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The European Crime Prevention Award (ECPA) and Best Practice Conference (BPC) took place on 27 and 28 November 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The theme was the prevention of online fraud targeting citizens.

Discover the winners:

1. Finland: Scam call and payment fraud prevention

Based on situational crime prevention, it uses technology to block scam calls from appearing as Finnish numbers, significantly reducing fraud risk.

The ECPA jury praised the initiative for eliminating the need for individuals to change their behaviour, its strong collaborative foundation and its positive outcome evaluation.

2. Portugal: Missão Cibersegura

Aims to educate youth on digital safety, empowers teachers, collects cybercrime data and supports prevention strategies and educational policies.

The ECPA jury noted its success comes from embedding a well-designed cybersecurity game in a national strategy with broad cooperation and exceptional reach.

3. Germany: Fakeshop-Finder

An artificial intelligence–powered web tool that lets consumers verify the legitimacy of online shops in seconds to prevent fraud. 


The ECPA jury commended its strong theoretical foundation and high-quality technical approach as a robust response to the growing problem of e-commerce fraud.

 

Field visit Malta: Youth Defiance and Delinquency: Prevention & Intervention

On 10–11 November 2025, an EU-funded field visit on youth delinquency took place in Malta, attended by representatives from 10 EU Member States. Organised by the Malta Police Force and EUCPN, in collaboration with the Maltese Foundation for Social Welfare Services and National School Support Services, the visit examined local and international strategies to prevent and address youth defiance.

Participants engaged in workshops, field visits, presentations, and experience-sharing sessions, with discussions focusing on multi-agency collaboration, restorative approaches, and practical interventions.

Conclusion – Key Recommendations for National & EU Policy

• Effective prevention and intervention require strong collaboration across sectors. Engaging multiple stakeholders—including police, social workers, schools, youth welfare services, the justice system, and local authorities—is essential to address youth defiance and delinquency holistically.
• Multi-agency cooperation allows for sharing of expertise, coordinated action, and a consistent approach to at-risk youth. No single institution can address these challenges alone.
• There remain significant gaps in current systems, highlighting the need for continued learning, adaptation, and investment. Exchanging good practices from other EU countries can help tailor effective strategies to local contexts, including in Malta.
• Families and communities are central to prevention efforts. Supporting parental capacity, community engagement, and neighborhood initiatives strengthens protective environments for youth.
• Frontline workers (police officers, social workers, educators, and youth workers) must be empowered, resourced, and supported, as their daily interactions with youth are critical to early detection and intervention.
• Emphasis should be placed on preventive measures that combine evidence-based approaches, early engagement, and restorative strategies, ensuring that interventions are both timely and proportionate.
• A shared commitment at national and EU levels to integrate policy, research, and practice will enhance the capacity to prevent youth delinquency, reduce reoffending, and promote safer, more resilient communities.
• Ultimately, the success of youth prevention and intervention initiatives depends on collaboration, mutual trust, and recognition that each actor plays a unique and indispensable role in shaping positive outcomes.

 

Field visit Italy: Winter Olympic Games 2026

From 3 to 6 November 2025, a field visit was conducted in Italy to examine the authorities’ efforts to prevent and counter mafia infiltration of the legal economy in the context of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The visit, attended by representatives from 10 EU Member States, was organised by the Italian Ministry of the Interior and ENAA as part of the EUCPN-ENAA project and EMPACT High-Risk Criminal Networks Operational Action 9.1, funded by the European Union.

3 November: Arrival in Venezia and transfer to Belluno

4 November: Workshop on administrative measures to tackle mafia infiltration, including contributions by the Preffetura, DIA (Antimafia Investigation Directorate), SAC (Criminal Analysis Service) and Confiscated Assets Agency.
The workshop focused on the key elements of Italy’s national anti-mafia system, the role and functioning of interforce anti-mafia groups, and measures taken to prevent criminal infiltration in public construction projects. ENAA gave a presentation on how to start with the administrative approach.

5 November: Field visit on construction site 
The inspection took place at the “Trampolino Olimpico Italia” construction site under the supervision of the Prefettura and involved the territorial police forces, the Labour Inspectorate, and the Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate (DIA). As the fourth check within the inspection plan for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, it aimed to verify compliance with labour, safety, and administrative rules and to ensure the absence of criminal or mafia infiltration, through both document checks and on-site verification.

