Politics

This evening the Prime Minister spoke to President Erdogan of Turkey to reiterate the UK’s continuing commitment to the bilateral relationship between our 2 countries and express her wish to deepen co-operation on a range of issues. The Prime Minister particularly underlined the importance of our strong security partnership.

The Prime Minister and President Erdogan discussed the ongoing Cyprus settlement talks and the Prime Minister reiterated that while there remains an opportunity for an historic agreement to be reached, all parties need to be prepared to take bold steps. She added that the UK stands ready to play a role in seeking a solution.

On Syria, the Prime Minister welcomed the progress made at the Astana talks and praised Turkey’s constructive role in helping to establish de-escalation zones. She underlined the importance of the talks being linked to a broader political process, culminating in a transition of power away from Assad.

The Prime Minister and President Erdogan welcomed the strength of the UK-Turkey trade relationship and reaffirmed their desire to explore the opportunities presented by Brexit. They noted the progress made towards the signature of a deal between Turkish Aerospace Industries and BAE Systems for the preliminary design phase of the Turkish Fighter, and agreed this was a sign of the deepening defence industry relationship between Turkey and the UK.

The 2 leaders looked forward to the upcoming Somalia conference and the Prime Minister welcomed the substantial contribution Turkey has made, as well as their strong leadership in improving security in Somalia.

The Prime Minister and President Erdogan concluded by looking forward to meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels later this month.

As the General Election approaches it is important that individuals and organisations consider their protective security provisions, they remain vigilant and report suspicious behaviour and items to police at the earliest opportunity. The UK threat level remains at SEVERE, meaning an attack is highly likely. Terrorist groups and individuals continue to encourage individuals to plan and mount attacks in the UK, particularly against symbols of the State and crowded places. Low sophistication, low complexity methodologies are the simplest to execute and require little or no training. We urge the public to be alert but not alarmed and the police service and our partners are doing everything we can to help protect the security of citizens, communities, public institutions and businesses.

There is also valuable advice to assist individuals in keeping themselves safe, although it’s important to remember that a key principle of personal security is that the individual must carry the main responsibility and remain vigilant. Whilst it is impossible to provide advice for every eventuality, there is generic advice available from various sources. We would like to direct organisations to the [UK National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) website] (https://www.gov.uk/nactso) where a range of protective security guidance is available.

Further protective security guidance is available on the website for Centre for the Protection on National Infrastructure (CPNI) including guidance for personnel security through a staff vigilance campaign.

Protective Security Advice

The message is clear – ‘don’t worry, don’t delay, just act’ In an emergency call the police dial 999.

Protective security advice is available on the NaCTSO website in the guidance ‘Recognising the terrorist threat’ and advises on:

• reporting suspicious activity to the police by calling confidentially on 0800 789 321 or at gov.uk/ACT
• reporting online terrorist and violent extremist material online
• understanding how to respond in a weapons or firearms attack follow the RUN HIDE TELL principles
• understanding how to respond to suspicious items
• understanding how to respond if there is a bomb threat
• understand what to do if a suspicious package is delivered to your home or work address

Personal Security for those canvassing

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust provide advice for those individuals and groups who are campaigning and canvassing.

Advice for officials

Can be obtained through local authorities or the Electoral Commission The College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice (APP) have produced guidance on Maintaining order and preventing undue influence outside polling stations. The APP outlines the necessity for Returning Officers and their respective Police Force to initiate early contact in planning for the Election. The Electoral Commission provide a variety of guidance products, including a handbook for Polling Station staff at www.electoralcommission.org.uk.

Additional Advice

Is available from the Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure