PROTECTOR PROJECT

PROTECTOR: Protecting places of worship from hate crime and terrorism The PROTECTOR project is funded by the European Commission Internal Security Fund for Police (ISFP-2020-AG- PROTECT-101034216-PROTECTOR) www.protector-project.eu



PROTECTOR to enhance security measures at places of worship The PROTECTOR project recognises that attacks on places of worship are a serious security concern across the world. Extremists and terrorists, promulgating hate and violent ideologies, continue to commit crimes against places of worship with alarming regularity. Recent attacks have revealed the exploitation of their intrinsic vulnerabilities of such sites, resulting from their open nature and public character. Supported by the G20 Inter Faith Forum and the United Nations Interregional Crime & Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the PROTECTOR project will design, develop and deliver the next generation of integrated measures to enhance the protection of places of worship. Combining expertise from law enforcement agencies, leading academic institutions, private sector organisations and engaging with places of worship, the PROTECTOR project will enhance security postures at places of worship to counter the threat from hate crime and terrorism by: ●  Enhancing situational awareness, operational decision-making and investigative capabilities ●  Strengthening co-operation between public authorities, faith-based leaders and congregations ●  Developing protective security awareness-raising campaigns and crisis communication plans ●  Developing police, public authority and faith leadership protective security expertise Funded by the European Commission Internal Security Fund for Police (ISFP-2020-AG-PROTECT-101034216- PROTECTOR), the collective sustainable impact of PROTECTOR project outputs will significantly enhance the protection and preparedness of all places of worship across Europe. These outputs will serve to increase the preventative and investigative capabilities of law enforcement agencies in order to improve the protection of places of worship from all manner of hate crime, terrorism and emerging security threats. ANDREW STANIFORTH, DAVE FORTUNE, Director of SAHER Director of SAHER (Europe), Co-ordinator (Europe) of project PROTECTOR www.crisis-response.comwww.protector-project.eu

PROTECTOR is 1 Phase One delivered via five key phases Legal, ethical, security and quality assurance co-ordination provides the operational framework for effective project delivery, ensuring all project activities are conducted to the highest professional standards by embedding robust processes to monitor and manage risks and legal, ethical and security concerns 2 Phase Four Phase Three 3 5 Strategy development brings Technology tools development together the evidence collated includes the development and and analysed in Phase Two to pilot testing of technology inform the publication of a series tools to enhance the protection of protective security plans for of places of worship and places of worship, together with improve the preventative and strategies to deliver protective investigative capabilities of security, engagement and law enforcement agencies communication campaigns 4 www.crisis-response.com www.protector-project.eu

Phase Two To deliver the general PROTECTOR objective and the expected outcomes specified Vulnerability analysis & threat in the Call for Proposals, the specific assessment includes capturing objectives of the action are as follows: and examining protective security measures at places 1 Conduct a thorough assessment of worship, as well as the law of hate crime and terrorism enforcement agency response threats to places of worship to reported incidents, so as to identify effective practices 2 Conduct a thorough analysis of law and vulnerabilities, which enforcement agency policy, practice will inform and provide the and procedure when responding to evidence base for Phase Three reported incidents at places of worship Phase Five 3 Strengthen protective security postures of places of worship Training access and support brings together the learning and 4 Enhance the situational awareness, outputs from all previous phases operational decision-making, and to create a series of accessible investigative capacity and capability of law learning support tools and events enforcement agencies when preventing for law enforcement agencies, and responding to hate crimes and public authorities, faith leadership terrorist incidents at places of worship and congregations to enhance security at places of worship 5 Establish and strengthen co-operation between public authorities, faith- www.crisis-response.com based leaders and congregations 6 Develop a security awareness raising campaign for places of worship 7 Develop law enforcement agency, public authority and faith leadership protective security expertise www.protector-project.eu

