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Perception of (in)security in city of Funchal (Madeira), Portugal: A Diagnosis of Local Security (DLS)
Fri, September 13, 5:00 to 6:15pm, Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Floor: 1st floor, Room 2.20Abstract
We present a study of Diagnosis of Local Security (DLS), developed in 2021 in the city of Funchal (Madeira), which was carried out under the coordination of researchers from the Observatory Permanent of Violence and Crime (OPVC) of University Fernando Pessoa in partnership with the Municipality of Funchal (CMF). This cooperation resulted in a community assessment that aimed to deepen the specificities of the city of Funchal, the local population's perception of (in)security, suffered and occurred victimization, police forces and their action, and citizens' involvement in solving their community's problems. The sample consisted of 3390 participants aged between 18 and 90 years old (M = 44.0, SD = ±16.7). Data collection took place through a survey supported by the questionnaire technique. The overall results showed that around 83% of participants reported living in a safe area. Possible crime-enhancing/enabling factors were related to illegal or legal drug use (alcohol) or the existence of poverty rates. 9.1% of the sample (n = 307) reported being a victim of crime in recent years, such as robbery, residential or commercial burglary, mainly resulting in property damage. 25% of respondents reported that police officers never or almost never did everything to ensure safety in the city, alleging reasons related to insufficient patrolling/police presence. The increase in security could be due to the increase in policing/video surveillance/more effective justice and decreased phenomena such as prostitution /illegal begging/homelessness/drug trafficking; urban rehabilitation/more and better equipment. It is imperative to attend to urban spaces' condition, as well as buildings themselves, and formal social control, police.