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Terrorism

Terrorism is a risk where actions are designed to influence Government, or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public

What is terrorism?

It can be a wide and complex risk that can come from a variety of forms and be present in all areas of our lives. Being able to understand what to look or, actions to stay safe and knowing how to report suspicious activity is key in prevention.

The details of these malicious threats are sensitive, but you may be reassured that we consider malicious threats in all our risk assessments, planning, and response. The malicious threats are themselves collected into themes, if you would like more information on these, the National Risk Register (Click here) contains further detail, and links to other sources of information. Attacks are rare but the issue of terrorist attacks is regularly in the news and remind us all of the terrorist threat we face. Police and security service have been working constantly to foil terrorist attacks for years, not months.

Terrorism threat levels

The threat level indicates the likelihood of a terrorist attack in the UK.

There are five levels of threat:

  • Low – an attack is unlikely.
  • Moderate – an attack is possible but not likely.
  • Substantial – an attack is a strong possibility.
  • Severe – an attack is highly likely.
  • Critical – an attack is expected imminently.

The level is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service (MI5). Threat levels don’t have an expiry date. They can change at any time as different information becomes available to security agents.

 

What does the Local Resilience Forum do to prepare?

The government will issue a warning to the public if that’s the best way to protect a community or a place facing a specific threat. Police and security agencies are working tirelessly to protect the public. As a group of local responders, the LRF is focussed on preparing for the consequences of any emergency, regardless of cause, and our plans try and set out generic capabilities that can be used in any emergency situation.

 

How can you prepare?

We are not complacent about keeping you safe and people are understandably concerned about a firearms or weapons attack. These attacks are very rare but in the event of such an attack, it helps to be prepared.

National counter terrorism policing provides advice to the public on the steps they can take to keep themselves safe in the rare event of a firearms or weapons attack.

Remember, attacks of this nature are still very rare in the UK.

So, stay safe, and just remember the words:

RUN. HIDE. TELL.

  • Run. To a place of safety, this is a far better option than to surrender or negotiate, if there’s nowhere else to go then
  • Hide. It’s better to hide than to confront. Remember to turn your phone to silent and turn off vibrate. Barricade yourself in if you can. Then finally and only when it’s safe to do so:
  • Tell. The police by calling 999.

The police service has released the short public information film called ‘Stay Safe: Firearms and Weapons Attack’ (click this link or scroll down this page to watch) which sets out the key options for keeping safe should the worst happen. The film is now freely available online via the National Police Chiefs’ Council YouTube account.

Everyone is asked to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour or activity to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 or in an emergency, 999.

Further information is available via the following links: