Project Griffin’s primary mission is to engage, encourage and enable members of the community to work in partnership with the police to deter, detect and counter terrorist activity and crime.
Project Griffin seeks to enlist the help and support of individuals or groups responsible for the safety and security of buildings, businesses, districts or neighbourhoods. It provides an official and direct channel through which the police can share and update vital information relating to security and crime prevention.
Its principal aims are to:
- Raise awareness of current terrorist and crime issues
- Share and gather intelligence and information
- Build and maintain effective working relationships
- Seek solutions to defeating terrorism and crime
- Maintain trust and confidence in the police and other authorities
- Empower people to report suspicious activity and behavior
The operational framework of Project Griffin consists of four main strands:
Awareness Days
These are staged locally by participating police forces to introduce the concept and establish relationships and networks. They focus on how to recognise, respond to, and report suspicious activity and behaviour. They also help participants think about their own local procedures for dealing with certain types of incidents and emergencies.
Online Refresher Module
An informative, interactive and easy-to-follow refresher package has been developed to help keep participants engaged and informed. Successful completion of the module also formally recognises their participation.
Bridge Calls
Most participating police forces employ a system of regular Bridge Calls, whether by conference call, SMS, pager or email. These keep individuals and groups aware of current information and intelligence, as well as issues or incidents affecting their particular area.
Emergency deployments
Although the primary role of Project Griffin is to focus on community awareness, surveillance and reporting, additional procedures might be activated in times of emergency. Police forces, utilising civilian powers, might seek to deploy Project Griffin registered personnel for activities such as setting up cordons or high-visibility neighbourhood patrolling.