The Concept of soft target protection for the years 2017-2020

The goal of this concept is to create a functioning national system for the protection of soft targets, thanks which will be able to react flexibly, comprehensively and quickly to the threats of attacks on soft targets resulting from the situation both abroad and in the Czech Republic.

The need to protect soft targets is based both on the counter-terrorist package and the findings of the National Security Audit of the Czech Republic and on the fact that terrorists are increasingly attacking these places. It is necessary to create conditions that allow a substantial part of the soft targets to be able to respond to the potential threat and attack either to prevent or to significantly reduce possible damage.

The concept is valid for the period 2017 - 2020, the subsidy programs are set up until 2021.

The measures stemming from the Concept are designed for all security components, but not just for them. Equally important is to motivate owners and operators of soft targets to improve their ability to prepare themselves and respond to a possible violent attack. Therefore, recommendations and methodologies are developed so, that they can be used in different areas.

Evidence and evaluation fall entirely within the Ministry of Interior department.

Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic,
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports,
Ministry of Health,
Ministry of Culture,
Ministry of Transportation,
Ministry of Defence,
Ministry of Industry and Trade,
Police of the Czech Republic,
General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service

The concept is funded by the Ministry of the Interior. About 359 million CZK are allocated for the protection of soft targets. This amount will be divided among several ministries within the framework of individual subsidy programs.

ZÁKLADY OCHRANY M?KKÝCH CÍL? METODIKA.
1. Praha, 2016. Zpracoval tým Soft Targets Protection Institute, z.ú. (STPI) pod vedením Ing. Zde?ka Kalvacha. Dostupné také z: http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/metodika-zaklady-ochrany-mekkych-cilu-pdf.aspx
Koncepce ochrany m?kkých cíl? pro roky 2017-2020.
1. Praha, 2017. Ministerstvo vnitra. Dostupné také z: http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/koncepce-ochrany-mekkych-cilu-pro-2017-2020-pdf.aspx

http://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/vlada-schvalila-koncepci-ochrany-mekkych-cilu-pro-roky-2017-2020.aspx
file:///C:/Users/Benesova/Downloads/Koncepce_ochrany_
m%C4%9Bkk%C3%BDch_c%C3%ADl%C5%AF_pro_2017-2020%20(5).pdf
http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/metodika-zaklady-ochrany-mekkych-cilu-pdf.aspx
http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/bezpecnostni-standard-k-ochrane-mekkych-cilu-pdf.aspx
http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/strategie-ceske-republiky-pro-boj-proti-terorismu-pdf.aspx
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/na-ochranu-tzv-mekkych-cilu-pujde-359-mil-kc-schvalila-vlada/1509427
http://www.stpi.cz/

Recently, the security situation in Europe has been deteriorating. Terrorism and extremism have been gaining grounds and have shown a new trend of assaults which resemble terrorism because they hit soft targets and kill randomly but lack ideological motive. Strictly speaking, the Czech Republic has been so far spared terrorist attacks but there is the infamous incident of arson driven by racism (i.e. extremist), motivation and targeted at a house inhabited by a Roma family in Vítkov (2009). We have also experienced attacks of „non-Ideological “nature, such as the shooting in a restaurant in Uherský Brod (2015) or the attack with a knife and taking of hostages in a school in Ž?ár nad Sázavou (2014). Several other attacks, similar to those described above, were prevented or stopped in the initial phase.
All these attacks were beyond the standard self-help capacity of the attacked subjects and all exceeded the limits of common crime. Most of these incidents resulted in casualties, with consequences affecting the whole community. More often than not, coordinated effort was necessary to put recovery measures in place. The lesson we are learning is that terrorists are still more and more likely to attack unprotected places where people congregate, regardless of whether there is or is not a political, religious or other symbolic pretext (i.e. the soft targets).
The challenge for the State is that there are innumerable soft target areas. State agencies and public administration will never have the capacity to provide sufficient security for all possible locations. For this reason, the security measures adopted by soft targets themselves are becoming an increasingly significant component of public security. Many soft targets are even capable of ensuring better security for themselves (for example if they have greater resources – knowledge of the place, contacts, staff on the spot and financial funds etc.) than the State ever could.

Due to the timing of the program (2017-2020), it is not possible to assess the extent to which the targets have been met.
To present time, was created (with the support of the Ministry of Interior) a document called Basics of Soft Targets Protection - Guidelines. It is the first resource material offering a comprehensive approach to the protection of soft targets in the Czech Republic and is focused on protecting the individuals from serious assaults against individuals rather than the protection of private and corporate property.
The Guideline is applicable to attacks conducted by terrorists as well as aggressive extremists or individuals with criminal motives or even people acting out for purely personal incentives (e. g. an ex-employee) or mentally ill people. The Guideline can be adjusted to the needs of any institution (official or unofficial, such as a business, school, NGO, public organization or even a family) and any building (commercial, public, private).
The Guideline primarily deals with prevention of potential attacks and mitigation of possible impact because soft targets usually lack capacity to strike back against attackers and it is for the professionals provided by the government, community or, rarely, a private subject to take care of that.

Referring to the short duration of practice, this category cannot be described.

The followings are included in the concept:
• The establishment of a permanent advisory council of the Ministry of Interior for the protection of soft targets
• Creating a series of training courses and materials for security professionals, owners, or operators of soft targets
• Implementation of information campaign aimed at the lay and professional public
• Sending SMS alert to selected soft targets, with plan to establish a connection network so that representatives of the soft targets at the attack site have an overview and information about what's happening nearby
• Setting up grant programs created with specific ministries to increase the protection of soft targets

The project is guaranteed by grant programs until 2021, but the general impact should be lasting.
Grant programs for the protection of so-called soft targets in 2019-2021:
Ministry of Transport – 22 million CZK,
Ministry of Culture – 121 million CZK
Ministry of Interior – 120 million CZK
Ministry of Health - 96 million CZK

The Ministry of Transport wants to focus on land transport, including urban public transport. Money will be directed, for example, to a training programs, educational events, processing and printing information and educational materials, promotional and educational activities or exercises. The Ministry of Culture will receive 121 million crowns. The Ministry of Interior plans to set up two grant programs. The first focuses on the protection of public spaces, objects and actions of public administration as possible objectives, and the 60 million crowns should contribute to the protection of cultural and sporting events, markets and similar activities. The same amount goes to the security of schools and school facilities. The program will focus on regions that individually identify risk objects. The Ministry of Health has identified large hospitals as key soft targets. Grant programs will be focused on security analyses, processing a security plan, setting up personal alarms, photo pasting, detectors, sirens or educational events and exercises.