Police remind the public to stay vigilant to potential terrorist attacks

Merseyside Police - in collaboration with UK Counter Terrorism Policing - is urging people to be vigilant as lockdown eases across the country.

The threat to the UK from terrorism remains 'substantial,' meaning an attack is likely.  As non-essential shops, hospitality and sports events begin to open up again, Counter Terrorism Policing has launched a new ‘Easing Lockdown Vigilance Campaign’ to encourage everyone to help the police tackle terrorism and save lives by remaining vigilant and reporting concerns.

As people begin to mix outdoors in public spaces, police are appealing to business owners and the public to support them to keep the country safe by staying alert to any suspicious circumstances, and reporting anything that does not appear right to security staff or the police.

Assistant Chief Constable of Rob Carden said: “Following a year of restrictions impacting on all our lives, we recognise people will be keen to get out and about as the lockdown restrictions ease, as well as the importance of businesses being able to return to more regular trading patterns. 

"I'd like to reassure the public in Merseyside that there is no direct threat of a terrorist attack in our county - but the fact remains that while the national threat level is 'substantial', an attack could happen anywhere in the country.

“The best defence against the terrorist threat is a collective community effort – where police, security staff, businesses and the public come together to minimise the chance of attack."

To report online and learn more about the signs to spot, please visit Gov.uk/ACT.

For more information, the public can access the official Action Counters Terrorism online e-learning for free. Hundreds of thousands of people across the UK have already participated. It takes just 45 minutes to complete. Visit https://ct.highfieldelearning.com/ to register for access.