People called upon to act on instincts to help police tackle terrorism

“Trust your gut” says police chief

POLICE are calling on the public to help counter an increasingly complex and growing terrorist threat by acting on their instincts to report anything suspicious.

The UK’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, launched the Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) campaign on Monday.

He said 12 major terrorist attacks in the UK had been foiled since 2013 and a third of these were thwarted thanks to crucial information from the public.

Leicestershire Police has joined forces across the country to support the campaign.

Superintendent Mark Pollock, from East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “The current UK threat level from terrorism is graded ‘severe’, meaning an attack is highly likely. But we have a very powerful defence: you.

“Police, together with information received from the public, have foiled 12 potential terrorist attacks across the country since the summer of 2013, saving countless lives. Last year there was a record number of calls to the confidential anti-terrorist hotline. We want to increase this number.

“Communities defeat terrorism, but when attacks have occurred, people have admitted they suspected something was wrong, but didn’t report it as they worried about wasting police time, or getting someone into trouble.

“We want to reassure you that no call or click will be ignored. And know this: your anonymity will be protected, your information will be secure, and we will only take action after appropriate checks have been carried out.

“If you see something unusual or suspicious, trust your gut — ACT. If you think someone is vulnerable to being radicalised, ACT. Your information could save lives.”

Last year a record 22,000 people contacted the anti-terrorist hotline and officers hope to increase this number by encouraging people to report any suspicious activity.

Mr Rowley said: “It is very encouraging that in a third of cases involving our most serious terrorist sus- pects we have benefited from information from the public. The number or calls and online reports we receive is also increasing. This is a testament to the trust people hold in policing - but now we are appealing for even more.

“Counter terrorism policing and the security and intelligence services are working tirelessly to keep the public safe. However, advances in technology make it more complex and challenging for us to spot would-be terrorists because it’s easier for them to be in contact with others and be radicalised in a relatively short space of time using encrypted communications.

“The threat is becoming more varied and the move towards low-tech attacks on crowded places, like those we have seen in major European cities and beyond, makes it even more important everyone remains vigilant and acts, by calling us confidentially, if they are concerned about suspicious activity.”

More information on what to look out for and how to contact police can be found at gov.uk/ACT or by calling police on 0800 789321.