on  the sense of safety carried out by Action Prévention Verdun (APV), provided a comprehensive picture of urban safety issues and challenges in the borough.  

The study provided a nuanced overview of the perceptions and realities of safety in Verdun and served as a platform for a more comprehensive conversation on urban safety, including the perceptions and experiences of local residents.   

The support of the ICPC in this project is a perfect illustration of the approach needed to address urban safety issues, recognizing that residents’ perceptions of safety are crucial to developing urban safety strategies that are both effective and inclusive.   

For more information, we invite you to read the following article (in French) “Portrait du sentiment de sécurité à Verdun et l’Île-des-Sœurs grâce à un sondage auprès de 512 personnes” published on March 17, 2024, on Nouvelles d’Ici. 

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) 

The ICPC took part in the 2nd Forensia conference on domestic violence

The ICPC was honored to participate in the 2nd Forensia conference on “Domestic Violence: Exploring the Intersections between Research and Practice”, held on February 16, 2024, at the Centre Mont-Royal in Montreal.

Thia conference highlighted an important objective in Forensia’s ongoing efforts to help combat domestic violence. It followed a series of significant research initiatives and projects in this field, aimed at providing new knowledge and broadening intervention perspectives to address the needs of the various stakeholders involved. The event brought together various audiences, including criminologists, social workers, specialized educators, doctors, nurses, researchers, students, decision-makers and community organizations.

The conferences covered a wide range of topics, such as the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people, Indigenous realities, the consequences of sexual violence, and the paths of perpetrators of domestic violence. One of the key themes was the importance of effective integrated violence intervention programs and practices, offering specific support to women, and the crucial importance of collaboration between research and practitioners. Programs such as “Étincelle” (for 15-17-year-olds) and “Constellation” (for 17-24-year-olds college students) were particularly highlighted. 

The ICPC’s participation in this event strengthened its focus on promoting safer, more inclusive communities.  

Thank you for the invitation! 

The ICPC has been mandated by the City of Terrebonne for a local safety audit

In collaboration with the ICPC, the City of Terrebonne, in Canada, has undertaken an initiative to strengthen the perception of safety and the well-being of its citizens. 

This approach is part of a broader effort to develop concrete strategies and actions in favor of the safety of the municipality’s residents. With more than 1.3 million dollars granted by the Quebec government’s Fund to Build Safer Communities, the consultations and discussion groups conducted since January 18 with specific communities, as well as the upcoming consultation with the City’s partners for the development of an action plan scheduled in April 2024, reflect Terrebonne’s commitment to building a safe and inclusive environment for all. An online survey taking place in February and March is also part of the elements that will allow us to properly document the security issues in this city. 

For more information, we invite you to read the article in French “Terrebonne mènera une consultation afin de connaître la perception des différentes communautés au sujet de la sécurité” on CFNJ (published February 9, 2024): https://bitly.ws/3dimZ