Researcher, Nova Lisboa University; Vice-president of the Observatory of Security, Organised Crime and Terrorism (Portugal)

Franco Vasco is a researcher in political science, at the University NOVA of Lisbon, and Vice-President of the Directive Council of The Public Safety, Organized Crime and Terrorism Observatory (OSCOT – Portugal) Before that, he was secretary of state in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Portuguese government, a member of the Parliament, and vice mayor of Lisbon. He was also a professor of political science at the Lusófona University of Lisbon. Franco is a co-founder and vice president of Efus, and has worked as a consultant for the EUROsociAL program in Central America, on violence prevention issues.

 

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?)

Hopes: more transparency, proximity and participation in the definition of public policies. Risks: the change in the employment paradigm and the problems it can generate. Opportunities: educating the population to the highest level possible; deepening European integration and strengthening cooperation in terms of security and justice.

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

The urban security model based on the coproduction of policies in order to prevent violence will eventually become the reference model I think. The involvement of local authorities, local partners and citizens is the most effective way to achieve results.