Prosperes project presented at EU Forum

On December 5-6, 2023, the 10th EU Forum for the Protection of Public Spaces was held in Brussels, in which Professor Adrian Siadkowski, representing the Prosperes project, participated at the invitation of the European Commission.

The EU Forum was created as a platform to share best practices, lessons learned and networking between member states and private operators, and to improve private-public cooperation in the area of security of public spaces. The event, organized by the European Commission’s DG-HOME, was attended by representatives of European uniformed services, public place security operators, project managers and representatives of religious communities.

The forum was an opportunity to present the achievements of the Prosperes project in particular the guide “Security by Design for Religious Sites” appreciated by practitioners and used to train uniformed services and operators of religious sites from Europe during the EU-ISF project “SHRINE’s” washtats. The guide dedicated to places of worship is part of the European “Action Plan to support the protection of public spaces.” The VAT Lite vulnerability assessment tool also gained interest among participants.

ProSPeReS project presented on the forum of the KEP – Polish Bishops’ Conference

The EU Prosperes project was presented on the forum of the KEP – Polish Bishops’ Conference (organization governing the Polish Catholic Church). Dr. Rafał Batkowski, a representative of the Prosperes Consortium, encouraged cardinals, bishops and priests to use the guides prepared by the Consortium on the security of the faithful and sacred facilities in each parish. In his speech, Dr. Rafal Batkowski informed the invited guests that the ProSPeReS project also applies to synagogues and mosques and all other places where the faithful gather. A similar speech took place during the meeting at the Jasna Gora Shrines, the largest shrine in Poland!

The ProSPeReS Final Conference – Lodz, November 22, 2023

On November 22, 2023, a final conference was held in Lodz, Poland, summarizing the results achieved within the framework of the project funded by the European Union’s Internal Security Fund – Police.

The conference hosted speakers and participants from EU Commission (DG HOME), EU-funded sister projects, religious leaders and congregation representatives, first responders, and international security specialists. During the conference the ProSPeReS project and its achievements were presented and the discussions about how EU funding can contribute to public safety and security, partner projects related to the security of Places of Worship, the security of religious community were held.

The programme of the conference included:

PLENARY SESSION

9:30 – 9:40 Opening of the Conference prof. Łukasz Korporowicz, Vice-rector of University of Lodz

9:40 – 10:10 ISF projects & synergy Ismaela Murgia, Policy Officer – Counter Terrorism, European Commission

10:10 – 10:20 Supporting public safety by EU funds nadk. Aneta Wilewska, Chief of the International Police Cooperation Bureau of the National Police Headquarters

10:20 –

10:40 ProSPeReS Project information Marcin Podogrocki, Project coordinator, University of Lodz

PANEL SESSION

11:00 – 12:00 Panel discussion on projects related to Places of Worships’ security Moderator: Vivian Gravenberch, DISSS. Panelists: DG Home, SOAR, SHIELD, PRECRISIS, ProSPeReS.

12:00 – 13:00 Panel discussion on religious communities’ security Moderator: Konstantinos Apostolou KEMEA Panelists: religious leaders and congregations’ representatives.

14:00 – 14:30 Keynote speeches insp. Tomasz Jędrzejowski, Deputy Commander of Lodz Voivodeship Police Col Zdzisław Salamonowicz, Vice-Rector for Education and Students of Fire University

PANEL SESSION

14:30 – 15:30 Final Panel discussion on ProSPeReS – results & general recommendations Moderator: dr Rafal Batkowski, UL Panelists: ProSPeReS consortium partners

16:00 – 16:30 Summary, conclusions & closing speech

16:30 – 17:30 Coffee break & networking

The live stream of the conference is available at Prosperes you tube channel at:

 

 

The output of the “Prosperes” project presented at the “SHRINE’s” International Project Workshop

Establishing a networking network to facilitate discussion and foster cooperation between religious communities, law enforcement agencies, local authorities and experts was one of the objectives of the Second International Workshop under the EU – ISF project “SHRINEs – Raising Awareness for the protection of places of worship by pomoting interfaith dialogue on the use of advanced technologies”. The workshop, organized by Fondazione SAFE – Security and Freedom for Europe, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano and the University of Lodz, was held on 17-18.10.2023 at the International Airport “Katowice” and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Czestochowa at Jasna Gora. A conference session, study visits, practical exercises and networking discussions were the forms of workshops attended by representatives of the European Commission (DG Home Counter-Terrorism Unit), the Counter-Terrorism Prevention Center of the Internal Security Agency, the Polish Police, Border Guard and Fire Service, representatives of the Police from Sweden, Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, the Netherlands and Cyprus, representatives of religious communities from Europe including the Catholic Church – Archdiocese of Lodz, the Third Order Regular of St. Francis from the Italian province of Umbro Picena. Francis of the Italian province of Umbro Picena, the Social Obesrwatorium Foundation, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Warsaw Jewish Community, the Estonian Central Diakonia, the Evangelical Augsburg Church, the Church of Scientology (European Office in Brussels), the Bosnian Islamic Community in Austria, the Congregation of the Pauline Fathers of Jasna Gora, researchers from the United Kingdom (National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership), the Tiberian Institute in Rome (Istituto Tevere), the Belgian Federation of Active Associations (Fedactio), the Polytechnic University of Turin, the LINKS Foundation (established by the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation – Italy’s largest banking foundation), the French Foundation for Strategic Research, as well as technology partners C&C Partners and Zanasi&Partners. The workshop was an opportunity to present the achievements of “Prosperes” during the plenary session and practical exercises, in particular the “Security by Design Guidebook for Religious Sites” and the tool for assessing the vulnerability of religious sites to attacks (VAT Lite).

