TAKEDOWN

Both organized crime and terrorist networks are major threats for the European Union and its population. On the one hand, we are facing an increasing infiltration of organized crime into the legal economy. On the other hand, Europe is being challenged by returning foreign fighters as well as terrorist attacks by individuals that have been radicalised in Europe. Additionally, in this regard, it is crucial to understand the interdependencies as defined in the crime-terror-nexus.

The objective of TAKEDOWN is to understand the social, psychological and economic aspects of processes that lead to organized crime and violent extremism. The H2020-project “TAKEDOWN: Understand the Dimensions of Organised Crime and Terrorist Networks for Developing Effective and Efficient Security Solutions for First-line-practitioners and Professionals” has been funded by the European Commission through the framework program Horizon 2020 (H2020) in the course of the call “Fight against crime and Terrorism” (FCT-16-2015) “Investigating the role of social, psychological and economic aspects of the processes that lead to organized crime (including cyber related offenses), and terrorist networks and their impact on social cohesion”.

Coordinated by SYNYO GmbH (AT) and throughout a duration of 36 months with a total number of 419 person months, 18 partners will be working on analysing the body of knowledge as well as conducting empirical research on the challenges and needs of first-line practitioners, policy makers and researchers as well as law enforcement agencies. Among these partners are the Euro-Arab Foundation (Spain), Autonomous University of Barcelona (ES), Middlesex University (UK), University of Leeds (UK), ETH Zurich – Center for Security Studies (CH), Technion Israel Institute of Technology (Israel), Czech Technical University (CZ), Technische Universität Darmstadt (DE), Agenfor Italia (IT), Center for the Study of Democracy (BG), Peace Action Training and Research Institute of Romania (RO), University of Security Management in Kosice (SK), Leuven Security Excellence Consortium vzw (BE), Agency for European Integration & Economic Development (AT), Valencia City Council – Local Police (ES), Police Academy in Szczytno (PL) and Cloud security Alliance (UK). Based on the knowledge aggregation, dynamic, multi-dimensional models for both organized crime and violent extremism including a particular focus on the crime-terror-nexus will be developed. They will reflect the complexity of individual and structural dimensions, geographical scale as well as the forms and levels of responses related to different stakeholder groups and practitioners.

Developing new online platforms

As a non-digital solution, a set of validated, research-based and multilingual TAKEDOWN Toolkits including action plans, response strategies, technological concepts, and best practices will be developed. The focus will be put on the specific needs of first-line-practitioners as well as professionals in law enforcement. Recommendations and policy briefs for policy makers will be created as well.

As one pillar of the digital solutions, the TAKEDOWN Open Information Hub will target first-line-practitioners by providing inductive materials such as experts and training finders, tools advisors, good practices evaluations, information and knowledge articles.

The second pillar of the digital solutions, the TAKEDOWN Professional Solution Platform, will consist of various modules for law enforcement and security solution developers. It will combine knowledge materials and digital security solutions as well as scenarios, product advisors and a digital toolkit.

With this multi-level approach, TAKEDOWN will support a better understanding of the extremism and organized crime nexus while developing modern approaches and solutions. It will finally lead to a more efficient and effective response on organized crime and terrorism and strengthen social cohesion at pan-European level.

Links

Link to FIRST-LINE PRACTIONERS Platform: www.firstlinepractitioners.com

Link to FIGHT CRIME TERRORISM Platform: www.fightcrimeterrorism.com

Keywords

Organized crime, violent extremism, terrorism, radicalisation, first-line-practitioners, toolkit, law enforcement