Next UK terror attack is 'when, not if' and the public must be prepared
2 min read
Schools and businesses should imbed 'citizenAid' initiative which better prepares the public for terror incidents, argues Lord Jordan.
Our national security services are clear. The next act of terrorism in the UK is a ‘when not if’ event. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph on 26 February 2017, Max Hill QC. Britain’s new independent terror watchdog stated that the threat of terrorism in the UK has never been so high since the IRA in the 1970s.
We are proud of our security services and the job they do to avert terrorist acts, but how well is our public prepared for when the inevitable event does occur? The inherent delay for the emergency services to reach the injured can cost lives when death from serious bleeding occurs in just a few minutes. Senior military and NHS doctors have recognised the importance of the role the public can play in providing life-saving help immediately and have designed the ‘citizenAID’ guidance.
citizenAID‘s first priority is safety, and it reinforces the important police message of, ‘Run, Hide, Tell’. But they also provide guidance to the public on what to do when caught up in a shooting, stabbing or bombing incident.
This is in the form of a free app for your phone or a paper pocket guide for those who prefer it.
But how do we spread this vital message? How do we get schools, businesses and the public sector to prepare themselves? The answer for schools must be to embed ‘citizenAID’ within the ‘citizenship’ programme for Key Stages 3 and 4.
For business leaders, I strongly encourage them to use these essential materials to prepare their staff, particularly where their business operates in a crowded place such as stadia, shopping centres and nightclubs.
Early action by the public will save lives in terrorist incidents. When I challenged the government on 23 February this year Baroness Williams told me that the government strongly welcomes the work that charities such as citizenAID are doing. Let’s now see how this assurance will be translated into supportive action by the Government to spread the message and increase public preparedness and national resilience for the ‘when not if’ event.
Lord Jordan is a Labour peer in the House of Lords
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