The second piloting exercise of ProSPeReS project at Ioannina, Greece

The second live exercise for the PRoSPeReS project was organised on 10-11 October 2023 in Ioannina, at Greece. The event took place at the Christian Church of Saint Paisos, and was organised and hosted by the Holy Metropolis of Ioannina, in cooperation with Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) and the Hellenic Police. The two-day event included both a tabletop exercise and a fictive hostage scenario. The participants of this event were Hellenic Police (ESKEDIK & Ioannina), local Fire Brigade and Emergency Health Service, Civil Protection participants (Observers) , HMI religious & administrative staff. The scenario will cover a various threats: using ramming vehicle and UAV flying over the religious site, firearms attack, knife attack, attack with IED and hostage situation.

The excecise gave great opportunity to check soloutions which were developed by ProSPeReS project corsortium partners.

Invitation: Pilot Testing of ProSPERES Project’s E-Learning Platform

We are delighted to invite you to participate in the upcoming pilot testing of the ProSPeRes project’s E-Learning Platform. This online training activity marks a pivotal moment in assessing the effectiveness of the comprehensive e-learning materials and platform developed by our esteemed consortium.

Event Details:

 Date: October 20, 2023

• Time:9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (CET)

Location: Online Link

About the Pilot Testing Activity:

Our pilot testing exercise is primarily aimed at individuals who hold key roles in security- related responsibilities at places of worship. This includes security managers, members of security committees, guards, administrators of religious sites, seminary students, organizers of religious events, volunteers engaged in ensuring security at religious sites and events, religious staff, police officers, and public services cooperating with religious organizations.

This training activity offers an invaluable opportunity for participants to immerse themselves in our meticulously designed e-learning materials and platform. The content has been thoughtfully curated to impart essential knowledge and skills relevant to security protection in places of worship.

Language:

The pilot testing of the E-Learning Platform will be conducted in English, ensuring accessibility to a broad and diverse audience.

Equipment Requirements:

To fully engage and make the most of this experience, you will need:

A device with Internet access, preferably a laptop, to facilitate seamless navigation on the platform.

A stable Internet connection to ensure uninterrupted access throughout the session.

For more informatorom click link below:

https://prosperes.eu/wp-content/uploads/Prosperes_WP5.3_Pilot-Testing_-E-Learning-Platform_Invitation-and-agenda.pdf Read more

Large-scale exercise at the Archcathedral of Lodz

L⁹On September 27, 2023, the Lodz Archcathedral hosted an exercise that was the culmination of the Prosperes project. During the large-scale event, which was attended by 250 people, including 150 police officers from the Lodz garrison, representatives of the Lodz Fire Department, 50 observers and other participants of the project, mechanisms for responding to emergencies that may occur in places of worship were practiced. Based on the procedures developed by the international consortium under the ProSPeReS project, the ways of response of the faithful (volunteers invited to participate in the exercises) were tested in the case of placing a dangerous package in the church, attack of the so-called active shooter, hostage situation and use of CBRN agents. During the coordinated activities of the services, the evacuation of the faithful from the place of worship was carried out, and the knowledge of the rules of behavior in the face of danger was checked among the respondents, that are, managers of religious places, staff and the faithful. The exercise ended with a meeting at the Seminary of the Archdiocese of Lodz, where the result of the conducted activities was discussed.

The large-scale exercise in frame of ProSPeReS PROJECT

On September 27, 2023, at the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, Lodz, Piotrkowska Street 265 a large-scale exercise will be held as part of the project ProSPeReS. The aim of the exercise is to evaluate the measures for increasing the protection of people in places of worship. The large-scale exercise will emulate the scenarios of terrorist threats that may happen in the places of worship.

The event with participation of the religious staff, volunteers, police units, fire-fighters and other public services will allow to test and improve the elaborated preventive measures and reactions procedures including: organizing and operating the welcome team; searching the venue for suspicious items; managing the incident; reacting to the terrorist attacks including the use of CBRN agents; evacuation, invacuation and lockdown; communication and cooperation during and after the incident.

The organizers of the exercise are Regional Police Headquarters in Lodz, University of Lodz, Archdiocese of Lodz and ProSPeRes consortium.

Pilot training from Prosperes Project in Greece

On Tuesday 04/07/2023, ProSPeReS initiated its 3rd Pilot Training (train-the–trainer) in Ioannina, Greece. The three-day event is organised by the @Holy Metropolis of Ioannina in cooperation with @Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) with the support of the @Hellenic Police. The trainees consist of religious staff and representatives of local Police, Fire Brigade and Civil Protection (LEAs, first responders), typically responsible for the protection of religious sites against manmade threats. The aim of the training is to enhance the security knowledge and awareness of competent local stakeholders in respect to novel means, methods and approaches that can be applied to enhance the protection of their religious sites.

The training curriculum comprises theoretical training, assessment and interactive exercises, discussion and a threat scenario based Virtual Reality (VR) demonstration.

The training concludes on Thursday 06/07/2023. So far, the participants have been very interested and engaged, providing much positive feedback!

Finally, we are very pleased to have @CARDET from Cyprus present, leading partner in the development of the training curriculum.

Pilot training from ProSPeReS project in Warsaw

Another pilot training session of the ProSPeReS project took place in Warsaw from June 12 -14, 2023 at sites administered by the Jewish community. During the first day of the workshop, the project’s experts trained religious workers and security managers in religious communities on how to recognize and respond to potential threats that may arise in places of worship. They also presented key recommendations to enhance the security of worshippers that have been developed as part of the work to date. The next two days were devoted to thematic panels on the practical aspects of the training, where security management personnel learned, among other things, to recognize dangerous situations and respond appropriately to them. On the last day, a practical training session was conducted using elements of virtual reality.

The event was organized by the Jewish Community of Warsaw and the University of Lodz.