Project PCCC: The Signing of the Grant Agreement

Under the 2007-2013 European Commission Programme “Prevention of and Fight Against Crime” and following its decision taken on 18 November 2011, the Grant Agreement which assigns the funding to the PCCC project  - Setting-up Police Cooperation and Customs Centres Network for Enforcing the Fight against Illicit Crime, has been forwarded. The activities will officially begin as soon as it is signed by the EC.
The three-year project consists of realizing an integrated platform for sharing data and documents to allow the National Coordinator of the Police and Customs Cooperation Centres (C.N.C.C.P.D.) and the local branches in Ventimiglia, Modane, Chiasso and Thorl Maglern, to manage the work-flow and to use the shared information heritage in a more efficient manner.
Furthermore, this platform will have to allow foreign offices, identified under P.C.C. (Police Co-operation Centres) to receive positive and negative hits upon specific requests. 
For the national centres, a web application will represent the starting point, and an access to a whole of services, like search, collaboration, management and content mechanisms, which may vary according to future needs.
The security of the infrastructure will be ensured by the latest techniques available on the market, in the observance of IT security standards and internet security policy.
The project will develop tools for sharing the information collected by the various PCCC, as suggested by GAI framework decision (2006/960/GAI) e la Prüm decision (2008/615/JHA), as well as by European Best Practice Guidelines for Police and Customs Cooperation Centres (13096/08 ENFOPOL 160 ENFOCUSTOM 86), the creation of standardized multi-language models and the establishment of an IT user-friendly multi-language interface.
In as much as current IT procedures and solutions are not homogenous, a preliminary phase of study visits and exchange will be necessary, in order to augment reciprocal understanding and to identify solutions in compliance with the national systems and regulations.
The project perfectly responds to the recommendations of the European Union guide-lines, by which it is stated that “a concise and updated crime framework allowing an accurate evaluation of criminal risks is a determining factor in terms of developing a security policy aimed at efficiency.” PCCCs have the power to provide a relevant contribution to the overall framework of the fight against crime in border regions and to play a key role as observers of cross- border crime.