6 November: transfer to Venezia and departure.

Key takeaways:

• The workshop addressed Italy’s anti-mafia framework, especially in the context of safeguarding major public works for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Belluno, which remains a target area for organised crime due to high-profile investments and economic potential.
• Conducting inspections on site is absolutely crucial : what has been specified on paper and in the databases need to be verified.
• Checks are often limited because only Italian databases can be accessed, presenting a significant challenge when verifying foreign companies or workers involved in projects.
• Robust preventative systems are in place, based on interagency and prefectural cooperation, including dedicated “legality protocols” and extensive on-site and financial monitoring of construction projects.
• Italy’s anti-mafia system is underpinned by strict administrative and judicial measures, notably asset seizure and confiscation, with over 20 000 assets managed for public or social use by a central Agency operating nationwide.
• Organised crime groups in Italy (Cosa Nostra, ’Ndrangheta, Camorra, Apulian groups) have evolved in complex international structures, focusing less on violence and more on economic infiltration, corruption, and legal business structures.
• Anti-mafia checks rely on a mix of real-time site inspections, financial scrutiny (banking, company records), and data sharing, with “white list” systems to certify low-risk contractors and suppliers.
• The Prefecture acts as a central hub for administrative prevention, overseeing risk evaluation, disqualification measures, and ongoing compliance monitoring for public contracts and licenses; bans are issued when mafia links are found, and appeals are possible.
• Major inspections involve multiple agencies (police, Guardia di Finanza, Labour Inspectorate, DIA) reviewing safety, contract regularity, employment conditions, and criminal background of all personnel and firms.
• Field visits confirmed no mafia infiltration in Olympic projects but identified safety and administrative irregularities needing further follow-up; the process emphasises transparency, cross-agency reporting, and continued monitoring beyond initial checks.

 

Media

https://primabelluno.it/attualita/antimafia-europea-in-visita-a-belluno…

https://www.bellunopress.it/2025/11/17/scudo-antimafia-per-milano-corti…

https://www.interno.gov.it/it/notizie/belluno-incontro-forze-polizia-10…

https://prefettura.interno.gov.it/it/prefetture/belluno/notizie/field-v…

 

Field Visit in the Netherlands: Preventing youth recruitment into organised crime

From 8-10 October 2025, a field visit took place in the Netherlands, focusing on preventing the recruitment of young people into organised crime. The visit highlighted the "Prevention with Authority" programme, which brings together municipalities, schools, health care and security partners, and knowledge institutions. The programme focuses on early intervention with young people in vulnerable positions, offering opportunities while setting clear boundaries.

The field visit brought together representatives from 20 EU Member States, the European Commission and EMPACT. Funded by the European Union, it was organised in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security and the EUCPN. Participants exchanged knowledge and shared experiences on practical approaches that are effective in preventing youth involvement in organised crime.

Day 1 – 8 October
The visit began with a plenary session, including welcome remarks and a presentation on the Prevention with Authority programme.

Day 2 – 9 October
Workshops gave participants the opportunity to work in small groups, reflect on practical approaches and engage in panel discussions. The Prevention with Authority programme emphasised the adaptive cycle - continuously learning, evaluating and refining initiatives - and the upcoming EUCPN-ENAA toolkit on organised crime was presented. Attention was also given to the work carried out by the European Commission and EMPACT. Subsequently, four Dutch municipalities (Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Rijswijk and Leiden) shared their on-site approaches, each focusing on a different aspect of youth life: on the street, at home, at school and online.

Day 3 – 10 October
The final day focused on lessons learned and conclusions.

Key takeaways:

• Prevention with Authority is a comprehensive and holistic programme that focuses on a particular target group (young people at risk or involved in organised crime) and specific areas (mitigation of risk factors)
• Key elements of the programme include: 
  • Ensuring long-term and sustainable funding
  • Applying a learning and adaptive approach through monitoring and implementing communities of practice
  • Balance prevention and repression (through a cooperation between security and the social domain)
• Prevention with Authority is managed by the Dutch Minister of Justice, who provides evidence-based knowledge, a general structure and financial support. Nevertheless, the local partners remain the driving force behind the programme by coordinating the cooperation between stakeholders.
• The integrated approach focuses on various domains and can be tailored to each local setting:
  • Parental support
  • Sport & leisure activities
  • Job coaching
  • Intensive and personal mentoring (e.g. reintegration officers)
  • Investing in local authority (e.g. fast-track justice, exit programmes)
• Central to Prevention with Authority is the adaptive approach. This includes: 
  • Continuous reflection on the content, progress and impact of the activity
  • Not being afraid to stop something that doesn’t work
  • Using the quality framework for intervention effectiveness

