INTERCEPT aims to strengthen the capabilities of law enforcement authorities in the EU and equip them with effective methods to remotely and safely stop vehicles posing imminent and high-security threats to citizens and society. This involves identifying technology gaps to address in order to minimize existing vulnerabilities and enhance security efficiency. This objective is endorsed from the outset by various stakeholders, particularly security practitioners. INTERCEPT involves eight end-users from eight EU countries (Belgium, Finland, France, Poland, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Spain, and the United Kingdom), all of whom are also public buyers. Additionally, numerous other end-users will participate through the User Observatory Group (UOG). The project follows a progressive and iterative approach to collectively identify a common challenge that can be addressed with identified candidate technologies, laying the groundwork for future PCP, for which the buyer's group will be created during the project, through the continuous involvement of the UOG. Initially, at least six jointly defined common security use cases will comprehensively outline the gaps between available solutions, existing procedures, and identified requirements. Subsequently, technological experts will analyse these needs, considering legal, societal, ethical, and environmental factors, as well as state-of-the-art (SOTA) analysis and consultations with the open market. The outcomes will ultimately inform the definition of the common challenge and the development of the initial set of tender documents.

The COPKIT project addresses the problem of analysing, preventing, investigating and mitigating the use of new information and communication technologies by organised crime and terrorist groups. This question is a key challenge for policy-makers and LEAs due to the complexity of the phenomenon, the quantity of factors and actors involved, and the great set of criminal and terrorist technological activities in support of OC and terrorist actions. It is a clear VUCA world effect (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). EUROPOL who is involved in COPKIT as head of its Advisory Board, in this year’s SOCTA 2017 report "Crime in the Age of Technology" states that "This is now, perhaps, the greatest challenge facing LEAs around the world". COPKIT proposes an intelligence-led Early Warning (EW) / Early Action (EA) system, directly related to the methodological approach used by EUROPOL in SOCTA. “Intelligence-led policing” offers a framework to guide operations, prioritizing needs and optimizing resources. EW explain how crimes are evolving, identifying "weak signals", warnings, new trends, and being a basis for assisting decision makers, both strategic and operational levels, in order to develop EA (preparedness, mitigation, prevention and other security policies). Our project, with 17 European organizations from 13 countries participating (9 of them LEAs from 8 countries, one of them leader of EMPACT firearms) and with EUROPOL leading support, aims to create such a technological intelligence and knowledge ecosystem for LEAs, to fight OCT. COPKIT will comprise several phases: (1) developing and applying a EW/EA system and applying it to use-cases, (2) developing a toolkit for knowledge production and exploitation, tested by LEAs in their premises, (3) ensuring respects to EU legal and ethical principles, (4) developing innovative curricula for all aspects of the EW/EA methodology and eco-system to facilitate the uptake by LEAs.

Though difficult to quantify, the variety of possible ID document frauds at borders is a reality that threatens politicians holding responsibility for borders as well as EU citizens. Based on the needs expressed by practitioners, the iMARS consortium has shaped a project that will: 1/ improve the operational capacity of passport application and border control operators by providing both - short-term adhoc solutions ensuring reliable passport application procedures - and mid-term solutions with no-reference and differential analysis solutions that can in particular detect manipulated and morphed passport images as well as document fraud. iMARS will provide: • Image morphing and manipulation attack detection solutions to assess ID documents validity against document fraud, during enrolment and renewal steps, as well as at the border crossing stations • Document verification and fraud detection solutions to support border guards in the verification process by providing mobile tools that can check document’

