Tuesday, June 15, 16.00-17.00 (CEST)

Registration HERE

Determining objectively the level of insecurity is very hard to do with no correlation between actual risks, offences and the perception of security. This is despite the efforts of many academics and practitioners who have stressed that the existence of an objective security has to be dealt with. Low levels of security incidents can coincide with feelings of insecurity. These feelings of insecurity are relevant, as they can impact on everyday life. People that feel unsafe tend to isolate, to avoid common spaces and become consequently more unsafe. Authorities should tackle outbreaks that lead to feelings of insecurity regardless of the level of the incident. Low levels of subjective security constitute a public problem because it can cause cities to decline. It is important to understand the grounds that make people feel unsafe and how different societal groups are affected by it. Otherwise, authorities won’t be able to employ adequate measures to reverse the situation, as they won’t be aware that they should target specific people and places.

In this webinar we will introduce two instruments devised to check the perceptions of insecurity in different areas/groups:

We will look at the Ministry of Interior of Catalonia, within the framework of the Cutting Crime Impact (CCI) Project, who have created the toolkit “Perception matters”. It is a practical guide to orientate practitioners, firstly in the detection of the grounds of insecurity outbreaks and, secondly, to provide adequate responses that can tackle problems. It is based on the principle that everything that makes people unsafe should be tackled, regardless of if it is a crime, incivilities or disorders.

The structure of the CPTED ‘Cloud of Dreams’ workshop will also be described, as well as the main historical milestones from its inception in 2006 to the present day, and the types of information obtained from its application. ‘Cloud of Dreams’ is thought to give a voice to both boys and girls in the Latin American and Caribbean Region regarding their environmental preferences, needs and possibilities for urban intervention. This allows the perceptions of the young population are taken into account in urban planning.

Speakers

• Dr Francesc Guillén Lasierra is Head of Projects and Organisation at the Catalan Ministry of Interior (as from 2004). He has been Executive Director of CIFAL Barcelona (2007-2009) and member of the Steering Committee of the Platform Police for Urban Development (January—December 2010). Lecturer on Constitutional Law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Open University of Catalonia as from 1989 and 1999. Lecturer on “Police and Security” at the UAB Criminology Studies and the Open University of Catalonia from 2010 to 2019. Honoris Causa Doctor by the Mexican Society of Criminology. He has published numerous articles and books.
• Dr Macarena Rau is President of the International CPTED Association (ICA); Architect, Magister and PHD (C) in Architecture and Urbanism. Has extensive experience leading Urban Security Projects and Initiatives, both public and private, in Chile and in various countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Specialist in the CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) methodology with proven success in diagnosis, design, execution and evaluation of Violence and Crime Prevention projects from an Environmental perspective.