Abstract:In the face of radicalisation and violent extremism, repressive responses are not enough. To fight these phenomena, it is primordial to act preventively. In addition to policing and justice policies, the crime prevention policy must mobilise local partnership schemes in order to strengthen the resilience of individuals and groups to the risk of radicalisation. Because they are close to citizens, local and regional authorities are strategically positioned to put in place such preventive actions and to mobilise all the relevant local stakeholders.
Between 2014 and 2016, Efus led the first LIAISE project which created a training programme on the prevention of radicalisation tailored to the needs of local stakeholders. The knowledge, training modules and recommendations created as part of this project are presented in a publication, Preventing and Fighting Radicalisation at the Local Level. LIAISE 2, launched in 2016, is the continuity of LIAISE 1. The objectives are to strengthen and broaden the existing partnership and to help local authorities implement local policies to prevent radicalisation. LIAISE 2 gathers 33 partners from 10 EU countries. 17 partners will implement a training session and a local pilot activity, fitted to their needs, on one of the following issues: resilience and prevention in schools, counter-narratives, support to families, and disengagement.
Vita:As Executive Director of the European Forum for Urban Security (Efus), Elizabeth Johnston is responsible for the strategy and development of Efus together with the Executive Committee, and is in charge of staff management. Since February 2016, she is also Executive Director of the French Forum for Urban Security.
In addition, she is Secretary of the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC), member of the Advisory Board of the Global Parliament of Mayors and official associate of the University of Liege (Belgium). Prior to this, and after beginning her career at a French local authority, Elizabeth Johnston served as Programme Director at the French-American Foundation, and as Violence Prevention Expert at the World Bank in Washington. She holds degrees in Law from Assas University (France), in Political Science from Yale University (United States) and in Public Policy from Marne-La-Vallée University (France).
