UK retailers to develop '60-second' counter-terrorism strategies
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Retail
Retailers across the UK are developing ‘Sixty Second Security’ strategies to protect staff and customers from potential terrorist attacks.
The strategy, which is led by Counter Terrorism Policing UK, is part of a wider ‘Protect and Prepare’ campaign aiming to give retailers and businesses improved contingency plans in the event of emergencies during the busy winter shopping period.
The campaign, launched on 19 November, is Counter Terrorism Policing’s biggest-ever winter advertising campaign and is part of its ACT strategy (Action Counters Terrorism).
The checklist requires businesses to ensure all their staff know the answers to simple questions such as:
- Who is appointed to make decisions on the shop floor, and do they know what they’re doing?
- How do you enter and exit the building in an emergency?
- How do you lock down quickly?
- Where can you hide?
- How do you communicate and how do you stay updated if you find yourself in an emergency scenario?
- Have you briefed your staff?
UK retailers and businesses are also being advised to sign up to ACT Awareness - an online training scheme developed in partnership between Counter Terrorism Policing and retail giant Marks & Spencer - to prepare the industry to better understand and mitigate against current terrorist methodology.
The course is free to use, takes around 45 minutes in total to complete and covers how to spot signs of suspicious behaviour and what to do if an attack should take place.
UK shoppers advised to remain vigilant during busy winter shopping period
Launching the campaign, the national coordinator for Protect and Prepare, chief Superintendent Nick Aldworth, said in a statement: “All staff working in crowded places - not just those who have a security role - can follow the ACT Awareness e-Learning course and be in a stronger position to help protect themselves, colleagues and the public.
“I would also like to ask retailers and other businesses to consider my ‘Sixty Second Security’ plan, which is a quick checklist of questions every member of staff should be able to answer in order to drastically improve reaction times in the event of an emergency.”
The new ‘Sixty Second Security’ strategy has also been put in place to help the public in case of false-alarm situations. Aldworth continued: “Last year on Oxford Street we saw a fight at a Tube station cause panic when people believed that a terrorist attack had occurred. In the rush to keep themselves safe, some people suffered serious injuries and businesses were severely disrupted.
“By working alongside those businesses, we have learnt from that experience and I believe that our ‘Sixty Second Security’ plan will better prepare us to deal with something similar in the future.”
Photo credit: FashionUnited