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3. The Fund shall contribute to achieving the specific objective set out in point (c) of Article 3(2) by focusing on the following implementation measures:

(a) increasing training, exercises and mutual learning, specialised exchange programmes and sharing of best practices in and between Member States’ competent authorities, including at local level, and with third countries and other relevant actors;

(b) exploiting synergies by pooling resources and knowledge and sharing best practices between Member States and other relevant actors, including civil society, through, for example, the creation of joint centres of excellence, development of joint risk assessments, or common operational support centres for jointly conducted operations;

(c) promoting and developing measures, safeguards, mechanisms and best practices for the early identification, protection and support of witnesses, whistleblowers and victims of crime and developing partnerships between public authorities and other relevant actors to this effect;

(d) acquiring relevant equipment and setting up or upgrading specialised training facilities and other essential security-relevant infrastructure to increase preparedness, resilience, public awareness and adequate response as regards security threats; and (e) protecting critical infrastructure against security-related incidents by detecting, assessing and closing vulnerabilities.

1. The Fund shall contribute to achieving the specific objective set out in point (a) of Article 3(2) of this Regulation by focusing on the following implementation measures:

(a) ensuring the uniform application of the Union acquis on security by supporting the exchange of relevant information, for example via Prüm, EU PNR and SIS II, including through the implementation of recommendations from quality control and evaluation mechanisms such as the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism or other quality control and evaluation mechanisms;

(b) setting up, adapting and maintaining security-relevant EU and decentralised information systems, including ensuring their interoperability, and developing appropriate tools to address identified gaps;

(c) increasing the active use of security-relevant EU and decentralised information systems, ensuring that those systems are provided with high quality data; and (d) supporting relevant national measures, including the interconnection of security-relevant national databases and the connection of those databases to Union databases, when provided for in relevant legal bases, if relevant to implementing the specific objectives set out in point (a) of Article 3(2).

2. The Fund shall contribute to achieving the specific objective set out in point (b) of Article 3(2) by focusing on the following implementation measures:

(a) increasing the number of law enforcement operations involving two or more Member States, including, where appropriate, operations involving other relevant actors, in particular through facilitating and improving the use of joint investigation teams, joint patrols, hot pursuits, discreet surveillance and other operational cooperation mechanisms in the context of the EU policy cycle, with special emphasis on cross-border operations;

(b) improving the coordination and increasing the cooperation of competent authorities within and between Member States and with other relevant actors, for example through networks of specialised national units, Union networks and cooperation structures, and Union centres; and (c) improving inter-agency cooperation at Union level between the Member States, and between Member States and relevant Union bodies, offices and agencies, as well as cooperation at national level among the competent authorities within each Member State.