Deputy Mayor of Montreuil for public tranquillity, cleanliness, prevention and nightlife, City of Montreuil (France)

Loline Bertin, who is 28 years old, has been the Deputy Mayor of Montreuil, in charge of public tranquility, prevention and nightlife since May 2020. With more than 110,000 inhabitants, Montreuil is the 5th city of Île de France and the 2nd of Seine-Saint-Denis, and has a history of developing policies regarding crime prevention. Loline Bertin, who plays a role of consulting manager for the public sector, and is also pursuing an ambitious roadmap regarding both the strengthening of sanction methods and the increased participation of habitants in security policies. 

 

 

Do you have any specific hopes or predictions for the future of urban security? (What will urban security look like in 30 years? What will be the main opportunities and risks?)

 

The main issue for urban security is the guaranteeing of a fair, complementary and efficient distribution of abilities and associated means, between all the concerned institutions, serving the expectations and needs of the population. The multidisciplinary nature of approaches is also crucial (accomodation, primary and secondary prevention sanctions, etc.), the urban security of the future rests on a consistently reinforced network of actors and close cooperation between them.  

 

 

Why do you think it is so important to involve citizens in urban security practice?

 

Citizens are – and must be – the first beneficiaries of security policies that are conceived of and deployed: this means that they must be involved throughout the production of these policies in order to guarantee the meeting of their expectations and needs. This involvement also guarantees relevance and efficiency, as listening to the “voice of the user” allows the conception and implementation of necessary responses which are more adapted to present issues. Finally, citizen participation in the production of security policies also contributes to the strengthening of their relationship to institutions, guaranteeing trust and social cohesion.