The PROTECTOR Pilot Testing Programme will Romi Goldmuntz Synagogue: Antwerp is home to the conduct a series of tests of the PROTECTOR system second largest Jewish Community in Europe. Attacks technologies and evaluate their effectiveness have been committed against this community in Antwerp, notably on July 27, 1980 and on October 20, 1982, and Pilot One police surveillance is carried out at numerous facilities and events for the Jewish community. Because of Trento, Italy (M20) November 2022 the constant threat, the Belgian Co-ordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA) has classified the threat This city is notable for being the location of the level as 3. The Synagogue has CCTV at its disposal Council of Trento from 1545 to 1563, hence Trento and visitors have access codes to gain entry. being a famous place for religious tourism. In this context, the PROTECTOR use case mainly Pilot Three focusses on the Trento Christmas Market that attracts more than 1.5 million people each year. From mid- Sofia, Bulgaria (M22) January 2023 November until January 6, the market is held in Piazza Duomo (where the Council’s formal sessions were Sofia is the only place in Europe to have places of worship held), Piazza Fiera (where the Episcopal Curia Palace for four major religions so close together. Every day is located), Piazza Cesare Battisti (location of the Christians (Orthodox and Catholics), Muslims and Jews Church of San Pietro), and Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore meet and practise their faith on the so-called “Quadrangle (where the homonymous church that has also hosted of Religious Tolerance,” located in the heart of present- the Council is located). More than 140 local police day Sofia, which features designated places for prayer for officers from the Municipality of Trento are involved these religions located metres away from one another. in the vulnerability assessment and in the physical protection of the Christmas market, in partnership with Five temples attract many local citizens, as well the Italian Carabinieri and Polizia di Stato. In addition, as thousands of tourists and foreigners on a daily the city is constantly monitored by over 600 cameras. basis: The Saint Nedelya Church – one of the biggest Orthodox Christian temples in Bulgaria; The Church Pilot Two of St Petka of the Saddlers – an Orthodox temple, a one-nave medieval building partially dug into the Antwerp, Belgium (M21) December 2022 ground; The Banya Bashi Mosque – the only active Muslim temple on the territory of Sofia today; The Sofia The Cathedral of Antwerp: This cathedral, in the heart Synagogue – the largest synagogue in the Balkans of the historic old town, is surrounded by public squares and the third-largest in Europe; and The Cathedral of used to organise events – including a Christmas market in St Joseph – the largest Catholic temple in Bulgaria. December. The squares play host to numerous hospitality terraces, including cafés, hotels and restaurants. The The city’s video surveillance system includes more area around the Cathedral is pedestrianised, but than 3,000 cameras (both static and mobile), out vehicles can reach the entrances. The squares, as of which 1,000 operate in public areas, such as well as their immediate surroundings, are covered by parks, pedestrian zones and places where large CCTV, which is watched 24/7 by Antwerp Police’s Real groups of people gather, including places of Time Intelligence Centre. A private company conducts worship. National police, Municipal police and the permanent surveillance within the walls of the Cathedral. gendarmerie co-operate to preserve public order. www.crisis-response.comwww.protector-project.eu

Stronger together A unique collaborative partnership with exceptional policing expertise The PROTECTOR project consortium of eight community of more than 400 researchers, 140 doctoral partners represents seven Member States, students, 200 visiting fellows and thesis students, 700 bringing a broad European perspective and affiliates and accredited students combined, FBK acts representing exceptional expertise across as a scientific and technological hub. Its premises and government, academia and private industry. platforms host a lively ecosystem of co-located ventures. For further information, please visit: www.fbk.eu Co-ordinated by SAHER (Europe) OÜ, the project consortium partners actively contribute and take Politie Antwerpen, Belgium part in all areas of research and innovation, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Politie Antwerpen is part of the Belgian integrated police service, which structured on a federal level The PROTECTOR project consortium partners include: and different local levels. It provides police services to the communities of Antwerp in: Intervention and An Garda Síóchána, Ireland first response; front office services; research and investigation; traffic policing; prevention; victim aid; An Garda Síóchána has a long established public order; event control; and intelligence. For further tradition of working closely with communities information please visit: www.politieantwerpen.be all across Ireland. By fostering and maintaining effective community partnerships and ensuring a SAHER (Europe) OÜ, Estonia more visible Garda presence, it works to reduce crime and fear of crime in its communities. Taken from the Arabic word for ‘watchman’, SAHER For further information, please visit: www.garda.ie (Europe) OÜ is a safety and security research, training and consultancy based in Estonia and operating Comune di Trento, Italy at a global level. Its strategic aim is to develop the intersection between the four key stakeholders in This municipality is organised in three areas delivering: the international security domain, including: citizens; Citizen services; Cultural services; and Technical government, industry and academia. SAHER (Europe) area of the territory. Municipality interventions include OÜ is co-ordinating the PROTECTOR project and strategic areas such as social cohesion, economic leading the engagement and exploitation activities. For development, urban security, education and training, further information please visit: www.saher-eu.com youth policy, culture and libraries, sports, urban mobility, land management and environment. For Swedish Police Authority, Sweden further information please visit: www.comune.trento.it The Swedish Police is a national police agency with European Institute, Bulgaria 95 local police districts, which are divided in seven regions and five national departments. The vision Founded in 1999, the European Institute Foundation is to keep Sweden safe and secure, with a strategic (EI) is an independent policy centre. Since its creation, objective of fighting and solving crime, including the Institute has become one of the leading Bulgarian preventing violent extremism and countering terrorism. independent policy and research centres dealing with For further information please visit: www.polisen.se matters related to European integration. In the past several years, it has gained considerable project- University of Applied Sciences for Public related experience in topics dealing with migration, Service, Germany trafficking in human beings, online radicalisation and police co-operation. For further information The University of Applied Sciences – Police Affairs in please visit: www.europeaninstitute.bg/en Bavaria, teaches future high ranking police officers in various disciplines, including psychology, political science Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Italy and social sciences. The Department of Police, which is located in Fürstenfeldbruck and in Sulzbach Rosenberg, Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) is the top research currently trains the majority of police students in institute in Italy, ranked first for scientific excellence Bavaria at the campus in Fürstenfeldbruck. For further within three different areas and for its economic and information please visit: www.fhvr-polizei.bayern.de social impact, according to the latest ANVUR quality of research evaluation. With its 3,500 square metres Follow the project on our Linkedin page: of laboratories and scientific infrastructure and a www.linkedin.com/company/protecting-places-of-worship www.crisis-response.comwww.protector-project.eu