IACP Executive Conference of Public Security for South America

ICOS Senior Advisor, and Honorary Secretary General of Interpol, Raymond Kendall addressed participants at the 7th Executive Conference of Public Security for South America, organised by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and Public Security Secretariat of Parana, on the 5th of August. Mr Kendall’s address was on the subject of the challenge of Public Security in the 21st century.

The event gathered 1,070 participants and 29 speakers in 32 sessions. Speakers included National Secretary of Public Security, Ricardo Balestreri; Director General of the Federal Police, Luiz Fernando Corrêa; Federal Judge specialized in the process and judgment of money laundering, Sergio Fernando Moro; and the national assistant member of Portugal in Eurojust, Antonio Luis dos Santos Alves.

A summary of Mr Kendall’s speech is available below:

Former secretary of Interpol defends the adoption of social policies to reduce violence

Public Security in the 21st Century was the theme of the last speech of the Executive Conference of Public Security for the South America, of the International Association of Chief of Police (IACP), this Tuesday (5th), in Curitba. The former secretary of Interpol, Raymond Kendall, who was the general secretary of the organization for fifteen years, spoke about the importance of security attached with public policies for poor communities.

“This is the challenge for the 21st century. The politicians expect the police to solve problems directly related to social questions, but the police is not ready for that. Many areas are out of the State control. It’s not just the case of Rio de Janeiro, but also some suburbs of Paris and London, for example”, said Kendall.

He considers it is necessary to establish a bridge between what is happening in law enforcement and government interest. “Nowadays, the fault of everything that goes wrong ends up being dropped on the policemen. If something doesn’t happen on the political field, the security won’t be improved. The police has to find ways to show this to them. It is the policeman who is in the streets every day and in many cases knows deeply the needs of the community. This knowledge should be used to be applied in social policies”, he said.

“We have to know who dominates these locations. Is it the State or criminal groups? One of the biggest problems in these areas is the angry young men, with many problems. Their anger is orientated against the state. These people are becoming marginalized, many don’t want to go to school or to work. They don’t get the parents orientating them and they end up turning into our biggest challenge”, said.

Kendall mentioned the federal government's Pronasci (National Program of Public Security with Citizenship) as an attempt to operate social policies together with public security. “It is a very ambitious project. In truth, the only one I saw in the world with a high budget to work on security together with social policies, and it seems to be going in the right direction”, he highlighted.

The speech made by the former secretary of Interpol pleased all the participants. “Kendall’s speech has confirmed all of our expectations. We received essential life and policing lessons”, said the assistant chief of police of the Capital’s Police division, Vilson Toledo.

“I agree with him in several aspects, especially when he spoke that the police is too solicited. Beyond that, we need laws that can be enforceable and that attend to the population needs. Many times we make arrests in the morning and by the end of the day the criminal is already freed because of the legislation in force”, highlighted the chief delegado of the 10th subdivision of Londrina, Sérgio Luiz Barroso.