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

Through the Ministry of Public Safety’s Municipal Support Programme, which provides funding to municipal organizations 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 access to quality public services. This leads to challenges in hiring and retaining personnel and consequently impacts the socio-economic conditions of the population. What’s more, various historical events linked to colonization have resulted in the transmission of traumas down the generations, from which many social and economic issues arise.

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 carried out in 2022 and completed in 2023.

Presentation of two reports to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the City of Montreal has experienced a sharp increase in certain firearm-related crimes, most of which involve young people. This issue, which must be addressed through a multi-sectoral approach and which must benefit from a concerted vision, is of particular concern to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM). The SPVM, therefore, contacted the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime in order to develop its integrated plan to combat gun violence and improve its practices.

On October 27th, ICPC was invited to present highlights of two recently published reports addressing different issues related to gun violence, the first one focusing on the glorification of firearms on social media and the second one on the prevention of gun violence.

This meeting was an opportunity for the team to share best practices from the literature, but also to exchange with 14 members of the SPVM’s internal committee of experts on the issue of the rise of gun-related violence in Montreal, on the initiatives to be implemented at the community level as well as on social media in order to prevent such violence.  

Thank you to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal for the invitation.

Job offer : Communications Assistant – Summer 2022

As part of the Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages (YCWBOL) program, the ICPC is seeking to fill the position of Communications Assistant for the summer of 2022. Their tasks will include to assist the Communications Team in the implementation of the ICPC communications strategy, and to support the planning, management and promotion of the organization’s communications efforts to reach its target audiences. This is a cross-functional role that directly affects the organization’s activities before, during and after their deployment.

The objective of the summer employment activities is to provide the student with the opportunity to develop and evaluate their acquired knowledge in the field of communications in order to be able to apply it in a professional setting.

Reporting to the Communications Manager, the assistant will more specifically support two main projects:

– Promote engagement among members who have joined the organization’s network through the development of a long-term communication strategy (consolidation of the relationship with members, fostering exchanges, support, promotion).

– Support the organization of an international conference on the theme of safety in public transportation (mobilization of participants, online promotional strategy, writing and follow-up emails, organizing speakers’ travel, writing translation and revision of preparation documents)

The deadline to submit an application is on May 16, 2022. The deadline for applications has been extended to May 31, 2022.

*Applications are now closed.

To see the full job offer: Communications Assistant – Summer 2022

ICPC releases the first crime report in the Urban Agglomeration of Montreal

The ICPC has published its first report  on crime in the Agglomeration of Montreal. 

The report provides an overview of the offences that took place in the territory over the last few years, for the nineteen boroughs and fourteen related cities that make up the Urban Agglomeration of Montreal. It allows us, among other things, to know and understand the crime data collected according to the rules of the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR 2.2) of the Quebec Ministry of Public Safety, from 2015 to 2020. 

This report is divided into two sections with six chapters: 

- The first section presents the state of crime in Montreal and specifically addresses the evolving trends in crimes against the person and crimes against property, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the latter, as well as the spatial, geographical and relational dimensions of crime in the territory. 

- The second section focuses on specific issues of concern to policy makers.  

The chapters included in this section integrate an in-depth analysis of the components of offences related to the themes of sexual offences and conjugal and intra-family violence. 

Discover the report here

The report is only available in French.

A new ICPC intern

In January 2022, the ICPC welcomed a new employee to the team: Eva Croci.

Eva, Research Assistant Intern, is currently doing her master’s in international public policy at Sherbrooke University. As part of her studies, she is doing a supervised project on Western far-right terrorism with the UNESCO Chair in Prevention of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism, an ICPC partner. She gained experience as a research assistant at Sherbrooke University where she worked on issues related to terrorism and cybercrime. As part of her internship, she will work especially on projects with a focus on the prevention of the glorification of firearms on social media.

Upcoming Events – May

The DataJam Against Exploitation, an online event being held May 7-17, 2021, aims to increase public awareness of human trafficking, enhance the technical and physical capacity of participants, and strengthen collaboration across interdisciplinary sectors to prevent this crime in Canada.

This competition, funded by the Government of Canada, is offered in partnership with the ICPC, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Fundación Pasos Libres, and IBM. With the objective of developing innovative technological solutions, participating teams will have access to expert presentations, workshops, and mentoring to learn about the issue.

To this end, there will be sessions open to all, which you can attend without having to take part in the competition. As the event is taking place across Canada, please note that the official languages of communication for these sessions are French and English.

Here is the agenda of the sessions open to the public:

Saturday, May 8, 2021, 10:30-11:15 a.m. (EST) – Session in French and English

OPENING REMARKS AND WELCOMING MESSAGES

Speakers:

  • Mark Schindel, Director of Public Safety, Public Safety Canada
  • Panagiotis Papadimitriou, Team Leader, Technical Cooperation, UNODC
  • Ann Champoux, Director General, ICPC
  • Claude Guay, President and General Manager, IBM Canada
  • Sebastián Arévalo Sánchez, Co-founder, Fundación Pasos Libres

To register

 

Saturday, May 8, 2021, 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (EST) – Session in English

DATAJAM PREVISOUS EXPERIENCES

The objective of this session is to provide participants with specific examples of the dynamics and outcomes of previous DataJam competitions.

Speakers:

  • Keltoum Laghjibi, Global Public Health and Informatics Student, University of Virginia
  • Laura Rodriguez Rodriguez, Student in Computer and Systems Engineering, University of the Andes, and co-founder of Aleph Mind.

