International Centre for the Prevention of Crime
Encyclopedia
The International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) is located in Montreal
and is the only global non-governmental organization
(NGO) focused exclusively on crime prevention
and community safety.
, France
and Quebec
, and inspired by the work of the French Mayor Gilbert Bonnemaison, who was its first President. Its members now include a range of national and sub-regional governments from across the world, as well as a Board of international, regional and national organizations, cities, and a wide variety of non-government organizations and associations concerned with issues of crime prevention and community safety. Its work is also supported by an international Scientific Committee of experts in the field.
responses to crime.
It does this in three main ways:
Since it was created ICPC has worked closely with UN-HABITAT and its Safer Cities Programme in particular, and with UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), both of which are members of the Centre. ICPC is also a member of the Programme Network Institutes affiliated with the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (UNODC), a network of institutions around the world which aim to assist Member States and the work of the Commission. In this capacity ICPC has supported the work of the Crime Commission including through the organization of workshops on crime prevention at the 10th, 11th and 12th UN Crime Congresses, and through the development of a crime prevention Handbook and an assessment tool. Similarly, ICPC has collaborated extensively with UN-HABITAT on the development of tools and reports including the recent Youth Resource Guide. It also works with the Inter-American Development Bank
, the World Bank
and the Organization of American States
among others.
ICPC publishes, every two years, an international report on recent trends and developments in crime
and in crime prevention and community safety, and has collaborated in a series of international meetings on crime trend observatories.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and is the only global non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
(NGO) focused exclusively on crime prevention
Crime prevention
Crime prevention is the attempt to reduce victimization and to deter crime and criminals. It is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice.-Studies:...
and community safety.
Organization history
ICPC was founded in 1994, initially by the governments of CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and inspired by the work of the French Mayor Gilbert Bonnemaison, who was its first President. Its members now include a range of national and sub-regional governments from across the world, as well as a Board of international, regional and national organizations, cities, and a wide variety of non-government organizations and associations concerned with issues of crime prevention and community safety. Its work is also supported by an international Scientific Committee of experts in the field.
Mission
The mission of ICPC is to promote safer and healthier societies and communities through the application of strategic and evidence-led programmes and initiatives which aim to reduce and prevent offending and victimization and to support international norms and standards, in particular the UN Guidelines on the Prevention of Crime (1995 and 2002). It encourages countries, cities and institutions to invest in prevention rather than relying on more costly criminal justiceCriminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
responses to crime.
It does this in three main ways:
- through the collation of global knowledge about crime prevention developments and effective strategies and practices, including the development of compendiums of good practice, tool development, and comparative analysisComparative analysisComparative analysis is type of analysis used in various of sciences and in different modifications:Criminology and forensics:* Comparative contextual analysis - criminology* Comparative bullet-lead analysis - forensicsSociology:...
of specific approaches and issues; - by promoting the exchange of information and experiences between policy makers, practitioners and researchers through seminars and regular colloquia on specific topics;
- and by providing technical assistance on the ground. Its main working languages are English, French and Spanish.
Since it was created ICPC has worked closely with UN-HABITAT and its Safer Cities Programme in particular, and with UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), both of which are members of the Centre. ICPC is also a member of the Programme Network Institutes affiliated with the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (UNODC), a network of institutions around the world which aim to assist Member States and the work of the Commission. In this capacity ICPC has supported the work of the Crime Commission including through the organization of workshops on crime prevention at the 10th, 11th and 12th UN Crime Congresses, and through the development of a crime prevention Handbook and an assessment tool. Similarly, ICPC has collaborated extensively with UN-HABITAT on the development of tools and reports including the recent Youth Resource Guide. It also works with the Inter-American Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...
, the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
and the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
among others.
ICPC publishes, every two years, an international report on recent trends and developments in crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
and in crime prevention and community safety, and has collaborated in a series of international meetings on crime trend observatories.
Publications
- Annual Report 2009. ICPC: Montreal.
- International Report on Crime Prevention and Community Safety 2008: Trends and Perspectives. ICPC: Montreal.
- International Report on Crime Prevention and Community Safety 2010: Trends and Perspectives. ICPC: Montreal.
- Crime Prevention Assessment Tool. Cross-Cutting Issues 5. Criminal Justice Assessment Toolkit. (2009) UNODC: Vienna.
- Handbook on the crime prevention guidelines: Making them Work. (2010) UNODC/ICPC: Vienna.
- Youth Resource Guide. (2010). UN-HABITAT/ICPC. Nairobi.