More Officers Illuminated Streets And Education of Students How Candidates for Mayors Would Increase Security in Vilnius

After one incident after another in Vilnius, when minors were attacked or injured, the politicians running for the post of mayor of the capital named what measures they would take to increase security in the city They would focus on increasing the number of patrolling officers, lighting the city and educating children in self-defense.

In recent weeks, there have been many stories related to minors in Vilnius A 12-year-old girl going to school was attacked in Karoliniškės, another teenage girl was raped in Žvėryne, the attacker tried to steal a handbag from another girl.

What's more, the missing 15-year-old Mykolos has not been found for 10 days The first group of candidates for mayors of Vilnius, who participated in the debate held on Tuesday, were asked what they would do to make the capital city safer if they became mayors.

Ramojus Girinskas, the candidate nominated by the Party "Jaunoji Lietuva" who encouraged the activities of the proxies, said that the problem of crime in Vilnius was known even before these crimes, and, as the candidate said, the party he represents also talks about it in its program "We need to sit down and talk to the police about how to increase their funding, how to bring more patrols into the city.

" Failing that, we will encourage proxies The operation of proxies is similar to that of voluntary groups of residents who would operate at a certain time, in certain territories, and would be on duty thus ensuring public order," R.

Girinskas taught Another extremely important issue, according to him, is illuminated.

The candidate said that the entire city of Vilnius is certainly not sufficiently lit, and where there is a lack of lighting, according to R Girinskas, there are "criminal dens".

"Everything happens in the unlit areas Another very important thing is the general criminogenic situation.

We believe that with the increase in drug use, the criminogenic situation in the city is growing," said the candidate It is also important to inform the students, Stasys Jakeliūnas, a candidate of the Lithuanian Peasants and Greens Union (LVŽS), said during the debate that he believes it is necessary to strengthen the public order unit of the Vilnius municipality, allocate more funding to it and, in cooperation with the police, expand the circle of review and supervision in the city.

"Another thing is, of course, informing and educating students about where they can visit safely and where it is not appropriate to be at a certain time of the day We will find those solutions, but understandably, the atmosphere in Vilnius is unacceptable.

We need to change the way we approach rape, harassment and sexual offences ” said the LVŽS candidate.

S Jakeliūnas also regretted that stories about possible cases of rape are spreading from the Seimas, and, as he said, information is being leaked to potential criminals.

More patrols are needed Remigijus Lapinskas, candidate of the Lithuanian Green Party, said that there should be no emphasis on education or places in Vilnius, because the mentioned crimes happened in the middle of the day, in the city itself, and not on its outskirts.

"We see the problem in failed police reforms, because there are no neighborhood inspectors left at all, patrolling is also significantly weakened, no one has seen foot patrols for a long time I'm not saying that the police must be removed from the cars, but stronger patrols could definitely be done," explained the candidate of the Greens.

R Lapinskas also taught that the municipality should cooperate with the police, to offer their assistance, if possible, through the Public Order Department.

True, the candidate noticed that this department deals only with administrative offenses so far "I would very much see the sense of talking with communities, strengthening the idea of ​​a safe neighborhood and, of course, the activities of police supporters.

There will never be too much public involvement in this area," said R Lapinskas.

Emphasizes sports activity and mental health Self-nominated candidate Mykolas Majauskas said that it is necessary to rely on the examples of European cities such as Amsterdam or Copenhagen According to the candidate, such problems are solved there in several steps, the first of which is ensuring order in the city.

"These are lit streets, organized parks, patrolling public order and police officers The second part is related to reducing social exclusion.

It is very important to ensure this in the city of Vilnius through the financing of non-governmental organizations, but also by increasing physical activity The number of children who play sports and engage in physical activity is very small by all European Union standards," said M.

Majauskas Finally, according to the candidate, it is very important to promote mental health and provide support when needed.

Therefore, according to him, it is necessary to continue training for teachers and social workers on how to recognize signs of suicide risk Concerned about sex education Freedom Party candidate Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius answered the question and said that strengthening police and public order officer patrols, improving city lighting and pedestrian infrastructure are technical things that the city can do.

"But it's very important for me to talk about what is happening in Vilnius schools In fact, in cases of sexual violence and violence against children, in most cases it is related to the fact that there is no quality sex education in Vilnius schools.

It is necessary to strengthen it, Vilnius city municipalities must acquire such services", TV Raskevičius taught Another problem, according to him, is the use of psychoactive substances.

The candidate said that the current state policy is aimed at punishment rather than prevention: "Vilnius can take the lead in this area by cooperating with police officers The role of communities is also very important.

We can expect from the city, from the police officers that they will ensure our safety, but incidents sometimes happen in the most unlikely places Neither the mayor nor the municipal council are the masters of the city.

The people of Vilnius are the masters of the city and they can contribute to ensuring the city's security " Lack of police forces Vytautas Sinica, the candidate nominated by the National Union, said during the debate that there are various aspects in which both community and civic initiatives can contribute to the city's security: "It is important to encourage both the police friend, as well as other institutes, but in the end it all boils down to one issue, which is that there is a dramatic lack of policemen and officers in Vilnius who could take care of public order and security.

" According to V Sinica, officers from other services are currently involved in covering policemen on patrol.

As the candidate said, the problem is not only about ensuring that people are not attacked on the streets, but also about the prevalence of drugs in schools "About 10 years ago, there were simply enough forces.

Not because of this, that the police stopped caring - they used to have the force, now they don't have the force to carry out checks in schools, other places and ensure that there is a constant feeling that you cannot commit crime in peace How much the municipality can contribute to increasing the police force is a separate issue.

Can contribute only partially But this is exactly what the whole issue boils down to," V.

Sinica Said The Community Cannot Be Indifferent

Valdas Tutkus, candidate of the Party of Regions of Lithuania, answered the question and said that closer cooperation between the police and the public service is needed Also, as V.

Tutkus said, improving infrastructure and lighting and increasing the number of surveillance cameras in the city are important "It is especially important for the communities themselves to understand and act in the name of their own security.

This is what I saw when I lived in Brussels, Rome and other cities The community cannot be indifferent.

And yet, education is one of the main [things] – education against drug use, education about the security situation, education about what to do when you see a stranger, who and how to go for help It is neglected today, but it is one of the most important functions", said V.

Tutkus .