The EMPACT-OA international workshop (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats – Operational Action) was held in the Cenacolo Hall at the Scuola di Perfezionamento per le Forze di Polizia. This meeting, which dealt with the topic concerning cooperation in the field of justice, has been organised and run by the Central Protection Service of the Central Directorate of the Criminal Police.
The Deputy Chief of Police – Criminal Police Central Director, Prefetto Raffaele Grassi, delivered a welcome address to the participants in this event, which was attended by the representatives of 22 countries in the Schengen Area and outside the EU.
The workshop activity was focused on the harmonization of EU legislation in the field of witness protection as well as on the recognition of the status of persons cooperating with judicial authorities, emphasizing some crucial aspects such as the social/occupational reintegration and the psychological assistance.
In the context of internal security safeguarded by EMPACT, the Multidisciplinary Platform of Europol to counter transnational organized crime, the Italian Central Protection Service took on the role of “Action Leader” for the 2026/2028 two-year period in the strategic sector of witness and cooperating witness protection.
Backed by more than 30 years of experience, the Italian protection system had the opportunity to analyze the new international scenarios, as well as the key challenges such as digitalization and the interoperability of databases to promote the protection mechanism as an effective tool for multilateral law enforcement.
The initiative forms part of the steps leading to Italy’s six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union, scheduled for January to June 2028, and represents an important opportunity for the Department of Public Security to strengthen international cooperation.
