Category: Latest News

Visit from a Cameroonian delegation to the ICPC: towards closer collaboration on Urban Safety

On Tuesday the 26th of Junethe ICPC had the pleasure of being visited by the President of the RC3D ( Réseau pour la Coopération Décentralisée et le Développement Durable), Ms Angèle Bagnia, and Mr Jean Bruno Tagne, Director General.   

An active partner of the ICPC for many years, the RC3D promotes international and inter-professional exchanges of experience and knowledge sharing, in order to create a platform for exchange that is unique in Africa and Canada.  

We were also honoured to welcome a delegation of mayors from the Cameroonian capital Douala: Mr Jean-Jacques Lengue Malapa, mayor of the Douala 1st Arrondissement, Mr Valentin Epoupa Bossambo, mayor of the Douala 3rd Arrondissement, and Mr Richard Mfeungwang, mayor of the Douala 5th Arrondissement.  

The meeting led to discuss the ICPC’s participation in a session on urban safety during the 8th edition of the RC3D’s Forum for Decentralised Cooperation and Development (FOCODDEV), which will take place in Montreal from 27 November to 1 December 2023. In addition, this discussion focused on the aim of establishing ICPC’s Urban Safety Lab model adapted in Cameroon.  

The ICPC participated in the municipal summit on homelessness 

On September 15, 2023, we were privileged to represent the ICPC in the Municipal Summit on Homelessness organized by the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ), a member of the ICPC.   

Close to 400 leading representatives involved in the prevention and eradication of homelessness, including many of the region’s mayors and local representatives, gathered to put forward creative ideas on how to work together effectively to solve the problems associated with the situation of people living on the streets.    

In addition to funding needs, the importance of implementing innovative and sustainable solutions in Quebec, inspired on projects that have already proved effective internationally, such as the “Housing First” project in Finland, which has reduced homelessness by more than 50%, was highlighted.    

The management of urban spaces with the purpose of providing and developing resources and assistance programmes that are better adapted to meet the challenges posed by homelessness, particularly in terms of everyone’s sense of safety, is first and foremost a collaborative effort. 

The ICPC mandated by the MSP to carry out a local safety audit in Pakua Shipi

Through the Municipal Support Programme (MSP), which provides funding to municipal organisations with populations of less than 100,000 in the province of Quebec, the ICPC has been mandated to carry out a local safety audit for the community of Pakua Shipi. This initiative, supported by the provincial government, aims to strengthen community safety and prevent crime through a range of preventive measures.  

A small Innu community on the Lower North Shore with a population of 350, Pakua Shipi’s geographical isolation makes it difficult to provide a range of quality public services. This leads to challenges in hiring and retaining staff, and consequently impacts the socio-economic conditions of the population. In addition, various historical events linked to colonisation have resulted in traumas being passed down through the generations, leading to a number of social and economic problems. 

In this context, the ICPC’s expertise in carrying out a local safety audit is an essential first step in assessing safety and violence issues in the community, before putting in place long-term solutions and an action plan for the community. 

This project was completed in 2022 and finished in 2023.

2023 Summer School: a first edition to build tomorrow’s safe cities

From 24 to 25 August, 2023, the ICPC had the pleasure of hosting the first edition of its Summer School at the Centre St-Pierre in Montreal, which focused on the theme of “Urban safety in action: building tomorrow’s safe cities“.

The central theme of this first edition was to highlight prevention in urban travel and support competent management when it comes to the safety of urban areas.   

More than twenty people attended the presentations, which covered topics such as urban safety as an approach based on living spaces, as an approach based on decision-making spaces, and crime prevention strategies for urban mobility. Also, the participants discussed the recommendations suggested by the ICPC and its collaborators, as well as took part in a collective formulation of possible solutions to the difficulties they regularly encounter in their day-to-day work in and around Montreal.  

It was an honour to welcome Paola Porcelli, coordinator at the YMCA and specialist in mental health and intercultural approaches, as well as Sophie Paquin, director of undergraduate programmes in urban planning at the ESG at UQAM and member of the International Chair on the Uses and Practices of the Intelligent City, as speakers and guests for these two days. 

We would like to thank all the participants, as well as the guest speakers, with whom we had fruitful discussions and who contributed to the success of the event.  

We look forward to seeing you again next year! 

