Advocating public policies that combine social prevention and action against crime was one of the main points of the 30th Summit of Communities of Compassion, which started on Tuesday and ends on Friday, on Caminho Niemeyer, in Niteroi. The ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. Mayor of Rio and President of the National Front of Mayors and Mayors (FNP), Eduardo Paes; and Montevideo Mayor Mario Bergara. Mayor Rodrigo Neves, who assumed the presidency of the network, stated that cities must lead public security strategies based on prevention and regional cooperation.
– There is no contradiction between the relentless fight against organized crime and planning strategies and coordinated actions to prevent violence and ensure more efficient public security in Latin American cities.
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Mercocidades brings together 400 cities in Latin America. The mayor of Niteroi said he intends to promote the exchange of successful security policies between municipalities. One of the stated goals was to establish a school for public security directors focusing on cities in the region.
– We decided to fight youth against crime, and to fight for every boy, every young man. He stressed that giving each of these young people the opportunity to dream and build a new path is undoubtedly one of the most important tools for preventing violence.
A highlight of the city’s meeting was the presentation of data related to the Niteroi Anti-Violence Pact, launched in 2018, which has since caused the municipality to record significant declines in criminal indicators. According to figures from the Institute for Public Security (ISP), the city reduced vehicle theft by 84.7% and violent deaths by 78.5% during this period.
We were able to reduce violence and combat crime, without increasing police lethality. We must not give in to the authoritarian temptation of easy solutions to a complex problem like public security. The twenty-first century is the century of cities. He said that during these thirty years since the founding of the network, we need to strengthen our entity to achieve its mission at this historical moment.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of municipal governments and authorities from countries in the region. Niteroi Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira highlighted the strategic role of cities in promoting integration in Latin America.
Cities constitute the basic unit of integration. In it, progress is translated into services, opportunities, infrastructure, rights, and quality of life. Brazil will remain committed to deep integration oriented towards peoples and their territories, with the aim of building a common future of peace. “This is President Lula’s foreign and domestic policy.”
Mayor of Rio and head of the National Front of Mayors and Mayors, Eduardo Paes, stressed the importance of networks that bring managers together to share experiences.
– More than ever, we need to discuss public safety in cities as well. It’s the best space to think about all this, because there’s no room for abstraction: you need to achieve results. On city councils, we know better than anyone else the terrain where public policies will be implemented, where actions will be done and how we should prioritize them, Bice said.
Mayor of Montevideo, Mario Bergara, highlighted the similarity of challenges faced by Latin American cities and defended social engagement as the central focus of solutions.
– We meet the needs of our people, provide well-being to communities and solve daily challenges, in infrastructure, cleaning, streets, lighting, culture, equality, rights and security. You brought us together. We face similar issues and seek similar solutions, always within the framework of democracy and citizen participation. None of us can have the messianic claim to solving the problems of the people of Olympus. Every resident knows where the difficulties lie, and we can only solve them together, through participation, dialogue and coexistence. He stated that this is the democratic way to solve it.