Author Archives: HM Government

Following the attack in London Bridge, it is important that businesses remind their staff to stay alert and vigilant. The tragic events this year remind us that attacks can occur at any time or place without warning.
Businesses are encouraged to review their security plans to ensure that the measures they should already have in place, are current and have been recently tested to ensure staff are prepared and confident.

The London Bridge attack saw the use of a vehicle as a weapon and bladed weapons, however you should ensure that your planning and responses consider the full range or potential terrorist attack methodologies including IEDs (person borne, placed or vehicle) following the Manchester attack.

The police and our partners continue to do everything we can to protect the security of our citizens, public institutions, critical national infrastructure, places and businesses. The public can expect to see additional police – both armed and unarmed officers – across London. In response to the ongoing threat the public will see an increased policing and security presence across the country at key sites, such as train stations and other crowded places to help protect communities.

Protective Security Advice

Stay Safe – Run Hide, Tell:

Advice for the public on the steps they can take to keep themselves safe in the rare event of a firearms or weapons attack.

Recognising the terrorist threat:

Advice for businesses on planning for a terrorist incident and what action to take in the event of an attack.

Advice for security managers to improve your security stance:

Advice for security managers of crowded places to improve their security stance.

Personnel security, good guarding practice

Depending upon their responsibilities an effective security guard must be able to demonstrate they can respond effectively to a number of scenarios including:

• Initial actions at a terrorist incident, see ETHANE
• hostile reconnaissance, how to patrol effectively to disrupt activity, identify and respond to suspicious behaviour
• ensure you maintain your search and patrol regime for the lifecycle of the event including prior to the commencement, during and post event
• suspect items, the ‘four Cs’ protocols and the HOT principles
• a firearms and weapons attacks and the Run, Hide, Tell principles
• how to respond appropriately to a bomb threat, includes advice on evacuation, invacuation, safe areas, and checking your venue for suspicious items – search considerations.
• how and when to report incidents either to the internal security team, calling police using 999, 101 or call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321. Staff should understand the reason why they use either 999 or Anti-Terrorist Hotline

Preparedness

Are your first aid kits and crisis incident kits (grab bags) checked regularly, complete and accessible? Link to citizenAid

Search Planning

Do you have plans to search your site to deal effectively with either bomb threats or for secreted threat items, and are your staff familiar with those plans?

Do you have a person and vehicle, search and screening policy and plan that you can implement should there be a threat increase?

Business as usual search and screen (looking for prohibited items) should, when done well, provide a very good capability to detect larger terrorist items concealed about the person

• ensure the search and screening regime in place at the venue is done well
• consider provisional search and screening on the approach or outside the venue, for example a visual check inside jackets and bags
• ensure you maintain your search and patrol regime for the lifecycle of the event including prior to the commencement, during and post event
• provide effective public address messaging of people as they approach, asking people to prepare for additional search and screening. This should reduce unacceptable delay
• prior notification (at point of sale or media) of these extra security measures and encouraging people to arrive early, will smooth peaks and allow safe and effective searching

Response

Have you reviewed your evacuation, invacuation and lockdown plans in response to terrorist attack?

Physical Security

Have you checked CCTV systems? Are they all working correctly? Are the date/time stamps accurate? http://www.cpni.gov.uk/advice/Physical-security/CCTV/

Security Culture

Are all staff identifiable and wearing identification? Do you encourage staff to challenge anyone in their building not displaying ID? http://www.cpni.gov.uk/advice/Personnel-security1/Workplace-behaviour-campaign/

Reporting suspicious transactions

If you are suspicious of a transaction or attempted transaction, or discover a theft or disappearance that cannot easily be explained, report it to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789321 or email Chemical.Reporting@Met.Police.UK.

Home Office guidance on selling chemical products responsibly

Storage and sale of explosive precursors

Guidance for the public, businesses and laboratories on using, storing and selling explosives precursors and poisons.

Blast

Remember to stay away from glass and out of line of sight for any devices. See the minimum cordon distances. Once the security services arrive cordons may be deployed, the following are minimum distances.

News updates

NaCTSO will continue to update our advice as needed, in the meantime please continue to use our current advice. Please check back regularly to these pages for updated information or register for updates here.

You can follow @metpoliceuk and @Terrorism Police UK for Twitter updates on the incident.

Useful information that may assist when deploying the tactical options:

Find out more about the Action Counters Terrorism campaign.

If you see anything that causes you concern or raises your suspicions do not hesitate to call the Police confidentially on 0800 789 321 or in an emergency 999. If you get caught up in the rare event of a weapons attack we urge you to follow the Run, Hide, Tell advice.

