On the occasion of the European Forum for Urban Security (EFUS) held in Nice from October 20 to 22, several European mayors gathered this morning for a round table on the theme “cities fostering security, innovation, and solidarity”.
Moderated by Willy Demeyer, mayor of Liรจge and president of the EFUS, and Anthony Borrรฉ, first deputy mayor of Nice, a total of seven mayors were present: Matteo Biffoni (mayor of Prato, Italy), Hans Bonte (mayor of Vilvoorde, Belgium), Maria Luisa Salgueiro (mayor of Matosinhos, Portugal), Tadeusz Truskolaski (mayor of Biaลystok, Poland), Roger Vicot (mayor of Lomme, France), Christian Specht, first deputy mayor of Mannheim, Germany), and Oriol Amorรณs (secretary general of the Ministry of the Interior, Government of Catalonia, Spain).
The seven guests first had the opportunity to express themselves and highlight a practice or policy regarding urban security that their city has initiated. Two main themes emerged. The first was the awareness of children about the use and dangers of the internet, notably highlighted by the French and Italian mayors. Roger Vicot proudly described having implemented a “surfing permit” for primary school students, following awareness campaigns on the dangers of the internet, media literacy, the risks of social media, and also cyberbullying through these platforms.
The protection of communities affected by violence was also central to the discussions. The mayor of Matosinhos, for example, mentioned the construction of housing intended for women victims of violence as well as for the LGBT community. She emphasized the importance of preventing and stopping domestic violence as well as violence in public spaces. The secretary general of the Ministry of the Interior of Catalonia also stressed the importance of public infrastructure to support women victims of domestic violence.
They then discussed the main security challenges, how they can address them, and the support they need to better manage these challenges.
Once again, Oriol Amorรณs talked about the feminization of security and emergency services, noting that currently only 2.7% of firefighters in Spain are women and 9% in the police forces. Migration and the reception of refugees were central to the conversation as well and were recognized as the biggest challenges by several of the seven mayors, notably the mayor of Lomme and that of Biaลystok. Finally, a topic at the forefront of current affairs, vaccination was also recognized as one of the biggest challenges, particularly for the mayor of Vilvoorde who is trying to convince the entire population of his city to get vaccinated.
