Anti-terrorism campaign aims to teach UK teenagers how to react during an attack

British children are the target of a new security campaign from the government that will teach them how to behave in the event of terrorist attacks.

The campaign is being launched with a video that follows three teenage friends caught up in a knife-and-gun attack on a shopping centre, and uses it to teach the best defence in such a scenario.

At the heart of the advice being promoted by the national counter-terrorism security office is “RUN HIDE TELL”. The film, which recounts the terrorist attack as a cartoon, shows the teenagers fleeing from attackers before taking cover in the storeroom of a shop and awaiting rescue by the police.

The six-minute video warns against taking pictures during an incident and advises turning phones to silent while in hiding.

There is also advice about how to prevent attacks. The friends recall other events they had heard about, including spotting a suspicious person and telling police, or how someone had noticed and reported an unattended bag.

“We knew we needed to educate a younger audience and we knew that if done correctly, this could be a campaign that will continue to keep people safe for decades,” said the Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Lucy D’Orsi.

Students will also be taught the “Treat” element of the campaign, in which they will learn how to attend to victims of knife or gun attacks. Developed in partnership with St John Ambulance, a first-aid charity, it teaches basic firstaid training and also how to prioritise degrees of injury.

The lessons will not be mandatory in schools, but Ms D’Orsi hopes that the campaign will be widely spread.