NCS4 and INTERPOL Honor First Graduating Class of Project Stadia in Qatar
Thu, 09/26/2019 - 01:41pm | By: James Skrmetta
The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and INTERPOL honored the first Project
STADIA graduating class with a ceremony Sept. 26 in Doha, Qatar.
The 22 graduates each received the International Professional Certificate for Sports Safety and Security, which acknowledges their completion of the required six courses in the Project STADIA curriculum. The graduates include 17 Qatari officers and 5 officer INTERPOL member courtiers.
“We are very proud of our first graduating class,” said Dr. Lou Marciani, NCS4 Director. “Earning the International Professional Certificate for Sports Safety and Security attests that they have successfully completed a rigorous curriculum of the highest global standard of training in the world”.
Project Stadia was established by INTERPOL in 2012, funded by Qatar, to create a Center of Excellence and help INTERPOL member countries plan and execute policing and security preparations for major sporting events around the globe.
“Project STADIA has allowed multiple agencies to come together to bring new knowledge to the industry,” Marciani said. “The graduates are now experts in cutting-edge training that was developed to keep large-scale events safe all around the world.”
During the ceremony, Project Stadia Senior Manager Falah Al Dosari addressed the graduates and congratulated them on their achievement.
“INTERPOL’s collaboration with NCS4 is helping strengthen the capacity of member countries to handle potential threats to venue security,” Al Dosari said. “The training and skills acquired will allow senior police officials and incident management team leaders from around the world to better assess potential security threats and prepare measures for protective actions.”
The 10-year project culminates with leading policing and security for the 2022 FIFA World Cup TM in Qatar, which expects to host more than 3 million spectators in attendance.
Project STADIA conducts observation and debriefing programs with designated security officials from both the public sector and private sector who have direct responsibilities for policing and security operations to capture good practices and lessons learned before, during and after major international sporting events.
The six courses required for the certificate are Safety and Security Management for Major International Sporting Events, Risk Management Challenges for Major International Sporting Events, Crowd Management Challenges for Major International Sporting Events, Evacuation Management Challenges for Major International Sporting Events, Incident Management Challenges for Major International Sporting Events, and Advanced Safety and Security Management for Major International Sporting Events.
In September 2017, NCS4’s Safety and Security Management Challenges for Major International Sporting Events training course was the first course in the world ever accredited by INTERPOL. All six courses are certified by INTERPOL.
“It is absolutely vital to security that information, expertise, and training is shared,” Marciani said. “Getting international experts together to discuss strategies and best practices to solve challenges is the future of the industry.”
These scenario-based courses are grounded in academic research and developed by international experts on the subject matter. The courses are the first of their kind in major event security and can be delivered to national police forces in all INTERPOL member countries.
"These courses address several international priorities and capabilities for countries hosting major international sporting events," said Dr. Marciani. "Through developing the training courses, NCS4 works to support INTERPOL's mission to enhance police cooperation and capacity building for international sporting events."
For more information on NCS4, visit www.ncs4.usm.edu