SD Europe was in Bucharest in early May to present on the supporter liaison officer (SLO) role and contribute further to the Council of Europe’s ProS4+ project.
The initiative delivers “one country” training to countries that have signed the 2016 Council of Europe Convention on an Integrated Safety, Security and Service Approach at Football Matches and Other Sports Events, and is supported by the European Union.
The seminar, which ran for three days from May 9th to 11th, followed on from similar training events in Lithuania and Bulgaria, and focused on providing training to key policing football decision makers and practitioners on:
the established good practices enshrined in Council of Europe and EU documentation on policing football, both inside and outside of stadia; and
developing and implementing football policing strategies, tactics and operations that are consistent.
Hosted by the Romanian Gendarmerie, stakeholders in attendance included senior policy makers, NFIP personnel, spotters and police commanders as well as Uefa and SD Europe.
Highlighting the importance of fan liaison as part of taking an integrated approach to safety, security and service at football games, SD Europe’s Stuart Dykes outlined the impact and potential the SLO role has not only in combatting spectator violence but also in promoting the ‘service’ element of the convention.
While in Bucharest, SD Europe also took the opportunity to meet the new SLO coordinator of the Romanian Football Federation, Alexandru Cândea, to discuss the future implementation of the SLO licensing requirement at Romanian clubs.
Separately, Uefa President Aleksander Čeferin and Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation between the two organisations on Wednesday (May 30th).