Quito And 15 Universities Sign Joint Security Plan

Quito’s municipality and representatives of 15 higher-education institutions signed a joint security agreement on July 30, 2026.

The document commits the municipal administration, the National Police, and the universities to a Joint Action Plan for preventing crime, managing public space, and reducing violence around the capital’s campuses.

The plan has 10 actions

The technical annex organizes the plan into 10 specific agreements with defined implementation periods. University authorities committed to naming permanent technical liaisons, coordinating control operations, and developing internal prevention programs addressing alcohol, drugs, and gender-based violence.

One of the first concrete measures is the implementation of three Operational Command Posts. The locations listed are Plaza Indoamérica, Parque Gabriela Mistral, and the corridor between Avenida 12 de Octubre and Calle Caamaño.

The plan also calls for stronger public-space controls. Those controls include addressing unregularized autonomous commerce, preventing the sale and consumption of liquor, and checking licenses and land-use compliance at establishments.

Why this matters beyond the campuses

University neighborhoods are not closed environments. Students, employees, visitors, residents, restaurants, shops, and people moving through central Quito all share the surrounding public space. A plan that combines university prevention with municipal and police operations could therefore affect the areas around campuses even for people who are not enrolled.

The agreement is a framework for action, not proof that every measure is already operating. The report did not establish completion dates for all 10 actions.

For students and families, the useful follow-up is whether the liaison system, command posts, public-space controls, and prevention programs become visible in practice. For nearby businesses, licensing, land-use, alcohol, and public-space controls are the parts most likely to shape daily operations.