The PROTECTOR project recognises that attacks on places of worship are a serious security concern across the world, as extremists and terrorists promulgating hate and violent ideologies, continue to commit crimes against places of worship with alarming regularity. Recent attacks on places of worship have revealed the exploitation of their intrinsic vulnerabilities that result from their open nature and public character.

Supported by theG20 Inter Faith Forumand the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), whilst being conducted by 5 Law Enforcement Agencies from Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden, the PROTECTOR project will design, develop and deliver the next generation of integrated measures to enhance the protection of all places of worship.

The ethos of PROTECTOR is to enhance security postures at places of worship through improving the coordination, cooperation and communication between Law Enforcement Agencies, public authorities, faith leadership and congregations. The combination of the PROTECTOR system of measures brings together all stakeholders to play a greater collective role in developing protective security countermeasures at places of worship.

The collective sustainable impact of PROTECTOR outputs will significantly enhance the protection, preparedness and resilience of places of worship, serving to increase the preventative and investigative capabilities of Law Enforcement Agencies to better protect places of worship from all manner of hate crimes, violence, terrorism and future emerging threats.