A project to build and maintain an innovation-driven network of LEAs combating cybercrime - accelerating the EU’s ability to counteract growing pressures of cyber threats. Heeding advice from EUROPOL’s EC3 flagship report Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment, CYCLOPES create synergies between LEAs from MS and connect industry and academia by stimulating and sustaining dialogue on pressing security matters threatening the stability of Europe and Citizen safety. Dedicated teams will scour markets, identifying solutions and research activities to highlight actions and innovative products to assist LEAs tackle the complexity of cybercrime. Besides technology, the project supports continued development of LEAs, working closely with practitioners to define current capacities and elicit capability gaps and requirements in crucial areas: procedures, training, legal and standardisation. Consequently, other objectives are: identification of priorities for standardisation; recommendations for innovation uptake and implementation; social, ethical and legal reports providing guidance and training suggestions for cybercrime investigators; dissemination of results through workshops, conferences, webinars, publications, policy papers and media. All outcomes will be suitably considered for exploitation - helping to propel the EU in the fight against cybercrime. Practitioners’ workshops are a driving force behind the project and cover three 3 domains: 1) cybercrime affecting people directly, 2) cybercrime affecting systems, 3) digital forensics. The project is to synchronise with other activities conducted by relevant parties EUROPOL, INTERPOL, CEPOL, ECTEG, ENISA; networks: ENLETS, ENFSI, I-LEAD, iLEAnet, EU-HYBNET, covering topics that go beyond efforts of these initiatives and preventing duplication. This also applies to projects where activities align with CYCLOPES (i-ProcureNet, Stairs4Security) and future projects funded by the EC, especially in the area of AI.

Supported by new technologies and expanded access to information through mass media, contemporary society is evolving and witnessing a steady improvement in living standards, but today we are more likely challenged to cope with emergencies, disasters and accidents. These events affect people as victims of material or physical damage, people having lost family members, witnesses, living close to the place where such events are taking place, and not last in a row, the participants in rescue operations in case of disasters. For all these categories of people continuing living after such un event is no longer the same, their life undergoes a change more or less traumatic, they become people with special needs to adapt to new conditions and they need psychological resources to face post-traumatic stress. Emergency Psychological Aid is required to support a psychological state of mind to overcome the emotional, cognitive and personal effects. With Erasmus + mobilities we intend to make steps in creating the local networks and to contribute to improving psychological support services for victims and their families of emergency situations; Increasing the capacity of resilience of the personnel involved in high risk missions and to increase the quality and accessibility of training, support, and guidance of psychologists. For this we have identified European institutions and organizations which can provide internships for psychologists employeed in the Ministry of Internal affairs. They will participate in activities for cultural, linguistic and pedagogical training necessary in the internships thus obtaining necessary competencies for psychological assistance in emergency situations. The activities will consist in: emergency psychological assistance to the victims and their families; management of post-traumatic stress syndrome caused by constant exposure to people affected by pain and suffering (working with people experiencing high levels of emotional distress); management of risk situations by the safety or health emergency personnel; responsibility to protect the lives of citizens; ability to control emotions and not respond to provocation; managing and addressing psychological stress symptoms in high risk occupations (fatigue, insomnia and agitation; other disorders, alcohol consumption) eustress vs. distress; specific assistance programs, stress and psychological trauma, using case studies, critical incident method, discussions, reflection and observation activities. The project will be managed by a team with expertise in project management through the application of knowledge, abilities, tools and techniques for the specific purpose and to achieve the objectives defined in the application, in accordance with the timetable and the budget set in the application. The expected results are: a team of professionals in training, a collection of European practices in the field of emergency psychological assistance; toolkit / guides for emergency psychological assistance adapted from European good practices, groups of local initiative to create local networks of psychologists and volunteers for emergencies and a set of documents-support for workshops endorsed by the College of Psychologists in Romania. As a result of the dissemination of information, techniques and guidelines we count on an increased efficiency of the activities of the psychologists in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Territorial cooperation will be enhanced through the implementation of training courses and we expect significant effects especially at the county level by creating networks of practitioners in each county according to the Red Plan of Intervention, which we consider the result of the most relevant impact. Exchanges of experience with psychologists in national security system is the opportunity to extend the impact nationwide. In a broader, long-term, at the level of the society will be improved the idea of promoting the principle of protection of human health and mental health, which is stipulated in the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union.