Workshop to present the citizen security barometer and the new report on Citizen Control of Public Security Action in West Africa

This meeting, organised as part of the pilot phase of the programme on Citizen Control of Public Security Action (CCAPS) in West Africa, was a means of exchange, sharing and orientation on the mechanism set up to measure citizen perception of public security policies in the Senegambian region.

This programme on security is essentially centred on the importance and the sustainable, long-term and continuous involvement of the "citizen" in the process of setting up and running public security policies (decision support, evaluation, etc.). Indeed, the Citizen Security Index obtained for each locality surveyed (strategic districts in the countries of Senegal, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau) takes into account several dimensions and indicators of human security in their living environment and could thus constitute a tool for measuring the citizen's relationship with security, for auditing and preventing (anticipating, neutralising and avoiding) insecurity risks.

The barometer has therefore been designed as a tool for all actors, which will make it possible to produce data periodically and to monitor the evolution of citizens' perceptions of security and public security action in the interest of the populations concerned. It is available free of charge to all the different security actors (at the following address: www.citizen-security.org) in order to provide useful analyses for public awareness campaigns or capacity building actions for civil society and for training modules for the defence and security forces. The exchanges were particularly rich and constructive, not only concerning the analytical report but also concerning the barometer. FES PSCC, UGB LASPAD and WANEP urge everyone to take ownership of it. The full version of the report as well as the summary of the report are available on our website (publication section).