Lisbon, 8 February 2010. – Republika Srpska Police Director Uroš Pena, alongside EU Police Mission (EUPM) Deputy Head of Mission, Domenico Paterna, gave a presentation at a two-day counter-terrorism workshop held on February 4-5 in Lisbon, and organized by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). 

The workshop, aiming to enhance public-private partnerships in protecting vulnerable targets from terrorist attacks, was

held in connection with the work of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and was hosted by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Portuguese Republic Intelligence System (SIRP) and the Security Intelligence Service (SIS).

Pena and Paterna provided input to the workshop by giving a presentation on putting private-public sector partnerships into practice and how the development and strengthening of such partnerships can enhance the security of citizens.

“Vulnerable targets are places where groups of people routinely gather, such as hotels, tourist or recreational centers, train and bus stations, historical sites, cultural, religious and educational centers,” said Paterna. “This workshop aimed at building up a coalition of public and private entities working together to promote a new culture of cooperation between these two sectors.”

The comprehensive agenda of presentations and discussions by key players in both the public and private security sectors from around the world provided a platform for an interregional approach to tackling the ever-pressing issue of terrorist attacks on vulnerable targets and created the framework for an effective public-private sector partnership in fighting terrorism. Other key topics discussed included intelligence-sharing frameworks, risk assessment and community policing as a means of preventing terrorism.