Tag: collaboration

When the social sciences take to the streets: Université Laval students sound out Lévis

From March 20 to 27, a dozen master’s students in the social sciences at Laval University took to the streets of Lévis on Quebec City’s south shore to engage with the community. Their mission? They were there as part of a major project run by the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) in collaboration with the City of Lévis. The project involved students taking the pulse of the city, tablet in hand 

Working in pairs, the students visited a number of strategic areas to circulate a questionnaire among the population. The objective was to achieve a broad representation of the city’s demographics, particularly the younger segment that is often underrepresented in conventional consultations. The gamble paid off: 759 people took the time to respond, including 1 in 10 under the age of 25. The initiative’s success is further underscored by the fact that 1 in 10 respondents were under the age of 25. 

These future professionals are immersed in the world of applied research. From the initial call for tenders to the analysis of the results, they are involved in every stage of the project. The next stage is the quantitative analysis of the data provided by the City, which will be carried out in small groups. In mid-April, Maxime Raulet, a ICPC analyst and project officer, will participate in evaluating the process 

This field project seamlessly integrates learning, civic engagement and tangible impact for the community, showcasing a remarkable example of collaboration between the university, the city and the ICPC. 

The ICPC welcomes a new international member

The ICPC is proud to announce a new collaboration with the 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.  

In view of the forthcoming collaboration between the ICPC and the UBP, the aim is to open doors for the exchange of information and experience, thereby broadening our understanding and working methods in the field of urban safety. Also, 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 was 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.  

Participation of the ICPC in the official launch of the Table d’action et de concertation montréalaise en exploitation sexuelle (TACMES)

On March 22, 2023, the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) took part in the official launch of the Table d’action et de concertation montréalaise en exploitation sexuelle (TACMES), which took place at the Centre St-Pierre in Montreal. The event gathered between 40 and 60 participants who attended this key meeting for the prevention of sexual exploitation.

ICPC presented the project to develop a second line of sexual exploitation prevention services for youth aged 12 to 25 as well as an interactive map that lists the contacts of all TACMES members, as well as other stakeholders in Montreal and the rest of Quebec. This map is available to all TACMES members to check and use as a directory.

A moment of networking allowed all participants to exchange with many of the organizations present, such as Les Survivantes, Plein Milieu, the International Bureau for Children’s Rights, L’Anonyme, Dans la rue, Réseau Enfant-Retour, and many others.

This first TACMES meeting was a success and promises future fruitful collaborations between members to fight against sexual exploitation in Montreal. ICPC is proud to be part of this initiative and is committed to contributing to the prevention of this issue.

Police-population seminar organized in collaboration with Espoir 18 in Paris

On October 11th and 12th, a seminar on improving communication between police and the public took place in Paris. The event was organized through a partnership between ICPC and the Parisian organization Espoir 18.  The objective of this seminar was to present successful initiatives undertaken internationally on constructive dialogue between law enforcement and community members, through round tables, an audience of academics, police officers, and civil society stakeholders.

Since 2019, ICPC and Espoir 18 have been collaborating on a project on improving police-population dialogue, with a particular emphasis on the young public and minority groups in their relationship with the police institution. This partnership is therefore part of a research on ways to improve this type of dialogue, to document innovative experiences and practices at the international level and to promote knowledge transfer.  This year, several activities were carried out as part of this collaboration: a review of international good practices was co-authored, ICPC hosted the Espoir 18 team in Montreal as part of its North American theatre tour, and this seminar which took place in October.

The seminar included :

  • The presentation of the practice review “Improving Police-Population Dialogue: An Introduction to International Issues and Practices” produced by ICPC and Espoir 18, with the support of the Open Society Foundations;    
  • The presentation of successful national (in France) and international initiatives along with round table discussions; 
  • The screening and debate of a documentary made by the young of Espoir 18 on racial profiling; 
  • Stories of young people, families, and police officers on the relationship between the police and the population; 
  • An evening debate on possible solutions to improve the police-population dialogue and a future action plan to be put in place.  

The development of an action plan for the period 2023 to 2025 based on the exchanges and lessons learned from the seminar will be produced for the next phase of this collaboration.