Key takeaways for each thematic visit:

• Three scientifically grounded interventions have been presented on the topic ‘home’:
  • Basta!: Uses a risk assessment to estimate the likelihood of recidivism and identify factors influencing a child’s criminal behaviour. The team contacts the family and, together with the child, determines what is needed to prevent or stop recidivism.
  • KansRIJK ("Full of Chances"): Implemented by the juvenile probation service, this programme seeks to transform criminal behaviour into positive attitudes by offering perspective to young people and enhancing their personal skills.
  • The Re-integration Officer (RIO): Supports ex-convicts in returning to society and reduces the risk of reoffending.
• The visit on the topic ‘street’ showed that the application of transparent and open interventions are essential:
  • The ‘Zuid Aanpak’ (South Approach) in Rotterdam: Aims to prevent relapse, restore trust, and provide perspective for youth.
  • The ‘Persoonsgerichte Aanpak’ (Person-Oriented Approach): Targets young people who are at risk of becoming involved in organised crime. The initiative proactively intervenes by providing customised solutions to the young person, their environment and their network, limiting risk factors and increasing protective factors.
  • ‘Boksend Opvoeden’ (Boxing Parenting): Focuses on developing confidence, perseverance, resilience, and mutual respect.
• On the topic of ‘school’, the city of Leiden presented their integral approach where school plays a central role:
  • The Skill Skool Foundation entails municipality support for children and young adults who are (on the verge of) dropping out of school. Through several interventions, the Skill Skool education centre creates a community in which youth can develop their talents, build confidence, enhance practical skills and give back to society.
• The thematic session ‘online’ highlighted the need for an active online presence and engaging in proactive outreach, in order to protect vulnerable youth and to anticipate when online threats may spill over into the physical world:
  • The online help portal Keerpunt as well as digital police officers, and the initiative ‘Spine’ were presented as practical approaches to safeguarding youth in the digital age. 

 

Current project

The EUCPN Secretariat is funded by the European Union (Internal Security Fund) through a grant. The current grant period runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026. The Consortium is composed of Belgium (Service Public Federal Interieur as coordinator), Italy (Ministero Dell'Interno), the Netherlands (Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid), Malta (Police Force) and Germany (Bundeskriminalamt). All activities are being implemented by the European Crime Prevention Network (EUCPN) and the European Network on the Administrative Approach tackling serious and organised crime (ENAA).

This project aims to support the prevention workforce in tackling organised crime through evidence-based crime prevention and the administrative approach. To achieve this objective, the project will develop three toolkits: one focused on preventing recruitment, another on administrative approaches, and a third on evidence-based intervention design. These toolkits will comprise various products such as recommendation papers, best practices, and training materials tailored to our target audiences.

 

European Crime Prevention Award 2024

The European Crime Prevention Award (ECPA) and Best Practice Conference (BPC) took place on 3 and 4 December 2024 in Budapest. The theme was the prevention of reoffending.

Discover the winners:

1. Czech Republic: RUBIKON
2. Finland: Revion 
3. Denmark: Primus Motor

The aim of the 2024 ECPA was to identify and promote European best practices that effectively reduce recidivism rates and enhance successful reintegration. The focus of the Hungarian Presidency includes methods that facilitate employment, lawful behavior, and the successful reintegration of adults or juveniles into society during imprisonment through training, employment, or other programs. Projects that support inmates' reintegration in halfway houses fall within the scope of this call for proposals.

 

Training on the evaluation of crime prevention initiatives

The EUCPN created The Evaluation of Crime Prevention Interventions: A practical manual for trainers and practitioners which is a comprehensive 1.5 day training course designed for crime prevention practitioners and policymakers. It provides participants with the minimum level of knowledge and skills necessary to understand and conduct evaluations of their crime prevention initiatives. In addition, more complex evaluations are explained and participants are guided to seek external help if necessary. The course consists of eight modules, which focus on six necessary steps to evaluate crime prevention initiatives.

 

Crime prevention - a European definition

The EUCPN defines crime prevention as:

Ethically acceptable and evidence-based activities aimed at reducing the risk of crime occurring and its harmful consequences with the ultimate goal of working towards the improvement of the quality of life and safety of individuals, groups and communities

The paper covers this definition in depth, offering information on the different aspects within our understanding of crime prevention.