Message From UK Protect On Staying Safe After Lockdown

We have been asked to share the following communication by UK Protect with our security colleagues in the Baker Street Quarter:

As we start to emerge from national lockdown and people are able to shop, socialise and spend more time in public spaces, we want everyone to stay safe and enjoy being out and about again.

Following a year of restrictions impacting all our lives, we recognise people are keen to get out and about, and the importance of business being able to return to more regular trading patterns. Understandably, terrorism won’t have been high on people’s agendas in recent months. However the threat remains at SUBSTANTIAL, meaning an attack is likely.

As you prepare for the much-anticipated return of customers, visitors and staff, alongside the important work you’re doing to protect public health, we ask that you continue to keep security front of mind throughout your reopening – helping to protect your staff and customers not just from Covid, but terrorism too.

Counter Terrorism Policing has four actions we ask you to undertake ahead of social restrictions lifting in the coming weeks:

1. Encourage your communications colleagues to access CTP’s ‘Lifting Lockdown’ communications toolkit with messaging and materials you can use internally and externally to encourage vigilance and reporting

2. Arrange for staff to take our Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) Awareness online e-learning course. It is free, takes just 45 minutes to complete and could save lives

3. Review our sector-specific crowded places advice documents, and make sure that you carry out risk assessments on existing sites and any new areas such as outdoor spaces opened to meet Covid safety rules

4. Download the ACT app to your phone to get up to date information from CT Policing, and encourage your staff to do the same.