The colloquium “Social Cohesion and the Challenges of Urban Polarization” took place in Lisbon

May 11, 2026 Traveller Times

The colloquium “Social Cohesion and the Challenges of Urban Polarization” took place in Lisbon on May 4, 2026. Organized by the Lisbon Municipal Police (Polícia Municipal de Lisboa), the event focused on local security strategies and managing social divisions in a rapidly changing urban environment

Conferencia “ Coesão Social e os Desafios da Polarização Urbana: uma Estratégia local de Segurança “

Lisbon is a safe city An asset that needs to be maintained with more police patrols, more visibility and more community, defended the Mayor of the Municipal Council, Carlos Moedas, at the Colloquium “Social Cohesion and the Challenges of Urban Polarization: a Local Security Strategy”, promoted today, May 4, by the Municipal Police, at the Open Theater. and that brought together dozens of academics, specialists, representatives of different institutions and police.

In his opening speech of the meeting, the commander of the Lisbon Municipal Police (PML), superintendent José Figueira, reminded that the city of Lisbon experiences deep social, demographic and urban transformations. “Security is built daily through relationships of trust, accountability and closeness. As long as Lisbon Municipal Police, the permanent presence in the city and in direct contact with communities, we know that no police force, however prepared, can guarantee security in isolation. Therefore, he underlined, everyone plays a fundamental role in the safety of cities, from families, schools, businessmen. “That’s why we defend a modern vision, based on safety co-production,” he stated.

Lisbon is a safe city, but to “take care of safety” in the city, listed Carlos Moedas, more police patrolling on the streets is needed; more video surveillance, in which Lisbon foresees an investment of 18 million euros; and better working conditions for the police forces.

The mayor highlighted the joint work of the Municipal Police and the PSP, “equal to equal”, for the city, highlighting that the criminal police body is the PSP. “They’re different cops,” he said, “but they’re trained in the same house, they’re all public safety cops.”

Moedas also emphasized the “hand in hand” work between the two forces in community policing, which is already in 16 territories of the city, the latter being finished by PML in the Alcantara Valley. “The municipal police is the police of everyday life, it’s a police that is present with people in good and bad times,” he stated.

In his speech, the minister of the Internal Administration, Luís Neves, said that in building this security policy, “the municipal police has a very relevant and decisive role”, because it knows “the local dynamics of the community”, praising the valuation of the career of the municipal police and “the possibility of recruiting citizens directly with knowledge of the territory”. The minister also wanted to clarify the functions of all security forces on the ground: “The Municipal Police focuses on monitoring the urban daily” and allows PSP and GNR to “focus on their specific functions”.

In the future, the “goal is to ensure more suitable models” and “a closer presence to the populations,” he stated.

For MAI, “urban life is not resolved in the cabinets,” but in the combination of inclusive policies, using proximity resources, video surveillance instruments, cleaning and caring of public spaces, and strengthening local communities. Today, he said, we live “a time of tension in the urban space, a time of latent confrontation”. And “polarization is more than an academic abstraction, but it’s reflected in the way the street is occupied”. Therefore, “answers that recover the cohesion and presence” of the State and “where no one feels an intruder” are needed because “security is built with presence, institutional and community”. Because “when the community is present, indifference loses space” and this reduces “the risk of crime”.

Event Overview

Date: May 4, 2026
Organiser: Polícia Municipal de Lisboa
Main Goal: Tackling urban security complexities and social polarization
Format: Included panel lectures, debates, workshops, and networking

Key Discussion Themes

Community Policing: Emphasised working directly with local communities to identify problematic behaviors early.
Countering Radicalization: Developed strategies to combat urban radicalism through information sharing between security forces like the PSP (Public Security Police) and the GNR (National Republican Guard).
Operational Training: Aimed at preparing future security force commanders for new urban challenges.
Integrated Security: A focus on “Local Security Strategies” where multiple partners collaborate beyond traditional policing