EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Cultures of prevention – Urban crime prevention in Europe: towards a common culture?

Cultures of prevention – Urban crime prevention in Europe: towards a common culture?

Introduction

This report presents and compares crime prevention policies and practices in eight European countries with a special focus on the role and involvement of the local, regional and national levels. It offers a good first insight in the organisation of crime prevention in the participating countries and on the European level. The main question that is sought to be answered is: can there be an effective common European policy?

Description

Addressing insecurity and the feeling of insecurity is a high priority and a serious concern to all European governments and citizens. This research report presents the outcomes of the Secucities Cultures of Prevention project, organised in the framework of the European Forum for Urban Safety (FESU).

Even though a number of European states and cities have developed similar policies, it is necessary to confront different approaches applied in Europe’s countries from the point of view of cultural differences. It is important to first improve knowledge of administrative, political and cultural contexts in Europe’s countries on national, regional and local levels of administration. This will make it possible to really compare crime problems and practices and distinguish between practices which are possible and impossible to transfer between specific crime prevention cultures.

The main objectives of the research project are to:

create a typology of different approaches applied in Europe on local, regional and national levels
develop the conditions and recommendations for the transfer of policies and practices in the area of crime prevention taking into account the cultural differences
improve the competences of crime prevention officials and professionals
determine a European model of crime prevention

Background information

The Secucities Cultures of Prevention project was coordinated by the European Forum for Urban Safety. It brought together seven European cities, one region and three institutions representing the national level.

Conclusions

The partners in the research project did not succeed in determining a genuine European model of crime prevention. The recommendations made in the report could serve, however, as a base for the establishment of common European crime prevention standards. Beyond the diversity of historical, politico-administrative and cultural contexts, the eight partner countries of this project all face similar problems in terms of crime and all pursue a prevention policy guided by a common approach and principles.

Amongst others, the participants recommend the following:

Crime prevention policies should be designed to respond more closely to the needs of the defined-area and the problems of insecurity experienced by the residents.
Through their proximity and their responsibilities, local elected officials must have a central role in coordinating security measures and partnerships.
Crime prevention policies should come within a large partnership framework involving numerous actors.
Local authorities must have a key role in sharing information, good practice, experiences and innovative approaches between cities.
Crime prevention policies should be "integrated approaches". They must be based upon the right mixture of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention approaches (see p. 24 of the report), and mobilise responses that are educational, preventative, dissuasive and repressive.
Urban crime prevention policies should combine short-term interventions and more long-term approaches, to make situational and social prevention complementary

Contact info

European Forum for Urban Safety
Justyna Kulach (Project manager), tel. +33 1 4064 4900

Publication date

15/09/2006

Researcher

Justyna Kulach, Nigel Whiskin and Erich Marks

Links

Visit the European Forum for Urban Safety website

Download the report ‘Cultures of prevention’ (PDF, Eng, 0.7 MB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy

Keywords

Security & crime prevention