Police Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway is joining every force in the UK to take part in Counter Terrorism Awareness Week which will run from Monday 24 November until Sunday 30 November 2014.
The aim of Counter Terrorism Awareness Week is to help the public understand the threat level to the UK and ask for their help by reporting any suspicious activity. The aim is not to alarm the public.
The threat level has been increased to SEVERE, meaning that a terrorist attack in the UK is “highly likely”, although there is no specific intelligence of any planned attack.
The daily focus of Counter Terrorism Awareness Week is:
MONDAY: CROWDED PLACES
TUESDAY: TRANSPORT HUBS
WEDNESDAY: PREVENTING VIOLENT EXTREMISM
THURSDAY: TERRORIST FINANCING
FRIDAY: FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES:
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: CROWDED PLACES:
There will be a number of events across the week covering each of the themed days including: today, Monday 24th, more than 6000 businesses in 65 venues across the UK will be briefed by Police in shopping centres, cinemas and sports stadiums to help them step up their security and train their staff. On Tuesday 25th, there will be Safer Travel Days at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports where officers will be on hand to speak to the travelling public and offer advice.
Police Scotland is also working with OSCR, the Scottish Charity Regulator, to remind everyone to be cautious of donating to charity via third parties.
Speaking ahead of the launch of Counter Terrorism Awareness Week, Assistant Chief Constable for the West, Wayne Mawson, said:
“The threat of terrorism is at the forefront of our minds at the moment and this week is all about working with partners to encourage people to be vigilant and tell them about simple measures they can take to make it harder for these people to attack Scotland and the rest of the UK. Everyone from law enforcement, to businesses, to the general public has a role to play in keeping our country safe from terrorism and I would encourage everyone in the West of Scotland to play their part. Trust your instincts and if you see or suspect something please tell us. I can assure you that any information we receive will be carefully assessed and will be responded to appropriately and sensitively. You can call us on 101, call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 and in an emergency always call 999”
Alasdair MacFarlane, Chair of Scottish Business Reliance Centre said: “The business sector understands threats, risks and resilience very well, it has to. Raising awareness of the threat from terrorism, being alert to suspicious activity and to know how to report to the authorities are all fundamental in our sector. A couple of million extra eyes and ears can do a lot to support a secure Scotland for business to flourish in.”
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