Category: Latest News

Proceedings of the 7th International Conference of the ICPC on the security of mobility: a review of the paths of action, innovation and prevention

From October 4 to 6, 2022, the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime organized the 7th International Conference on Observation, Analysis and Prevention of Insecurity, in collaboration with the French Ministry of Transport, the International Union of Railways, the International Association of Public Transport, the Union of Public Transports, Safe.brussels, the Institute of Higher Studies of the Ministry of the Interior, the government of Quebec and the government of Canada. The event took place at the headquarters of the International Union of Railways in Paris.

The main theme of the conference was Security in Mobility. Through a collaboration with French, Belgian, and Canadian partners, the event succeeded in presenting various approaches and raising awareness on multiple issues surrounding safety and insecurity in mobility. This conference revealed the importance of the risks and challenges faced by public transport, which is part of our daily lives.

The conference included several workshops addressing a wide range of topics related to safety and insecurity in mobility. These topics included the feeling of insecurity, public transit harassment, crisis management in the face of the terrorist threat, verbal abuse and aggression against staff, fare evasion, crisis management, and technological prevention tools, social prevention of violence and incivilities, crisis management: sharing experiences on current crisis situations, and situational prevention and the CPTED approach in mobility. 

These proceedings are a complete synthesis of all the information shared during the activities, as well as the exchanges between the different speakers and the participants. They are now available for consultation.

The main points to remember are as follows:

  1. The issue of harassment on public transport is a major problem, particularly detrimental to women.
  2. Crime does not occur randomly; it is influenced by circumstances and factors that facilitate criminal opportunities and acts of delinquency.
  3. There is a paradoxical cohabitation between individuals in great precariousness and users who pay for a service and naturally expect a certain level of quality.

You can access the proceedings by clicking on the corresponding links:

English version

French version

***A Spanish version will be available soon.

Two new ICPC interns

In April 2023, the ICPC welcomed two new interns to the team: Zoé Korczak and Paul Liotard.

Zoé is a second-year communications student at the University of Strasbourg and has been working as a communications assistant intern since April 2023. During a previous internship in the theatre industry in France, she had the opportunity to develop her communication and event planning skills by working on various projects such as creating promotional materials and contacting the media. Passionate about audiovisuals, Zoé will put her knowledge into practice in order to support the various projects underway at the ICPC.

Paul is a student in business and administration management at the IUT of Valence in France, at the University of Grenoble-Alpes. He joined the team as a communications assistant intern. Through the various projects he has worked on during his studies, Paul has developed his communication and marketing skills, which he will use to effectively contribute to the ICPC’s mission.

Welcome to the team!  

ICPC interviewed on Radio-Canada’s “Les faits d’abord” radio show

On March 18th, the ICPC was invited to participate in the radio program “Les faits d’abord” on Radio-Canada to discuss the following question: Are mass killings likely to increase?

The recent tragic events in Amqui, Quebec have sparked concerns regarding violent behavior, and experts in the field have addressed the issue through a discussion. Michelle Côté, scientific advisor at the ICPC, discussed the risk behaviors associated with violent actions and proposed a multi-stakeholder approach to prevent different types of violence. Cécile Rousseau, a clinical psychiatrist and researcher who holds the Canada Research Chair in the Prevention of Violent Radicalization, emphasized the importance of prevention to avoid an increase in such tragedies, which may be related to mental health issues but are not limited to them. Dave Poitras, a scientific advisor specializing in violence prevention at the Institut national de santé publique du Québec, also participated in the discussion, shedding light on the phenomenon of contagion after a massacre and the crucial role of media in these situations.

To listen to the interview (in French): http://bit.ly/3JBYBeS

The CIPC on an international mission in Dubai

Keeping with its international character, the ICPC was invited on a mission in Dubai to participate in the World Police Summit 2023, from March 7 to 9, organized by the Dubaï police. Other meetings were concluded throughout the week, marked by knowledge sharing from different crime-related networks worldwide.

On March 7, ICPC Director General, Ann Champoux, offered a presentation to nearly 200 people about the work the organization has done over its nearly 30-year existence. During her conference, “Challenges facing the crime detection and prevention systems: a road map for the future”, the Director General also presented the positive experience of the Urban Safety Laboratory and its successful implementation within the City of Montreal. The perspective of working in collaboration with police services, under this governance model, to provide accurate data analysis for the aim of preventing crime in a city, generated the interest of the audience.

On Wednesday, March 8, a meeting with the Canadian Consul in Dubai was held at the Canadian Consulate offices. Ann Champoux and Jean-Philippe Linteau explored the possibilities of development and collaboration in crime prevention, analyzing the situation in the region and possible local partnerships.

On March 9 morning, Ms. Champoux met with Major Ahmed al Marri and Major Mohamed Al Hammade from Dubai Police’s Crime Prevention Department. They discussed the various crime issues in both countries, mainly related to cyber violence and ICPC’s expertise in security in mobility. Thank you to the Dubai Police for your interest in our work and for possible partnerships between our institutions.

ICPC participates in a day of workshops organized by the Quebec Ministry of Public Safety

On March 14, the ICPC had the opportunity to participate in a day of workshops on gun violence prevention, organized by the Quebec Ministry of Public Safety. The goal of the workshops was to discuss the main initiatives carried out under the 2019-2023 Action Plan, that is part of the Contribution Agreement of the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund. We are grateful to the Ministry for providing us with this opportunity to present our activities and results in relation to our Montreal Urban Safety Laboratory. This event allowed the ICPC to share its knowledge and expertise in urban safety, and to discuss with other stakeholders involved in the fight against gun violence.

