A series of innovative campaigns reawakening community responsibility in Bogota could help fight UK knife crime

Fifty-five people have died from knife wounds in London this year. According to Paul McKeever, the new chairman of the Police Federation, interviewed in the Observer, the government has little idea how to stop the carnage. When there's little left to lose except more lives, perhaps this is the time to put out a call for Antanas Mockus, the former mayor of Bogota.

A mathematician and philosopher, he resigned as rector of the National University of Colombia and served two terms as mayor of Bogota from 1995-97 and 2001-2003. He turned the city of six million-plus, riddled with violent crime, into a living experiment in social innovation.

In December 1996 and in 2003, voluntary disarmament days were held in the city. Less than 1% of firearms were given up, but homicides fell by 26%. He also created 7,000 schools of civic security, working with the police, not to act as vigilantes but to promote community organisation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/22/colombia.communiti...

By tasco66 on Jul 22, 2008, 13:35 in Friendly Talkzone.

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