Social and participatory approaches for security innovation

Crowded public spaces present critical security challenges due to high-density concentrations that complicate effective emergency response, with potentially serious consequences. These challenges, which are increasingly complex in nature, encompass the threats of terrorism, organised crime, political and economic unrest, natural disasters and high-volume gatherings. To improve the understanding of social innovations in the European security landscape, a scoping review was conducted in the framework of CO-SECUR EU project, with the aim of identifying and synthesising studies that focus on public space security and mass events security innovations developed through bottom-up approaches, public participation or targeted public engagement, as well as studies that analyse or study security perception and behaviour. Eligible studies were published in the last decade spanning peer-reviewed and grey literature within the European Union, with an expanded focus on consortium countries (Spain, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Poland, Greece, and Lithuania) and the UK. Comparative analysis across countries reveals that while countries share common challenges in ensuring public security, their approaches to social innovation in security vary widely.