Blog - Noticias

THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS CLOSED WITH FRUITFUL RESULTS

2011-11-15T10:29:19Z

IT CONCLUDED WITH SEVERAL SETS OF INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES THANKS TO THE PARTICIPATION OF OVER 100 EXPERTS FROM 15 COUNTRIES AND VARIOUS FIELDS

On the 22nd of October our International Congress on Public Safety in a Diverse Society drew to a close. Thanks to the active participation of 100 experts and professionals from different countries and fields, we attained the main objective we had initially set out. A major exchange of interesting experiences in different fields and contexts led to new knowledge (especially in the form of International Guidelines) based on joint analyses from different disciplines. This all took place within a warm and friendly atmosphere we all enjoyed and which allowed us to make new friendships. It also enabled us to begin talking about future joint programmes to be carried out among different cities and countries

We received many congratulations which we'd like to pass on to all participants for their active involvement. Thank you very much for dedicating these days to the Congress.

International Guidelines for the future of public safety and governance in a diverse society.

Thanks to the joint analysis by all participants and to the citizens', professionals' and experts' prior participative work in various places and within various fields, we managed to close the Congress with a series of general Guidelines in specific areas. These could help to orient models and methodologies of public safety and governance as well as exchanges of experiences and collaboration among cities and countries in terms of safety and integration in diverse societies.

You can download the following Congress documents here:

□ Congress Conclusions (a general summary and panel-by-panel break-down)

□ The International Guidelines on Public Safety in a Diverse Society (results of the International conference process);

□ The International Guidelines for Governance in a Diverse Community;

□ The International Guidelines for Non Discriminatory Practices in Public Safety;

□ The International Guidelines for the Protection of the Universal Right to have a Home.

The Guidelines are open to all interesting inputs and feedbacks which you can send to us. They will be published in our Congress Book and presented to national and international organisations to be disseminated, promoted and applied where possible.

More information on our Congress is available in our Newsletter number 7 and in our Congress page.

New contributions to the Congress from a variety of disciplines

2011-08-10T09:10:32Z

Throughout July, there were a large number of requests for invitations to attend the congress and proposed communications from different countries, especially in Europe and the Americas. The communications present a rich variety of subjects which will allow us to address public safety as an integral, multi-faceted and interdisciplinary concept during the Congress.

We would like to remind those who have only sent us a title that we need the summaries (maximum 350 words) by the end of August. This will allow us to conclude the Congress programme. Remember that you also have the opportunity to publish an article related to you communication in the Congress Book. You have until the opening of the Congress to hand in your article.

STUDY GROUPS FOR SYMPOSIA ON KEY ISSUES

2011-08-10T09:09:32Z

New experts and participants from different entities are joining the Study Groups for the symposia which will take place during the Congress. A Symposium is a meeting of experts who analyse a key issue needing to be addressed at international level, in order to define a series of guidelines or recommendations for all countries. There are already 3 proposed Symposia co-organized, together with our Public Safety Community Programme, by the following entities:

□ Good police practices for non discrimination of social and cultural diversity. Co-organised by the Open Society Justice Initiative.

□ The situation of the homeless: local problems, international solutions. Co-organised by Rais (European FEANTSA network invited)

□ Needs and guidelines for community governance. Co-organised by Wijkaanpak office, City of Amsterdam.

As an expert or entity, if you are interested in participating in or co-organising a symposium, or if you have another proposal, contact us soon (end of August at the latest).

Many thanks to all the co-organisers and participants in the Study Group.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE PREPARATORY MEETING HELD IN CICERO ILLINOIS

2011-08-10T09:06:02Z

A preparatory meeting for the International Conference taking place during the International Congress took place on the 14th of July in Cicero (a municipality outside Chicago). This meeting is also part of the process of defining an integral public safety model for the Town of Cicero.

The meeting was organised by the NGO Corazón, and especially by Adam Alonso, co-ordinator of the CeaseFire programme. A long list of public and private institutions from Cicero took part in the meeting. Representatives from Enlace Chicago from Little Village which borders Cicero were also present.

Thank you to all and in particular to the organisers.

