Lidköping, Sweden was the site of the world’s first officially designated Safe Community in 1989. A number of international delegates were invited to attend the 25th anniversary of the city’s designation to see how the Lidköping community is maintaining its status as a world-leading safe community.

A Safe Community is defined as a delineated geographical area, groups with common interests, professional associations, or individuals who provide services in a specific location. What binds all of these together is that each may be working toward increasing safety in their communities by:

1) Listening to the community

2) Coordinating efforts at a regional level

3) Raising public awareness to the importance of injury prevention

4) Including injury prevention in national programs

5) Ensuring that powerful interest groups support the community efforts

6) Mobilizing all members of a community in a creative manner

The meeting was held between the 6th-10th of October. Representing the PeerCorps Trust Fund was CIPCS Director Michael L. Wilson. The International Safe Communities Movement represents significant potential for communities in Tanzania and elsewhere in Africa, in that it offers a comprehensive community-based participatory strategy for increasing community safety.

Coinciding with the meeting was the first international training course for Accredited International Safe Community Certifiers (pictured). A total of eight participants graduated from the course for a global total of 47 Accredited Safe Community Certifiers.

For more information on the international Safe Communities Movement, please visit the website of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Community Safety.