The ICPC took part part in a seminar on “Crime Challenges in Ecuador 2023” held at the Central University of Ecuador on 12 June 2023. Organized by the Faculty of Jurisprudence, the Julio Endara Institute of Criminology at the Central University of Ecuador, and the Pan-American Studies Center (CEPEIGE), the seminar brought together various academic and institutional players from Ecuador and other Latin American countries to discuss different approaches, methods, and tools for preventing crime-related challenges. It was in this context that Oscar Figueroa, ICPC strategic consultant for Latin America, presented the mission, the network of members around the world, and the organization’s main current projects.
The International Centre for the Prevention of Crime recently participated in the 32nd session of the UNODC Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which took place from 22 to 25 May 2023 in Vienna, Austria. The event included the spring coordination meeting of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme (UNCPJ) network, of which the ICPC is a member.
Ann Champoux, Director General of the ICPC, represented the organisation at this 32nd meeting, marking the return of this in-person event since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the event, Ann Champoux attended the main PNI workshop, which focused on “Improving the operation of the criminal justice system to ensure access to justice and a safe and secure society”, as well as taking part in conferences on key crime prevention issues.
This international meeting was an opportunity for the ICPC to consolidate its partnerships with several major staekeholders involved in violence prevention. Alongside meetings with members of our network, the ICPC had the pleasure of talking to Ian Tennant, head of the Vienna multilateral representation of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), and Walter Kemp, director of global strategy against transnational crime at GI-TOC. They were able to discuss the ICPC’s Urban Safety Laboratory model and explore partnership opportunities between the two organizations.
The ICPCwould like to thank the organizers of the PNI meeting, as well as all the participants and partners with whom productive exchangeshas been held.
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:
The issue of harassment on public transport is a major problem, particularly detrimental to women.
Crime does not occur randomly; it is influenced by circumstances and factors that facilitate criminal opportunities and acts of delinquency.
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:
The first session of the 2023 Inter-American Community of Crime Observatories, Department of Public Security of the Organization of American States, was held on April 26. The ICPC was represented at the event by Oscar Figueroa, the organization’s Latin American consultant.
The session focused on the transfer of prevention and security models between two municipalities in the region, and the important role played by Observatories in the design, implementation, and monitoring of projects. Representatives from the municipality of Peñalolén (Chile) and the municipality of Nezahualcóyotl (Mexico) shared their respective models of rights promotion and social prevention, as well as their model of social proximity, and also shared the lessons learned from the exchange and transfers carried out. Security experts emphasized the importance of collaboration and communication between crime observatories to achieve effective security solutions.
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.
As part of its ongoing commitment to public safety, the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) is proud to announce its participation in the Municipal Crime Prevention Support Program project for a fourth consecutive year. This initiative, supported by the provincial government, aims to strengthen community safety and prevent crime through a variety of preventive measures. This year, ICPC has been specifically mandated to support the municipalities of Blainville, L’Ancienne-Lorette, the Portneuf MRC, Notre-Dame-de-Ham, Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac and Brandon in their crime prevention efforts.
The purpose of this program is to provide funding to municipal organizations, including aboriginal organizations, with populations of less than 100,000, to enable them to design and implement preventive actions tailored to the crime and safety issues that concern them.
As part of the MSP’s crime prevention mandate, the ICPC has been mandated to support these municipalities in implementing a structured approach to prevention planning.
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.
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.
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.
The proceedings are available in French and English.
It is with great pride thatour 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 consideringevolving forms of criminal activity, the increasing availability and accessibility of sophisticated technologies, and shifting criminal motivations.
Organized by the Faculty of Jurisprudence, the Julio Endara Institute of Criminology at the Central University of Ecuador, and the Pan-American Studies Center (CEPEIGE), the seminar brought together various academic and institutional players from Ecuador and other Latin American countries to discuss different approaches, methods, and tools for preventing crime-related challenges. It was in this context that Oscar Figueroa, ICPC strategic consultant for Latin America, presented the mission, the network of members around the world, and the organization’s main current projects. 