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING IN PARIS

2011-08-10T08:59:35Z

As an international course of our Training Programme, a delegation of police chiefs and professionals from different social fields in Spain visited Paris from the 6th to the 8th of July to learn about policing practices, particularly in troublesome areas on the city's outskirts. We were able to observe the differences in proximity models with regards to regions such as Holland which we visited during another international course.

We would like to thank the French National Police in Paris for their hospitality and dedication to us, as well as the delegation of the French Embassy for their assistance in organising the visit.

I NEIGHBOURHOOD GAMES

2011-07-28T12:10:11Z

On Friday the 17th of June from 18:00 to 21:00 the "I Neighbourhood Games" took place on the Plaza de Comendadoras in the University of Madrid's Central District neighbourhood. This initiative aimed to foster the preventive role of community education, the importance of learning and collective knowledge and neighbourhood culture as means of integrating youths in their social surroundings and as ways of preventing risk behaviour.

Children, teens and adults came together on the square and shared neighbourhood games, painting, music and design activities. It was an evening enjoyed by all in which age, social condition or belonging to some group did not present a barrier to enjoyment.

The Instituto Lope de Vega, Los Mayores también cuentan, GIIS Calle Norte, Grupo Raga, Palmapapel and various social intervention associations as well as local businesses collaborated in organising these activities. Their support was essential in the realisation of the activity.

Thanks to everyone who participated and well done!

MEDIA ROUND TABLE

2011-07-28T12:04:57Z

On Thursday the 2nd of June, at the IE School of Business in Madrid, the Media Round Table took place: "Inform before criminalizing: an inevitable dilemma?", presided over by Luis Rendueles, journalist and collaborator in the "Julia en la onda" programme and Alfonso Egea, coordinator of the research and news section at Onda Cero radio station. The round table was moderated by Javier Urra, forensic psychologist, and resulted in an intense debate on how to deal with information on public safety in an appropriate manner when it came to publishing it in the media in order to avoid criminalising individuals, groups, families or neighbourhoods.

NEW YORK COMMUNITY COURTS

2011-07-28T12:04:11Z

The 14th of June was one of the International Seminar days at which Judge Rubén Martino, Presiding Judge of the Harlem Community Justice Centre spoke of the experience of New York community judges. Their intervention is carried out via restorative and mediatory measures among others. His conference was a great opportunity for the professionals from different areas to learn of justice practiced from non-traditional points of view and analysed the possibilities of applying these methods in Spain.

Thank you very much to Judge Martino for his invaluable participation.

CLOSING OF THE TRAINING PROGRAMME New professional specialties for the complex XXIst century city

2011-07-28T12:01:38Z

On Friday the 17th of June at 13:00, the closing ceremony of the Training Programme: New professional specialties for the complex XXIst century city took place at the IE School of Business in Madrid.

The closing was presided over by the director of the Public Safety Community Programme, Miguel Ángel Gandarillas, Javier Fernández, Official from the Integral Unit of the Municipal Police of Madrid's South Central District and Judge Rubén Martino, presiding judge of the Harlem Community Justice Centre.

The training programme which began in January and ended in June welcomed more than 90 professionals from various fields of intervention (police, social services, prosecution, courts, sociology and others) and among its select group of trainers, professionals and experts from each of the professional specialties making up the programme.

WORKING COMPETENCIES IN INTERINSTITUTIONAL TEAMS

2011-07-28T12:00:50Z

Meno Vos, researcher from the Social Integration Institute of the University of Groningen and Miguel Ángel Gandarillas, director or the Public Safety Community Programme gave a workshop on work competencies in inter-institutional teams on the 13th and 14th of June at the IE School of Business in Madrid. Professionals from various areas of intervention including police officers, sociologists and others, attended these sessions in which the needs and problems of the current organization of citizens' services were discussed - among these problems, the difficulties related to coordinating and organizing the different services, strategies to improve work in multidisciplinary and inter-institutional teams.

The broad experience of the professionals who lead the workshop, as well as that of all participants made for an interesting debate on the challenges and opportunities of working in inter-institutional groups.