Training local practitioners in using the IcARUS tools

Between November 2023 and January 2024, the project conducted a series of sessions to train local practitioners – mainly municipal staff and local police officers – on using the six IcARUS tools.

The objective was to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge on how to use the IcARUS tools and its various components. These sessions were designed by the IcARUS partners, i.e., Efus, the University of York, IDIAP Research Institute, Camino and the University of Salford, in coordination with the IcARUS cities.

Gender inclusiveness
Each training included a session on gender-inclusiveness conducted by Dr Natalie Higham-James, Research Fellow at the School of Law of the University of York.
The objective was to demonstrate the value and importance of adopting an inclusive approach when delivering the tool, ensuring that the city is able to engage with and respond to the needs of as many different people (and their experiences) as possible.

Five gender-inclusive principles
Dr Higham-James’ intervention focused on three aspects: to understand what a gender-inclusive approach looks like; to apply the five gender-inclusive principles to our work; and, to feel confident in doing so.
Whilst sessions were tailored to each of the city’s tools, users, needs and urban security concerns, five principles were applied across all: Representation, Inclusion, Empowerment, Responsiveness and Breaking Down Stereotypes. These principles provided a framework for cities to implement inclusive practices, exploring the key questions they should ask of themselves and their tools, and providing tactics for navigating delivery and any challenges along the way. Critically, the sessions demonstrated how ensuring inclusive approaches is not only a legal, moral and social responsibility, but also a vital key to successful tool deployment for the benefit of all citizens.

The project is now organising several activities to see on the ground how the IcARUS cities are demonstrating their tools. Stay tuned!

The six partner cities’ tools

• Riga (Latvia) is examining how to better match citizens’ feelings and experiences of insecurity with local police interventions.
• Rotterdam (Netherlands) is looking at the Spaanse Polder Café, a collaborative approach involving businesses established in the eponymous industrial park with the aim of countering organised crime.
• Nice (France) is testing its Demandez Angela (Ask for Angela) scheme to assist victims of harassment and insecurity in public spaces.
• Lisbon (Portugal) is launching a 12-week programme to develop young people’s feelings of self-worth and self-confidence, providing them with practical life skills and improving their relationships with police and their local community.
• Stuttgart (Germany) seeks to build the resilience of local young residents to radicalisation.
• Turin (Italy) is looking at a collaborative decision-making approach for producing interventions that tackle youth delinquency and enable evidence-based interventions.