Gradually your advice is being accepted...
Terror booklet to be sent to every UK home
By Cathy Newman, Chief Political Correspondent
Published: April 2 2004 22:03 | Last Updated: April 2 2004 22:03
news.ft.com
A booklet instructing people what to do in a terrorist attack is to be sent by the UK government to every household, in response to pressure from the police and business for greater openness about the risk of an atrocity.
David Blunkett, the home secretary, has in the past ruled out such a widespread information campaign, despite similar initiatives in the US and Australia. He said a year ago that the "Protect and Survive" pamphlet, sent out by the Tory government in 1980 to advise on how to cope with a nuclear attack, was "ridiculous".
The change of heart has been prompted by lobbying from the police and business organisations who fear that people are ill-prepared for an attack. The willingness of the US administration to be more open about the terrorist threat is also believed to have spurred the British government into action.
The decision to publish the leaflet, which is still being prepared, is a sign of the heightened risk of an attack on British soil. Sir John Stevens, the country's most senior police officer, has said an attack is "inevitable".
The campaign, which police officials estimate will cost between £5m and £10m, will be launched in coming weeks. It will give citizens practical advice about what to do in emergencies ranging from floods to a chemical, biological or nuclear attack.
"Protect and Survive" was mocked for telling people how to turn their kitchen table into a nuclear shelter. But people drawing up the new booklet said the advice would be more general.
"There's been a growing belief on the part of the Met police that more needs to be said publicly, simply to ensure that arrangements that are in place will work smoothly. The business community feels the same way," a Whitehall insider said. He added: "The message to the public is 'go in, stay in, tune in'."
Householders will be urged to buy battery-operated or wind-up radios so they can listen to broadcasts telling them what to do and where to go during and after an attack.
Mr Blunkett said in a Commons debate a year ago: "We do not intend to replicate events in the United States and, to some extent in Australia, where there is the equivalent of 'Protect and Survive'."
The US government has issued a report, entitled "Are You Ready?", which tells Americans to prepare a "safe room" and stock up on at least three days' supply of food, bottled water, a battery-powered radio, clothes, sleeping bag and cotton filter masks or a T-shirt to cover the mouth and nose.
Colin Stanbridge, chief executive of the London Chambers of Commerce, welcomed the Home Office change of tack, saying: "An unacceptably high number of businesses are still ignorant of the practical steps they need to take in the event of a terrorist atrocity. The only way to minimise the economic and social impact of an attack is through a sustained programme of public education." |
