Several officials; from ministerial, executive and judicial government, nongovernmental, and international development partners came to participate in what should be the start of a move to harmoniously legitimize efforts for a safe communities strategy in Jamaica.The guest presenter Professor Leif Svanstrom from the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Community Safety Promotion encouraged those present to work towards making Jamaica become part of the network.

Svanstrom who has been working on the idea of safe communities through injury prevention in over seventy territories made it clear to everyone that adopting an approach which deals with preventing injury at macro and micro levels in society is a working mechanism that can lead to violence prevention. Professor Svantrom's presentation was ripened by interest sparked from an earlier presentation given by Programme Officer at the Peace Management Initiative (PMI), Damian Hutchinson.
Hutchinson's discussion reminded listeners of the triumphs and sore points in violence prevention strategies at the community level.

The concept of safe communities is nothing new to Jamaica and the injecting of Svanstrom's approach to injury prevention works well at an individual, community and societal level. At the individual level it requires that the necessary physical, emotional and mental environment is there (even potentially) to enable the full realization of human freedoms and absence of individual and community depravations .This overlaps or interlinks with creating a community that has various infrastructures related to social services and amenities and community organizations that can be caretakers for the sustenance of these traits that define what a community should be.

Localising Svanstrom's approach could mean that at the individual level there is comprehension of right from wrong and dispute resolution awareness,that could deter interpersonal violence. At the community level it means the eradication of informal borders within communities in communities like Rose and Trench Town that prevent access by young and old to public services. It means the existence of a staffed, trusting and willing community police body. \it means the simple existence of working utility poles that dissipates fear in the minds of women for motives of rape. The approach means more and more interest by the community and the state in ensuring that simple goods like water hydrants are working just in case of a fire in a densely populated inner city community.

Svanstrom, who was paying a courtesy visit to the island also visited several communities after the round-table discussion. Among these included August Town, Hannah Town, Duhaney Park and Canaan Heights