To register

 

Saturday, May 8, 2021, 12:00-1:00 p.m. (EST) – Session in English

CONFERENCE: ALBERTA’S RESPONSE TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The objective of this session is for participants to understand the importance of partnerships to provide high quality services to victims of human trafficking.

  • Speaker:
  • Jane Fox, Director General, REACH

To register

 

Saturday, May 8, 2021, 12:00-1:00 p.m. (EST) – Session in French

CONFERENCE: VICTIMS OF SEX TRAFFICKING IN THE AMERICAS

This session aims to provide participants with a better understanding of how the issue of human trafficking has been addressed by seven countries in the Americas, including Canada.

Speaker:

  • Fernando A. Chinchilla, Ph.D., Senior Analyst, ICPC

To register

 

Saturday, May 8, 2021, 2:00-3:00 p.m. (EST) – Session in English

CONFERENCE: HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESEARCH IN CANADA

The objective of this session is to increase participants’ awareness of the challenges of data collection on human trafficking.

Speaker:

  • Kathy AuCoin, Chief, Analysis Program, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Statistics Canada

To register

 

Saturday, May 8, 2021, 2:00-3:00 p.m. (EST) – Session in French

CONFERENCE: HOW TO DEVELOP TOOLS THAT HELP PREVENT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS: WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO?

The goal of this session is to help participants understand and appreciate the importance of measuring the effects and implications (intended and unintended) of their anti-trafficking solutions.

Speaker:

  • Josée Mensales, Co-founder and coordinator of the Survivors Program, Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM)

To register

 

Saturday, May 8, 2021, 3:00-4:30 p.m. (EST) – Session in French and English

PANEL – TRAFFICKING AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES: HUMAN AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES

This panel invites participants to better understand why certain communities are more vulnerable to human trafficking and what are the technological and human challenges to curb the phenomenon. Two survivors will also contribute to the discussion.

Speakers:

  • Nathalie Khlat, Co-founder and Director of Projects, Le Phare des AffranchiEs
  • Diane Redsky, Executive Director, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata

To register

 

Saturday, May 9, 2021, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) – Session in English

CASE STUDY: HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND DATA ANALYSIS

At the end of this session, participants will know how the first ever global data hub to facilitate the sharing of information about human trafficking across industries works.

Speaker:

  • Neil Giles, Director, Traffik Analysis Hub

To register

 

Saturday, May 9, 2021, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) – Session in English

CASE STUDY: PROJECT SHADOW

At the end of this session, participants will have an overview of Project Shadow and some of the most advanced analytic capabilities to combat human trafficking.

Speakers:

  • Joseph Mari, Director, Financial Intelligence Unit and External Partners, Scotiabank
  • Vishal Gossain, Vice President, AML/ATF Analytics

To register

Upcoming webinar on risks and trends in online child exploitation

UPCOMING WEBINAR-DISCUSSION
Cybertip.ca: Risks and trends in online child exploitation

Date: April 29, 2021
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (EST)
Online registration

As part of the DataJam Against Exploitation, a competition being held from May 7 to May 17, 2021, to develop technological solutions to combat human trafficking in Canada, the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Fundación Pasos Libres and IBM Corporate Social Responsibility, is pleased to invite you to its upcoming webinar "Cybertip.ca: Risks and trends in online child exploitation" on Thursday, April 29.

We are excited to host René Morin, francophone spokesperson for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for this discussion.

There will also be an interactive chat at the end of the discussion to learn more about the DataJam Against Exploitation competition being held this spring (https://www.ibm.org/data-jam) and to answer your questions.

Please note that the webinar will be held in French.

Online registration

The ICPC launches a competition to combat human trafficking in Canada

The ICPC is pleased to have launched the DataJam Against Exploitation, a technological competition to combat human trafficking in Canada, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Fundación Pasos Libres and IBM Corporate Social Responsibility. This competition, funded by the Government of Canada, seeks to increase public awareness of human trafficking, improve participants’ technical and substantive capabilities, and enhance collaboration among interdisciplinary sectors in Canada.

The competition will be held online from May 7th to May 17th, 2021, and includes a three-day training and mentoring program on human trafficking and IBM technologies facilitated by partner organizations and relevant stakeholders engaged in combatting human trafficking.

This DataJam will focus on designing tech-based solutions that will contribute to developing tech-based solutions to specific challenges in combatting human trafficking in Canada. Participants will be required to select one of the following challenges:

  1. Solutions that provide new insights into human trafficking of Indigenous, Northern and remote communities, LGBTQI+ people, or vulnerable youth, to raise awareness, detect, and prosecute crime against these communities.
  2. Solutions to identify, prevent and prosecute youth and child exploitation online, most notably in social media and online gaming platforms.
  3. Solutions exploring the relationship between human trafficking and socioeconomic factors, migration, COVID-19, natural disasters, or major events to identify trafficking patterns, networks and hotspots.

For more information and to register: https://www.ibm.org/data-jam

*Please note that the deadline to register is April 26, 2021. Registration deadline has been extended to May 3, 2021.

Upcoming Event: Launch of the 2021 DataJam Against Exploitation

The ICPC, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, Fundación Pasos Libres and IBM Corporate Social Responsibility are joining forces to launch the 2021 DATAJAM AGAINST EXPLOITATION, a technological innovation competition that seeks to increase public awareness of human trafficking, improve participants' technical and substantive capabilities, and enhance collaboration among interdisciplinary sectors in Canada.

We invite you to participate in the launch event on Thursday, April 1, at 1:00 pm (EST): Registration

This will be an information session, in French and English, to introduce the competition and an opportunity to ask your questions.
For more information and to find out how to support this competition : Concept note (in English and French)