Staff get counter terrorism training

Council employees being taught how to spot‘anything out of place’

Hundreds of Stirling Council workers have received counter terrorism training - with schools and nursery staff likely to be next.

Over the last three years more than 2000 employees have already been trained in how to spot anything “out of place” in a bid to prevent locals being radicalised online or by terrorist organisations.

Initially almost 350 staff were trained on aspects such as mail handling, insider threat, document verification, bomb threats, suspicious packages and activities, crime and/or terrorist activity, and how to mitigate risks, in 2017.

However, since then the training has been extended and councillors are also said to have expressed an interest.

In December 2019, 14 counter terrorism presentations were given to staff in one week alone in conjunction with Police Scotland.

As well staff at schools and nurseries being trained this year, other plans include ensuring booking staff are well versed in spotting potential outlawed organisations who may try to hire local venues.

A venue hire policy is being created, which includes a list and symbols of unsavoury organisations to be made available to staff.

Much of the work stems from the council’s Integrity Group, made up of officers from a range of council services, the aim of which is to improve the council’s resilience to crime, fraud and corruption.

Among the group’s responsibilities are highlighting emerging risks, threats, vulnerabilities to the organisation in relation to serious and organised crime and/or terrorist activity.

Stopping people from being radicalised or becoming terrorists is also part of the group’s work, in line with the UK Government’s Counter Terrorism Strategy, with information shared between police, fire and rescue, NHS Forth Valley, the Scottish

Ambulance Service, Forth Valley College and Stirling University as well as the councils of Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Falkirk.

Resilience and risk team leader Alanna Sloan, depute chair of the group, told the council’s public safety committee last Thursday: “Prevent, a key strand of the UK Government strategy, is focused on the early identification of individuals who are vulnerable to being drawn into violent extremism.

“It is therefore essential that Prevent is delivered by means of a joint multiagency approach, with all relevant professionals sharing information in order to develop an appropriate package to support vulnerable individuals and reduce the risk of people becoming involved in terrorism.”

Ms Sloan said one of the aims of staff training was to give them confidence.

“Within the council the main focus is stopping people becoming involved in terrorism. We have a responsibility as a council and to have appropriate mitigation measures in place,” she added.

“There are also ‘fixated’ persons, which is anyone in general that has a fixed idea or view that they want to put over in an informal manner.”

Asked by committee chair Councillor Maureen Bennison how people could be prevented from being radicalised, Ms Sloan said: “It’s really about raising awareness and giving staff an avenue to report something that seems out of place.

“At the last count over 2000 employees had completed training, highlighting who to contact should they have a concern for anyone.

“The training of staff taking bookings has not yet taken place and will be something that will probably be discussed with the counter terrorism officer from the police. We need to be able to spot ‘symbols’ for example. I doubt they will phone up and say it’s for a proscribed organisation but caretakers for example might notice something in a hall or a bit of paper that’s left behind.”

At the last count over 2000 of our employees had completed training