Having consulted on criminal justice systems around the world, Irvin Waller addressed 800 participants in Mexico City brought together to plan the future of violence prevention in Mexico. His presentation used the science and successes in his books to show how smart investments such as those in Bogotá and Alberta would stop the rampant violence. The conclusions picked up his theme of a dollar more for prevention to match every new dollar for law enforcement.
Mexico is investing $40 million in prevention this year with more to come. They are wanting to learn from others and invest in capacity development . The supply of his book in Spanish was quickly exhausted following his remarks.
Experts from Habitat and think-tanks in Colombia talked about the successes of Bogotá in reducing violence by 50% within ten years and the sustained way that the city has continued the program. The national government is taking up the challenge with investments in housing designed to stop violence.
Experts from cities in South Africa and Latin America emphasised the unique ability of cities to coordinate the work of agencies such as social services, housing, public health and policing. They called for other governments and criminal justice systems around the world to realise that they must support cities if they want to see crime reduced and public support for smart strategies.
City mayors, coordinators of crime prevention, public safety officials were among those who attended the forum. The new Mexican Centre for Crime Prevention was the organizer under the auspices of the World Bank and other international partners.
