Soft Targets: Definition and Identification

Abstract

Available definitions describe a soft target as a location with high vulnerability, but a low level of protection. However, such general definitions can hardly be used in the process of soft targets identification. The aim of the article is to create a temporary specific definition that could be utilised for this purpose. The suggested definition of a soft target is based on performed statistical analysis of 275 cases of terrorist attacks aimed against soft targets in the European Union from 2000 to 2015. In the definition, a soft target is characterised based on the probability of a terrorist attack occurrence and the expected number of casualties caused by the attack.