Greek Police Wins Top European Digital Governance Award

The Hellenic Police has won first prize in the “Best Applied Idea” category under the “Justice – Citizen Security” theme at the 2024 Digital Governance Awards for its HECTOR project, a European initiative designed to strengthen security at tourist sites and infrastructure.

The award recognised the proposal “Standard Mechanism for Protecting Tourism Infrastructure in Greece and the EU”, developed as part of the European HECTOR research project.

The ceremony took place on September 8, 2026, with 30 initiatives from different areas of public administration receiving awards. The Hellenic Police delegation included the Director of the Strategic Planning Division and two members of the HECTOR project team.

HECTOR, which stands for eHancing protECTion Of touristic sites in euRope, is a 24-month European research project funded by the European Union’s Internal Security Fund.

The Hellenic Police coordinates the project and leads a consortium of 18 partners from five European countries. The consortium includes law enforcement authorities, research organisations, municipalities, businesses and tourism facility operators.

Developing a common European security model

HECTOR aims to develop a common European security model for tourist sites and infrastructure.

The project assesses vulnerabilities and human-made threats, designs physical protection measures and uses technological solutions to improve security. It also provides staff training through virtual reality and gamified scenarios, while promoting cooperation between public authorities and private-sector organisations.

The project will also test common procedures and protocols through a cross-border exercise involving five countries.

The latest award follows HECTOR’s recognition in 2023 as “Best New Idea”. According to the Hellenic Police, the latest distinction reflects the project’s progression from its initial concept to the development of an applicable solution for the security needs of tourist sites.

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