The GATHERINGS project launched and successfully expands a network of surveillance professionals – this is our Community of Practice (CoP) network. Moderated by the European Institute Foundation and facilitated by Trilateral Research, this CoP serves as an expert platform for dialogue.
“Its aim is to discuss the complexities of large-scale surveillance in public spaces and to deliberate on the balance between conflicting needs and interests. Our objectives are clear: stronger cooperation; knowledge sharing; and constructive dialogue”, EI’s Borislav Mavrov commented.
The CoP Network integrates the needs and interests of different public and private stakeholders that play a role in large-scale surveillance of public spaces. Its members include surveillance professionals, law enforcement agencies, local authorities, researchers and academics, NGOs, local communities, and citizens.
To date, the CoP Network has 66 members, affiliated to 20+ organisations, operating across 8+ member states including Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, and Austria. Ten of the members also engage professionally with entities that make part of the GATHERINGS project consortium.
How to join: New members are most welcome to join and contribute to strengthening the CoP Network’s scope, size and thematic diversity; and you, as a valued reader of our newsletter, can certainly be the perfect fit to become part of our community! If interested, just fill in this Gatherings CoP Members Recruitment Form. Becoming a member would allow you to participate in upcoming virtual and in-person project activities and get the opportunity to exchange with peers on a range of professional topics.
The network’s inaugural meeting took place on 23 January 2024. At it, the 35 founding members discussed their needs and expectations and defined the network’s principles and modus operandi in the context of our EU-funded project. “The big takeaway from our very first meeting was that the Network’s sustainability would depend on its usefulness for the participating members and organisations. In other words – the practical benefits”, Christopher Nathan from Trilateral Research said.
The second CoP meeting, conducted on 18 September 2024, proudly on-boarded new members from ecosystem’s full professional and geographic spectrum. Through this event, our significantly enlarged community discussed emerging challenges regarding spontaneous gatherings that are often happening after big public events such as concerts or sports games. The participants talked about challenges and solutions vis-à-vis this increasingly topical phenomenon across the surveillance community. In this context, the CoP members examined the interplay of technologies, stakeholders, and data transfer. Notably, the meeting’s special guest Bruno Rafael Martins provided examples of good practices from the High-Risk Security Network (HRSN) – a community of police professionals, supported by DG HOME.
