Madrid, 3rd of December 2009 – Placed in the Communitarian Center Casino de la Reina, in the neighborhood Embajadores and in collaboration with the Social Services of District Center, the IE University presented last Thursday, 3rd of December in Madrid the European project of investigation “Security in Diversity”. The objective is to serve like forum of ideas for starting the proposals that advance in the management method an intervention in public safety applied to the District Center of Madrid. The result of it is the Communitarian Program of Public Safety, that put together a complexity of services for the promotion and prevention of a matter of public safety lead by professionals, neighbors, groups and social collectives and in general for all the citizens of Madrid. It is searching also to study new integral methods for the public safety, contributing to the coordination between entities and services and offer specialized formation of social and public safety agents.

This initiative, led by IE University and co-financed by the Program Prevention and Fight against Crime at the Directorate-General Justice, Freedom and Security of the European Commission, has brought together an extensive network of collaborating institutions. Among these entities in the presentation ceremony which took place at the Community Center Casino de la Reina Madrid, have gathered the Manager of the Center District Board, the Delegate of the Government in Madrid, the Director of Security Monitoring Madrid City Council, the National Police Commissioner District Centre and the Head of Unit Integrated Municipal Police in the District, and representatives of other institutions participating in the project, such as District Social Services, the Forensic Medical Clinic Madrid, the Police Academy of the Community of Madrid or the Official College of Psychologists of Madrid.

Dr. Enrique Torres Valverde, District Manager Madrid Center, stressed that the project is an initiative of great value to the center of Madrid, because it takes our district as a space for the launch of an innovative process clearly and well, "Once again, the Madrid City Council seek to meet the Academy and, with the help of universities, guides the design of public policies and planning of its resources towards innovation and excellence, in order to ensure highest quality of local services to citizens. "

Ms. Mercedes Cobeña Porter, Director of Social Services Central District, stressed the interest that this project is for Social Services, from its initial two years ago, "and the" support such initiatives, which seek the full integration of all the neighbors as a priority for progress in building a society characterized by great diversity, is as inclusive and fair to every citizen "and therefore" we considered it of utmost importance to locate this project at the Center Community Casino de la Reina, the only of its kind in the city of Madrid. " In addition to these interventions, Ricardo Carolina, Sou da Paz, Brazilian entity pioneer in the development of projects related to citizen participation in security policies, has presented the experience of community policing and other innovative programs that has been implemented in different Brazilian cities.

The event, which has enjoyed the active participation of institutions and citizens in a conference that closed the meeting, highlighted by the Project Director and professor at the IE University, Miguel Gandarillas, "the need and importance of putting in initiatives aimed at researching and developing innovative methods to facilitate the integration of security policies and social development and to allow greater citizen participation and joint work between social organizations and citizen security in each territory. "

With the launch of the Community Program are activated different action lines that are attached to the existing municipal services, to test new devices and studies of psychosocial support to residents and service professionals and for the Central District IE University created a working group that is available from Monday to Friday, at the Community Center municipal "Casino de la Reina."