Security and Radicalisation Prevention Coordinator, City of Malmö (Sweden)

Malin Martelius holds a Master degree of science in Psychology from the University of Lund and recently started PhD studies at the University of Malmö. She has been working for the past 18 years for the Municipality of Malmö, where she is now has a broad assignment regarding safety and security challenges. Since 2009, she has been coordinating the preventive structure and work in Malmö. She “sees herself as part of a great team, where we try to find bridges over sectors in society and over different areas of expertise; the city, the police, civil society, working with equality from a rights-based perspective, sustainability and the Agenda 2030, safety and security, prevention and community work at a hyperlocal level.”

 

 

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?)

 

I believe that we have to start seeing online life more like we see offline life and include risks (and possibilities) there when we analyse, plan and act to prevent our local (and glocal) challenges. The pandemic has taught us to live online – and we need to be able to create safety and security in that reality. To be able to do that I think institutions need to define and understand what democracy online can or could look like, and by saying that I mean that I see a huge risk that if we don´t, polarisation will rise and the belief in democratic systems will decline. But I also see possibilities here.

 

 

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

 

A short answer could be that if we don’t involve citizens in urban security, our efforts would result in massive failure. I am nerding and am fascinated by the friction between policy and practice, the balance between security measures and prevention work – and without transparency and local dialogue – security policies (etc.) will not even be worth the paper they are written on.