Although terrorist incidents in Scotland are rare, the changing nature, complexity and unpredictability of these types of incidents mean that they can happen anywhere, at any time and can involve anyone. The current threat level from international terrorism to the UK is severe – meaning an attack is highly likely.
Counter Terrorism
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) and local forces work throughout the year with businesses across the country to give advice and guidance on safety and security measures.
CTP is calling on the public to play their part by remaining vigilant while out and about. If you see or hear something suspicious trust your instincts and report any concerns to police, security or staff. Reports can also be made in confidence at www.gov.uk/ACT. In an emergency always call 999.
To learn more about the role that you can play in defeating terrorism, free online training is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/act-awareness-elearning. Taking just 45 minutes to complete, the online training provides the latest advice from CT experts, including how to react in the unlikely event of a terror attack and how to spot and report suspicious activity and behaviour.
Serious Organised Crime
Serious Organised Crime can also have a significant impact on our communities, and without people knowing, what can appear to be legitimate businesses could actually cover a wide range of activities and individuals involved in areas such as drug trafficking, organised immigration crime and fraud.
Serious and organised crime centres around acquiring money, profit, influence and power. The type of activity or business used to achieve this varies enormously. It could be a taxi company, a tanning salon or any other type of usually legitimate business. The profits generated are often then invested in other types of criminal activity.
Serious and organised crime groups (SOCGs) will often use violence, corruption and intimidation to protect their criminal activities.
You can help to reduce the threat of both terrorism and Serious Organised Crime by reporting any suspicious activity.
Follow @SOCTaskforce on Twitter for more information on the work of Scotland’s Serious Organised Crime Taskforce.
Free online training
There is also free online training for all members of the public on how to respond to a terrorism incident through the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) which has been devised by UK counter-terrorism officers and experts. The online course helps people spot suspicious behaviour or items and understand what to do in the event of a bomb threat or major incident.
For more information on Prevent and how to spot the signs if you’re concerned that a vulnerable person is a risk of being exploited by extremists, visit actearly.uk