After the horrific attack in Manchester last night and the threat level being raised to critical today, I've seen a lot of comments on threads today from posters asking what they can do to protect their families and to prevent an atrocity like this occurring again. I thought it might be helpful to brainstorm ideas on what individual MNers can actually do to:
- practice personal safety when out and about;
- know what to do if they are caught up in an attack;
- teach their children what to do in an emergency situation;
- help make the overall environment safer.
And various other bits, which I'm sure I've forgotten. Of course, nothing anyone can do is going to help if someone blows themselves up next to you :( and my sympathies tonight are very much with the innocent people killed, injured or traumatised, their loved ones, the people still searching, those helping directly and the people working around the clock to prevent attacks occurring in the first place.
To start off, these are some useful links:
- MI5 have a whole section of their website with advice on what you can do, which includes everything from reporting suspicious online material, to safety abroad, to joining MI5.
- The Government has a website section on preparing for emergencies, with ideas and resources for individuals, families, workplaces and communities. Unfortunately some of the links are out of date but it's still useful.
- The Red Cross also has a section on its website called 'Be Red Cross Ready', with resources for individuals and families to be prepared in case of an emergency.
- The Metropolitan Police have an excellent guide on how to report concerns about possible terrorist activity.
- After the Bataclan attack in Paris, the UK's National Counter Terrorism Security Office published advice for the public on what to do in the event of being caught up in a gunman attack. Details available here.
- You can download the free, ad-free, UK-centric CitizenAID app to any smartphone or tablet, which gives immediate advice on what to do in the event of being caught up in a terror attack, with advice specific to the individual situation that the user is facing.