Working Group Shares Best Practices for Spectator Sports Safety and Security

On March 6, 2018, INTERPOL Washington—the U.S. National Central Bureau—hosted a one-day working group meeting to prepare for the April 2018 course, Risk Management Challenges for Major Sporting Events: A Global Perspective. The official training course will be hosted by INTERPOL Project STADIA at the INTERPOL Secretariat General (IPSG) in Lyon, France.

The Risk Management Challenges for Major Sporting Events: A Global Perspective course trains senior law enforcement and incident management team leaders involved in the decision-making process to prepare for and respond to large-scale incidents during major national and international sporting events. The course, a scenario-based practicum, designed by international subject matter experts, uses a systematic process to analyze and prioritize risks posed by a crisis, crowd management, crowd violence, and terrorism, and to develop effective risk treatments.

During Tuesday’s preparatory class, representatives from the University of Mississippi, National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴) and INTERPOL IPSG brought together instructor-observers to conduct an intensive review of the course syllabus and modules. Participants were selected based on their respective backgrounds in specialized fields or their experience in conducting and leading law enforcement-related training in an international environment. The participants served as students for the instructor team and provided feedback and recommendations to strengthen the course.