PRECRISIS is an acronym for “PRotECting public spaces thRough Integrated Smarter Innovative Security”. PRECRISIS works for strengthening the protection of public spaces by preventing terrorist attacks and violent crimes and mitigating their impacts.
Launched in Мay 2023, PRECRISIS is a two-year project, funded by the European Union’s Internal Security Fund (ISF) and delivered by a multi-disciplinary consortium of nine partners representing seven EU member states. The project seeks to promote integrated and innovative security through the empowerment of law enforcement authorities (LEAs), first responders, local managers of public spaces, and related security stakeholders. It enhances public-private co-operation and integrates expertise, best practice, and ‘privacy-by-design’ approaches to make public spaces more secure.
The project’s main technological contribution is the design and development of the PRECRISIS Platform, which aims to provide identification of potential vulnerabilities connected to public spaces and a real-time simulation of plausible scenarios before, during and after possible terrorist attacks or severe violent incidents. This AI-driven platform operates by automatically detecting patterns, associated with anomalous and dangerous behaviours and situations, and without imposing extensive time, cost, or cognitive constraints.
PRECRISIS develops, tests, and rolls out effective AI-based digital solutions and practical toolkits – policies, plans, training and exercising programs. All materials comply with ethical standards and legislation on the protection of personal data. The project outputs will be assessed and validated by local managers, police, and first responder agencies regarding specific public spaces, soft targets, and mass-gathering events. Four pilots planned for 2024 will stress-test the security measures in Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Italy. Taken together, the PRECRISIS outputs will support the development of security responses in urban spaces. These responses will follow an initial phase of assessing public space vulnerabilities and LEA user requirements.
The project is organised in 7 work packages (WPs):
- WP 1: Project Management & Coordination
- WP 2: Vulnerability Assessment & Stakeholder Requirements
- WP 3: PRECRISIS Platform
- WP 4: Pilot Planning, Development and Evaluation
- WP 5: PRECRISIS Toolkit
- WP 6: Ethical Framework & Policy Recommendations
- WP 7: Communication, Dissemination, Engagement & Sustainability.
