Project Griffin is a police initiative to protect our cities and communities from the threat of terrorism. It brings together and coordinates the resources of the police, emergency services, local authorities, business and the private sector security industry.

Project Griffin was developed by the City of London Police and formally introduced in London in April 2004 as a joint venture between the City and Metropolitan police forces. Its remit was to advise and familiarise managers, security officers and employees of large public and private sector organisations across the capital on security, counter-terrorism and crime prevention issues.

Following its unqualified success in London, Project Griffin is increasingly being adopted by other police forces, cities and communities across the United Kingdom. It has also generated interest and acclaim overseas, particularly in the United States, Hong Kong and Australia.

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:

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.