Recent events in the UK and around the world remind us all of the international terrorist threat we face, which in the UK is considered as ‘SEVERE’, meaning an attack is highly likely. Police and security agencies are working tirelessly to protect the public but it is also important that communities remain vigilant and aware of how to protect themselves if the need arises.
When there is a shooting, stabbing or bomb explosion the initial priority will be public safety. This can delay the time before the emergency services are able to reach the injured. citizenAID™ enables the general public to be effective in these situations before the emergency services are available to provide professional medical support.
citizenAID™ is the initiative of four deeply experienced UK civilian and military clinicians working in collaboration with industry to improve public resilience.
More information on the Citizen Aid webiste
The PSNI has been involved in the development of national guidance, called ‘Stay safe’ which includes a four minute film, Stay Safe: Firearms and Weapons Attack and an online information leaflet.
The film and leaflet advise that if you are caught up in an incident to ‘run, hide and tell’ - guidance which can be applied to many places and situations.
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Barbara Gray said: “Police services across the UK work together on an ongoing basis to develop and improve our approach to countering terrorist attacks against our citizens both at home and abroad. A huge part of this is increasing public awareness and vigilance, and ensuring our community know what action to take in the unlikely event of an attack.
This latest guidance is based on what we know has been effective from speaking with those who have been involved in similar instances and we know that it saves lives.
Our advice to those who find themselves caught up in an incident is to ‘Run, Hide, Tell’ -
RUN - to a place of safety. This is better than trying to surrender or negotiate.
HIDE - it is better to hide than confront. Barricade yourself in, turn your phone to silent and use only when it safe to do so.
TELL - Alert police. Make sure you know the local emergency number - in the UK it’s 999, for EU countries it’s 112.
You should also TELL others nearby of the danger so they can take similar evasive actions.
For people with disabilities or for whom running may be difficult, they should make every effort to move away from the danger. Others should also assist more vulnerable individuals where it is possible and practical to do so.
I would stress that the chance of becoming caught up in a terrorist incident remains low however we feel that it is important that we raise awareness and that the public remains vigilant with an action plan in place should it be required.
A few minutes of your time is all it takes to arm yourself with the knowledge that could keep you and your family safe.”
National Counter Terrorism Security Office site
The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) is a police unit that supports the 'protect and prepare' strands of the government’s counter terrorism strategy. Visit the NaCTSO website for more information.
Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles
The JESIP principles enable multi-agency partners to work together to provide the best possible response to major incidents and emergencies. The Emergency Planning team lead on the embedding of these principles within the Police Service and with Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and HM Coastguard to deliver incident-specific planning.
To visit the JESIP information site, please click here
