Different units of the City Police are taking part in this project, which is designed to improve police readiness and responses in places of mass worship in a multifunctional environment and at multiple levels. The first meeting between all the members participating in the project concluded today in Brussels.
The project got under way this week and will run until April 2025. The aim is to develop a dynamic operational platform which identifies vulnerabilities, suggests specific scenarios for threats in places of worship and religious gatherings and offers recommendations for mitigating them.
Different scenarios will be introduced to analyse possible types of attack. These will be mock-ups which allow for a virtual 4D analysis of attacks and an assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed mitigation measures. The result will be a system of technological and organisational modules that cover current security needs for the protection of places of worship and mass religious gatherings.
In addition, the project will enable stable and enriching collaboration relationships to be established between religious leaders, security forces, local communities etc.
The areas of work for the two years are:
- Development of a dynamic operating platform to identify vulnerabilities, suggest specific scenarios with threats for places of worship and offer recommendations for mitigating them.
- Development of interactive and inclusive communication channels to get private and public stakeholders, religious congregations and the public involved.
- Creation of skills-acquisition programmes, collaboration opportunities and synergies between religious authorities, security organisations and private technology.
- Development and implementation of a security awareness campaign as part of a European communication strategy.