Met police firearms

[Techie1 + 2,024]

Figures revealed at World Counter Terror Congress in London.

More than 3,000 people have contacted police with information about possible terrorist activity in just two months.

Forces received the tip-offs after senior officers launched a major campaign calling on members of the public to report any suspicions.

The National Police Chiefs' Council said a significant number of the calls were made following the Westminster attack.

Most of the concerns raised turned out to be nothing to cause any alarm but a number contained important pieces of information that resulted in further action and might otherwise have been missed.

In addition to the 3,000 calls since the Action Counters Terrorism initiative was launched in March, authorities also received 300 referrals regarding online extremist material.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi, the NPCC's lead for protective security, revealed the figures at the World Counter Terror Congress in London.

She said: "The increased response from the general public and from professionals whose job it is to keep people safe within crowded places, has been really heartening.

"But, as we have seen very recently here in London, we can not afford to stand still.

"We need to exploit every possible way of keeping people safe and do all we can to keep everyone vigilant.

"We are working very closely with security managers in busy shopping centres, transport hubs and entertainment venues.

"Whether it is in business communities or local communities, we need to encourage everyone to keep contributing because, sadly, terrorism is a growing and increasingly complex threat."

She also told delegates police are aiming to increase the use of the national barrier asset, temporary protective structures, during short-term summer events that attract large crowds.

Senior officers have repeatedly highlighted the importance of the public's role in their efforts to prevent attacks.

The official threat level from international terrorism has stood at severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely", for more than two years.

Last week counter-terror officers made a number of arrests in two separate operations in London.

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[Richhamdo + 873]

Techie1, Ms Lucy  D'Orsi is spot on when she says that " We  need to exploit every possible way of keeping people safe,and do all we can to keep people vigilant".  I was mainly interested in the last bit about "keeping people vigilant". Does  Tom,Dick and Harriet really know what to look for when it comes to the behaviour of those out to cause destruction, either then and there or in the near future? . If  the public don't know what to look for  then what are they going to be told. Certainly we (the public)all know about unattended bags in airports and like places but if you asked Joe Bloggs sitting at the back of the bus what he knew, I would bet an old fiver he wouldn't know much more.

I mention this in particular because I remember going to another force for a days training in such like with a couple of my fellow specials, it was to do with the Tour de France by the way. We were told (by various specialists in such things) every thing we ever wanted to know about terrorists behaviour. I thought I was pretty much up to speed with what was suspicious and what wasn't before that. How wrong I was. 

I must say I can't recall seeing anything about what to watch out for in the public domain, i.e. people,standing In queues  to buy tickets and gazing about looking for cameras or whatever  and then not buying tickets when it got to their turn etc, etc, although I will stand corrected on that if I have not been paying attention ha. I was just thinking about all this just the other day actually when that chap left his back pack on the train near the door. As for the quality/definition of pictures of wanted people/shop lifters from some shop cameras we see in the paper, well I better not say anymore,  other than say they are absolutely pathetic in this day and age. .   Rich.