Cities are where the policy and practice of citizen security are determined. Although national and subnational strategies are essential to scaling-up crime prevention, cities are where they are put into practice. Because of the way they bring opportunities and risks into focus, cities are natural laboratories of policy innovation to prevent and reduce violence. Some of the most remarkable progress in homicide reduction, crime prevention and public safety in recent decades has occurred in large and medium-sized cities, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean.

It is not entirely surprising that Latin American city authorities are experimenting with new approaches to promoting safety and security. After all, the region´s cities are among the most at-risk in the world. In 2015, 47 of the top 50 most murderous cities were located in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.2 The same year, one in three Latin American and Caribbean adults considered crime and violence to be their country’s most pressing problem. Although some cities are getting safer, the situation is worsening in many others.