Terrorism
Though terrorism is a contemporary concern, it is not a new one. Whilst the UK has faced a variety of terrorist threats in the past, a unique combination of factors- namely the global reach, capability, sophistication, ambition and lack of restraint of Al Qaida and associated groups from around the world unfortunately places the current threat on a scale not previously encountered.
Many people are concerned about what will happen in a “terrorist” attack, and many of these fears centre around the potential use of Chemical Agents, Gas or Radioactive materials. This type of attack is termed CBRN by the Responding Agencies (Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear). Other more traditional strategies used by terrorists are well known to us such as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Hijack/Hostage taking and use of weapons.
The Council’s emergency response is managed by an Emergency Operations Centre, a specialised control room which liaises with the Control centres of other agencies involved in the incident, and ensures that the response of the council is managed appropriately. As with all incidents, this would be the case in the event of a “terrorist” attack. Local Authorities play a supporting role to the Emergency Services in this type of incident in the initial stages, but will play a major role in the later stages in ensuring a return to normality. National Guidance has been published for Local Authorities on dealing with CBRN incidents and how to deal with the aftermath (covering things such as Decontamination of Land and Buildings). Much of this guidance is available in the public domain, on the UK Resilience and MI5 websites.
If involved in, or present at the scene of a terrorist attack, you should follow the instructions of the emergency services. The police should be informed wherever terrorism is suspected, or when warnings are received. Suspected devices should not be tampered with - specialist advice should be sought from the police.
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