On October 17th and 18th, 2023, the Second Workshop on the assessment of threats and vulnerabilities to places of worship took place at the International Airport Katowice and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Jasna Gora, Poland. This significant event was organized by Fondazione SAFE, Università Cattolica and the University of Lodz in collaboration with OPFA-CULT project, bringing together a diverse group of experts, government officials, and representatives of religious communities from across Europe. The workshop provided a unique platform to facilitate discussions and promote cooperation between the managers, religious communities, law enforcement agencies, local authorities, and security experts involved in the protection of places of worship.
The Workshop witnessed the participation of more than 50 people among representatives, from the European Commission (DG Home Counter-Terrorism Unit), European and international LEAs, as well as members from several religious members from Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, Islamic and Evangelical communities, highlighting the collective commitment to safeguarding places of worship.
After the opening remarks by President of Airport Authority, EC DG Home Counter-Terrorism Unit representative and SAFE Project Director, a conference session followed with several presentations on innovative technologies for the protection of places of worship and different experiences on safeguarding cultural heritage from different risks. The morning session closed with a study visit at the airport on the security measures in critical infrastructure.
The afternoon session proceeds with a round table session organised by 5 working groups focusing on threat scenarios, vulnerability assessment and the security by design related to some real case studies and explore technological solutions to enhance protection.
On the second day, the Workshop was held in the premises of the Sanctuary of Czestochowa in Jasna Gora and was introduced by Prior Samuel Pacholski. The morning session opened with a presentation on security measures implemented at the Shrine by the Counter-Criminality Parthenon (C&CP) Partners, followed by some insights on security systems and tools for the protection of public spaces by the Technical Committee for Homeland Security (TKH).
Furthermore, a demonstration by professors from the Politecnico di Torino (POLITO) was showcased trough a real-time detection of the Sanctuary using an innovative portable SLAM Laser Scanner which can be useful for the safeguard of cultural heritage of places of worship.
Finally, the 2nd Workshop provided an invaluable opportunity to learn about current innovative technologies and security tools that can significantly improve the protection of places of worship. By promoting collaboration between LEAs and religious groups, and introducing cutting-edge technologies, the Workshop signed a significant milestone for the SHRINEs project as well as a step toward enhancing the security of religious places across Europe.