A new employee joins the ICPC team

In March 2023, the ICPC welcomed a new employee to the team: Maxime Raulet.

Maxime, analyst and project officer, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Lorraine in France and the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Romania. His field of interest was the analysis of territorial decision-making processes in developing countries. He then completed a Master’s degree in Geography at the Université du Québec à Montréal, producing his dissertation on internationalized governance in Haiti and the inherent questions raised by the community-based approach developed by humanitarian stakeholders in the planning of the Haitian territory. Thus, the search for improved urban resilience through the application of more inclusive participatory processes and consultations is central to the issues that interest him.

Welcome to the team!

ICPC meeting with the Association of Police Directors of Quebec

On February 21st, 2023, the ICPC met with the Association of Police Directors of Quebec (ADPQ) to present its ongoing projects and services. The meeting provided an opportunity to explore possibilities for collaboration in order to expand the range of services offered and support municipalities in Quebec, as well as to work with a greater number of police services in the province’s urban centers. The meeting strengthened the relationship between the ICPC and the ADPQ, and opened up new avenues for collaboration to better meet the security needs of the population.

3rd RÉSAL colloquium: Nearly 100 participants discussed the prevention of cyber-violence

On Wednesday, February 15, about a hundred people participated of the Réseau d’échange et de soutien aux actions locales  (RÉSAL), of which the ICPC is a coordinating member. The colloquium, which took place at the Centre St-Pierre, in Montreal, focused on the prevention of cyber-violence. The day was filled with engaging meetings, discussions, workshops and “braindates”.

The event began with opening remarks from Roselyne Mavungu, Director General of the Centre for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence (CPRLV), who highlighted the critical need for organizations and institutions to collaborate and work together in preventing cyber-violence, particularly among young people. Pier Alexandre Lemaire, Urban Safety Advisor for the City of Montreal’s Diversity and Social Inclusion Department, followed with an overview of RÉSAL’s past activities, emphasizing the importance of networking and the value of face-to-face interactions after three years of primarily online engagement.

Khaoula El Kahlil, Research Advisor at the CPRLV, moderated the first panel of the day, on ”Crossed views on cyber-violence”, and featured experts from various fields. Detective Sergeant, Maya Alieh, of the Montreal Police Department (SPVM) gave a presentation on key considerations to keep in mind regarding cyber investigations and how to intervene when faced with incidents of cyber violence on social networks. Stéphane Villeneuve, professor and director of the program in digital integration in the school environment at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), presented research on cyberbullying in the school environment as well as a means to better understand and prevent these situations, i.e. a training program offered to Quebec teachers. Dominique Gagné and Dave Poitras, scientific advisors from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ), concluded the panel with a presentation on findings and proposed solutions to prevent cyber-violence in relationships

After the first panel, both panelists and participants were divided into different groups to delve deeper into current issues and best practices for preventing cyber-violence. These discussions were organized by the event’s partner, Braindate, allowing participants to share their experiences and insights with each other.

The afternoon was divided into four workshops: The first workshop, facilitated by Jeanne Plisson, Community Support Coordinator, and Sarah Grenier, Community Support Advisor, at the CPRLV, addressed ”online hate speech”. In this workshop, participants learned about definitions of hate speech, the different possible forms that hate can take and the prevailing motives for it to occur. They also presented different tools used to prevent and respond to hate speech incidents, primarily in schools.

The second workshop offered, led by Akim Laniel-Lanani, co-founder of the Clinique de cyber-criminologie  at the School of Criminology at the Université de Montréal (UdeM), focused on “cyber-hygiene”. Akim presented an overview of the use of social networks by youth before discussing useful tools and resources available to promote healthy online habits.

UdeM criminology professor Isabelle Ouellet-Morin led a third workshop that  provided participants with an opportunity to learn more about the research that led to the creation of the “+Fort” mobile application. This app, a collaboration of several Quebec researchers created by the Axel Centre, aims to help youth and school professionals combat and overcome harassment and cyberstalking.

The fourth workshop of the day, “Getting Connected to Equality”, was led by Léna Gauthier-Paquette, support officer for the sexuality education program of L’Anonyme. The workshop focused on a project that aims to equip youth aged 12 to 25 to develop egalitarian, safe and consensual relationships by initiating a reflection on the sharing of real and virtual public space between genders. This activity allowed participants to understand the manifestations of stereotypes, power dynamics and sexism online through an overview based on the organization’s research. The day concluded with exchanges between participants and closing remarks from the CPRLV.

Please note that proceedings of the conference will soon be published online.

The ICPC at the 2023 World Police Summit in Dubai

It is with great pride that our General Director, Ann Champoux, has accepted the invitation to participate in the World Police Summit 2023 in Dubaï, which will take place from March 7 to 9. We are grateful for this opportunity to speak about ICPC’s expertise in crime prevention. On March 7, she will take part in a discussion on “Challenges Facing Crime Detection and Prevention Systems: A Roadmap for the Future”.  

The 2nd edition of the World Police Summit, organized by the Dubai Police, offers a high-level platform to discuss the pressing priorities facing police forces and law enforcement agencies considering evolving forms of criminal activity, the increasing availability and accessibility of sophisticated technologies, and shifting criminal motivations. 

For more information on the World Police Summit: https://www.worldpolicesummit.com/