Definition of Public Safety

The concept of safety public can be understood in several ways. On the one hand, it is a right and in this sense the national constitutions establish that the whole of the citizenship has the right to be protected by the state against any possible threat to his personal integrity. On the other hand, public security is a tool of the state to maintain order and avoid any form of violence through the laws and police forces.

Threats and crimes against public safety

Kidnappings, crimes, extortion and various forms of violence are realities that threaten public safety. If these phenomena manifest themselves in a significant number, a weather social of unsafety. This circumstance especially affects some countries, such as Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Honduras, Chad or South Africa.

It must be borne in mind that sometimes the police forces themselves who must ensure security they do not respect human rights and in this way the problems of insecurity and violence are exacerbated.

The consequences of citizen insecurity affect the economy, to the well-being of individuals and institutions.

How to combat public insecurity?

The figures related to insecurity are very worrying in some areas of the planet. Although there are no magic recipes to combat this social scourge, there are some guidelines that are key to reducing the impact of different forms of crime:

- Detect the causes that generate violence (inequality economic, organized crime, police corruption, etc.).

- Increase the budget allocated to the security forces and promote the transnational collaboration of the police forces.

- Adopt preventive measures (education in values, public awareness through the media, etc.).

- Dismantle organized crime and its ramifications with specialized police means.

- Promote an effective justice system that allows speeding up the fight against crime.

The homicide rate is a key indicator

When talking about insecurity, experts and analysts must handle objective data on some parameters, such as types of crime, number of victims, number of complaints, etc. The homicide rate is probably the indicator that best expresses the climate of violence in a nation.

Photos: Fotolia - arisharsingh / Gerhard Seybert