Fanny Pérez no longer sees her neighborhood of Los Guido, a district of Desamparados in the nation’s capital of San José, in a negative light.

“Los Guido is coming back to life,” Pérez, 71, said. “It is not that gray neighborhood from before that gave you a weird feeling when you walked down the street.”

Pérez is a member of the security commission in Los Guido, one of several programs the Costa Rican Public Force has implemented to strengthen its bond with the community and reduce crime.

The organizing of security commissions along with recreational and educational activities and workshops with community members are all part of the strategy, which was launched in 2005.

“At first, our intention was to make criminals disappear,” Pérez said. “With the workshops about communal security, this changed completely. We understood that insecurity must be fought with prevention, and repressive actions must be approached by competent authorities.”

The Ministry of Public Safety expects to develop these programs in all 81 of the country’s counties. So far, 29 already have a security commission consisting of community leaders and members of the Public Force. The remaining 52 counties should each have one by the end of the year, according to Minister of Public Safety Mario Zamora.

“The efforts of our citizens, together with efforts of private and public institutions, are the main forces of this prevention process,” he said.

Los Guido is among the five most insecure districts in San José, which is why 17 security committees have been formed, according to the Ministry of Public Safety.

There were 92 crimes against property in Los Guido in 2011, a 52% reduction compared to the 220 crimes in 2008, according to the Ministry of Public Safety.

Hooverth Solano, chief of Police in Los Guido district, has been pleased with the results.

“Changes in the security conditions in Los Guido result not only from the Public Force’s work, but also from the joint efforts of all the members in the community,” he said. “With communal safety, you are selling a product of solidarity, respect, union and work. People have a hard time understanding that and buying it, because the results of these efforts are visible in the long-term and do not happen immediately, as some would want.”

Residents of San José County in the nation’s capital of San José recently organized a walk with members of the public force to promote the Ministry of Public Safety’s anti-crime initiatives.

Maintaining strong prevention programs is the key to the success of the Public Force’s operations, according to criminologist Eugenia Sánchez.

“Solid educational programs must remain in place, starting with working with high-risk children,” she said. “This way, it is possible to minimize the impact of delinquency in society.”

According to the Ministry of Public Safety, the security committees have five main goals:

-Coordinate drug search operations in schools;
-Collaborate in the creation of police delegations;
-Conduct inter-institutional security fairs;
-Support the work of the local police;
-Create educational campaigns aimed at children, minors and the elderly.

“We were very clear with the neighbors from the beginning,” Solano said. “We did not make promises – we just offered our hard work and humbly asked for their help, which made the residents more committed to helping us. That’s been the secret of our success.”

Last July, the police conducted educational events in San José, where students from area schools learned what the police do daily.

Magdiel Álvarez, father of a student at the Arturo Urien Galloso kindergarten in the Cristo Rey neighborhood of San José, said the initiative improved the relationship between the community and police.

“These activities help us – minors and adults – learn about the importance of the job that the police do and everything they do to take care of the citizens,” he said. “Now, we have more respect for their work.”

At the event, about 200 children had the chance to see how a police patrol works. They also learned about the technological bus the Public Force uses to maintain order at large events, toured the police building and received information about crime prevention.

“To host this kind of event gets us [police] closer to the citizens and gives us the opportunity to share with the community, receive them in our home and teach them how we do our job,” said Steven Trejos, the second chief of police in San José’s Catedral district.

Source: InfoSurHoy.com