The project’s main objective is to rethink, redesign and adapt existing tools and methods to help local security actors anticipate and better respond to security challenges in the context of:

• A decline in citizens’ trust in institutions, local elected officials and other security and prevention actors;
• Drastic budgetary cuts and various contemporary crises that affect local and national authorities;
• The development of smart cities, which implies the efficient inclusion of technological innovations in crime prevention.

IcARUS will focus on four areas that have been identified by local and regional authorities as enduring security challenges :

1. Preventing juvenile delinquency;
2. Preventing radicalisation leading to violent extremism;
3. Designing and managing safe public spaces;
4. Preventing and reducing trafficking and organised crime.

These will also be examined in the light of four cross-cutting issues of:

• governance and diversification of actors,
• technological change,
• gender,
• transnational & cross-border issues.

The project will review and reassess past and present urban security policies to provide socially and technologically innovative strategies and tools adaptable to specific local contexts.

We will develop custom-made solutions to security challenges, which will incorporate social as well as technological innovations.

The tools will be designed through a constant process of defining, ideating, prototyping, testing, evaluating and adapting by local authorities. This process will ensure that they are effective and meet the collective needs of citizens.

A Consultative Committee of Cities and law enforcement agencies (LEA’s)  supports the implementation of the project. The Committee provides consortium partners with practitioner perspectives and feedback. The Committee thus supports the design and implementation of the tools developed in the project. It has a key role in strengthening multi-level governance and local partnerships. It is also expected to be a central channel of communication and dissemination of the toolkit and the overall results of the project.

A greater involvement of cities will allow more end users to benefit from the tools and methods developed in the context of the project, throughout its course.

• City of Malmö (SE)
• City of Mechelen (BE)
• Region of Emilia-Romagna (IT)
• City of Gdansk (PL)
• Departament d’Interior – Generalitat Catalunya (ES)

Patrick Charlier, Director – Unia

Barbara Holtmann, Director, Fixed.Africa and non-executive President of the Board, Women in Cities International.

Erich Marks, CEO German Prevention Congress

Design Thinking Methodology in the context of the IcARUS Project -Factsheet #1

This factsheet is based on research conducted for the IcARUS reports “Methodology for the adoption of DT in urban security & crime prevention initiatives” (D1.1) and “Guidelines to the DT implementation in IcARUS task” (D1.2).

Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency: relevant international and national regulations – Factsheet #2

This factsheet is based on research conducted for the IcARUS report “Legal adjustment report of IcARUS to the relevant international and national regulations” (D6.1).

November 2021

• Rethinking Crime Prevention: IcARUS at Efus’ Security, Democracy, and Cities Conference
• The Evolution of Innovative Approaches to Build More Secure and Safer Public Spaces
• Engagement and Communication: An update on the State of the Art Review

September 2021

• IcARUS Panel Session at the European Police Congress in Berlin

May 2021

• Do you speak IcARUS? Why the project has created a common glossary of terms
• Design Thinking virtual training workshops: A fun and fruitful experience
• How IcARUS is leading innovation for urban security
• Consultative Committee of Cities Interview – Werner Van Herle
• Expert Advisory Board Interview – Dr. Barbara Holtmann

April 2021

• Framework of Rules of Ethics of Criminological Research. In the light of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Urban Crime – An International Journal

February 2021

• Understanding the needs and expectation of the project’s six partner cities: a research conducted by the University of Leeds
• Thinking out of the box: How the Design Thinking innovative approach shapes the project
• Turin: Juvenile Delinquency is a priority
• Stuttgart: remaining safe at a time of fundamental changes
• Riga: a holistic approach to the security of public spaces
• Rotterdam: an open window to the world
• Nice: pioneering new urban security solutions
• Community policing in Lisbon – Sustainable local partnerships for safer neighbourhoods

December 2020

• Ensuring that IcARUS complies with high ethical and legal standards
• Testing, implementation and evaluation of the tools
• Urban Security in the last 30 years: an upcoming in-depth analysis
• Combining methodology and innovation: the IcARUS approach
• Welcome to The IcARUS Project

Sign up for IcARUS’ newsletter and find all the previous newsletters here.

Under review:

• Results from Cross-Training Task
• Methodology for the Adoption of Design Thinking in Urban Security and Crime Prevention Initiatives
• Guidelines to the Design Thinking implementation in IcARUS task
• Visual Identity
• Strategic Dissemination and Communication plan. V1
• Creation of the project’s webpage and social networks
• Project Management Guide
• Risk Management and Quality Assurance Plan

Efus is the coordinator of the IcARUS project.

Project Coordinator:
Efus

Local authorities:
City of Stuttgart (DE), City of Riga (LV), City of Rotterdam (NL), City of Nice (FR), City of Lisbon (PT), City of Turin (IT)

Universities and research partners:
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (AT), Erasmus University of Rotterdam (NL), Panteion University (GR), University of Salford (UK), University of Leeds (UK), IDIAP Research Institute (CH), KEMEA (ES)

Civil society and private sector organisations:
Plus Ethics (ES), Makesense (FR), Camino (DE)

Dissemination and Communication
LOBA (PT)