Public security

$1 Million Brits To Be Trained To Tackle Terror

A new initiative launched in the UK on April 20 aims to get staff based in busy areas to play a part in protecting against attacks and show them what to do in the event of a major incident unfolding.

The move comes after atrocities in Paris and Brussels led to calls for more vigilance from all communities, including the business sector. The initiative targets sectors such as retail, hospitality, entertainment and travel. It builds on an existing partnership between counterterrorism police, emergency services and local companies.

The new industry self-delivery package has been devised by police security experts from Project Griffin, Britain’s leading counter terrorism awareness scheme. Project Griffin began in 2004 and specialist officers around the UK now brief around 100,000 workers every year. However, the new self-delivery program aims to reach ten times that number.

Announcing the plan at the annual Security and Counter Terrorism Expo in London on April 20, Detective Chief Superintendent Scott Wilson said that although the UK threat level has remained unchanged since August 2014, it is still at severe.