Project Overview

BTL-COP (Building Trust and Leadership to challenge glocal aporophobic crime in a police Community of Practice) is a Horizon Europe–funded project working to strengthen trust and collaboration between communities and police across Europe.

The project addresses poverty-driven and socially marginalised crime, focusing on how trust, leadership, and cooperation at neighbourhood level can help prevent harm, improve safety, and build long-term resilience. BTL-COP brings together police authorities, researchers, community organisations, municipalities, and innovators to co-create practical, trust-based solutions that respond to real local needs.

Challenges Addressed

Poverty-driven local crime can be a gateway into wider criminal networks but is missed when trust collapses.

 

Declining trust

Confidence in police is falling among poorer communities and minority groups facing racism, misogyny and exclusion so crime goes unreported.

 

Aporophobia

Stigmatisation of the poor, now recognised as a hate crime, leaves vulnerable people exposed to exploitation and grooming by criminals.

 

Intelligence gaps

At the local-global interface, minor crimes tied to organised networks slip past over-stretched police, leaving neighbourhoods less safe.

Project Objectives

BTL-COP aims to:

  • Strengthen trust and leadership between communities and police
  • Prevent and address crime linked to poverty and social vulnerability
  • Support early identification and reporting of emerging risks
  • Equip police, judicial actors, and community partners with practical tools and training
  • Test and validate innovative social and technological solutions in real-life settings
  • Promote knowledge exchange and shared learning across Europe

Our Approach

BTL-COP is grounded in a community-centred, co-creation approach that places people, relationships, and local contexts at the heart of security and crime prevention. 

The project combines research, technology, training, and real-world engagement to support police authorities in identifying, preventing, and investigating poverty-driven and aporophobia-related crime. 

BTL-COP’s methodology is operationalised through four interconnected core components, supported by dissemination, communication and exploitation activities (WP6 & WP7) to ensure that knowledge, tools, and results extend beyond the project’s lifetime.

Together, these elements form a cohesive framework for trust-based community policing.

  • BTL-COP Observatory (WP2) - A dedicated framework for systematic data collection, analysis, and knowledge exchange, supporting evidence-based decision-making and early identification of emerging risks related to poverty-driven crime.
  • BondMate System (WP3) - A technological support system designed to enable and strengthen trust-building initiatives, facilitate communication, and support community-police collaboration in practice.
  • Training Curricula (WP4) - Comprehensive, practice-oriented training materials for police and judicial actors, focused on trust-based engagement, social sensitivity, and shared intelligence.
  • TING Model – Trust in Neighbourhood Groups (WP5) - A scalable and co-designed model for sustainable community–police engagement, creating local “safe spaces” where trust, dialogue, and cooperation can grow.

BTL-COP Methodology

Expected Impact

Through its activities and pilots, BTL-COP is expected to deliver impact at multiple levels:

For Communities

  • Increased trust in public institutions
  • Safer neighbourhoods and strengthened social cohesion
  • Greater inclusion of young people and vulnerable groups

For Police and Practitioners

  • Improved community engagement and intelligence sharing
  • Practical tools and training for trust-based policing
  • Better prevention and response to poverty-related crime

For Policy and Practice

  • Evidence-based models for community policing and prevention
  • Scalable and transferable approaches across Europe
  • Contributions to EU policies on security, social inclusion, and resilience

Ultimately, BTL-COP aims to demonstrate that trust-based collaboration is not only socially valuable, but also an effective and sustainable way to enhance security and wellbeing across Europe.BTL-COP (Building Trust and Leadership to challenge glocal aporophobic crime in a police Community of Practice) is a Horizon Europe–funded project working to strengthen trust and collaboration between communities and police across Europe.