The Espai Bombers and various premises belonging to the City Police and the City Council, along with the Basílica dels Sants Màrtirs Just i Pastor in the district of Ciutat Vella, hosted technical working sessions to improve safety and prevention at places of worship and large religious gatherings.
Senior staff from the City Police took part in workshops, technical visits and working sessions on Tuesday, 17, and Wednesday, 18, October, along with representatives from other national and international organisations forming part of the project and other relevant experts. These included the Barcelona Fire Service, the Mossos d’Esquadra police corps, the Civil Guard and the National Police.
Progress was made in the following areas within the two-year framework of the SPIRIT project:
- Development of a technological platform which identifies vulnerabilities, suggests scenarios with specific threats and offers recommendations to mitigate these in places of worship and religious gatherings.
- Development of interactive and inclusive communication channels which involve public and private stakeholders, religious congregations and citizens.
- Development and implementation of a security awareness campaign as part of a European communication strategy.
- Creation of a skills-acquisition programmes and permanent spaces for collaboration between public order forces, religious authorities, local communities and private security organisations. Organisations from eight countries are currently working on the project, including different units from the City Police.
This was the third meeting to be held, following those in Brussels and Greece.