Training Early Warning System for Local Securities and Civil Defense Organizations

Recently there has been a considerable increase in discourse about lone actor terrorists, a resident who turned to be violent and radical. Lone wolves have demonstrated that they can be as dangerous as organized terrorist groups. Terrorist attacks by lone individuals are still rare compare to group terrorists attacks but there is a statistically growing number of their attacks. Moreover, this typical individual act also raises the specter of copycat attacks who exhibit a severe mental illness, radicalism exposure, criminal records, or violent behavior in form of mass murder attacks.

Violent extremism acts by individuals is more difficult to detect and prevent from the start because the perpetrators work alone and do not build any communication or interaction when operating their agenda. Thus intelligence agencies and law enforcement prevention attributes including intercepted communications are much less effective against individuals who do not communicate or disseminate their plains or intentions to others. Such profiling of lone wolf terrorists as commonly socially isolated, have history of violent behavior, and radical minded are best to be identified by people from the same neighborhood to detect any significance identification or behavioral change to radicalism and violent extremism.

Along with the Center of Human Rights Study of Surabaya (Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia / PUSHAM Surabaya), CONVEY Indonesia conducted training of early warning system (EWS) for local communities and security apparatus to identify, detect, and pre-empt individuals who indicating violent extremism behaviors. This program intend to enhance capabilities as well as resilience of local communities and local security apparatus through multiple stakeholders approach in disseminating comprehension on how to identify radicalism and violent extremism. The program also support stronger synergy among local security apparatus and communities, Indonesian National Police (POLRI), Municipal Police (Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja/ Satpol PP), Heads of Community Association / Neighborhood (Ketua RT/RW), Civilian Defense Unit (Pertahanan Sipil/ Hansip), and other local community units.

Check out module of the early warning system training here.