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The UK will observe a minute’s silence on Tuesday 6 June 2017 at 11am in remembrance of those who lost their lives and all others affected by the attacks in London on Saturday night.

The silence will be marked at all government buildings and other organisations may follow suit.

Flags will remain at half-mast on Whitehall government buildings until Tuesday evening.

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Last night, our country fell victim to a brutal terrorist attack once again. As a result I have just chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency committee and I want to update you with the latest information about the attack.

Shortly before 10:10 yesterday evening, the Metropolitan Police received reports that a white van had struck pedestrians on London Bridge. It continued to drive from London Bridge to Borough Market, where 3 terrorists left the van and attacked innocent and unarmed civilians with blades and knives.

All 3 were wearing what appeared to be explosive vests, but the police have established that this clothing was fake and worn only to spread panic and fear.

As so often in such serious situations, the police responded with great courage and great speed. Armed officers from the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police arrived at Borough Market within moments, and shot and killed the 3 suspects. The terrorists were confronted and shot by armed officers within 8 minutes of the police receiving the first emergency call.

Seven people have died as a result of the attack, in addition to the 3 suspects shot dead by the police. Forty-eight people are being treated in several hospitals across London. Many have life-threatening conditions.

On behalf of the people of London, and on behalf of the whole country, I want to thank and pay tribute to the professionalism and bravery of the police and the emergency services – and the courage of members of the public who defended themselves and others from the attackers. And our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and with their friends, families and loved ones.

This is, as we all know, the third terrorist attack Britain has experienced in the last 3 months. In March, a similar attack took place, just around the corner on Westminster Bridge. Two weeks ago, the Manchester Arena was attacked by a suicide bomber. And now London has been struck once more.

And at the same time, the security and intelligence agencies and police have disrupted 5 credible plots since the Westminster attack in March.

In terms of their planning and execution, the recent attacks are not connected. But we believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face, as terrorism breeds terrorism, and perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully-constructed plots after years of planning and training – and not even as lone attackers radicalised online – but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack.

We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are. Things need to change, and they need to change in 4 important ways.

First, while the recent attacks are not connected by common networks, they are connected in one important sense. They are bound together by the single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism that preaches hatred, sows division, and promotes sectarianism. It is an ideology that claims our Western values of freedom, democracy and human rights are incompatible with the religion of Islam. It is an ideology that is a perversion of Islam and a perversion of the truth.

Defeating this ideology is one of the great challenges of our time. But it cannot be defeated through military intervention alone. It will not be defeated through the maintenance of a permanent, defensive counter-terrorism operation, however skilful its leaders and practitioners. It will only be defeated when we turn people’s minds away from this violence – and make them understand that our values – pluralistic, British values – are superior to anything offered by the preachers and supporters of hate.

Second, we cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed. Yet that is precisely what the internet – and the big companies that provide internet-based services – provide. We need to work with allied, democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremism and terrorist planning. And we need to do everything we can at home to reduce the risks of extremism online.

Third, while we need to deprive the extremists of their safe spaces online, we must not forget about the safe spaces that continue to exist in the real world. Yes, that means taking military action to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. But it also means taking action here at home. While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is – to be frank – far too much tolerance of extremism in our country.

So we need to become far more robust in identifying it and stamping it out – across the public sector and across society. That will require some difficult and often embarrassing conversations, but the whole of our country needs to come together to take on this extremism – and we need to live our lives not in a series of separated, segregated communities but as one truly United Kingdom.

Fourth, we have a robust counter-terrorism strategy that has proved successful over many years. But as the nature of the threat we face becomes more complex, more fragmented, more hidden, especially online, the strategy needs to keep up. So in light of what we are learning about the changing threat, we need to review Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy to make sure the police and security services have all the powers they need.

And if we need to increase the length of custodial sentences for terrorism-related offences, even apparently less serious offences, that is what we will do.

Since the emergence of the threat from Islamist-inspired terrorism, our country has made significant progress in disrupting plots and protecting the public. But it is time to say enough is enough. Everybody needs to go about their lives as they normally would. Our society should continue to function in accordance with our values. But when it comes to taking on extremism and terrorism, things need to change.

As a mark of respect the 2 political parties have suspended our national campaigns for today. But violence can never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process. So those campaigns will resume in full tomorrow. And the general election will go ahead as planned on Thursday.

As a country, our response must be as it has always been when we have been confronted by violence. We must come together, we must pull together, and united we will take on and defeat our enemies.

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This was an horrific attack in the heart of our capital city, targeted at people enjoying their evening with friends and family. My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this incident. As ever, in difficult and traumatic circumstance… read more