UNODC introduces Local Safety Audits with Costa Rican authorities
On September 18th 2020, the Center of Excellence shared its experience in the implementation of Local Safety Audits in Mexico to officials from government institutions, students and academics and civil society in Costa Rica.
Called by the Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica, 39 participants were exposed to the framework of the UNODC Guidelines for the Prevention of Crime, which describes the basic principles to develop and implement comprehensive and effective strategies for crime prevention, which is the framework that endorses the Local Safety Audits as a tool for knowledge-based crime prevention, from which UNODC-Vienna designed the Guide for the implementation of Safety Audits in the context of the project ‘Evidence-based policies for the improvement of community safety in Latin American and African cities'” which aimed to provide a general guideline on the methodology of participatory safety audits, from its implementation in three cities, Cali (Colombia), Durban (South Africa) and Queretaro (Mexico).
The adaptation of the Local Safety Audit methodology in the Mexican context was also shared with the participants. Its implementation was possible with the collaboration of a multidisciplinary team, the active participation of local authorities, as well as civil society, academia and the private sector. The results are found in the 2019 Findings Report, from which the local government of the municipality of Querétaro followed up on the 141 recommendations issued, with substantial changes in its organizational structure, improved management of resources for infrastructure and the design of a municipal public policy on crime prevention that integrated different government agencies.
Likewise, the results of the Monitoring and Evaluation Report of the Local Safety Audit in the municipality of Querétaro, published in August 2020, were discussed. In this report, the local government made progress in implementing recommendations, contributing to a transparency and accountability exercise.
The authorities of the Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica thanked the Center of Excellence for its willingness to share the experience, highlighting the interest of several provinces in deepening the implementation of this tool adapted to the context of their country.
