Effectively addressing security issues requires partnership between those affected by insecurity and those responsible for maintaining the welfare and safety of the public. This publication outlines the approach to community safety developed in south eastern Europe by Saferworld, the Balkan Youth Union (BYU), the Centre for Security Studies – Bosnia-Herzegovina (CSS), CIVIL and the Forum for Civic Initiatives (FIQ). This approach has delivered real change to the situations of those it sought to support. Approaches such as this can bridge the gap between the policies of institutions and the concerns of the communities they serve.
The approach developed by Saferworld and its partners is guided by a number of principles, including community participation, empowerment and inclusivity, conflict-sensitivity and sustainability. It involves accompanying communities through an action-planning process which enables them to identify and address their own safety concerns in collaboration with others. This approach encourages community action to address security concerns, creates links between communities and official structures, strengthens accountability and improves security situations on the ground.
Four communities in south eastern Europe tested the Community Safety approach between April 2005 and September 2006. Factors that contributed to success in each community were similar, suggesting the possibility of replicating the process in a variety of contexts. Among the factors that contributed to success were:
- regular and intensive engagement between NGO partners and local communities;
- use of existing community structures, which proved effective in mobilising support and commitment from community representatives;
- a supportive municipality, which proved critical to success in communities in Skopje, Macedonia, Belgrade, and Serbia;
- making space for discussions, in order to enable citizens to fully explore security concerns and identify shared priorities, and to solicit view from all groups; and
- official participation, through municipality and police representation on working groups.
Communities, local and central governments, police services and donors can adopt the Community Safety approach developed by Saferworld to tackle a range of security problems. The Community Safety process involves six sequenced and interlinked stages:
- Selection – a combination of methods should be used to select appropriate communities according to agreed criteria. It is essential to short-list and profile communities in detail prior to selection.
- Building support – once selected, a community’s members must be approached and their approval sought. The support of community members and institutions is best achieved by one-to-one meetings with key actors as well as larger meetings.
- Assessing problems – the community must identify and assess problems that affect its security. Focus groups are useful, but it may be necessary to hold specific discussions with groups or individuals to ensure comprehensive participation.
- Planning together – moving from a list of problems to planning solutions can be difficult. Planning methods bringing together local residents and local authorities allows them to present their perspectives and discuss the roles that they can play.
- Taking action – community members can use action plans and working groups to allocate responsibilities to complete agreed tasks. Regular working group meetings to report on activities and agree next steps help to maintain momentum.
- Encouraging others and celebrating success – after taking action, communities should reflect, assess results and plan next steps. This also provides an opportunity to celebrate success, gauge support for new initiatives and promote the approach.