Two activities offered in summer 2023 by RÉSAL as part of its community of practice

As part of building the community of practice of the Réseau d’échange et de soutien aux actions locales (RÉSAL), of which the ICPC is a member and coordinator, two thematic training cycles were held in summer 2023. One cycle focused on “Restorative justice prevention with young people”, on 7 June, and the other cycle focused on the theme of “Preventing violence committed against LGBTQ+ youth”, on 14 June at the Centre St-Pierre (part 1) and on 31 August 2023 online (part 2).  

The RÉSAL community of practice brings together field workers, community organisations and institutions working with young people in the Greater Montreal area. The aim of these activities, relating to 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.   

Prevention through restorative justice with young people, Catherine Lapierre, Director of Restorative Justice Services at Equijustice and Laurence Wauthier, Coordinator of Equijustice – Montreal West. .

The aim of this first training session was to provide people affected by crime (victims, perpetrators, witnesses, family members) or conflict with the tools they need to engage in a restorative and mediation process, and to highlight the principles of restorative justice and its importance in offering confidential, safe and respectful listening and discussion forums for all concerned.  

Preventing violence committed against LGBTQ+ youth, Julie-Maude Beauchesne, psychosocial counsellor and trainer, and Olivia Baker, head of the ProAllié programme at Fondation Émergence

For this second training course, in a context of increasing violence against young people from the LGBTQ+ community due to homophobia and transphobia, the workshops provided tools to help prevent such violence, by helping to create an environment where acceptance and inclusion are valued, and to develop the ability to detect problematic situations quickly as well as the means to provide support and assistance.  

A big thank you to the invited speakers and participants for these exchanges that contributed to the success of the events!   

A series of activities by the RÉSAL community of practice will be scheduled for autumn/winter 2023. 

The ICPC unveiled its report on the analysis of criminal incidents involving the use of a firearm in the Greater Montreal area

In response to the growing concern about firearms incidents in Montreal, the ICPC is proud to announce the publication of its report on the analysis of criminal incidents involving the use of a firearm in the Greater Montreal area.  

This report, made possible with the financial support of the Quebec Ministry of Public Security, highlights the context in which firearms are used in the Greater Montreal area, based on the criminal offence codes used.  

Read the press release  

ICPC participated in a webinar on the prevention of violence and radicalization

On June 29, the ICPC was pleased to participate in the webinar “Preventing Social Polarization and Radicalization in Education and Beyond” organized by its partner the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention (CMNCP). 

During this webinar, nearly sixty participants, such as practicioners, school professionals and members of the RMCPC community, held a discussion on”the role of education professionals in preventing social polarization and radicalization leading to violence”. The purpose of this webinar was to present an overview of the study’s main findings  and the recommendations that arose from the 2-year project funded by Public Safety Canada on “Examining the role of school professionals in preventing social polarization and radicalization leading to violence”. As a result, a number of issues relating to the prevention of radicalization, violence, social polarization and cyberspace in Canadian schools were addressed.   

This event was an opportunity for the ICPC to learn more about international practices regarding the prevention of radicalization leading to violence, as well as issues that people working in schools may encounter. These were presented by CPN-PREV, CIVIX, Strong Cities Network and Foundation for a path forward. 

The ICPC published a report on the analysis of criminal incidents involving the use of a firearm in the Greater Montreal area

In Montreal today, one issue is causing concern: gun-related violence. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a troubling trend seems to be emerging: an increase in incidents involving firearms in the heart of the city, with the majority of victims under the age of 25. This growing concern has led the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime to carry out an in-depth study to fully grasp the phenomenon and understand its players, thanks to the financial support of the Quebec Ministry of Public Security.    

By examining these events, the ICPC aims to provide essential elements for a better understanding of this complex reality and to find ways of dealing with it.   

Analyzing incidents involving a firearm from 2015 to 2020, which represent more than 924 criminal cases recorded by the Montreal City Police Service, the primary aim of this report is to shed light on the context in which firearms are used in the Greater Montreal area, based on the criminal offence codes used.   

The report is therefore as follows: 

    • A detailed analysis of general trends in the form of figures.   
    • A profile of the alleged perpetrators and victims, as well as the links between them, and the places and times of the incidents.  
    • A discussion and relevant recommendations. 

    Read the report here (only available in French)