Crime and urban insecurity. - Council of Europe. Committee of Ministers, Ministers'Deputies - Decision 631/9.8 (May 1998)

631st meeting – 12 May 1998

 

Item 9.8

CRIME AND URBAN INSECURITY

Recommendation 36 (1997)

of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE)

(CM/Del/Dec(97)602/9.1, CM/Inf(97)35, GR-J(98)3)

 

Decisions

The Deputies

1. transmitted Recommendation 36 on Crime and Urban Insecurity to the Select Committee of Experts on Transfrontier Co-operation (LR-R-CT) for possible action regarding paragraphs 10 and 11 of the Recommendation;

2. transmitted the Recommendation to the United Nations and Europol for information;

3. adopted the following reply to CLRAE Recommendation 36 (1997):

"The Committee of Ministers has carefully examined Recommendation 36 (1997) on "Crime and urban insecurity" of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE) and wishes to give the following reply.

The fight against terrorism, corruption and organised crime appears in the Action Plan adopted at the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government (10-11 October 1997). At the 101st Ministerial Session (6 November 1997), the Committee of Ministers adopted Resolution (97) 24 on the twenty guiding principles for the fight against corruption. Moreover, at the 102nd Ministerial Session (4-5 May 1998), the Committee of Ministers authorised the adoption of the draft agreement setting up the "Group of States against corruption" (GRECO), an international monitoring mechanism of undertakings in the fight against corruption.

In addition at the 628th meeting of the Deputies (15-16 April 1998, item 10.1), the Committee of Ministers decided to consult the Parliamentary Assembly on the draft criminal law Convention on Corruption prepared by the Multidisciplinary Group on Corruption (GMC). This Multidisciplinary Group was further instructed to finalise the work in time for the adoption and opening for signature of this Convention at the 103rd Ministerial Session in November 1998.

In addition to its initiatives against organised crime, corruption and money laundering, the prevention of crime and urban insecurity is a permanent subject on the work programme of the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC) which, over recent years, has stepped up efforts with a view to devising appropriate policies in this area.

Under the Secretary General's "new initiatives" programme, a special project on the prevention of urban insecurity has been set up directed at assisting the CIS countries, which are either member States of the Council of Europe or have special guest status with the Parliamentary Assembly, in devising appropriate crime prevention policies at local level. The Secretariat of the CLRAE directly contributes to this activity through the provision of expertise and the establishment of contacts with relevant local authorities in the beneficiary countries. It is constantly being informed about the progress of the project.

At its 46th plenary session (June 1997) the CDPC agreed to include in its future work programme the subject "Partnership in crime prevention" which the Committee of Ministers subsequently endorsed as item I.18k of the Intergovernmental Programme of Activities for 1998 (to be carried out by the Committee of Experts on Partnership and Crime Prevention (PC-PA)). This activity is meant to assess the benefits of a partnership approach to crime prevention which would operate at local level and address such phenomena as "neighbourhood" crime, theft and burglary, drugs dealing, violence, vandalism and antisocial behaviour of various kinds, which are the core elements of urban insecurity. One of the outcomes of this activity would be guidelines which individual member States could use to develop their own crime prevention policies at local level and to address local crime phenomena more effectively.

The draft terms of reference of the PC-PA, which will be submitted to the CDPC for adoption at its 47th plenary session (8-12 June 1998), emphasise the important role the CLRAE plays in this area and make provision for the Congress to be represented on the Committee.

As regards paragraphs 10 and 11 of Recommendation 36, the Committee of Ministers has instructed the Select Committee of Experts on Transfrontier Co-operation (LR-R-CT) to consider possible action.

Finally, the Committee of Ministers has transmitted this Recommendation to the United Nations and Europol for information."